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Ministry Backpack Podcast Episode 33 Show Notes:
Summary: In today’s podcast I talk about “People For Your Church Planting Team.”
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Who Should Be A Part of Your Initial Church Planting Group?
There is a difference between the “Lead Team” and the “Launch Team.”
Lead Team – Pastor, Staff, Overseers of the Church’s Ministries
Where Do You Find People To Serve On The Lead Team?
1. Friends in Ministry.
As a courtesy, be sure to get permission from the Senior Pastor of a Church before you begin recruiting people in their congregation to be a part of your Church Plant. If the Pastor isn’t supportive of your recruiting – back off. God will provide the people to staff your Church Plant from somewhere else.
2. Staff and people from other Churches who you’ve served with in ministry.
People and friends you have served with over the years at camps, in projects or ministries are possible people to invite to be on the team. Consider people you went to college or seminary with as potential team members.
* “Captain Obvious” Reminder: Even if you can’t find anyone else to join you on the lead team, still do what God tells you to do!
Cautions About Recruiting Friends:
- You must be able to confront these team members and hold them accountable.
- There should be a very clear line of authority for the Team.
- Everyone needs to know “who’s in charge of what,” “who reports to who,” and “who has the freedom to speak into the life of someone else.”
- Remember that people you recruit to serve on the Lead Team are not “doing you a favor.” They need to see that they are responding not just to you, but that they are responding God’s call to be a part of the Church Planting Lead Team.
- Raise the bar to entry, by communicating clearly what is expected as a member of the Lead Team.
- Be sure that the people you recruit for this team can see and envision you as the Lead Pastor, not just their friend or former staff leader.
Pro Tip:
Make a list of things that your Lead Team needs to understand and agree on. Fully think this through before recruiting anyone.
Launch Team: Anyone who joins your initial group to help you launch the new Church. They may not be big decision makers or leading a ministry, but they are “on board” with being a part of the new church.
Who is a part of the Launch Team?
- Unchurched People you reach leading up to your launch. People who become Christ followers or who are connecting with your group as you prepare to launch the church are also a part of your Launch Team. Their next steps may be that they need to follow through and cross the line of faith, or be baptized, but they should all be inviting others and planning to be a present at your launch.
- Christians From Other Churches.
Caution: Be sure they understand the nature of Church Planting.
Six Things to Keep In Mind About Recruiting Christians From Other Churches:
1. They need to be people who are willing to work without complaining about the work.
2. They need to be willing to give to your Church Plant as their new Church.
3. They need to be willing to attend everything that you are doing.
4. They need to be willing to make sacrifices, understanding that as a Church Plant, you may not have all of the ministries available to them they they enjoyed at their last church.
5. They need to be able to follow the lead of you and your Lead Team.
6. They need to be able to embrace the vision of the new Church and understand what a “win” for your church looks like.
Pro Tips:
- Have very clear Launch Team meetings.
- Record the meetings and make them required viewing/listening to everyone who comes on board leading up to your launch.
- Make sure everyone understands who is on the Lead Team and who is on the Launch Team.
Join the conversation on this topic by commenting or leaving questions below. If you have a question that you’d like to have heard on the podcast, record your question, and upload it to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box or some other cloud based site and send the link to Hello@MinistryBackpack.com
Music Provided by “Artist Unknown” – https://artistunknown.bandcamp.com/
& “Rasputin1963”
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Johnny Leckie is a Christ Follower, Husband to Leona, and Father to Matthew, Melissa & Michael. He is also a Church Planting Pastor, Musician, Artist, & Blogger. He’s a big fan of Coffee & Bacon and is currently planting a Church in Aurora, Colorado called Compass Church. He is the founder of MinistryBackpack.com.
