New Start

[Wilson Deaton]

Bet you thought this thread had something to do with the NazNet crash... Gotcha! :cool:

I'm about to leave the house for a meeting of the Wisconsin District New Start Strategy Committee.

It won't help me with this evening's meeting, but for future purposes, I'd been interested in anything "novel" that is working in your area for successful new start ventures. (I specified "novel" because, honestly, we already have access to all the "normal" Nazarene models...)

Wilson

[David Troxler]

Bet you thought this thread had something to do with the NazNet crash... Gotcha! :cool:

I'm about to leave the house for a meeting of the Wisconsin District New Start Strategy Committee.

It won't help me with this evening's meeting, but for future purposes, I'd been interested in anything "novel" that is working in your area for successful new start ventures. (I specified "novel" because, honestly, we already have access to all the "normal" Nazarene models...)

Wilson

Wilson,
I know I specifically read that there were to be no "Gotcha" posts.
Shame on you for breaking the rule on one of your very first posts.

dave t

[Wilson Deaton]

Wilson,
I know I specifically read that there were to be no "Gotcha" posts.


There was a time when I, too, retained what I read... I guess those days are over as I could almost guarantee I read the rules but have no recollection of that one! Hey, I did turn 50 last month. :smilies0436:

Wilson

[Gina Stevenson]

There was a time when I, too, retained what I read... I guess those days are over as I could almost guarantee I read the rules but have no recollection of that one! Hey, I did turn 50 last month. :smilies0436:

Wilson

Wilson, had just closed this thread when I clicked on the next one. So, I reopened this to let you know that it's in the "welcome to current events" first thread where "gotcha" posts are mentioned. ;)

OOPS! NEVERMIND ... went back there, and then saw that you'd already been there and posted under David's initial post re CE. Sowwwwwwwwy! ;)

[Rich Schmidt]

It won't help me with this evening's meeting, but for future purposes, I'd been interested in anything "novel" that is working in your area for successful new start ventures. (I specified "novel" because, honestly, we already have access to all the "normal" Nazarene models...)

I don't know that I have anything "novel" to share. I've only seen two models "up close an personal"....

1. The one we followed when we started Living Hope. I joined the staff at a larger church (where my dad was pastor, a church of about 750 in attendance) for 9 months, spending half my time on associate pastor duties and half my time preparing to launch our new church. I was fresh out of seminary at the time, but I had some experience volunteering at a new church in the KC area, and I'd had some church planting training. (I got more training - Saddleback, Willow, several books - during my time at our parent church.) We had around 30 folks from the parent church help us start the new church, rented a banquet hall for services, sent out postcards, etc. From launch forward we were pretty much self-sufficient. All financial support came from the parent church. It was a fairly typical new church start. Our church is in the next town over from the parent church, about 15-20 minutes away.

2. The one we followed when we launched our daughter church. One of our launch volunteers became a leader, then a paid staff person, then an associate pastor, and then God called him and his family to move across the country to start a new church. From our launch to theirs was about 5 years. Unfortunately, we weren't able to support them as heavily as we were supported, because we didn't have the finances, and they were moving so far away. But they did have 3 other adults move with them to help them start the church: a married couple with kids and a single guy. So they launched as a team. We were able to send them off with $10,000, which basically covered their move and the first 3 months rent of their apartments. They ended up getting some financial support from their new district. They launched in fairly typical fashion, renting a movie theater in the mall, but I don't think they had the money to do postcard invitations when they started. Within 2 years they'd moved to a storefront in the run-down downtown area, because they were pulled (by God) toward serving the poor. They still receive district and outside support and struggle financially. I think they have around 50-60 people on a Sunday, most of whom don't have much to give financially.

Is this the sort of thing you're asking about? What particular aspects are you most interested in? What models have you seen work?

[Wilson Deaton]

Is this the sort of thing you're asking about?

Thanks, Rich. These were the kinds of things I was asking.


What models have you seen work?

No promises, but I'll try to respond to this later...

Wilson