When I was asked to take over as pastor of Coram Deo Church I was told to expect turnover in the congregation. It happened. It was painful. I decided to do some research on church planting and survivability to help me put things in perspective.
It appears that most new churches in America never make it to their third birthday. The ones that survive often end up with a different group of people from those who started it. I discovered some interesting advice online to help me, copied and pasted below.
(http://www.nextinitiative.net/)
Are You Called To The Extreme Sport of Ministry?
Start with a crowd, not a core group.
The larger the seeker crowd, the more potential impact of the Word of God.
(http://www.nextinitiative.net/)
Are You Called To The Extreme Sport of Ministry?
Start with a crowd, not a core group.
The larger the seeker crowd, the more potential impact of the Word of God.
(http://www.churchplanting.com/)
There are two inexcusable things people will not tolerate for more than two weeks – guaranteed. You need ...
1. a healthy and safe nursery (you knew that already)
2. a kick a%$ message at least 80% of the time.
There are two inexcusable things people will not tolerate for more than two weeks – guaranteed. You need ...
1. a healthy and safe nursery (you knew that already)
2. a kick a%$ message at least 80% of the time.
(http://reformed.net/ncd/snapper.html)
The church planting reality is quite different from the rosy picture promised. The Church Growth Movement may not have done anything to change membership growth for most congregations.
The church planting reality is quite different from the rosy picture promised. The Church Growth Movement may not have done anything to change membership growth for most congregations.
(http://www.acts29network.org/article/church-planting-landmines)
Learning from failure is a key concept in life and successful church planting. When asked about his hundreds of failed attempts to invent the lightbulb before experiencing success, Thomas Edison simply said that he had discovered all the ways not to produce the lightbulb. Church planting is no different. It needs to be seen as a process of 'failing forward.'
On the one hand, it seems that Coram Deo needs a nursery, a celebrity speaker and a crowd to be successful. On the other hand, perhaps the church growth hype should be ignored. Maybe it’s best to stay true to our vision. So what exactly is the vision?
Coram Deo is called to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We delight in the things of God and in the fellowship of one another. We call ourself a family-integrated, disciple-making church. Our passion is to release the power of the God’s Word and Spirit in the heart and home of every Christian. Our goal is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. We regard our homes as multigenerational embassies of discipleship, hospitality and ministry where the Gospel is lived out. We believe Christian fathers are an undertapped spiritual resource for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom. We believe the faith that flourishes at home has the power to transform and restore the culture.
Learning from failure is a key concept in life and successful church planting. When asked about his hundreds of failed attempts to invent the lightbulb before experiencing success, Thomas Edison simply said that he had discovered all the ways not to produce the lightbulb. Church planting is no different. It needs to be seen as a process of 'failing forward.'
On the one hand, it seems that Coram Deo needs a nursery, a celebrity speaker and a crowd to be successful. On the other hand, perhaps the church growth hype should be ignored. Maybe it’s best to stay true to our vision. So what exactly is the vision?
Coram Deo is called to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We delight in the things of God and in the fellowship of one another. We call ourself a family-integrated, disciple-making church. Our passion is to release the power of the God’s Word and Spirit in the heart and home of every Christian. Our goal is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. We regard our homes as multigenerational embassies of discipleship, hospitality and ministry where the Gospel is lived out. We believe Christian fathers are an undertapped spiritual resource for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom. We believe the faith that flourishes at home has the power to transform and restore the culture.
Such a vision is counter to the latest church growth marketing strategies. It may seem like a recipe for slow growth or failure. But I am optimistic. Revival may be on the way. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6). I invite you to join me as we “fail forward” together.
Sincerely,
Pastor John
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