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Launch:ology
The Art & Strategy of Launching Large Churches




by Dave Page

eBook

                       Dave Page
DEDICATION

   I dedicate this eBook to church planters around the world: spiritual entrepreneurs who risk
everything to start new churches! You are my heroes! I also dedicate this eBook to Rick Warren,
my mentor, friend and role model. Thank you for believing in me! Lastly, I dedicate this eBook
to Jackie Page, my daughter in heaven and inspiration on earth! I love and miss you so much!


TESTIMONIALS

   “Having planted 3 churches, Dave knows firsthand the ever changing challenges of starting a
new church. He's a guide who knows the trail very well.” - Nathan Oates, Emmaus Church
Community, Lincoln, CA

   “Dave just had a great handle on how to start a church from scratch and he just understood
what God is doing in our day and age. Dave took me under his wing and taught me biblical
principles and effective practices in launching a new church that cannot be learned in a
classroom.” - Mark Lee, Vantage Point Church, Eastvale, CA

   “Dave has a pastor's heart and a heart for church planters. So many times I asked Dave, ‘What
do I do now?’ He was always there not only with encouragement but with practical next steps to
carry us to the next stage and level. “ - Jim Cowart, Harvest Church, Warner Robbins, GA

   “Dave's youth, athletic vigor, and unique success as a church planter has revolutionized
EFCA West's unique role in church planting.” - Steve Highfill, District Superintendent, EFCA
West

   “If there’s ever been a church planting coach in America that is effective, it’s Dave Page!” -
Ron Sylvia, Church at the Springs, Ocala, FL

   “If you want to know about church planting, you need to talk to Dave Page!” - Rick Warren,
Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA

   “I recommend Dave to you as a coach! I’m a big fan of his!” - Ken Blanchard, Ph.D -
Author and Leadership Guru
BACKGROUND

   This eBook is the result of my experience as a church planter who started three churches, a
conference speaker who taught church planting at Saddleback Church and now teaches at
Exponential, a trainer who has trained church planters and pastors on four continents, a church
planting coach and mentor with the Evangelical Free Church of America and a leadership coach
with NEXT Coaching Networks.

PASSION

   I have a passion to see people follow Jesus. I also have a passion to help church planters.
Church planting is a team sport. No one can do it alone. We need ministry partners to help us
plant. Even the Apostle Paul needed ministry partners:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6

GOAL

   I want add value to your life by watering the seeds you plant in your new church and
watching as God grows them. Whether you define your church as attractional, incarnational, or
missional, you’ve accepted God’s call to reach others for Jesus Christ.

My goal is to provide you with helpful tips and tools to launch larger and reach more people than
you originally planned. I hope to stretch your faith and equip you to plant a healthy church for
the glory of God that not only survives but thrives!

I believe some of the most effective churches in the world are yet to be launched. God may use
you to launch one of these churches!

Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

MY STORY

   Truth be told, I really didn’t know what I was doing when I planted my first church and there
wasn't much written on the subject at the time. I just knew I had a call from God to reach my
unchurched friends through starting a church. I decided my best strategy was to find someone
who had done it and done it well and have them coach and mentor me in the process. A meeting
with Rick Warren turned out to be a divine appointment. At the time, Saddleback Church was
seven years old and was running around 2,000 people.
      Warren had been greatly influenced by Donald McGavran and believed that God wanted his
church to grow–he wanted his lost sheep found! Saddleback Church had a core group of 15
people who hand addressed and hand stamped 15,000 letters that were mailed out into the
community. The letters arrived a week early and 60 people from the community showed up for a
dress rehearsal (trial run) service. The next Sunday the church held its first worship service on
Easter, April 6, 1980 and 205 people showed up. This was the beginning of a new paradigm for
church planting - launching large!
      I first met Rick at a Southern Baptist evangelism conference. I shared with him that God had
called me to plant a church in Palmdale, California. He asked, "Why Palmdale?" I said, “My
wife and I prayed about where to go and I did some demographic studies and believe Palmdale
would be a great place to plant a church.” We talked for about 20 minutes and at the end of our
conversation he said, "Dave, Saddleback Church will sponsor you and your new church plant."
He encouraged me to attend a seminar that he was teaching at the next week that was put on by
the Fuller Institute of Church Growth. The seminar was called," How to plant a church.”
      The first presenter at the seminar was C. Peter Wagner. At the end of his presentation on
demographics he said, “If I was going to plant a church today I would plant in Palmdale because
it's the fastest growing city in the state of California of cities under 50,000 people."1 My first
thought was, "Oh no, now all 200 of the seminar attendees are going to move to Palmdale to
plant a church." In reality it was God's way of confirming my call to Palmdale. This was the
beginning of my journey into the world of church planting and church growth.
      I figured if Rick could launch large then maybe I could as well. We sold our home and moved
to Palmdale and started a home Bible study and held our first public worship service out of a
hotel five months later. We had 154 people show up at the launch of Harvest Community
Church. Eight years later we felt God call us to Auburn, California, a suburb of Sacramento to
plant again. This time we had a core group that grew to 70 people and we launched Bayside
Auburn Church with 383 people on Easter Sunday, the largest launch in the history of the
California Southern Baptist Convention at the time. Ten years later we felt God calling us back

