Expectations at the Launch

I got a call this morning from a church planter in Kentucky. They have put the last two months bills on their credit card, their core group had bailed on them, and they were throwing in the towel. The pastor and her husband are gifted people and anointed. They had a core group that committed to standing with them but when the winds started to blow they began to look back to the security, programs and safety of their previous (read Larger) churches. One thing I know they were lacking was a worship leader ( they were using CDs) but they also did have children's ministries in place. So I began to think ( which is unusual for me) what are the expectations of the adherents of a core group at the launch of the church?

The expense of the start up will be dramatically increased with these systems in place but won't the percentages of success be increased dramatically too? Is our reticence to have team ministry hindering our planting efforts more than we imagined?

Minimally shouldn't there be quality worship, child care and pulpit ministry as well as pastoral care?

Then I came across the following on the Converge site. This book excerpt addresses the launch plan

What exactly is a launch plan? There is no one standard definition. In Converge, we consider a launch plan to include two mandatory parts and an optional third part. These parts include:

Launch Plan / Church Plant Proposal - The terms launch plan and church plant proposal are often used interchangeably. At a minimum, a launch plan is in written form (clear and concise) and answers a number of basic questions including why you are planting, whom you are trying to reach, where the church will be located, who will do it with you, how much it will cost, how will it be funded, what kind of church it will be, how you will gather a core group, and the critical success factors. More detailed launch plans identify key strategy areas with associated action plans. We suggest working through your Philosophy of Ministry before finalizing your plan (see the free resources at www.newchurches.com for a template and guidelines on developing a written Philosophy of Ministry.
Action Checklist - A written list of actions to be completed during the pre-natal phase through launch. Ideally, each action includes a cost/budget, a date for completion, and a lead person or organization assigned responsibility for its completion. Some church planters turn the action list into an integrated schedule to show the interrelationships between actions (i.e. many actions need to be done in sequence). Converge comes with a built-in template action list of about 140 actions that all planters should use as a starting point in developing a custom action list. The action checklist is typically included as the first appendix to the launch plan.
Supplementary Information - Optionally, the planter may choose to attach additional appendices to the launch plan. These additional appendices may be used to communicate a wide range of information include a fundraising prospectus, demographic details, specific strategy plans (e.g. marketing, outreach, etc.).
Regardless of the form or length of your plan, consider the following questions when developing a plan:

Why start a new church?
Who is my target group?
What kind of church am I starting (Philosophy of Ministry - purpose, beliefs, values, governance philosophy, and priorities)?
Who am I going to do this with?
What specific things do I need to do?
When do I need to do them?
How much will it cost?
How will I fund it?
How can someone get involved?
We suggest that a launch plan include the following parts. Converge has these elements built in.

Executive Summary
Calling and Opportunity (Why are you planting?)
Roles, Responsibilities and Partners (Who am I doing this with?)
Philosophy of Ministry Elements (What kind of church am I starting?)
Target and Demographic (Who is my target group?)
Opening Day Expectations (What will the church look like on opening day?)
Planning Timeline (When will we do it?)
Key Strategies (How will we do it?) - suggested strategies to consider include staffing, prayer team, vision casting and communications, core group development, small groups, marketing, facilities, equipment, community networking, finance, outreach, demographics, and ministry teams. The launch plan can either note which strategies are being developed or incorporate the strategies
Funding / Finance (How much will it cost and how will I fund it?)
Next Steps (How can someone get involved?)
Detailed Action List (What specific things do I need to do?)

Will a launch plan unnecessarily constrain me?

The launch plan process never really ends as the launch plan is fluid and changing. It is important to issue a public version as a key transition point from planning and design of the new church to implementing the new church. Some planters get stuck in endless planning. The goal is to (1) have a clear vision based on a call from God, (2) document the actions necessary to get from where you are to where you feel God calling you to be on opening day, and (3) to work like crazy to get there. Converge helps you develop, continually adjust, and manage your launch plan. You are in no way constrained by the existence of a launch plan.

from Planting Fast Growing Churches by Dr. Stephen Gray

Pastor, Church Planter, Director of National Missions for the General Association of General Baptists and upcoming speaker for the National New Church Conference , Dr Stephen Gray brings this new research based book on the factors on what does and what doesn't help church plants succeed.


They explore the real differences between successful church plants and a struggling ones. They surveyed 112 church plants and found some surprising data. Some of the data confirmed long-held theories. Other findings were quite surprising. This book is a must-read for any church planter.