5 Steps in Planting a Church or Launching a New Ministry

I’ve learned a few things, many of which I write about here. I’ve also learned there are a few common steps in a successful launch.

It doesn’t really matter what the ministry is…the launching process is relatively the same. You should know I’m a simple-minded guy. But, time and time again I’ve seen simple work. Sometimes we over complicate things.

I’m not saying simple is easy. It hardly ever is. I’m saying that we should not make the steps more convoluted than they actually are and that the more we can simplify the steps into an easy to understand format the easier it will be to complete them.

Here are 5 steps to a successful ministry launch:

Vision – Get a clear, easy to understand, worthy vision that honors God and brings good to other people and for which people can get excited. 

People – Recruit people who love the vision as much as you do. If you can’t find like-minded people, it will be very difficult to be successful in the new ministry. I always believe, and have witnessed it repeatedly, that if God is in this, He has already been shaping the vision in other people’s minds. We just need to find them.

Equip and assign – With people contributing, determine the tasks needed to accomplish the vision. Help people understand their unique role in accomplishing the vision and assign them to specific tasks. Give them the resources they need and make sure they are clear on their assigned role.

Energize – Keep people motivated towards the vision by continually reminding them of the overall purpose and their significant place in accomplishing it.

Release – Let people do their part to accomplish the vision. Give real ownership. Delegate. Don’t control.

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“Anyone here!” I shouted, stumbling half-asleep through the small, sparsely furnished house located in the low-rent district of a large southern city.

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 I stepped out on the porch, and to my surprise my suitcases were lined up against the wall. My eyes fell on a note attached to one of the suitcases. “Good luck, Charles. We owe everything we have to our god.”

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In any case, almost before we realize it, our hearts are streaking down the road at a blazing speed toward the deceptive embrace of bitterness. Like an octopus, it reaches out its ugly tentacles and wraps its many arms around us in an ever tightening grip until our joy, health and sanity are almost squeezed from us. We find ourselves trapped. You’re probably like me and have already experienced enough hurts in a lifetime that, if not dealt with properly, can subtly accumulate into a dark, secret, cesspool of poison frothing in our souls. Everything in life can be tainted and eventually, we become slaves to our own misery.

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