1   C. Peter Wagner, quote from the “How to Plant a Church” seminar at the Fuller Institute of Church Growth, 1988.
to Southern California to start a third church. We had a core group of 30 people and had 220
people at our first preview service and 260 people on Conejo Church's launch Sunday. All three
church plants were daughter churches of Saddleback.
   If I can do it so can you! I ended up planting 3 churches in California, all of which launched
large, two of which grew to be very large (1000+) and reproduced. I became the primary trainer
at the Purpose-Driven Church Planting Seminars at Saddleback Church for 10 years. I'm not an
authority on many things but I feel I do know a little about launching large churches and
breaking through growth barriers quickly. Some have written books on launching large but have
never done it. If you feel God calling you to start a church and you want to launch large I would
encourage you to find someone who has done it and learn from him.
   I have a passion to see people won to Jesus Christ and see changed lives. I also have a great
love and admiration for church planters and enjoy training them, coaching them and empowering
them to launch thriving churches and to reach their fullest leadership capacity. My goal is to do
for church planters what Rick Warren did for me.
   I am now the Director of Church Planting for the Evangelical Free Church of America (West
District). I help coach all different types of church planters to launch their various models of
churches as large as possible. By God's grace, our district has planted over 30 churches in the
last five years, the majority of which have launched large. In this paper I will share five examples
of churches in our District that have recently launched large and continue to grow.


A MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT

   New church plants typically start out small, many begin as home Bible studies or in a
storefront. The old paradigm was to plant a church and watch it slowly grow, like a tree. The
Southern Baptist denomination used to refer to new church plants as mission churches. The
mission church would not become a full-fledged church until it was at least 3 years old. When I
planted my first church our Director of Missions for our local SBC Association gave me a book
on church planting that laid out a plan for breaking the 25, 50, 75 and 100 attendance barriers
within the first few years of the church. We had already broken the hundred barrier in our grand
opening service.
   A generation ago pastors who planted churches had it a bit easier. Regardless of the model
they used, if they built a church building, people would come. That was when the majority of
Americans went to church. That is not the case now. Today, we live in a postmodern and post-
Christian society. Most Americans still say they believe in the existence of God, are spiritual but
not religious, but most of them do not attend church these days. David Olson, author of the
American church in crisis, did a national survey recently and found that only 17.5% of
Americans attend a local church on any given Sunday. 2
      In today's culture, a new church is not something you put in the ground, tend to, hoping that it
will eventually grow - that's an old school church planting metaphor. Rather, a starting a church
is more like launching a rocket ship –a new church planting metaphor. This metaphor of
launching large is what differentiates it from traditional church planting thinking. If you've ever
witnessed a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center you have seen the power exerted to get
the rocket ship off the ground. Neighbors who live nearby remove everything that hangs on their
walls because off the blast. The rocket launch can be seen for hundreds of miles and felt by
everyone within a 30-mile radius. Like a rocket ship, churches are now being launched into
communities. They explode onto the scene and capture everyone's attention.3
      I believe there are three main metaphors for church planting: planting, birthing and launching.
Have you ever been invited to a planting? Probably not, if you ever were I don’t think you would
find it very exciting. The Apostle Paul used the planting metaphor when he said, "I planted,
Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 4 God is always the one who gives the growth but
Paul was referring to a metaphor that made sense to people living in an agrarian culture in the
first century. Have you ever been invited to a birth? I'm talking about being invited to witness
the birth of a baby that is not your own - probably not.
      Bob Logan, author of The Church Planter's Toolkit, was the first person I'd read who used the
birth analogy for starting churches and the various stages that accompany the birth process.
      Church planting is a lot like having a baby; it brings incredible joy and pain - all at the same
time, not to mention the postpartum depression! There is a built in urgency in birthing a baby
with a set timeline. You don't want to birth the baby prematurely or wait very long after the nine
month gestation period is up. The goal is to birth a healthy baby. But I believe the best
metaphor for church planting in the 21st Century is launching. We launch rockets, movies,

