LET'S HAVE THIS HABIT: The Good Samaritan Habit

a suggestion:

LET's Have this HABIT ...

LET'S GIVE OUT

"GOD IS GOOD" BAGS

through all OUR SITE'S ANNIVERSARY Celebrations!

===================================================================

Do you know that we have at least 2 Anniversaries being celebrated MONTHLY through our SITES?

 ... and growing?

As HLM SAGAY or HLM TIGBAUAN or HLM LA CARLOTA or HLM MANILA celebrate their ANNIVERSARIES, we must BUILD-IN the spirit of the "GOOD SAMARITAN".

IN EVENTS RELATED TO BLESSING THE COMMUNITY, lets also use the "GOD IS GOOD" BAG.

= medical missions

= blessing people

= responding to needs (remember there will be more and more needs in the LAST DAYS)

a video of PEOPLE SAYING and DECLARING: "God is Good" or SHOUTING "God is Good" is also encouraged.  

NOTE:  

Lets be sensitive though to feelings of others if they are in a calamity situation.  

Even though it is true that "God is Good", we have to also sympathize to their predicament, that instead of SHOUTING "GOD is GOOD", we rather thank the LORD in SOLEMN prayers for their protection and provision.

please start praying ON HOW TO BE A GOOD SAMARITAN to OUR NEIGHBORS IN JESUS NAME.  Think on how to FILL these BAGS ... and give it all away.

COLOR of BAGS (paper; bio-degradable) MAY BE IN DIFFERENT COLORS (but the design may not be altered)
WE MUST NOW INCORPORATE the CC-CM design (year 2014), a HIS LIFE VILLAGE

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YEAR 2013 series on parables

RELATED LETTER FROM PASTOR JR ... 

Hi Everybody :-) 

I pray that you will LIVE according to the Word of God. 
Then you will be like a TREE near the river, always bearing the fruit that refreshes many! 

LIVE God’s Word in your Home, Work, Heart, Lips, Activities and even Hobbies and see tremendous transformation. ENJOY not only the Person of Jesus Christ but also the Principles of our Lord Jesus.
As we prepare to APPLY the Word of God in practical ways, keep an eye on the [NEXT] PARABLE Study that we will have [NEXT Weekend]. 

It will be on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. 

A time to call ourselves to LOVE GOD and LET THIS BE TRANSLATED to LOVING PEOPLE around us. 

[NEXT Sunday] we launch the “GOD IS GOOD Outreach” Ministry Program of His Life Ministries. 

This will fulfill our PROCESS of “WIN”, wanting more and more of 

the LOST to be FOUND; 

the DRY to be REFRESHED; 

the HUNGRY to be FED; 

the BITTER to be BETTER; 

the UGLY LIFE be turned to BEAUTY! 

Join the call to bring a GOOD and GREAT and GRACIOUS God to a lost and dying humanity. 

YOU ARE MOVEMENT! pastor jr here :-)

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In Luke 10:25-37, there were people who "lacked in love yet NOT in knowledge"

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

=================================

LET EACH ONE REACH ONE (if you have 45 members ... have 45 bags.  SUGGESTION ONLY)

Always PROMOTE and RECRUIT people to do good under the His Life CANOPY CHURCH PROGRAM:  "God is Good Outreach Ministry" to the NEEDY (the hungry, in prison, the sick, the troubled:legal counseling, etc)

  

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WHAT IS A HABIT?

Habits are routines of behavior that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously.

"A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience."

LETS HAVE THIS GODLY HABIT through all our SITES, as we each celebrate our ANNIVERSARIES.

