processministry.com

What's unforgivable?

newdaydfw@mac.com (Ricky Franklin) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:21:00 +0000

I'm working on an idea for a message series and I'd like your thoughts. The base of the series would be launched from a message entitled "The Unforgivable Sin". Here's how you can help, what do you think the unforgivable sin is? Or, what sins do you think God refuses to forgive? Is there one, two, or none? Hope you post something, because I'd really like your thoughts! This could be my first internet collaborative message series!

Honor

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Freeman) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:50:00 +0000

Regrettably, it has been far too long since I have posted. I have been wrestling with the subject of honor for the last year and lately have found myself teaching on the subject. To give some perspective, we planted Life Fellowship over 7 years ago. So we’re not ‘new’ and really there is no one to blame but myself for the culture, direction, and effectiveness of LF.

In our desire to be ‘relatable’ we (my team and I) persisted in not allowing ourselves to be singled out or ‘honored.’ I have encourage people to call me by my first name and have attempted to be just one of the guys. This tension through the years has been hard to manage. I would have told you with forceful assurance my opinion about the subject was spot on when we first started but I can tell you through seasons I have been challenged greatly by this issue.

I would be the first to tell you honor is something that cannot be demanded, but I would also tell you that if you do not create a culture of honor then it is something that will never be offered.

This became such an issue for me because of my staff. My wife and I are not the kind of people who need a lot of approval. God has graced us with these odd little personalities, so through the years the loyalty of a few has been all the motivation and affirmation we needed. However, as much as I attempted to encourage and build up my staff I couldn’t figure out why more of the folks in our church are not constantly cheering them on and showering them with appreciation. They work so hard and go so far beyond the call of duty. If anyone is worthy of honor these folks are. I know our people know that and it is not like people are rude, but the honor factor just doesn’t seem to be there.

Anyways, in prayer I asked the Lord what the problem was. I complained that I honor people so why is our church not following. The Lord spoke to me and told me that although I honored people, by not receiving honor I prevented there from being a culture of honor in our church. He has shown me that our culture struggles with this issue in general and that my leadership has just played right into it. I witnessed abuses through years by leaders who looked more like Eli’s sons than Jesus and had made vows to not behave like that. As a result I had fallen right into the dishonor trap of making common that which God had said was set a part.

I’m just curious all you cool – hip church planters, how are you handling the honor issue while maintaining your ‘man of the people’ status?

Communicating through technology.

newdaydfw@mac.com (Ricky Franklin) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:38:00 +0000

What is your most effective technology tool(s) that you use to communicate to (a) your church and (b) your community, outside of your Sunday morning services?

"Firing" volunteers.

newdaydfw@mac.com (Ricky Franklin) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:59:00 +0000

I had to "fire" a volunteer staff member this weekend. It was really a peaceful experience with all parties agreeing that to continue wasn't going to be in the best interest of anyone involved. No huge drama, yet a difficult process to walk through for us. Does anyone have any advice for the future and how to handle this coming Sunday when I announce it to the congregation? I would share more details, but...you understand, right?

After posting this and receiving two great comments. I should shed a little light. It wasn't actually a firing as much as a mutually agreed upon departing. The reason I said "fire" is because, as the Lead Pastor, I am ultimately responsible for the decisions made. Also, if this was a larger, mature church, this would have been a full-time staff position. Thanks again for the comments, I'm still open for more!

Small Groups 2009

wilson@wilsonmax.com (Bracy Wilson) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:45:00 +0000

I'm looking to offer some discipleship material for our small groups next semester? Does anybody have anything they would recommend as material for small groups that is a series that is more than a year or longer? I.E. Alpha Course

In the Building

wilson@wilsonmax.com (Bracy Wilson) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:43:00 +0000

Stonebridge Church has moved into our first location. I'm always asking everybody else to post on updates on their church launches and so forth so I thought I would drop an update on processministry.com. We had a Celebration Walk (parade) from the rented Elementary School to the new location. We had a McKinney Police Escort, a drum-line, banner, and the attending crowd in the "one-mile walk." It was great and a lot of fun. I took my time. It reminded me of my wedding day when it comes to the excitement and fast pace. I looked around many times and took deep breathes to take in the moment and slow down and enjoy it. It was rewarding and left us humbled by the grace of God.
By the way, I was so disappointed in our first Grand Opening by not having a photographer that I had always said that our next big day - we would hire one; especially after looking at Michael Norman's (Dallas, Texas - Greenville area) Launch pictures. So I highly recommend getting a photographer to remember the sweet memories. I also highly recommend Stephanie Davis (she's on facebook and is in Ft. Worth). Michael used her for his launch. Michael, thanks for the recommendation.
Our service was great with 2 salvations.
So to my fellow church planters, keep rockin'.