2   David T. Olson, The American Church in Crisis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 150.
3   Ron Sylvia, Planting New Churches on Purpose (Lake Forest: Purpose-Driven, 2006), 107.
4   1 Corinthians 3:6
careers, new business ventures, new products and new churches.
      In fact, I believe the early church in the book of Acts was launched. Acts 1 and 2 tells us that
the first church went from a core group of 12 to 120 believers to over 3,000 believers overnight.
Acts 2:47 says, “Each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” The
number of believers actually grew daily! And Acts 4:4 tells us that many of the people who
heard the disciples' message believed it, and the number of believers totaled about 5000 men, not
counting women and children. Conservative estimates put the number of believers around
20,000. In the first year after Christ's death, the number of believers grew from 120 to 220,000.
So not only is crazy, go big, huge growth possible, it's biblical!5 Like the early church of Acts,
your church, if growth is a part of your and your people's vision, can grow beyond what you
could ever imagine.6
      New church launches are vibrant, life changing, living organisms positioned to impact
communities in a great way by bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ in a relevant way to a
desperate, hungry, lost, fast-moving and ever-changing world. God's vision and plans for new
churches today are limitless. I believe the greatest churches in the world are yet to be launched.
You could be the pastor of one of those churches! I challenge you to stop planting and start
launching.

WHAT IS LARGE?

      Nelson Searcy, who served on staff at Saddleback and went through our training and started
the Journey Church in New York City and in South Florida defines launching large as "the ability
of a new church to reach as many people as possible within the first six to eight months of
existence." 7 Large is a relative term and it depends on your city, your context and the culture you
are trying to reach.
      I coached a friend of mine named David Miller, a former mega church pastor turned church
planter, who started a church in Exeter, CA - think Mayberry R.F.D.! The population of Exeter is
around 10,000 people, a little over 3,000 households. The largest church in the city is the
Assembly of God church that averages 400 people on Sunday and has been in existence for over


5   Bill Easum and Bil Cornelius, Go Big (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006), 8.
6   Ephesians 3:20-21
7   Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch (Ventura: Regal, 2006), 28.
30 years. Most of the eight churches in the city average less than 100 people. For Exeter, 100
people would have been a huge launch! I told David I thought he could have 200 for their
launch Sunday and he thought I was crazy. After six months of preparation, Rocky Hill
Community Church launched with just over 200 people.
      If you started a church in Lone Pine, CA where the population is 2,035 people, 50 people
would be a big launch! I started churches in smaller to medium size areas with populations
between 12, 000-40,000 people. My wife and I got very involved and embedded in the
communities we planted churches in through coaching and club sports, serving as a pastor and as
a schoolteacher. However, large would look very different in the heart of Los Angeles, Orange
County or Orlando, Florida.
      Normally, I think of launching large as starting with 100, 200, 300 people or more at the
grand opening. Again, this may differ with certain denominations, cultures and ethnic groups.
      Our mission at the EFCA is to “Glorify God by multiplying healthy churches among all
people."8 Launching healthy churches among all different people groups is very important to us.
Each year we start at least one Filipino church in our district. We also attempt to start at least one
Hispanic church. In both of these cultures, they usually begin their church is very small with 50
or less people. A couple of years ago we started a Hispanic church a predominantly Spanish
community with over 200 people on its grand opening. Launching large is not just a
methodology for suburbia.

WHY LAUNCH LARGE?

      There are many benefits to launching large: Launching large provides the opportunity for
more people in come to know Christ. Launching large provides a large group of people to follow
up on and assimilate into the church.
      Launching large helps a church to thrive and become healthy quicker. Many new churches
tend to focus on survivability versus thrivability. Ed Stetzer found in his Survivability Study that
the typical church plant does not pass 100 people after four years and that average size is
approximately 92 people.9 This is the difference between viewing the new church as a full-
fledged church from the beginning versus a mission church.

