Starting a church

[John Young]

I'm in the very early stages of starting a church and am working on getting everything organized to hold meetings. I have a fairly good idea of the starting process but would like to know from some veteran church planters and founding church members if they have any advice or tips to help it go smoother and things to avoid, etc.

Also message wise I am thinking about going through the bible expositorily; OT History Sunday Morning, NT Sunday Night, Wisdom books on Wednesday, and Sunday School would maybe ABCs of Christian Growth. Should I just start in on this series approach or should I spend a few months on some sort of organizational topics for new church plants? If so what would be your suggestions? 

Edited January 26, 2016 by John Young

[Alan]

John,

May the Lord bless you and guide you as you step into the ministry.

As a starting process I think your plan for the expository method for the different services are good.

A good spiritual understanding of Proverbs 27:23-27 will help you stay in focus in dealing with folks who visit the work and desire to stay. In this day and age I would suggest you study 1 & 2 Corinthians in order to know what type of people will probably visit your church.

Go at everything very slowly with very few commitments: especially in the financial workings of a new church. Sometimes we overly commit to too many things, projects, etc.. and the work and financial load is too exhausting. Remember, with a new work you may not have folks willing to help. At the beginning the pastor may do everything: including all of the needed maintenance work, secretarial duties, visitation, and other items too numerous to mention. All of these items take a toll on a man who has the added spiritual responsibilities and/or a full-time job.

Even with a new work that is started in the pastors home there are needed church items that, in a lot of cases, the pastor pays with his own funds.

Find a fellow pastor within a short distance away that you can ask for advice. You are going to need a lot of advice. Be careful who you listen too for advice. Sometimes a fellow pastor can give you Godly warning of 'church hoppers' who can cause spiritual harm, or ruin the reputation, of your ministry and/or family.  

The closer you draw close to the Lord the more He will draw close to you. The ministry is the Lord's ministry: He can still guide the work as He see fit.

God Bless.

Alan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alan]

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Hebrews 13:6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Alan
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[Ronda]

Brother John,  

God bless in your following His calling to serve and preach the word.

Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men"
 

[swathdiver]

5 hours ago, John Young said:

I'm in the very early stages of starting a church...

Do you have a sending/sponsoring church?  Have you asked these questions to the pastor?

 

[Ukulelemike]

Out of curiosity, are you already having Bible studies with a particular group of believers, and this is why you're staring a church? or are you going to find a meeting place and being going door to door to spread the word of a brand new work, starting from just you?

The reason I ask is, concerning particularly your morning meetings, you're going to find that, in your Sunday morning services is when you'll have more new folks, unsaved, and immature believers attending, and as such, you should consider working milk at the first. Your more mature folks will be edified with having the word brought again to their memory, being refreshed, while the younger will receive instruction they can accept, and any unbelievers will hear, ideally, the gospel. For the first many years I pastored a church, I always worked the gospel into the lessons. Right now I am pretty sure, (as much as I can be), that those who come are already saved, but if I have a visitor I always work in the gospel.

So now knowing your current situation, I would recommend keeping the AM Sunday sermons simpler, more gospel-related, at least for a while, unless all you will have there are mature enough for meat.

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

As the Lord leads. I think expository preaching is better than topical generally. of course you have to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading for each and every message.

I would especially recommend Ecclesiastes early on, I think the book is especially needful in today's hedonistic, humanistic society. it was one of the first books as a new believer, in fact I think it was the very first complete book of the bible that I read through, and it really helped me to get a proper perspective on this life here on earth.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Jordan Kurecki

[John Young]

15 hours ago, swathdiver said:

Do you have a sending/sponsoring church?  Have you asked these questions to the pastor?

My sending church is Green Meadow Bible Baptist Church in Kalamazoo, MI. My pastor and I are in discussions about the church planting and I have the blessing of my sending church as well and report to them and submit to their authority over the church plant. I'm asking these questions here because my pastor and sending church have not started a church before and while I have helped start churches before and know overall how to do it, I have not been a pastor or an officer (doer of legal paperwork, etc.) of one before and I want to be sure not to make common mistakes a veteran church planter may want a first timer to know.