You Gotta Get This...

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Thompson) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:05:00 +0000

Coming Soon From Lifechurch.TV

Check out: www.churchmetrics.com for more info!

Church Plant Trailers Available

wilson@wilsonmax.com (Bracy Wilson) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Stonebridge Church is selling 2 twenty-four foot trailers from Portable Church.com and all of the equipment in it. It is a church in a box. Everything you need to plant a church is included. Write me at bwilson@stonebridgefamily.com if you have any questions.

Circus & Church...

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Thompson) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:09:00 +0000

So we spent 7 hours (travel, circus, dinner, travel) last night going to the Ringling Bros. Circus. The boys liked it (didn't love it)...I think Emily and I enjoyed it more than them. The actual circus was too long and a beat down...2 hours, intermission, and then almost another hour of performances...which at $10 a ticket was a great value...but a long time to watch clowns, elephants, and dogs dressed up. Oh...and to top it off...the arena vendors wanted $9 for a 20oz lemonade!?!? We didn't get lemonade...I walked down and up the 70 steps (yeah, we had 'nose bleed' seats) to get popcorn and soda from the concession stand.

So I'm thinking...all this hype - "Greatest Show On Earth" (which they didn't deliver on), they wanted your money at every turn, and I left feeling like to much of my time was taken from me. So how does that relate to the church world?!

I'd submit to you that to many churches are promising amazing music, fun stuff for kids, and a hip atmosphere - and they don't deliver on the "hype." To many churches are all about $$$. And all to often people walk away from a Sunday morning service, at some churches, thinking "I'll never get that 1 1/2 or 2 hours back."

I truly believe at Lifepoint we deliver on the "hype" - we've got awesome music, kids who leave wanting to come back, a very casual and inviting atmosphere, we rarely talk about money (yes, we receive weekly tithes and offerings - but I only teach on finances once or twice a year in a Sunday morning setting), and we keep our weekly Sunday morning gatherings to about 60-70 minutes.

All that to say...I won't be going back to the circus for a very long time because of what I experienced there. And what really saddens me...is that so many people all across America will visit a church this weekend for the first time OR for the first time in a long time...and walk away thinking "...I won't be going back to church for a very long time because of what I experienced there..." and that's just not okay. I hope that thought echos in your heart for a long time.

We are the church...make sure that you make people feel welcomed and valued as they come to check out this "church" thing. People are hurting and God cares about them. My request to church leaders and churches out there...don't promise something that you don't deliver on - keep it simple and just love on people.

Today Matters...

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Thompson) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:39:00 +0000

I know I'm not the only one with a "to-do list" that feels like it's a mile long. We live in a world where we are constantly running: mow lawn, clean the house, pay the bills, go to work, finish projects, drop kids off at soccer, run to Wal-Mart, pick kids up at soccer, make dinner, "quality time" with kids, put kids to bed, "quality time" with spouse, sleep... Sound familiar?

I would submit to you that the bible says we can't plan for tomorrow B/C we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. Today is the only time that we have…that is why today matters. And most of the time we miss it B/C of a few reasons.

1st thing: We over-exaggerate yesterday…our past successes or failures often look bigger to us, in hindsight, then they actually were.

2nd thing: We over-estimate tomorrow...most of us are optimistic and we believe that our future days are going to be better than today.

3rd thing: We under-estimate today...we often fail to recognize today's value and potential.

Today matters...don't let that "to-do list" overwhelm you...know that today is the only day that you have within your grasp. God has entrusted you (as a church planter) with a great deal of responsibility...fully understand the importance of today.

The Numbers Question

newdaydfw@mac.com (Ricky Franklin) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:05:00 +0000

We've all done it. At a district event, a conference, or when talking to another pastor. The number question will come up. As a church planter, I feel like I NEED to answer that question to my supporters and such. I'm not saying it's really a bad thing, numbers equal people, and people matter to God. I've just been thinking about a better way to ask it. Ed Young, Jr. challenged me in a message years ago at a Catalyst Conference. To paraphrase he asked, "what gauges are on your dashboard? What do you think is important to gauge the growth of your church?"

