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Church Planting: 1st Year Preparation

This guide provides a comprehensive checklist and overview of action steps for the 1st year of church planting.

First Quarter (9 to 12 months out)

Personal

  • After knowing where God has called you, move to that city and get settled with a home, job, school, etc.
  • Pray, pray, pray.

ARC

  • Attend an ARC roundtable. Get ARC guidelines.
  • Go through the ARC interview.
  • Get an ARC sponsoring church (letter of commitment).
  • Intern at ARC church if necessary.

Vision

  • Set a launch date.
  • Write out vision and mission statements
  • Type up a church structure flow chart.
  • Type up Statement of Faith.
  • Join association for accountability.
  • Select at least 3 overseers for pastor’s personal accountability and support.
  • Begin to select a Financial Board of Advisors.

Financial Administration

  • Set up an office for financial, church, and office administration. Set up files for each.
  • Get financial software and computer.
  • You might need to hire an accountant to establish books and procedures.
  • Come up with a list of resources for each area of ministry.
  • Set up a General Budget.
  • Set up a spreadsheet for tracking income and expenses.

Church Administration

  • Get a PO Box.
  • Write a Ministry Development Plan – strategize for all area of ministry.
    Write up task lists for each area of ministry.
    List items to purchase for that ministry.
  • Set up interoffice communication for pastor and launch team leaders (mailbox and folder system).

Federal Legal and Corporate Actions

  • Secure EIN from Federal Government (1-800-829-0115)
  • Begin 501(c)(3) process for nonprofit organization with the IRS.
  • Get forms from www.irs.gov
  • Form 8718, Form 8821, Form 1023 (long form)
  • Determine (temporary) Board of Directors
  • Write By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation

State Legal and Corporate Actions

  • Check for availability on the name of the church with the state.
  • Incorporate in the state (see the State Corporation Commission).
  • Register with the State Department of Revenue for income tax.
  • Check on state sales tax exemption/refund laws.

Dream Team
Begin inviting people to move to your city to help get your church started.

Learn from other Churches and Build Relationships with other Pastors
Attend church planting conferences and visit other churches, large and established as well as new church plants, both in and out of town.

Second Quarter (6 to 9 months out)

Personal
Pray, pray, pray.

Promotion
Once you have the church name registered, hire a graphic designer to help you establish a corporate identity and develop a logo, business papers, and business cards. Make sure you take pictures and video to document these early moments.

Develop Dream Team
Begin weekly meetings for fellowship, planning, and leadership training. Begin building a team of at least 30 adults before launch.

Website

  • Purchase domain name and names that are similar to the domain name for your protection.
  • Begin writing website text for 10-20 pages.
  • Get host, set up pop boxes.
  • Get site designed and developed.

Financial Administration

  • Open a bank checking account
  • Get an offering envelope printed and use with your beginning core group.

Lead Team Ministry Agreements
Write short term ministry agreements for leaders who are developing ministries with specific goals and timetables for each area of ministry.

Leadership Procedures
Develop interoffice forms(Ministry Report, Expenditure Request, Reimbursement Request, Event Evaluation, copy requests, etc.)

Life Groups

  • Write Leadership Training and design forms.
  • Start a Life Group to begin forming relationships with people in the community as well as demonstrate Life Groups to your Dream Team.

Ministry Development

  • Develop logos for areas of ministry.
  • Develop forms
  • Connection Cards, Ministry Team cards (volunteer interest), and Honor Code

Children’s Ministry

  • Children’s Ministry forms (application, accident report, activity consent, medical authorization, etc.)
  • Registration system, tags
  • Purchase children’s curriculum
  • Design brochures for each area of Children’s Ministry

Student Ministry
Purchase Youth curriculum.

Storage Area

  • Prepare shelves and tubs for organization
  • Start making purchases for children’s and youth ministries.

Bulk Mail Permit
Apply for nonprofit status with the USPS and get a permit number.

Third Quarter (3 to 6 months out)

Personal
Pray, pray, pray

Information Meetings

  • Develop an invite card to pass out to people
  • Have all your printed materials ready for display.
  • Hold meetings to share church vision with anyone interested in joining the Dream Team.

Website
Finalize the website and get someone to maintain the site.

