The Seasons Of A Church Plant

We recently came across a timeline and overview of the typical development of new churches and church plants.

This overview is designed to guide a church plant or a church that plants churches. Each season includes a suggested timeline for completing bulleted tasks and will establish a clearly defined strategy for training and coaching the church plant.

Our TPCC Leadership Council will use this as a guide and evaluative tool to guide and direct our attention and help set goals for the present and future.

Keep in mind that these seasons are not necessarily in the order in which we or any church may develop.

I. PREPARING SEASON: Preparing to Plant (before day 0)
· Confirm the calling and vision
· Determine general location and ministry focus
· Establish prayer support base
· Begin church planning training and coaching
· Clarify ministry philosophy and models
· Design a church planting action plan
· Create a church planting proposal
· Establish a financial support base

I. GATHERING SEASON: Gathering a Worshipping Community (0-6 mo.)
· Implement networking and evangelism (word and deed)
· Implement home fellowship groups
· Develop core group and leadership team
· Manage conflict for unified values and vision
· Establish essential ministries (systems)
· Develop leaders over essential ministries
· Launch public worship and ministries

II. DEVELOPING SEASON: Developing Gospel-Centered Ministries (6-24 mo.)
· Develop leaders in essential ministries
· Develop frontline kingdom prayer
· Develop gospel centered-worship and preaching
· Develop transformational learning communities
· Develop need-oriented evangelism ministries
· Develop lay and gift-oriented ministries
· Develop emerging functional structures

I. MENTORING SEASON: Mentoring Gospel-Centered Leaders (2 yrs->)
· Develop mentoring leadership philosophy and strategy
· Develop mentoring process for raising up healthy disciples
· Develop mentoring process for raising up ministry leaders
· Develop mentoring process for raising up elders/deacons
· Develop mentoring process for raising up church planters
· Develop mentoring process for raising up movement leaders

V. GROWING SEASON: Leading the Church to Growth and Planting (ongoing)
· Evaluate church health and growth
· Establish church health and growth goals
· Lead the church to expansion growth (evangelism in word & deed)
· Lead the church in internal growth (edification/discipleship)
· Lead the church to extension growth (mono-cultural planting)
· Lead the church to bridging growth (cross-cultural planting)
· Lead the church to organizational growth

VI. LOCATING SEASON: Establishing a Community Presence (2 yrs ->)
· Determine whether and/or when to find a more permanent location (this is ofcourse depending on current circumstances)
· Find adequate facility and/or real estate (rent or purchase?)
· Establish planning for funds relative to location/construction
· Oversee relocation and construction process
· Repeat the locating process if necessary
· Prioritize mission in local context (word and deed)

VII. MULTIPLYING SEASON: Establish a Church Planting Movement (ongoing)
· Develop a unified vision and comprehensive strategy
· Implement spiritual renewal dynamics
· Overcome barriers and cultivate leadership
· Establish recruiting and assimilating systems
· Establish training and coaching systems
· Establish support systems for parenting church leaders
· Establish home-grown planter development systems
· Develop funding for a church planting movement
· Develop multiplying church planting networks

As a church, we should begin now to pray for the next season and beyond. Our preparedness is first spiritual with execution of tasks to follow. It is vitally important as we discuss each item within our respective season that we do not loose focus on our own personal gospel renewal, without which, there can be not gospel progress.

Much of this is gleaned from Church Planting Resources, Acts 29 Network and The North American Mission Board (SBC).