With that in mind, I've got a numbers question I think we should start asking. The next time you see me or another pastor, why don't you ask, "How many beer drinkers are coming to your church?" I don't mean the "we're under grace" drinkers. I mean the guys and gals who don't know anything else. It's cool to have dozens of believers coming, but what's the ratio to unbelievers/new believers. That's the group I think we're all after as planters.

If anyone is still reading these during the summer, please comment. Maybe you've got a better numbers question. I'd like to hear it.

breaking barriers

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Henderson) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:24:00 +0000

Craig Groeschel from LifeChurch.tv is posting a series of blogs on breaking barriers over at Swerve. So far he has dealt with the willingness to change and changing your mindset for leading change.

I think there is a lot of truth in the statement below.

"Generally speaking, the longer your church has been beneath a barrier, the more dramatic step it will take to break through the barrier. If some small change would make the difference, you would have made that a long time ago." [my highlights]

Luckily, for most church planters, it's still early enough on in the game to keep advancing.

Hop on over and check it out.

Staff

newdaydfw@mac.com (Ricky Franklin) — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:03:00 +0000

This summer, we will be expanding our "staff" from my wife and I and strictly volunteers. Two families (one has been with us since before launch, the other is moving here from out of state) are currently raising their own support to come on board in a full-time capacity. While we are thrilled to be moving in this forward direction, I was wondering if anyone had experienced this type of transition in your plant or revite? What would your advice be in making the transition? Thanks, Ricky

Leadership Training in Church Plants

wilson@wilsonmax.com (Bracy Wilson) — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:47:00 +0000

In the 80's and 90's there was this buzz word - leadership. I'm not hearing about that much anymore.

Why?

What are you doing to train leaders or volunteers outside of your Sunday morning service?

Let me define what I mean by "train." I'm not talking about training them to fill a position, but to have the mindset to think like a leader. A leader is someone in my book who influences people to become more like Jesus.

Do you have another term or word for leadership? What do you call these people we have called leaders? Maybe that's a dumb question, because there really is no other word.. but I thought I would throw it out there to see if anybody is thinking about this differently. Are the times changing in other words that we are using different terms for leadership?

Questions:
1. Are we hearing just as much about leadership and if no, why?
2. What are you doing to train leaders or volunteers outside of your Sunday morning service?
3. Do you have another term or word for leadership?

"rules" for start up

noreply@blogger.com (John Van Pay) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:13:00 +0000

per bracy's request:

“Why would you want to start a church instead of going to an existing one?” Besides feeling that God has called us to launching Gateway, we felt like we were wired for this venture. Of course, anyone who has launched a church has their own rules, so I thought i would add with my own. My “rules” below aren’t just for those starting churches, but for those who are considering going to work for themselves as well. With most businesses and churches struggling to survive in their first year, it is imperative to have “rules”.

1. Don’t start a church unless its an obsession and something you are passionate about. I felt possessed by this consuming vision that I constantly think about when laying in bed, showering, and riding my bike.

2. If you have an exit plan, its not an obsession.

3. Recruit team players who you think will love working in your system and with you. Character, Chemistry, and Competence are the non-negotiables.

4. Transformed lives cures all. Know how your church will operate and how you will actually make disciples. A simple defined process that is understood by everyone is key.

5. Know your strengths and focus on being great at them. Get the best you can. Outside the core competencies, hire people or recruit those outside your strengths.

6. As far as technology, it is not the main thing. However, having a good website, video projector, blogs, blast emails, and podcasts are a great way to communicate in our culture.

7. Keep the church flat. If you have leaders and pastors reporting to other leaders and pastors in a startup, we will fail.

8. Never forget the “why” and the mission. For us it is to become friends with the unconvinced so we can help them become life long followers of Jesus Christ. Every person who we meet or walks through our door is the most important person, matters, and for whom Christ hung on a tree for.

9. Do as much as you can “in house” and save money.

10. Make volunteering fun for the team. Keep a pulse on the stress levels and accomplishments of your people and reward them. Surprising a key team member with a 3D U2 concert, random canoeing/cliff jumping, and handing out starbucks cards is way to have fun or celebrate during stressful seasons.

11. It is your responsibility to make sure your core leaders are growing. Offer accountability and opportunities for spiritual and leadership growth. Every team member is currently reading a leadership book so we can become better.