9 hours ago, Ukulelemike said:

Out of curiosity, are you already having Bible studies with a particular group of believers, and this is why you're staring a church? or are you going to find a meeting place and being going door to door to spread the word of a brand new work, starting from just you?

...you'll have more new folks, unsaved, and immature believers attending, and as such, you should consider working milk at the first. 

...I would recommend keeping the AM Sunday sermons simpler, more gospel-related, at least for a while, unless all you will have there are mature enough for meat.

If a lost person wants to have a bible study on salvation for a few weeks then that is fine with me but once they are saved they should be baptized and added to a church. I have always been of the the mind that we start as a church under the authority of the sending church, that way when they actually organize they will be functioning as a church. I do not think it is right to hold a bible study but not have them in church. My Ideal would be to start meeting in our house but my wife and I do not have one yet so we are trying to find a cheap office or retail space we can rent. Once we have a location we will start inviting folks to attend church meetings.

Thank you for the advice I appreciate it. My goal with the Sunday preaching services is to preach on the major theme of each chapter rather then the nity grity then tie it in with the gospel and with an application for the believer. For example In Gen. 1 the theme would be Creation. God created of all things with his voice, Creation of new life, All things God created were very good. The lost need to allow God to create a new life in them by asking. The believer needs to speak with the mind to create good things, etc. For the in depth areas such as, gap theories, why evolution is wrong, etc. I may wait for Sunday school or Wednesday bible study. 

7 hours ago, Jordan Kurecki said:

I would especially recommend Ecclesiastes early on, I think the book is especially needful in today's hedonistic, humanistic society. it was one of the first books as a new believer, in fact I think it was the very first complete book of the bible that I read through, and it really helped me to get a proper perspective on this life here on earth.

I really enjoy that book as well. About half way through bible college I was really discouraged and dropped out for about a year. During that time my pastor started a sermon series on Wednesdays that really helped me regain my focus and calling to finish college and continue in the ministry. If I can find a good simple commentary book on Ecclesiastes I may hand them out as a gift to visitors.

[Alan]

Brethren,

John Young's sending church, Green Meadow Bible Baptist Church, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Pastor Steve Zantjer, is listed in the OnLine Baptist Church Directory. Here is the link to the church website (also in the OnLine Baptist Church Directory): http://greenmeadowbbc.com/

Alan

[Rebecca]

I am a wellspring of information! Just ask me anything and I shall expound from my vast storehouse of knowledge concerning church starting!

 

In all seriousness though, I will be praying for you daily that God will bless your efforts in finding a building to meet in and have wisdom concerning finances, legalities, outreach, etc.

[Salyan]

My apologies for the necroposting, and I realize your efforts may be well beyond this information, but have you heard of Baptist Church Planting Ministry? Their ministry is to assist local churches in reproducing themselves. We have worked with them on several church plants and found their experience to be invaluable. http://bcpm.org/

On another note, their founder, Dr. Earl Jessup, has just graduated to glory. The ministry will be continuing on without him, but we will miss him!

[OLD fashioned preacher]

2 hours ago, Salyan said:

My apologies for the necroposting!

Necroposting --- I like that!

[John Young]

8 hours ago, Salyan said:

My apologies for the necroposting, and I realize your efforts may be well beyond this information, but have you heard of Baptist Church Planting Ministry? Their ministry is to assist local churches in reproducing themselves. We have worked with them on several church plants and found their experience to be invaluable. http://bcpm.org/

On another note, their founder, Dr. Earl Jessup, has just graduated to glory. The ministry will be continuing on without him, but we will miss him!

Yes I know of his ministry and had a few talks with Bro. Earl Jessup on starting churches. I do like how their ministry helps start churches and even considered their help but my pastor and I decided to go a different direction in starting the church. Even then Brother Jessup still helped with advice if needed. Great man and ministry.

[Alan]

We are still praying for you and for the ministry that God gave you.

[Salyan]

On August 25, 2016 at 5:33 PM, OLD fashioned preacher said:

Necroposting --- I like that!

I can't take credit - I got it from Alimantado!