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LIST OF ANNIVERSARIES

BACOLOD AREA

• HLM Centroplex 9am (now at the BUSINESS INN) year 2014
• 1st Sunday of February
• YX at Robinsons (now XFN on Fridays) year 2014 
• 3rd Sunday of February
• HLM FOUNDATION Week (we will celebrate 22nd Year in 2015) 
• 4th week of February
• HLM Eastview 830am 
• 4th week of February
• HLM East 5pm 
• 2nd Sunday of March
• HLM Iloilo 
• 4th Sunday of March
• HLM 915am Centro Planta 
• 2nd Sunday of April  915am SWE
• 2nd Sunday of December  7am SWE (year 2014)
• HLM Jollibee Gatuslato (now at the BUSINESS INN) year 2014
• 3rd Sunday of April 
• HLM Sta. Clara 4pm 
• 4th Sunday of April
• HLM LFisher
• 3rd Sunday of June
• HLM McDONALD'S La Salle (now at Sta Clara) year 2014
• 3rd Sunday of October
• HLM South 11am 
• 4th Sunday of November
• HLM Araneta 
• 2nd Sunday of December
• HLM at the SMx, SWx
• 3rd Sunday of December (in year 2014)
• HLM Grand Regal
• 3rd Sunday of December

WITHIN NEGROS ISLAND

• HLM Talisay (to be revived in the Lord's TIME) 
• 2nd Sunday of January
• HLM Iloilo
• 2nd Sunday of March
• HLM La Carlota City 
• 4th Sunday of April
• HLM Cebu City 
• 3rd Sunday of May
• HLM Silay City 
• 3rd Sunday of June
• HLM Manila 
• 4th Sunday of July
• HLM Sagay City 
• 3rd Sunday of August
• HLM YX Cagayan de Oro 
• 4th Sunday of October
• HLM Hotel Dynasty
• 1st Sunday of November
• HLM YX Kabankalan City (to be Revived in the LORD'S Time) 
• 3rd Sunday of November
• HLM Tigbauan (to be Revived in the LORD'S Time) 
• 4th Sunday of November
• HLM Manjuyod
• October 
• HLM FRIDAYS Kabankalan
• 2nd Week of November
• UNWIND NETWORK
• February 

======================

VICTORIAS

ALANGILAN

GAISANO

MULTI SITES 2013

WELCOME to His Life Ministries, where imperfect people are perfectly welcome.

Our Vision is to Glorify God and Make Disciples through MANY SITES yet ONE Church Family.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

THIS IS A REVISION of what I posted last January 2012.

Now we are in the YEAR 2013, and I believe more and more of our MATURE Sites are 

READY to Go MULTI-SITING!  (not sit but site)

AT this juncture, I am coaching our MINDANAO Cagayan De Oro TEAM.

His Life Cagayan is a MIRACLE story of the Resurrection!  

A SITE that was about to DIE ... yet by the power of God and the love of her Leaders and the compassion our Bacolod Team gave --- IT LIVED!

And will give birth to MANY MORE SITES!

---------------------------------------------------------

BELOW is what i am starting to coach them on what to do .... (take it or take it higher!)

via FB

Jose Roberto Ramos:  

• its time to go MULTI SITES in CAGAYAN! multi sites will blow your mind! it will reach hundreds of people toooooo!
• MONO SITE palang tayo ngayon sa CDO. I propose THAT WE WILL BE in MULTI LEVEL THINKING na and TRAINING! how to begin ?
• this is how to BEGIN: 
• ALWAYS think MULTIPLICATION through ADDING a NEW SET OF LEADERS. 
• In Bacolod we have 16 SITES na! (The latest was HLM LFisher Hotel ... then would be USLS Mcdo 7am Sundays soon). HERES THE SECRET: We have 16 TEAMS already. TEAM na tinatawag 5 W's plus. 
• Start to IMAGINE ... for what you can conceive you may receive!
• ANOTHER SECRET is this: PAULA (of Cagayan) leads TWO TEAMS na  OR THREE TEAMS NA or even MORE!
• HALLELUJAH for the miracle of MULTIPLICATION!
• WHAT YOU CAN CONCEIVE YOU CAN RECEIVE!
• never never never ever WORRY ABOUT MONEY!
• this is another TIP: NEVER MAKE MONEY THE PROBLEM!
• THE NEXT TIP: is this ... kahit DALAWANG SITES na or TATLO kung yari ... KEEP MAINTAINING THIS DECLARATION: "3 Sites yet 1 Church".
• or 5 Sites yet 1 CHURCH! THIS IS A POWERFUL UNITED CONFESSION 

One Two Three MORE sites coming up in CAGAYAN, a possibility!