8   Evangelical Free Church of America, Mission statement.
9Ed Stetzer and Phillip Connor, “Church Plant Survivability and Health Study 2007”, Research Bulletin, North
American Mission Board, 47 pages.
Church plants that don't break the 200 barrier within the first two years after going public
lessen their ability of ever doing so. “I've noticed over and over that if a church doesn't get
beyond 200 within about a year and a half, it usually doesn't happen at all. On the other hand
churches that get over 200 in the first year just keep on growing and growing.”10
      Churches that launch large tend to blow by church growth barriers much easier and much
quicker then churches that don't launch large.
      Churches that launch large tend to create a buzz with in the community. Crowds attract
crowds. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, once said, “When you set yourself
on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” People are attracted to new beginnings and
significant events. A large launch creates excitement and enthusiasm and can really impact a
community.
      Churches that launch large have a tendency to establish credibility in a given community. “A
growing population is a Kings glory; a dwindling nation is his doom.”11 Launching large creates
momentum. John Maxwell calls momentum “the big mo.” He says, “Momentum is really a
leader’s best friend. Sometimes it’s the only difference between winning and losing. People
throughout the organization are motivated to achieve more, and at a higher level. And maybe
above all else, momentum makes the leader look good.”12
      Launching large enables the church to become financially sustainable much quicker. Many
denominations provide support for church planters for three years, gradually decreasing it each
year. At the EFCA West, our goal is to see the plant be self-supporting within a year or two. Most
churches of less than 100 people are not able to pay a pastor a full time salary. By launching
large the church can provide a full-time salary for the pastor and even salaries for other staff
members.
      Launching large can help a new church reproduce sooner. Our EFCA West goal is to see our
churches reproduce a daughter church within the first 3 years of its existence.

THE CHALLENGES OF LAUNCHING LARGE

      There are certainly challenges that must be considered in advance before deciding to launch

10   Rick Warren, quote from his Purpose-Driven Church Conference	
  	
  
11   Proverbs 14:28
12   John Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 197.
large. You must count the cost. Launching a church is extremely stressful, especially when you
start the church from scratch. I remember working many 14-hour days for weeks on end.
Launching large is an emotional investment up front of everything you've got! This is a special
season where you upload the front end so that in the long run you’re much better off.
      There is a higher cost financially to launch large. It will take more money up front. Money is
needed for marketing, advertising, multimedia, and portable church equipment, renting a facility,
nursery equipment, computers, iPads, and office supplies. There is a faith factor that is involved
in launching large. Here I am talking about KROI, Kingdom Return On Investment - the greater
the risk the greater the reward (return) on your investment.
      It takes exceptional leadership skills to launch large. Launching large is not for everyone.
Rick Warren said, “I have discovered one great common denominator in every growing church,
regardless of denomination or location: leadership that is not afraid to believe God. Growing
churches are led by leaders who expect their congregation to grow.”13

WHO SHOULD LAUNCH LARGE?

      Launching large is not for everyone. Each planter needs to be assessed to see how he is wired
and what his strengths and gifts are. Some planters work better one on one with people or in
small groups and may be better suited to begin a house church or missional communities.
Potential large launch pastors need to be strong leaders (usually a high “D” on the D.I.S.C. and
strengths such as Maximizer, Achiever or Strategic on StrengthsFinder). They need to possess
excellent teaching and communication skills; they are able to connect with a room full of people.
They are entrepreneurial in nature and have a proven track record of successfully starting new
ministries in the past. They must also be good decision makers who are able to adjust on the fly
like a good football coach who makes half time adjustments.
      Todd Hunter, former director of church planting for the Vineyard Church, USA found that the
primary indicators for church-plant failure rested with the disposition of the lead church plant
pastor. Hunter’s research indicates that a passive approach to ministry is prone to failure;
however, church planters with an aggressive strategy (e.g. “launching large”) for penetrating the
community and gathering those who would be leaders for the kingdom more frequently results in



13   Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 398.
successful church plants. 14
     Charles Ridley, professor at Texas A&M University compiled the germinal research on
church planting assessments with his Church Planter Profile (CPP). Most assessment
instruments start with Ridley’s 13 characteristics in mind as they formulate their own church
planter profiles to determine the effectiveness of a church planter.
     I have developed “Page’s 15 Characteristics” for a Large Launch Church Planter:
     •   Clear Call
     •   Compelling Vision
     •   Large Faith
     •   Extreme Likeability
     •   Humility (Teachability/Servant Leader)
     •   Flexibility
     •   High Leadership Capacity/Skills
     •   Entrepreneurial Skills
     •   Excellent Communication Skills
     •   Evangelism/Discipleship Skills
     •   Emotional Health
     •   Integrity
     •   Hardworking/Never Gives Up
     •   Enthusiastic
     •   Spousal Support

GATHERING A CORE GROUP

     Church starts without a solid core group will tend to falter and fail. Being able to gather a
core team separates the men from the boys in church planting. If you can’t gather a core group
then you can’t start a church. I’ve found that the larger the core group prior to the launch the
more people you will be able to assimilate into the church.

14Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird, “The State of Church Planting in the United States 2007”, Lifeway Research and
Leadership Network, 50 pages.
So how many people will you need to have in your core group prior to starting the church in
order to launch large? You will need at least 25–50 adults or more in your core group in order to
launch large. Researcher Steven Gray found that fast growing church plants had a larger number
of people involved in the core group before the launch. While struggling church plants had
twenty five or less in a core group, fast-growing church plants had 26-50. 15 In discussing core
group size, Malphurs says, “Bigger is better.”16 Peter Wagner said, “To launch into public
worship prior to building a significant core group is not recommended.”17 Core group
development is one of the most crucial issues of any church plant. I can’t stress enough how
important it is to gather a good-sized core group.
      Build your core group through your friends and their network of friends. We started each of
our churches with a bible study in our home, which became the core group for the new church.
Where do you find core group members to help you start the church? Everywhere! I received
referrals from friends, churches, colleges (alumni who lived in our community) and employees
from my wife’s work. My wife (Carrie) worked as an assistant manager at a yogurt shop and I
was able to recruit many of the workers, including the manager, to be part of our new church.
      I signed up for a basketball class at the local community college in order to meet and make
new friends that could join our church. I also did a radio commercial on the local Christian radio
station. I shared the vision of the new church and invited listeners to our first home bible study a
week later. Eight people showed up from the radio and each of them became part of our core
group that helped us launch the church.

DEVELOPING A LEADERSHIP TEAM

      Lyle Schaller said, “Starting a new church is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. I wouldn't
do it unless I were part of a team.”18 Developing a leadership team is essential for launching
large. I've started the church from scratch and, just me and my wife, and I’ve started a church
with a team. I highly encourage you to gather a team in order to launch large. When we started

15   Stephen Gray, Planting Fast-Growing Churches (St. Charles, IL: Church Smart Resources, 2007), 110.
16 Aubrey   Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) p. 320.
17   C. Peter Wagner, Church Planting for a Greater Harvest (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1990), 120.



18 Aubrey   Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) p. 300.
our second church I was the point person over the church – the quarterback of the team. We also
had a point person over worship/music/creative arts (this was a paid part-time employee), a point
person over children's ministry, a point person over evangelism, a point person over discipleship,
a point person over students ministry and a point person who oversaw our administration (this
was a volunteer secretary who worked 20 hours per week).
   It is extremely important that team members understand that they are joining the lead pastor
in launching the church and not the other way around. They must buy into the lead pastor's vision
and philosophy of ministry or they need to find another church.
   When recruiting team members we looked for people with the right character, competency
and chemistry (organizational fit). Teams members must fit the new church’s culture. Team
members need to be responsible to raise a large portion if not all of their salary. The lead planter
is not responsible to raise funds for other team members. Fundraising is to be short term, one or
two years at the most. We would normally begin by hiring part time employees from within our
church. When funds became available we moved people from quarter time to half time and from
half time to full-time.
   We also implement what I call the “50% Staff Salary Strategy.” In faith, if you have 50% of
the salary needed for a potential staff member then you can go ahead and bring him on staff.
This doesn't mean that you have half of his salary for the year sitting in the bank. It means that
you have half of his monthly salary right now in your ongoing budget. The principle is that a
good staff person is worth his salt and will help the church grow thus bringing in more revenue.

PREVIEW SERVICES




   Preview services are one of the greatest innovations in the church planting world in the last
two decades. Previews were originally invented by David Olson of the Covenant Church and
first implemented at Bayside Church by pastor Ray Johnston in Granite Bay, CA in 1995.
Preview services were specifically designed to attract a crowd and then turn that crowd into a
church. Preview services are monthly services prior to your launch (Grand Opening), which is
when your weekly worship services begin. They are helpful for reaching out to unchurched
people. Preview services ease the unchurched into attending church on a gradual basis – they
like it because church only meets once a month!
      Bayside Church did its first preview as an experiment. They rented the Granite Bay Golf Club
on a rainy Sunday morning in January. A small core group of people from a Covenant Church in
Folsom, CA invited their friends and sent out a direct mail piece into the community. The church
initially set up 80 chairs but when Pastor Ray saw it begin to rain he asked the ushers to remove
40 chairs. They had to put back those 40 chairs back and add a bunch more as 161 people
attended that first preview service. Pastor Ray thought why not do another service like this next
month - so they did. At the second preview service 226 people showed up. They were onto
something. Bayside Church ended up doing six monthly services in order to gather a large
number of people for their grand opening. It worked so well that they had over 400 people when
they launched on their grand opening Sunday.
      Preview services are like sneak previews for a coming movie. They introduce the community
to what the new church will be like. They should be done just like you plan on doing your
regular Sunday services once you have your grand opening. They are evangelistic events that can
have extra ordinary results. They are “big days” that provide an opportunity for the core group to
invite all their friends and family to the new church. They are not to be confused with practice
services, even though they provide good practice. I encourage having between 3-6 monthly
preview services leading up to the grand opening. Steven Gray found that the more preview
services a church did, the more people they reached at their launch.19
      All the preview services are important but in my opinion the first preview service is the most
important. It sets the stage for all the others and it has the potential to build tremendous
momentum if it’s done well. I encourage church planters to do their best outreach and marketing
for the first preview service. It will affect all the other previews.




