church planting in practice
Fostering a New Faith Family
This article is contributed by Chris and Katherine Marlin and Tyler Chernesky, who are currently preparing to start a new church in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Our dreams of church planting reach back almost a decade. And while those dreams have changed and grown over the years, they never included launching
Pray, Watch, Bless: Church Planting While Physically Distancing
This article is contributed by Gabe Garcia. Gabe, Kari, and their kids recently moved to Oakland, California, where they are preparing to start a new church. “Many are the plans of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” –Proverbs 19:21Planting in a pandemic
How Your Church Can Begin Making a Strategy for Racial Justice
“Most churches and Christian organizations have all kinds of strategies: a strategy for evangelism, a strategy for crisis planning, a strategy for staffing, or a strategy for how to manage your building. But how many have a solid strategy to ensure that they are fighting against racial injustice?” –Brandon Watts,
Church Finance Considerations for This Season
By Robert Tomko, finance director Three church finance considerations for our current moment:1.) Maintain accurate and responsible records.During this time, many of us will have fewer in-person connections with our accountant or bookkeeper. It’s important to ensure that our financial reports are produced with accuracy and integrity,
Made For This: Strength in Weakness
From Luke Greer, Partnership Director He said to me, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” —2 Corinthians 12:9Strong and Weak LinksA couple of weeks ago, Malcolm Gladwell gave a talk where he articulated some of his analysis of – you guessed it – the coronavirus outbreak. If you’ve followed
Ministering in the Blizzard and Preparing for Winter
Like many organizations that are serving entrepreneurs and start-ups, we have been challenged by Praxis' article Leading Beyond the Blizzard. It gives an excellent framework for the current moment, and for moving forward over the medium and longer term. Borrowing the concepts of "blizzard" (~8 weeks) and "winter" (~8 months)
In for the Long Haul: Planning a Financial Future
This article is part of the series "In for the Long Haul," explaining Orchard Group's commitment to back church planters as they establish churches in cities. Planning for a flourishing futureWhat could be more challenging than turning nothing into something? Like any entrepreneurial endeavor, church planting requires leaders to do
Hiring Staff: Five Recommendations
From Brian Kruckenberg, lead planter of New City Church You’ve read the books, gone to school, gone through assessment, raised money, worked and reworked your vision statement, found a place to meet and made it through launch. Congratulations, you’ve planted your church! You thought the most difficult stage
Business Books for Church Planters
From Nick Parsons, Director of Recruitment Church planters often fall into one of two categories regarding business and leadership books. One group uncritically embraces whatever method sits atop the current bestseller lists. This approach fails to recognize that the secular publishing industry is plagued by faddishness that would embarrass even
Legal Pitfalls to Avoid
From Greg Hubbard, Orchard Group Director of Operations “THERE ARE TWO THINGS IN LIFE YOU CAN'T AVOID..."As a church planter or church leader, there are some things we don’t like to think about but, in the end, cannot avoid. I can’t give official legal advice in this
Finding a Facility
From Brent Storms, Orchard Group President and CEO One of the biggest challenges of starting a church in a center city or urban context is finding the right facility for Sunday gatherings. Space is limited. Landlords are skeptical. Prices are (often) outrageous. One example of the challenges: a few years
Essential Tips for Church Planters
By Brent Storms, President and CEO I’ve been hanging around church planters for twenty years. I planted a church fifteen years ago, and since then I’ve interviewed, assessed, trained, coached, or managed hundreds of church planters. They are among the brightest, most gifted, most entrepreneurial leaders in the