 "At HIS LIFE, we believe that God can use EVERYBODY for SOMEBODY to be won and discipled for Jesus.  We are believing God to raise up more and more LIFE GROUP LEADERS, DISCIPLE MAKERS, PRAYER LEADERS, HOLINESS AND RELEVANT PREACHERS, WORSHIP LEADERS and CAMPUS-COMMUNITY Pastors" -- pastor jr, 2012

volunteer now!

OPEN TO AGES 2 TO 92

connect with our ONE HIS LIFE MISSIONS DEPARTMENT

• BELIEVING God for Mansilingan, Alijis, Libertad, Sum-ag, Tangub, Estefania ... and more within Bacolod City (you may place your own barangay or restaurant, or campus, or hotel wherever you are)

• BELIEVING God also for different School Campuses [high school, institutes, colleges, and universities] around the Philippine Islands.

• BELIEVING God also for the nations of the world ... EVERY PEOPLE !!!

LUKE 14:21FF (excerpts) ... ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full ...

WATCH YOUR MOTIVE:

our MOTIVE for HLM MULTI SITES is to EVANGELIZE and DISCIPLE all the corners of our CITY, COMMUNITY and COUNTRY!  Why not?  If there is still a ROOM available out there somewhere in a RESTAURANT, HOTEL, SCHOOL CAMPUS, or BUILDING -- then there exists a possibility to make an ASSEMBLY for the LORD to gather there!

>> as the waters cover the sea, lets cover our city with the presence, praises and the people of God <<

THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF WE THINK MULTI! Enough with MONO thinking!

MANY SITES yet ONE CHURCH in the CITY!

===========

START READING THE POSSIBILITY OF MULTI SITES around the WORLD.

BELOW is a great source to BEGIN!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE on MULTI-SITES:  

http://multisitechurch.typepad.com/

CLICK HERE FOR MORE on MULTI-SITES:                                    

http://leadnet.org/blog/post/committed_to_launch_a_multisite_campus_but_not_sure_where_to_start

CLICK HERE FOR MORE:                                                    

http://multisitesolutions.com/blog/the-5-ps-of-launching-a-multisite-campus

CLICK HERE FOR MORE:                                      

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/blog/2010/06/18/what-it-takes-to-launch-a-multi-site-campus/

===============================

RELATED ARITICLE:

5 Reasons Why I Love Multi-Site

We launched our sixth location at Potomac Yard. Can't wait to make the drive from our Capitol Hill location, across the 14th Street bridge, down Jeff Davis Highway and make a left turn into Potomac Yard. We're dreamed of this for quite some time!

I love multi-site for so many reasons. Here are five of them:

1) I think it helps us reach new people and new communities--especially in an urban context like DC.

2) I think it's healthy for our church--six locations means six times as many ministry opportunities.

3) I think it helps us with economies of scale and best practices.

4) I think it reduces dependence on and significance of one leader--it's a team effort. And last but not least...

5) Lord willing, I want to pastor one church for life. But I have an entrepreneurial itch that needs to be scratched. Multi-site does that. You never stand still. It never gets boring. And I think it keeps you focused on what's next.

HOW TO STICK WITH THE VISION at HLM, READ and take to HEART below:  

The Vision of 12 at His Life Ministries

START. STABILIZE. SUSTAIN. SEE. simply doing it by the SPIRIT

MORE THAN A CHECK LIST ...