19   Stephen Gray, Planting Fast-Growing Churches (St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Rescources, 2007), 115.
COMEBACK EVENTS

   In order to build relationships with the new people who came to one or more of the preview
services, a second technique used alongside preview services is called a “Comeback” event. A
comeback event is scheduled two weeks after the preview service. For my first comeback event
we rented a roller skating rink and invited everybody from our first preview service to join us.
We had 72 people show up to roller skate! For another comeback event we had a “Pastor’s Chat”
in our home and had 35 show up. In this casual and fun setting, my wife and I got to meet many
of the new people and their families and build relationships with them and become friends. Some
churches schedule a cookout in a local park.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

   Leadership training is scheduled for the first and third weeks after a preview service. This is a
time of training for the core group. It’s a chance to debrief after each preview service and
strategize on how to make the next preview service even bigger and better. I know one church
planter who instead of having the second leadership training of the month used that night to serve
the city through various forms of servant evangelism. Leadership training also provides a chance
to enlist new people for service in the new plant and to continue to do ministry training with your
regular core group. However, the primary goal is not to have a new person come to the bi-
monthly leadership training but to come to the next comeback event.

WORKING THE “W”

   I am a visual learner. So I wanted to see what the launching large (preview) strategy would
look like on paper. When you draw the strategy out you find that it forms a “W.” I encourage
church planters to “Work the W.” Have monthly preview services followed by a night of
leadership training, followed by a comeback event, followed by another night of leadership
training and then another preview service. The goal is to string between 3-6 months of “W’s”
together in order to have a large grand opening. Below is the “Working the W” Strategy:
The “W Strategy” for Preview Services




   Preview Service                                                             Preview Service


                                           	
  Comeback
                                             Event




                         	
  Leadership                   Leadership
                              Training                     Training




Highlighting 5 Groundbreaking Church Plants

   Each of the church planters below launched large churches within the EFCA West District
within the last 4 years. Each planter went through the A,B,C’s of our District’s training:
Assessment, Boot Camp and Coaching. Our assessment is a full day behavioral assessment of
the potential planter and his spouse, boot camp is 5 full days of training and coaching ongoing.


Meet Ryan Kwon
Ryan Kwon planted Resonate Church in Fremont, CA, less than three years ago. Ryan was a
teaching pastor at Bridges Community Church when he felt God call him to start Resonate. The
elders and the staff of Bridges fully supported the new work and Ryan was able to gather over
100 people from the mother church to be in his core group. Resonate is a gospel centered church
and feels called to become a catalyst that provokes a missional movement to bring wholeness to
their city for Jesus Christ.
   At my request, Ryan attended the Exponential Conference in Orlando in 2010. It was at that
conference that he felt God calling him to start a church. Resonate Church believes in loving
their city and participates in many servant evangelism projects. In fact, the church calls itself, “A
church for the city.” They began holding public services at Oliveira Elementary School and
members of the church did a workday to improve the public school.




   At a result, many of the teachers from that school and some of the administration from the
school district attended Resonate’s first preview service. Resonate held 3 preview services. At
their first preview service they had 170 people (140 adults and 30 kids). On their launch Sunday
(Grand Opening) they had 390 people (350 adults and 40 kids). The church is committed to
reaching the unchurched with the gospel and last year baptized 99 people! Resonate Church
launched large and continues to grow. This healthy church is now averaging over 700 people
each Sunday and has plans to launch many new churches in the near future beginning in 2013
when the church will be three years old.
Meet Mark Lee




