When and How to Multiply?

The churches that I have been in that started new churches with existing membership left it open to prayerful volunteers to leave and go with the new start. Folks that felt as though the Lord was leading them to this new work.

No one was instructed to go or assigned to go.

Worked very well in both instances.

 

I would say first pray about it. I was in a church that had this issue. I was in charge of preschool and children and I told my volunteers that they could sit for a service and work the next one. They picked the service they worked and which one that they went to worship and the schedule stayed the same. They loved it!
:godisgood:

 

If you already have people come from another area that might be a good group of people to start a new church with. A good example of someone who has done that is found at www.ctkonline.com
Their story is at http://ctkonline.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=12

 

When and How to Multiply

We did have a little amount of trouble getting enough volunteers but it eventually worked out. I had some who would simply work both services so that I wouldn't have to fill the spot by myself and I had some that were always willing to lend a hand whether it was their week or not. The only problem I had was that we basically had the same group of kids for both services because of so many with kids being involved in the services. We would add or subtract a few kids but it was basically the same group so keeping track of numbers was probably the hardest thing.

 

If a church plant is what you are after, then your 2nd option would seem to go far in training the necessary laity for the new work. In addition, the second service/Sunday school time is good stewardship of your church's facilities.

 

We aren't running out of space yet, but we are considering an early morning contemporary service, then the regular Sunday School hour, and then the traditional service. We are looking at this as an opportunity to increase attendance by giving people a choice of the type of service they wish to attend. Here are a few thoughts on your options.

1. This is a good option if you want to keep the church as one work.

2. I am not sure how this would work. Are you speaking about a whole new staff, and new set of volunteers? As a short term solution it might work, however since it will be a plant from your present church I could see people hopping back and forth from morning to afternoon.

3. If you want a new work this would seem the best option. The people interested in the work go out and start it with the help and support of the current church.


Bill

 

Good grief...with the title "When and how to multiply" I thought this was a Birth Control thread! :laugh:

We chose to do option 1: 2 Sunday Schools and 2 worship services. The following made our transition smooth:

1. We did differing worship services (1 contemporary, 1 traditional) (PLEASE no debate about this...just telling ya what we did).
2. We asked EVERYONE to sign up for Sunday School. (in other words, we started with a blank slate, and got folks to sign up). This helped us get folks "lined up" with a particular SS class.

It will take you a couple of months to line up the new SS teachers if you go this route. You'll also end up getting a few more teachers than you'll need...but better safe than sorry.

Because we did 2 differing styles, that helped us know what to expect...for instance, we don't even offer a youth SS during our first worship hour (Contermporary worship). We started out with that offered, but only 2-3 kids chose that route...and eventually, they decided to go to both hours of SS.

Hope this helps. Ask if you need more info.

 

Jack Matthews,

if you start a new church at a new location, you could look at it as a missions endeavour. You'd have a man from your congregation (one who you and he believe is called to be a pastor) and you'd send him as your church-planting missionary. Some of your missions money could go to support the new work, but he could also go on some deputation to ask other churches to help support the new work until it can become independent.

This is how Ive seen it done by another large church in CA. They started two new churches in the LA area this way. Both new churches are on their own now, I believe. They asked for volunteers to begin attending the new places, moving their membership there, to help the new churches get off the ground. But they immediately began growing on their own as well.

 

What I think I'm reading in your posts is that your church has a passion to start a new church plant but that there currently is a financial resource issue involved in having current members (tithers and givers) leave the sponsor church to assist in building up the new work.

It sounds as though you need some additional growth in the sponsor church to offset the future losses of giving members to the new work. If so, it would seem to make sense to continue growing the sponsor church via something like #1 to increase the available financial resources.

 

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