THIS HAS TO BE OUR LIFE AS WE LAUNCH, PASTOR, SHEPHERD THE FOLD GOD HAS ALLOWED US TO PASTOR

The START SEASON (total dependence on God in PRAYER)

> USE the Prayer Guide in UNITY
> COME Together for a Vision CASTING
> LISTEN to Stories from other SITES
> GET all the Pictures / Clips thru OCCULARS all you can
> HAVE EVERYONE Fill Out the Sound Off FORM
> RECRUIT for the The 5 Ws and COMPLETE it
> INVITE till the MOON

The STABILIZE SEASON (the wait to GEL)

> ALWAYS call the Team to PRAY
> TEACH Faith -- this must be the ENVIRONMENT and ATMOSPHERE all the time
> CONNECT through SMS and other forms to PEOPLE
> HAVE THIS FACTOR:  Inspiring LEADERSHIP
> ASK GOD for Vision PARTNERS

The SUSTAIN SEASON (ready for ELEVATION)

> MASSIVE Invitations must be a HABIT
> COMMIT to having a 50 Day Plan GUIDE
> ESTABLISH a powerful Prayer TEAM

The SEE SEASON (auto-pilot in the VISION)

> ALWAYS flow in PRAYER
> COMMIT to complete the 5 Ws ALWAYS
> MAKE DISCIPLES through the Vision 12
> FORMALIZE a 90 Day PLAN

Praying the Vision from START to STABILITY

ACTUAL bars atop the FREEDOM FACILITY of His Life as it was being built this Year

.

Foundations are very important in building buildings.
A sure support system makes buildings last longer.

For CHURCH BIRTHING ... the foundation is PRAYER.
The SUPPORT SYSTEM must be MORE PRAYER.
 
For a CHURCH to be LAUNCHED with strength and endurance, she has to be built on PRAYER.  Remember the 1st Church?  See the Book of ACTS.

I believe that His Life must be like the 1st Church in having the spirit of PRAYER ... that we are to PRAY-THROUGH things, events, choosing of leaders, activities, circumstances AND much more --- as we see new CHURCHES to be LAUNCHED (the latest would be HLM LFisher Bacolod this June 23, 2013).

OK, WHAT WILL WE PRAY FOR?
Not only that we pray the Will and Glory of God,
we have to pray
ACCORDING TO THE VISION AND DIRECTION
God has called us to do as a MOVEMENT.

A STANDARD PRAYER GUIDE based on Our Vision is appropriate.  

Below is the actual SAMPLE PRAYER GUIDE prayed-through by our
CEBU CHURCH; HOTEL PLANTA CHURCH; GRAND REGAL, DUMAGUETE CITY CHURCH.

CHURCH LAUNCH PRAYER GUIDE 

 (specifically designed for church launches)

BE VERY EXPECTANT in what YOU PRAY for ... it usually happens! hehehe

IT IS CALLED PRAYING IN FAITH (be sure it is the will of God)

• PRAY for a Solid TEAM composed of at least 12 or more Individuals for HIS LIFE ____________ [NAME OF SITE] to lead the INTERCESSORS, USHERING, ADMINISTRATION, YX, HISLAMBS, WORSHIP, W.I.R.E. Team and EVANGELISM Teams. 
• PRAY for our Communion and Dedication SUNDAY on _________________ [HAVE A SPECIFIC DATE]. 
• PRAY for _________ [GOAL NUMBER] people in Attendance to come to our PRE-LAUNCH Celebration. 
• PRAY for the Opening Day on ___________________ [YOUR LAUNCH DAY]. 
• PRAY for ______________ [GOAL NUMBER] people to come to the LAUNCH DAY! 
• PRAY for lively and loving LIFEGROUPS weekly -- AT LEAST _____ [HOW MANY DO YOU WANT]. 
• PRAY for Wisdom, Love, Compassion, Discernment, Health and Provisions for this NEW ENDEAVOR. 
• PRAY for ______ [NUMBER OF FAMILIES] Families to be reached out within the next ____ [NUMBER OF MONTHS] MONTHS. 
• PRAY for a CROSSOVER WEEKEND (The His Life Encounter) to happen in this new Site.
• PRAY for Miracles and the Touch of the Father to be felt by our Contacts as we minister Jesus to them (Adults, Couples, Youth, Kids). 
• PRAY that we will be reaching out to the STUDENTS of the following campuses ___________________________________________________________________ [WRITE THE NAMES OF THE CAMPUSES AROUND THE VICINITY]  
• PRAY that we will have a CONTACT DATA LIST of at least 100 people -- with names and phone numbers by _____________ [3 MONTHS AFTER THE LAUNCH]. 
• PRAY that we will see 10 to 15 Baptisms by __________________ [2 TO 3 MONTHS AFTER THE LAUNCH]. 
• PRAY for the finalization of our Calendar till _____________________ [6 TO 8 MONTHS AFTER THE LAUNCH]. 
• PRAY for people who will have the heart to evangelize and saturate the area with the Gospel.

