Allegheny Church Planting: Increasing Our Harvesting by Effective Church Planting Residencies

Talk given to the National Church-planting Team of the EFCA by John Herrington, Church Planting Director of Hill Country Bible Church Austin, TX. Contact info linked above and included below.

Make a city movement with the view of reaching every man, woman and child. Do your church leaders own this burden?

Mission Statement: That every man, woman, and child in Greater Austin has a chance to experience the Life-Changing reality of Jesus Christ because they hear the gospel from the lips of someone at Hill Country Bible Church (Disect this thinking)

HOW:

Multiply Disciples
Planting churches that are spiritually vibrant adn strategically located
Partner with like-minded ministries

TIPPING POINT:
If 10% engage, in our lifetime we can reach the city

ASSOCIATION OF CHURCHES:

Voluntary association
Share same vision/purpose
Each church has 5-year planting plan
Seven Characteristics of a missional church
ASSOCIATION:
New church begins as daughter
200 adults in weekly attendance
5 elders
Multiple staff
10% giving

Paradigm Shift:

From gathering from the church to gathering from community
From Transplanting to Transforming
From critical mass to Missional Core
From financial dependency to financial freedom by creative Funding.

Funding:

Outside supporters
First Fruits offering from the Core over and above tithe as a part of the charter ... these people will stick and drive the ministry
Network your Core to invite others to give to the First Fruits offering (get viral)
Teach people sacrifice for the Kingdom
Look at the well not the bucket

PLANTING COMMUNITY

CP Essentials Training Class
Taking it to the Street Training Opps - Let them taste it before they commit to it...evangelism
Core Group SWAT/SWAP
Infinity Alliance - middle ground of social action and pure gospel (both required)
PlantR Network - get people into a network for support

CHURCH-PLANTING RESIDENCY PROGRAM

12 Month Program (you can flunk-out)
Personally tailored Learning Contract
Instruction from subject matter experts
Coaching in Evangelism, Discipleship, exegeting culture, Project Management, Administration, Speaking, Leadership Skills

PHASE I -Training, Testing, Targeting, Teaming (4 months)

DWAP
Character Development
Target Area exegesis presented to cp team
Enlist a Missional Core Team...friends, up to 10 families from Sponsor Church, from community

PHASE II - Evangelizing (5 months)

Envisioning, Equipping, Engaging Missional Core team to Evangelize
Missionall Living Course, then weekly meetings
Farm the Community...200 Contacts, 50 unchurched cultivated to "gatherability"

PHASE III - Launching

1st cut of MAP in month 4, but get to work
Training for Key Launch Systems
Project Planning - get someone who loves to manage projects
Stewardship Prep
Elder Development
Pre-Launch group life
Continue farming the community

FUNDING A NEW CHURCH

Administrative and Training Costs covered in sending church annual budget
Church-planting Acceleration Fund Established
Intensive Stewardship Training for Missional Core - Charter Service First Fruits Offering

FINANCING A NEW CHURCH....ASK FOR MORE