Everything to Know About Planting a Church

Churches are a place where people can come to learn about Jesus Christ, the Bible, and godly ways of living. Churches provide a sense of community to their congregants and Christian believers, as much of ministries or outreaches focus on fellowship and people gathering together. There are over 400,000 churches across America, and the number keeps growing.

So, what is church planting? Church planting is when a new church is developed in a local community but is usually tied to an existing church or congregation. Many existing churches will plant a new church in a community that their current location has not reached in an effort to provide a similar church experience to the potential congregants of the new area.

Church planting is a relevant strategy used to share the Word of God with many different communities and locations. Many times, an existing church has had the time to develop an effective ministry structure, which they can then use to effectively start and plant another church. To learn more about church planting, keep reading.

Why Church Planting?

Now that you know what church planting is, you may be wondering why this strategy is used throughout the world by many different churches. Here are some things to consider when it comes to church planting:

Existing Churches Have Already Developed a Ministry Structure

Starting a church is no easy task. You’ll have to find a place to hold service, find volunteers willing to serve in the ministry, manage administration and finances, ensure that your congregation is growing spiritually, provide counseling and member care services to congregants who need help…these are just a few things that come with starting a new church.

Over time, a successful church will find the structure and strategy that is most effective for reaching their congregation and community and managing the ministry. It may take years to develop a successful church structure and find what works and what doesn’t work. With all that said, once an existing church has found the strategies and structure that does work, it’s easy to multiply themselves simply by establishing another church that will utilize the same structure and strategy.

When a church is planted in another community by an existing church, it will have an existing structure and strategy to follow in order to grow. While the new church may have to make adjustments to best serve its new community, there will at least be a resource and guide to refer back to during the process.

Existing Churches Have Already Marketed Themselves

In this modern age, your marketing strategy can be a major contributor to your success, whether you’re starting a business, foundation, church, or any other type of entity. Your marketing ability will determine who sees and hears about your church and how many people in your community know about you.

As a new church, it may take months and years to develop an effective marketing strategy. Church planting can be effective because the existing church has already developed a marketing strategy and a name for itself. All the existing church has to do is market its new location and this new church that is affiliated to it. Since the existing church has a larger marketing capacity, many more people are likely to hear of the new church compared to if the church wasn’t planted and was starting from scratch.

Church Planting Can Reach Different Communities

There’s only so much distance people are willing to travel to get to church. One downfall of a physical church location is that the church isn’t able to reach communities farther away. Church planting is a great cure to this problem. It enables existing churches to establish a presence in other locations and communities.

By planting a new church at a physical location, you’re allowing the new community to meet people of like-faith. Providing them with the opportunity to fellowship together as they get to learn about and experience God.

Church Planting is Part of the Great Commission

Church planting is an effective strategy for fulfilling the Great Commission. The Great Commission was given by Jesus Christ to believers before he ascended into heaven, when He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28: 19-20) 

Today, church planting is used to reach local locations throughout America. However, it’s also used to bring the gospel to other countries and nations. This enables state-side churches to establish a presence in foreign countries and spread the Word of God to areas of the world that have yet to hear about Jesus.

How to Plant a Church

So now you know how church planting can be effective, but how do you actually plant a church? Here are some church planting tips to remember as you begin your journey:

Find a Church to be Affiliated With

The first step to planting a church is to find an existing church to be affiliated with. Remember, this is an existing church that can provide much insight into how to get your church started. You’ll also want to pick a church that you share core beliefs and values. This will ensure that the overall vision can be carried over throughout the plant.

When it comes to finding a good church to join with, look for one that shares the same heart and vision for the community you want to serve. Look at the churches’ structures and processes to see if they have good and effective systems in place. Lastly, ask yourself, is this a church I want to be connected to?

Recognize Your Target Community for Your Church Plant

Once you’ve found a church to be affiliated with, it’s time to recognize the community you want to serve. Is there a specific group of people that you feel God is calling you to minister to? Are these people in a certain community or location? What do these people need from you and the church? How do you plan on reaching them?

Whether it’s a local community a few hours away or a rural village in another country, it’s important to identify the specific people you want to serve. You must also determine how you plan on helping them learn about Christ.

Find a Location for Your Church Plant

The next important step of planting a church is finding a good location for the church. You’ll want to choose a site for your church that enables you to serve the community you are targeting. Your location should also meet the budget and the necessities you need. Throughout the plant and the establishing of the new church, you may realize you need a bigger space or a space with certain features.

Create Structures and Systems for Your Church Plant

For a church to be run smoothly, there must be structures and systems put in place from the beginning. These structures will create guidelines for how things should be managed and how certain situations should be handled. From volunteers to administration and communicating with church members, there should be a system in place. This will ensure uniformity in how situations are handled and processes to ensure things are done correctly.

You will also need to consider logistical things such as what type of insurance your church needs.

Write out each process and store it in designated spaces. Not every situation you run into at a church will be handled the same. However, it’s important to establish boundaries and guidelines for volunteers and church staff. Nothing can ruin a church faster than a bad reputation. These guidelines can ensure that each situation within the church is handled appropriately and with care.

Market Your Church Plant

It’s important to have a marketing plan for your church plant before the church plant even physically begins. One large part of this is discussing with the church you’re affiliated with how they plan on marketing the plant. This may be where you see the most success. Nonetheless, it’s important to inform the community about the new church in the area and how the church plans on serving them.

Find effective marketing platforms, from online marketing to outreaches you can do to touch the local community. Depending on the location of the new church, one marketing strategy may be more effective than another.

PRAY About Your Church Plant

One of the most important aspects of planting a church is to PRAY about it ahead of time, during the plant, and once the church has already been established. Planting a church is a lot of work. You’ll want to make sure that this is something God is really calling you to before you jump in headfirst.

Church planting is an effective way to reach others with the truth of heaven, hell, and eternity. Churches throughout America and the rest of the world have been planted by existing strong churches in an effort to share the Word of God and provide a place of fellowship and community to believers.

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