Launching a church may end up being one of the hardest things you will ever do. That is why most successful church planters surround themselves with an outstanding core team and engage ‘experts’ early in the launch process. There are people that have “gone before” and have since used their gifts to become experts in the field. Those launching a church can greatly benefit from these three areas of expertise:
FUNDRAISING CONSULTING
Launching strong takes money. You might be asking, “Doesn’t spending money on raising money defeat the whole purpose and show a lack of faith?” No. Consulting an expert will cost more upfront, but will ultimately save your team time and energy, and will ensure you are prepared and focused when you begin fundraising. An expert can also help you avoid mistakes, while also providing strategies to reach your goals, and faster than you could on your own.
It’s a lot like hiring a personal trainer. In the same way a trainer works to strengthen you, build muscle, and cheer you on, a fundraising expert will help you shape your thought process and reach your goals. An expert also knows that your main goal should not just be to raise money for your church launch, but to foster a church-wide generosity that becomes a part of your church’s culture.
We know and love two companies that are training churches in the areas of fundraising and generosity: Generis and Giving Rocket. Generis reaches beyond market-driven building campaigns and instead helps you instill giving as a natural part of your church. They have helped over 2,000 churches and organizations in their fundraising efforts, but they also work to create a culture of generosity by changing lifestyles and mindsets, creating alignment between your church and a common goal, and renewing vision.
Giving Rocket is a coaching program through The Rocket Company designed to help you increase the weekly giving that takes place in your church. Their goal is to help you fully fund the vision that God has put in your heart so that you don’t have to worry about meeting payroll.
PORTABILITY CONSULTING
We have found that most new churches launch in rented spaces that were purposed for something other than church. This means that a church must bring in their equipment each week, set-up, teardown, and then store the equipment (typically off-site) until the following week.
A big piece of the portable church puzzle is often the audio, video, and lighting component. To someone who is not familiar with this kind of technology, the process of choosing, setting up, and storing the right equipment can seem overwhelming and daunting. One solution to this problem would be to consult with a “typical” technology company. Unfortunately, these experts are trained to either design for permanent installs or for the touring industry. While both specialties are incredibly effective for their respective areas, there are complications with both when it comes to designing for a rented venue. Permanent install groups are specialists in areas where weight, handles, durability, and ease of set-up and takedown aren’t typically a consideration. Alternatively, touring groups are experts in set-up and takedown, however, their core experience is in designs that typically assume paid professionals, long set-up times, large doorways, and often machinery to help move the gear.
Also, technology is not the only piece you have to consider making ‘portable.’ What about your chairs, children’s ministry equipment, signs, etc.? At Portable Church Industries, we understand the fear and hesitation that this process can cause when launching a new church or campus. As a portable church, you need an entire system that can be set-up in a short amount of time with little stress and non-technical volunteers.
Portability consulting will provide you with a system that can easily be set-up in the same room or space over and over again, and in as little time as possible. At Portable Church Industries, we give you the equipment you need, and make complex systems easy to use so that any volunteer can set-up, tear down, and help run the show. Most importantly, we want your church to stay focused on ministry, spend more energy on ministry facing activities and on building the church! Having great systems from the start will give you and your team the confidence you need to start more churches and campuses!
MULTISITE CONSULTING
It can often be difficult for a multisite church to launch more than a handful of campuses if they are not able to maintain and sustain their internal structure. In order to successfully plant more campuses, the entire church has to be clear and focused on the same vision.
Multisite consulting can help you design a team and launch structure that works for you and your church. A multisite expert knows how to develop personalized plans for launching your first or second multisite campuses. They can then help you plan strategically for anything beyond that.
If you have never launched a new campus, a multisite coach will help you determine whether your church is ready and healthy enough to begin the multisite process. Once you know you are ready and have a plan in place, they will help you know what to expect when you announce your expansion to your original campus, including advice on recruiting new leadership and volunteers. Your coach can even help you determine which area of your city your church should plant your new campus, and provide you with ideas and strategies on how you can engage that new area before you ever launch.
If you are serious about going multisite, we know a wonderful expert you should consider working with. We’ve been friends with Jim Tomberlin for many years, and we are so excited about all he is doing for the multisite church community at www.MultisiteSolutions.com. His team wants to help your church fulfill your mission and make disciples in all of your multisite locations.
So, what did you think? Are you considering outsourcing in one of these areas as you plan to launch your new church? Church planting is still tough work…mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. However, by inviting experts into your launch process, we know you can launch strong, thrive in your community, and sustain your church for years to come.