   Mark Lee planted Vantage Point Church in Eastvale, CA four years ago, Mark was an
associate pastor at the EV Free Church in Diamond Bar when the lead pastor, Mark Hopper, felt
their church needed to plant a new church in Eastvale. Mark felt God calling him to be the man
to start a new church for a new community. Mark gathered about 40 people in his core group
who went with him from the mother church to start Vantage Point.
   They started the church by asking God a question, “Can a group of people doing simple acts
of kindness really make a difference in a community?” The church began doing random acts of
kindness toward residents in the community. They handed out thousands of bottles of water,
washed cars, hauled away trash to the dumpster, did a gas buy downs and paid for coffee for the
person behind them in the drive through line at Starbucks! The goal was to show people the love
of God in a tangible way. This is a church that seeks to love people into the Kingdom of God -
they have a real heart for the unchurched.
   I began coaching Mark about 6 months prior to their launch. We developed a strategy to
launch large by combining servant evangelism and direct mail. Mark said, “We knew going into
it that the 200 barrier is the hardest barrier for a church to break so we tried to get the biggest
running start we could for our launch.” The church did a large direct mailout to every residence
in Eastvale, about 20,000 homes.
   At their first preview they had 220 people, a tremendous start. The church did a total of 5
previews and then launched with 353 people a month before Easter. They intentionally launched
a month prior to Easter in order to network many of the friends of those who came to their
launch. The strategy worked as Vantage Point Church had 414 people for their first Easter
Sunday just one month after the launch. At their first baptism they baptized 53 new believers and
have since baptized a few hundred people. Today, Vantage Point Church has over 1,000 people
attending each weekend and recently had over 2,000 on an Easter Sunday.


Meet Jeremy McGarity




   I first met Jeremy McGarity, a former pro baseball player turned pastor, at a NEXT Coaching
Network for new church plants that I led at Saddleback Church a few years ago. At the time
Jeremy was an associate pastor at High Desert Church in Victorville, CA. Jeremy came to the
coaching network because he was considering planting a church. Jeremy moved to San Diego,
CA about a year later to begin Seven San Diego Church. Why the name? Seven is the perfect
number in the Bible. The number 7 represents “completeness.” The church’s mission to take
broken people and bring them to completeness through Christ.
   Jeremy gathered about 50 people who moved from Victorville to San Diego to help him start
the church but the majority of this initial core group moved back to Victorville primarily for
financial reasons. The church used creative advertising including a large direct mail campaign
and billboard advertising. The church also utilizes an “oikos” evangelism strategy; an approach
Jeremy learned from Tom Mercer, his former pastor at High Desert Church. The church did 4
preview services in total with a huge first preview of 261 people – some of which just came for
the day from Jeremy’s old church. They launched with 221 people four months later.
   This church is really doing a great job in reaching the unchurched in the Lakeside community,
a suburb of San Diego. Their slogan is, “No perfect people allowed.” Just four years old, Seven
San Diego Church has breezed by some significant church growth barriers and is now averaging
over 800 people on Sunday mornings in three worship services and had over 1,400 last Easter.
Meet Matt Larson




      Matt Larson planted Anthem Church three years ago in Thousand Oaks, CA. Matt was a
Student Pastor at EV Free Conejo Church in Newbury Park, CA. Matt interned under Dave
Ferguson and the New Thing Network in Chicago for nearly one year. This was crucial in
developing a passion for reproduction. Matt, more than any of our planters gets it – that we are
trying to plant churches that plant churches. Anthem’s slogan is “Helping people find their way
back to God.”
      Anthem Church utilized social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter to draw people to their
church. They also did a direct mailout for their grand opening but not for any of their previews.
Anthem Church did four preview services and had a little over 200 at their first preview and
launched with a little over 300 on their grand opening. Anthem Church has seen many people
come to Christ over the last three years, many baptized, and many leaders developed. The church
is averaging 350 people each Sunday morning.
      What is unique about this church is that they have now planted two daughter churches in just
three years! Reproduction is in their DNA. They started Anthem Church Camarillo with pastor
Kevin Bailey when they were just 18 months old as a church. Kevin launched with 153 people.
Then just a month ago they started Restored Church in Mission Valley (San Diego) with pastor
Andy Rodgers. Andy launched with 203 people.
      This is unprecedented within the EFCA but I believe it will become a model for future EFCA
church plants! Some may think it's impossible for a new church to plant another church in that
short of time but as Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible!”20


20   Matthew 19:26
I compare this to Roger Banister breaking the 4-minute mile on May 6, 1954. Nobody had
ever run a sub 4-minute mile. Most believed it was impossible. Some even thought a runner's
heart would burst if they tried. Banister believed he could do it and the rest is history. As a
result, in less than two years, 37 other runners ran a sub 4-minute mile. I believe this is what we
are going to see in the EFCA! I believe we will see many of our EFCA church plants and future
plants reproducing churches when they are only one, two, or three years old! This will someday
result in multiplication.