A few books that have influenced my “rules” are the Bible, 7 Practices of a Church-Andy Stanley, E-Myth Revisted, Simple Church, and Good to Great-Phil Collins

Church Planting Video

wilson@wilsonmax.com (Bracy Wilson) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:20:00 +0000

We took the crazy risk within the first 4 months of launching to purchase about $8,000's worth of video equipment (video and computer). I learned a something that seems funny for me to write on it because I don't know how helpful it is, but it might be so practical that somebody may need to hear it.

Make sure you purchase the right stuff. I know that sounds pretty silly simple, but let me explain. I wanted to purchase an Apple Mac G5. What else is there when it comes to video editing. I have confirm that God has an Apple. He calls us the Apple of His Eye. Anyways, the guy who was going to do the editing wanted a PC. Well, we bought a PC because of this guy and then he left 6 months later. Now I have a really expensive machine that is not being used. It's a slammin' barely been touched Dell computer with two monitors (anyone want to purchase?) and it hasn't been used much since. It only has the video software on it. Lesson: Buy the right stuff. People leave, but the equipment stays.

Well, I have been doing some video's for our sermon series (some of them have been short film's). I thought I would share. I would love to see some of your videos. You can find our video's at stonebridgechurchmc.

Thoughts When Moving Locations and During Transitions

patrick@thelifehouse.org (pat_grach) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:13:00 +0000

Here are some things that I'm learning and that surprised me during our recent move from an elementary school to a theater:

THE PLAN IS ALREADY THERE!
God already had a plan; I just needed to listen and obey. It sounds obvious, but I think as leaders, we have a tendency to think that we've got to figure it all out and "make it happen". Or at least I do. But as we took steps to move to the new location, I found that the details and issues were already in place for us to move forward. Ex: I felt prompted in prayer and while jogging by a theater to pursue leasing it. An hour later I got a phone call from a guy in my church saying that he'd found a great location for us and that they were interested in leasing it- the same theater! That Sunday, we were notified by the school that they wanted us out in 2 months. You see what I mean!

BE BOLD!We've asked our landlord and others for crazy things. Don't be afraid to step out and ask. Ask business owners, a landlord, volunteers, etc. There are people that are as passionate as you to make it happen. Sometimes all they need is an opportunity or to be asked. Also, we have not because we ask not. Volunteers have worked harder than I expected. People have given more than I imagined. The landlords have given us more latitude and opportunity than we hope.

DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING! Just because you hope something will happen doesn't mean it will. Cross your "t"s with the lease, building codes, etc. It's our responsibility as the leaders to plan ahead, think through various options, and come in with an idea of where things are going. Have contingencies if something looks questionable.

DON'T TAKE SETBACKS AS SETBACKS! Challenges are blessings from God. Don't see conflict or difficulty as a problem but as a window for growth. Ex: We made our regional news for an outreach we did shortly after moving into the theater. Well, the commissioners noticed and pulled our permit records, but when they didn't find any, they told us we'd have to get building permits, etc. At first, we were frustrated, but decided this was for our best. It's turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We've built great relationships with the County and owners.

DON'T LET OTHER CHURCHES OR LEADERS DETERMINE YOUR VISION OR LOCATION! If you've heard from God, follow through on the plan He's given you. Simple example: when we began looking at the theater, I felt a lot of pressure to go nuts with lighting, sound system, etc. And this would have cost tens of thousands that we didn't have. We already are pretty edgy, and we decided we weren't ready for a ton more. When you stick with your vision/ passion, it'll pay off long term. Plus you won't have others constantly thinking that they can dictate the vision, style, location, etc.

Just some simple thoughts off the top of my head.

free church graphics and resources toolbox

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Henderson) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:58:00 +0000

Church Relevance is a great resource to be on your radar if it isn't already. Today they posted 15 of some of the best sites for free church graphics and ministry resources.

Be sure and check out the links and add Church Relevance to your blog roll.
Hope these are a help.

Moving into a New Building - 23 Questions

wilson@wilsonmax.com (Bracy Wilson) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:44:00 +0000

I thought this was good to file away. It's by Dan Reiland
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

No matter how much planning, no matter how inspiring your vision, no matter how much you pray, the change connected to moving into a new church building is highly stressful on both the leaders and the congregation.

The leaders carry the weight of first adjusting to the change themselves and they must adjust quickly. The leaders must also inspire, prepare and encourage the people for the coming changes related to a new building.

