Money For Your Church Plant

[I talk more about this post on The Ministry Backpack Podcast, Episode 032. Listen to it here.]

In most places,  it takes money to start a church. Sure, you can begin with a Bible study in your house with a few friends who invite friends and do that for free but this is not always the best option. What if your home is too small for more than a small gathering of people? What if you’ve recently moved to the area? What if your small group outgrows your tiny apartment? What about babies and children?

If you want to be a network of home churches, that’s cool. Just make sure you’re reaching out to your community and growing new groups. But for other scenarios, you’re going to need some money.

Here are three possible ways to make that happen:

1. Be fully sponsored by one or many churches and individuals who fully underwrite the cost of the new church with a combined investment of at least $100,000 or more.

2. Pray and ask God to put it on someone’s heart to send you a big check, then wait for it to arrive in the mail.

3. Plan well, boot-strap and move in strategic steps.

Obviously, these are not the only options, but let’s focus on them for a moment, anyway:

I like option number one, but it has many built in challenges, and can keep Church Planters from fully responding to God’s calling if all of their funding doesn’t arrive on their time schedule. (I talk a bit about this in this series of posts: Where God Guides, He Provides)

Option number two is certainly possible, but let me just say, I wouldn’t hinge my strategy on it. God just usually doesn’t do it that way.

I believe the need for new and vibrant churches is great. I also believe that Churches planting churches is one of the best ways to make this happen. Unfortunately, most churches don’t necessarily share that view, so it doesn’t happen as often as it should. 🙂

So option number three is a great option for getting things rolling. It’s particularly great for new church planters and/or first time pastors, because it gives them an opportunity to “get their sea legs” during their first year, learn to pace themselves, set achievable goals, make mistakes that are easier to recover from and discover what works best in their community with the vision that God has given them.

But it’s okay to pursue options one and two while you’re at it.  In fact, that is what I am currently attempting to do. 🙂

I’ll provide some practical ideas for “option number three” in a follow up post.

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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.