“enjoying the task of making disciples through quality church start ups"

ACT NOW!

1. LISTEN to the LORD Jesus on how you will fill-in the blanks above.  (THIS IS A SUGGESTION FOR THE CHURCH LAUNCHER LEADER TO DO)
2. RECRUIT as many as you can to PRAY The GUIDE.
3. PRAY individually.
4. PRAY corporately.
5. PRAY with fastings.
6. The most important of all is to PRAY.
7. RECRUIT PRAYER PARTNERS and SEND THEM A COPY of your FINAL PRAYER REQUESTS.
8. FORM TEAMS to PRAY.
9. VOLUNTEERS must have this PRAYER GUIDE ready anytime.  They must bring this in UNITY to the LORD.
10. GET READY FOR LAUNCH!  I tell you ... it will be SUPER!

GO: AS MANY we can SEND for MISSIONS

I JUST SENT THIS SMS to a few people AN Hour ago:

Dear One and All ...

Let's Go on Mission!

Let's SEND all we can to Kabankalan, Dumaguete, Cebu, Cagayan, Iloilo, etc.

HOW DO WE SUPPORT ALL?

Here's a SECRET:  "When I go on a Mission Trip I ask support from MY VISION PARTNERS.  I solicit.  Missions Department may give 70pesos ONLY, but thru VP's, I may be able to raise 1000pesos or more ... SKY IS THE LIMIT!"

This has been the Policy of Missions Department.  We have been SENDING many people already with this idea.

WHY I SENT THIS SMS? 

• I believe ALL Christians must be given the chance to be ON MISSION!  Everyone:  kids, youths, families, young and old.
• I believe that to be "ON MISSION" is ALWAYS a possibility!  There should never be a barrier for people NOT TO BE ABLE TO GO -- especially funding / lack of funds.
• I believe that EACH GOER must be a RAISER!  
• What do I mean?:  THAT the GOING person must be able to attract support in both PRAYER and FINANCES to make his / her trip a possibility THROUGH OTHERS.  He or She must never rely on the FUNDING capacity of a MISSIONS AGENCY.  Rather they MUST SOLICIT SUPPORT, raise money for themselves from their friends, contacts and Vision Partners.
• I believe that when this becomes a joy and a delight (to be always ON the GO) -- OTHERS WHO ARE NOT YET GOING will be A SENDING FORCE to people who are GOING.  
• Remember people wants to support A TRUE SENSE of "calling" found in someone who is ON FIRE, EXCITED and INTENTIONAL.

BRING HIS LIFE to the WORLD

BRING His Life to the WORLD! 

HIS LIFE is a MOVEMENT: 

• THAT IS Bigger than ourselves.
• THAT WE Cannot do on our own.
• THAT Only God can do through His people.

======================
Where to BRING Ourselves:
======================
Campuses
Communities
Companies
Cities
Countries


======================
HIS LIFE LAUNCH medium / scope:
======================

Over the AIRWAVIES - hlvTV
Over Multi-Media Celebrations
Within the Philippines and Beyond
Within Metro Manila
Other Places outside the Philippines!