Ministry Development
Develop short handbooks with policies and procedures for each area of ministry (Children, Students, Worship, Ushers, Greeters, Prayer Counselors, etc)

Series Development
Decide on your first series, get a theme and start brainstorming ideas. Also think about the series you would like to do for the first few months.

Promotion

  • Visitor brochure
  • Message request, prayer and testimony cards.
  • Order banners for children and student areas.

Growth Track
Write lessons for the membership class. Begin preparing content for discipleship and leadership classes.

Worship

  • Get CCLI license.
  • Begin developing a song list and files.
  • Begin having worship practices. Develop a band.

Fundraising

  • Raise $30,000.00
  • Send out letter asking for support (at least 300), DVD presentation
  • Travel and preach at different churches
  • Personal investment
  • Businessmen (1-share vision, 2-how vision helps city, 3-ask for support)

Network

  • Meet local pastors
  • Have neighborhood parties
  • Meet people and invite them into your home or meet for coffee
  • Contact other ARC pastors
  • Have Information Meetings
  • Start a Life Group or two (for fellowship, to reach new people, for youth, etc)
  • Continue to invite people to join your Dream Team from inside and outside the community.

State government

  • Get licensed to perform marriages.
  • See about getting criminal record checks for volunteers to work with children and teens.

Fourth Quarter (last 3 months)

Personal
Pray, pray, pray

Preparation

  • Prepare for .25 % of postcard mail out (60,000 postcards x .25% = 150 visitors)
  • Prepare for 30% to be children (Out of 150, approximately 45 might be children).
  • Assume that 50% come back for a second service

Location

  • Get a building for Sunday morning services
  • Get liability insurance (corporate and property, on storage too).

Make large equipment purchases
Such as instruments, projection screen and computer, sound system, audio duplicating machine, trailer and vehicle to pull it, platform decoration, nursery furniture, chairs?, tables?

Advertising

  • Postcard to at least 60,000 homes (6-8 weeks ahead)
  • Cable TV/Radio
  • T-shirts (Get design and order 6 weeks ahead)
  • Frisbees for kids (Get design and order 6 weeks ahead)
  • Booth Display or Banner for Information Center (Order banner 6 weeks in advance).
  • Press release to local news stations, newspapers.
  • Newspaper ad
  • Posters (windows of area businesses, community bulletin boards, etc)
  • Flyers

Promotion

  • Order outdoor and indoor directional signs
  • Get large outdoor banner for the front of the building
  • Information to pass out with a Grand Opening bulletin
  • Invitation to the Newcomer’s Reception (3-4 weeks from the launch)
  • Invitation to a membership class (the week after the Newcomer’s Reception)
  • Promo on Life Groups (to start the week or two after the Newcomer’s Reception)
  • Visitor brochure and Connection Card
  • Prepare giveaways to pass out during the service
  • Write a letter explaining your heart for community and what you are doing.
  • Approach athletic teams, restaurants, coffee houses, etc.
  • Lanyards for workers

Welcome Center
Prepare the Welcome Center and stock with the following information:

  • Visitor brochures
  • Connection cards
  • Bulletins
  • Invitations to Newcomer’s Reception
  • Membership Class Invites
  • Facility Map
  • Prayer and Testimony Cards
  • Ministry Team Cards
  • Message Request Cards
  • Offering Envelopes
  • Business Cards
  • Life Group Information

Student Ministry Area
Prepare an area for youth to hang out. Have a table with information promo cards and connection cards for teens and their parents. Promote the first event and the Life Group.

Children’s Ministry Registration
Prepare registration tables for each area. Get banners for each area. Get a sign with ages for the table. Have a display with connection cards, a letter introducing the curriculum, visitor brochures, registration lists, nametag stickers, etc.

Plan a Meal for after the Service
Hire a caterer to serve a meal after the service so you have a chance to talk with people. Plan something fun for the kids (inflatable slide, carnival games, clown, etc).

Prepare Message for Grand Opening
Choose a message that explains the vision and mission of the church.

Prepare First Series
Bulletin shells, Powerpoint slides, Video, Platform decoration, CD stickers. Either start with your first series or announce the series you will start next week.

Final Preparation

  • Have a few rehearsal services to set up sound equipment and practice songs
  • Plan a pre-launch party for volunteers the day before launch. If possible, do a run-through of the service and pray corporately for the launch.
  • Fast and pray in the final month. (Maybe do a month devotional together)

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