The congregation, including your best and brightest volunteers, must wrestle through change. Typically, if you are moving into a new building, it is larger than the previous one (candidly, I can't think of a church that built a smaller worship auditorium for the primary campus). With a larger auditorium comes more parking, more class rooms for the kids, more offices, and more seats. The whole thing is bigger. When we opened our new building a couple of weeks ago I noticed dozens of people inside the Worship Experience Center on their cell phones. It was just before the service started and they were trying to find friends and family so they could sit together. This will pass as they learn their new rhythms and where they like to sit, but change is still change. Changing from a manual child check-in to a computerized check-in system is change. Changing from parking where you want to being directed to park in the next available spot is change. Even the way you "feel" worship inside the new auditorium is change.

There are some things that are almost impossible to anticipate, but you can plan and prepare for the vast majority of what you will face. If you do, you will have the margin you need to deal with the things that life throws your way before moving in and soon after moving into your new building.

After recently going through this process, and still learning, it seemed helpful to pass on to you the "23 Questions" that helped us prepare for this transition. These questions don't represent the more artful questions that require knowledge of your culture, but the practical ones that apply to all churches. I must say up front that we didn't nail every answer before we moved in, and some solutions are still morphing, but overall these questions will be very helpful to you when you are preparing to move into a new building or into a new campus.

I suggest starting the conversation with your staff and key leaders many months in advance of your move (at least 6). Begin the dialogue by asking: "What are you dreaming, praying and planning for?" I stated that this set of questions is practical in nature, but you need to begin at a heart level asking God to breathe life into your plans. Then ask the visionary question: "What will our experience be like soon after the move-in?" Throughout the months of asking and answering the following questions, keep these first two in mind.

There is no magic in the number of questions. You may have more or less. But failure to answer them will end in chaos... so here we go.

1. What will people love about it? Anticipate the things that your congregation will genuinely appreciate. What will they find helpful and be proud of in your new building. How will you leverage those things?
2. What will people complain about? There will be things the people don't like, so be ready for that. Among those you can anticipate, which ones should you solve, in what order, and which ones do you intentionally ignore?
3. What changes must not happen? What are the specific expressions of core values and culture that you and the church leaders must protect?
4. How / when do you cast vision for the coming changes? This is not exclusive to the general congregation, but relates to all levels and departments.
5. How will you market to the community prior to move-in? What is your plan for advertising? What is the budget? When do you start?
6. What sermons (series) are required before, during and after the move-in? This requires much thought and prayer to discern the balance of reaching both those who are far from God and those who are Christ-followers.
7. In what ways will the staff need to be different and function differently? This, of course, is a massive question. You may not be able to afford more staff upon move-in, but you should know who you want to hire next.
8. What will the new shape and expression of Spiritual Formation look like? How will the process function, including baptism, new Christians, volunteer service, and small groups, etc.?
9. How will you help people transition from the big experience to small group environments? How will you utilize mid-sized environments?
10. How will you leverage creative arts and evangelism in fresh and productive ways? How will you ensure that evangelism remains at the cutting edge?
11. What are your clear, fresh and creative plans to continue strong in building pledge monies? If your building isn't paid for, what is your plan to keep the revenue source alive after move-in?
12. How will you deepen and strengthen church-wide leadership development?
13. How will ministry programming be different? (What is cut, what is added?)
14. How will you respond to / communicate with first-time visitors?
15. How will you communicate your vision after move-in? What's your next hill to conquer? This is often where churches drop the ball. Once the building goes up and people move in, the vision dies down. Decide before you move in where you are headed after that day.
16. If you have a video venue or a satellite campus ministry, how are they affected by the opening of this new building?
17. Where and when do the sacraments fit in? Why?
18. What does community look like in the new building? Will you encourage community within the large building? Example, will you permit small groups to meet on campus? Why? How? Seating areas?
19. What is your strategic use, and implications of that use, of the building outside of your regular services and events? This relates to unique ministry ideas.
20. Is the building open to your community for outside events? (Concerts, Graduations, Weddings etc.) Will you charge a fee or grant usage at no charge?
21. What will a typical week of activities look like? (Small Groups, Support Groups, Student Ministries, Worship rehearsals. etc.)
22. Guest Services - how will you communicate events and opportunities with everyone considering multiple entry points to the building? (This relates more to larger buildings.)
23. What do you pray / want to accomplish in the first 30 days? First 3 months? In the first 6 months? In the 1st year?

Take these questions and add and delete as you see fit. Pray and plan much before you launch your transition.

techsoup.org

noreply@blogger.com (Lanny) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:09:00 +0000

Dave had asked me to submit a blog on processministry to let everyone know about a really great resource we were introduced to called TechSoup.org...TechSoup has literally saved us a few thousand dollars.