=============
Why LAUNCH:
=============

Jesus is coming soon!
Harvest of Grace is NOW!
We have LOTS of Leaders! We are to SEND them.
GLORIFY GOD . MAKE DISCIPLES

-------------------------------------
other information
-------------------------------------
***THIS LAUNCH CONCEPT:***
a. is not the TYPICAL CHURCH PLANTING activity
b. not necessarily a Weekly Service Event, but could be a Monthly, Quarterly or Annual Gathering!
c. is definitely NOT starting SMALL but STARTING out BIG!
d. is NOT the traditional sending of 1 Pastor and Family Concept, but a SENDING of TEAMS, ages 2 to 92 years old!

***Luke 14 PARABLE***
(The Message Translation)
The Story of the Dinner Party
15 That triggered a response from one of the guests: "How fortunate the one who gets to eat dinner in God's kingdom!"
16 Jesus followed up. "Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many.
17 When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, 'Come on in; the food's on the table.'
18 "Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, 'I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.'
19 "Another said, 'I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.'
20 "And yet another said, 'I just got married and need to get home to my wife.'
21 "The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, 'Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.'
22 "The servant reported back, 'Master, I did what you commanded - and there's still room.'
23 "The master said, 'Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full!
24 Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.'"

1. To see a MULTITUDE come to Jesus
2. Believing God for Intensified EVANGELISM
3. Honoring God by making Christ Followers
4. Touching Campuses, Cities and Countries

LAUNCH Concept by Nelson Searcy

copied from "LAUNCH with Nelson Searcy – LIVE Blogging"
17 03 2009

Good morning, world, and welcome to the only “live” national LAUNCH conference with Nelson Searcy in 2009.  The Conference is being held at White Marsh Baptist Church, just north of Baltimore, Maryland. About 100 attendees are here, from locations as diverse as California, Michigan and Tennessee.

Nelson and Kerrick Thomas, executive and teaching pastor at The Journey Church of the City in New York City, are here to teach the material in their book. The church where they serve is probably the most successful church plant in my tribe (SBC) in the Northeast–meeting in 5 locations with over 1200 currently in attendance.

Why Launch? 
“We believe that most great churches are launched, not planted,” says Searcy.  “Planters are heroes; we really believe this is a heroic activity.  In fact we believe in learn and return…what God teaches us, we have a obligation to share with others…The principles we teach here work all over America…East Coast, West Coach, big city or the sticks. A lot of what we teach is not new from us, but we learned from others, too.”

“America is the third largest unreached country in the world…70% is unreached…The only legitimate reason to start a new church is to reach the lost.”

Searcy and Thomas started in two locations on Manhattan when they “launched” Journey in the spring of 2002. Both of them worked an additional job when they began the work together. 110 were present at launch on Easter 2002, after cultivation in the months preceding it. By August they were down to 35 on one Sunday.  “If we hadn’t launched large at Easter, we’d have been out of business by this time.”

To date, they’ve helped start four other churches and have multisite locations in three or four other places of the city. They have baptized 700 people in last seven or so years.

Launching large is a key…”Keller told us we were the largest launch in the previous decade, but it’s relative to an area…there is a corrolation between launching large and reaching as many people as possible….for God’s dream for your church is bigger than your dream.”

Launching quickly is a key, too. Churches should start quickly, in 2-4 months beginning monthly services, then a few more months going to weekly services.  “Lost people are the same everywhere; they’re not going to come to your church until you start services.”

A third key is launching from the outside in. “Opposite from the Purpose-Driven concentric circles, you have no core when you start a new church. In fact, new churches shouldn’t have a core for about a year. Focus only on the community and the crowd…try to get people to come to your church/ service. If you build a core, they become resistant to reaching more lost people and will become inwardly focused.  You and your worship leader with everybody else lost is lots better than a bunch of disgruntled Christians from the church down the street.”

There are a number of significant ideas we believe and suggest you understand and implement, including the following:

    Your calling is the most important factor to your plant’s success.
    Resist the temptation to do everything first….do the weekend service/childcare and evangelism, no more.

Calling. “There are no higher highs and no lower lows than in church planting…Most churches fail because I believe they’re led by a non-called leader. In fact, the calling of God is the only thing that will keep you there at times. Please note, too that God ALWAYS calls both you and your spouse to church planting…but not necessarily at the same time. And you will most likely be called to reach people like yourself…93% of planters do, since only 7% have a cross-cultural gift.”

Searcy references The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing as one of the 5 most important books church planters should read. This book, by Al Reiss and Jack Trout, will help you live out your calling and reach all ages, but because you are more focused on the one group you are called to reach. Music is the number one key. “The call” is a call to prepare to lead, to teach, to depend on God!

“Our goal is to focus on the “nuts and bolts” side of church planting; we believe this is our unique contribution to the ministry of church planting for others who come after us. So, one of the focus elements needed is raising funds for church planting. The only people who don’t like you talking about money are people that come to you from other churches. One of my regrets is that I didn’t talk about money enough in the first few months. Hudson Taylor said, ‘God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s provision.’ God wants you to succeed!”

Funding. “Start by knowing how much you’ll need to start your work. Plan on salaries that are comparable to the people you’re trying to reach. Get the only kind of equipment you need…not top of the line stuff…this is, in fact, one of the biggest mistakes planters make today. No monies are left to do evangelism or add staff! Lease equipment if you can, instead of buying it. Don’t just assume you know what’s happening in the city; find out by talking to business people in the community where you’ll serve. Plan for being self-sufficient as a new church in 2-4 years and be able to show potential donors how you’re going to do that.”

“The largest base of donors we received came from local churches across the country,” Searcy says, “…only one of them came out of a personal relationship from years before. Most gave $2,000-$3,000 a month for one to three years. Most came after we launched, though, since churches like to fund success. And know that fund raising must continue through the years. Finally, don’t ever forget, you planter are the chief fundraiser for the new church; no one else can replace you with donors. So, over four years we were able to raise about half a million dollars for our church plant. These skills I used in raising this money has been used over and over again in the growth and development of our church.”

“Why do some churches succeed and others don’t? Leadership, planning and the spiritual blessing of God.  There are probably lots of others.  IN FACT, we believe the most important factor is A HEALTHY LAUNCH…80% of the time this is the key to success, just as a healthy birth is key to a child’s growth and development.”

Planning Your First Service. “Picking the right date for launch is the most important decision you’ll make after you nail down your call from God,” Searcy states. “Easter…when school starts back…these are good times, but not the best. We believe the best time is February. This gives you a chance for a second launch at Easter time, before the drop off in summer. Then you have a major push in the fall and you’re off to a great start. And don’t launch at any other time of the week than Sunday morning. Then back up 3-6 months to start your monthly services that will lead up to your launch. And by the way, your launch team commits to help you launch the church weekly, but it ‘goes away’ after you’ve started weekly services.”

Meeting Location. “The location where you meet should match the people you’re trying to reach,” according to Searcy. “Ideally, it will be a place like a hotel ballroom where you can move from one place to another. Movie theaters are also good, as are comedy clubs. Public school auditoriums are another option or community theaters, but they are pricey. But regardless, don’t sign a long-term lease.”

Launch Day. Searcy says, “Start a teaching series this day based on a felt-need important to your target group. Have your launch team inviting their friends to join you for this first weekly service. And don’t ever use a guest musician or band on this day! People need to see what’s going to be a part of the regular church life from this time forward. Finally, be sure to collect information from everyone who attends and followup on them right away.”


Three Great Temptations You Must Overcome.
“First, you will be tempted to change the launch date.  NEVER change it…NEVER. Second, don’t delegate too much control and authority to the launch team. You must lead, so take responsibility and make it happen. Third, you may be tempted to merge with another (dying) congregation that offers you resources but brings with it lots and lots of baggage. DON’T DO IT!”

Staffing. Searcy says, “The most important staff hire you’ll ever make is your worship leader…if done right, this hire will create incredible synergy. Hire from within when possible but make sure they’re called. Also, hire parttime before fulltime.  And if you hire your wife as a staffer with you, find a counselor RIGHT NOW. Don’t wait till it damages your marriage to deal with it.”