TechSoup.org is a company which acts as a filter for organizations wanting to donate their software (whether out of generosity or tax purposes) to nonprofit organizations. Techsoup then gives this software away charging only a small fee for their overhead. All you have to do to receive this donated software is:

a. prove you are in fact a nonprofit organization underneath the umbrella of the AG by faxing a letter explaining the discrepancy of name and address between you and the actual 501(c)3 papers held by the AG
b. have your EIN number

That's it...here is what we were able to purchase...and yes these are full copies...you can register them and get all updates applicable for that software.

Microsoft Office Professional Edition: $20
Adobe Creative Suite for Mac: $160.00 (originally $1800.00)
Norton 360 for PC: $30 for 15 licenses
Norton Internet Security for Mac: $15

There you have it...
By the way...their customer service is really good...if you run into any problems or just need help getting through the process you can email or give me a call.

lanny@thecrossingchurch.tv
1.214.295.1027

volunteer resource

noreply@blogger.com (Seth Henderson) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:24:00 +0000

I know volunteers are vital to any church operation, but many questions surround recruitment, assessment, keeping them involved, preventing burnout, etc.

In fact, it was even a recent post on this blog.
I think it is pretty much safe to say we all have questions concerning this area.

Church Volunteer Central could be a resource that is worth checking out for materials, information, and help. Maybe they can answer some of our questions.

Conference to attend?

patrick@thelifehouse.org (pat_grach) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:48:00 +0000

For most church planters with limited resources and time, we have to be careful what conferences we'll spend our time and money attending.

What are your ALL-TIME-WON'T-MISS-FOR-ANYTHING conferences? What are your favorites as a church planter?

Second, you've allocated finances to send staff to conferences: which ones are the MUST-ATTEND for: worship, children's ministry, administration, youth, hospitality, small groups?

Check List #2: Children's Event

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Leake) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:06:00 +0000

Bracy asked if I could contribute to the examination of Factors in Church Plant Survivability as published by the Leadership Network.

One of those factors is the hosting of a Children's Event (Easter Egg Hunt, Fall Festival).

In our efforts to mother churches in the economically depressed communities in the Pittsburgh region, this factor has been huge. It has also been a significant momentum builder for the one church that we planted in a more suburban community.

What does a Children's Event do?

Establishes the church plant as 'family-friendly' and concerned for kids.
Creates an environment of FUN. When people enjoy themselves, they talk about what they experienced.
Provides a safe way to connect with new families. Parents come for their kids to have fun. In the process they meet other people from the church.
Provides Inexpensive Advertising - A great event can create some word of mouth momentum. One of our church plants (Sharpburg Family Worship Center) was able to host the Easter Egg Hunt for their entire city. The third year they did it, they had over 2000 people in attendance.
Doesn't Require Sophisticated Planning - most plants have enough volunteer energy to pull of a one-day event like this.
Provides An Opportunity For A Comeback Moment - we try to do something on the following weekend with a 'give-a-way' so that families want to come to church to check it out.
Serves As A Crowd-Builder - people attract people. Crowds build vision and excitement. Kids Events are often big deals which a new church can leverage for momentum.

This method works so well for us that we try to do something like this 3 or 4 times a year.

Spring = Easter Egg Hunt
Summer = Block Party (we raise funds and collect resources for a Back Pack/School Supply Give-a-Way)
Fall = Light The Nite or Fallfest
Christmas = Give A Gift Outreach

How has this worked for you?

Church Media Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Thompson) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:09:00 +0000

Is anyone planning on going to the Echo Conference? It's gonna be here in Dallas...August 14-16. Individual registrations is $269...but if we get a group of 5 or more it's only $219. There's gonna be some amazing speakers and "how-to" labs...

Check out the conference site and let me know if you wanna go:
www.echoconference.com

Easter Was Amazing!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Thompson) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Easter 2008 was amazing! We met new families from our community, Lifepoint regulars invited friends and neighbors, and lives where changed forever. And to top it all off...we had our largest crowd ever!

Bigger than our launch, bigger than our 6 month anniversary, bigger than any single day in our short history. Now, the hard work starts...follow-up. We've got a fairly good follow-up system...but I'm always willing to try something new.

QUESTION:

What are you doing in regards to follow-up?

Letter, postcard, gift, etc...?

What would you recommend?