Meet Brad Hixon




   Brad Hixon planted Compass Church Surprise in Surprise, AZ less than a year ago. This
church is a multi-site church and a daughter church of Compass Church in Goodyear, AZ where
Tim Jacobs is the lead pastor. Tim is a church planter and his dream is to establish a church
planting center out of his church. This is Compass Church’s first church plant and it’s going very
well.
   Brad came to Compass Church three years ago. He was very successful as a businessman in
the marketplace but felt God calling him into full-time Christian ministry. He started
volunteering at Compass and Pastor Tim brought him on staff full-time. When the church
needed a campus pastor to start and run the new multi-site church Brad stepped up. Brad
gathered a core group of about 50 people from the mother church. At their first preview service
they had 60 people and on their launch Sunday in February of this year they had 180 people.
They followed that up with over 200 people for their first Easter Sunday. They are less than a
year old and are currently running 160 people each Sunday morning. The church has a live
video feed of Pastor Tim on a big screen, a live worship band and Brad as the campus pastor. I
think multi-site churches are the wave of the future. We (EFCA West) have started two multi-site
churches this year and plan to start many more in the near future.


Meet Joby Martin - The Largest Launch of All




   I first met Joby at an Exponential Conference in Orlando. He came to a workshop I taught on
Launching Large. Joby planted The Church of Eleven22, which began as an alternative worship
service offered at Beach United Methodist Church. Joby came to Beach UMC as the church’s
Student Pastor, later became their executive pastor, and then was sent out as a church planter.
The name for the church came from the time of the original service (11:22 AM) but also reflects
Mark 11:22 “And Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God.’” Since then the story of The Church of
Eleven22 has been an adventure of faith and God’s faithfulness. After experiencing explosive
growth in that service, Beach UMC and the Eleven22 team decided to birth a new
interdenominational church that is unapologetically committed to walking through the Scriptures
verse-by-verse, calling people to engage in passionate worship, while remaining absolutely
committed to reaching out to and including people who are unchurched or de-churched. The
Church of Eleven22 is non-denominational in structure but is also part of the Acts 29 Network.
   Joby hired me as a coach a year before the new church was started to coach him through the
launching large process. The Church of Eleven22 had grown to a core group of 1000 people
over a four-year period. The people in the core group were the people attending the services led
by Joby at Beach UMC. With the help of the mother church, The Church of Eleven22 was able to
rent and renovate an abandoned Wal-Mart centrally located in Jacksonville, FL. A building that
was formerly known for saving money was now known for saving souls. Wal-Mart is famous for
it’s greeters but now the greeters are volunteers from a church welcoming people into the
Kingdom of God.
   We developed a timeline and set some huge goals over a year period and the church launched
with over 3,000 people on their Grand Opening! On their first Easter they had 5,595 people!




WHAT DO THESE LARGE CHURCHES HAVE IN COMMON? (23 Characteristics)

Below are 23 Characteristics of Large Launch churches. A common denominator of the churches
I profiled is that they emulate most, if not all, of the characteristics listed below:

1. Large Launch churches are led by strong leaders with extraordinary faith –men and
women who are not afraid to trust God for big things. They are willing launch large, risk
much and go out on a limb in order to see fruit. “If you can explain what is going on then God
didn’t do it!”21

2. Large Launch churches feel their primary purpose for existing is to reach unchurched
people with the gospel. They have a burning passion to reach unchurched people. They have a
deep conviction that lost people matter to God and need to be found. They are not trying to reach


21 Warren W. Wiersbe,   On Being a Servant of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007), 16.
existing Christians who attend other churches. They also have a deep conviction in the power of
the gospel to change lives.
3. Large Launch churches have a clearly defined target group of people they are trying to
reach. You usually reach people just like you when you start a church – it’s called the
“homogeneous principle.” Most planters are young so they reach young people. These planters
realize they can’t reach everyone so they target certain groups that they can reach best. But as
the church grows you are in a great position to reach all kinds of people. The Apostle Paul felt
called to reach Gentiles and targeted this group.

4. Large Launch churches use contemporary music that is relevant to the community they
are reaching. Most of the churches I profiled resemble going to a rock concert. The music is
loud and jamming but also very meaningful to those attending.

5. Large Launch churches seek to do everything in an excellent way. From the music to the
preaching, to the children’s ministry to the choice of coffee on Sunday morning.

6. Large Launch churches value innovation. They are open to experimenting with new ideas
to reach people and improve ministries. They are not afraid to fail. They view failure as a friend
and not an enemy - they see it as an education.

7. Large Launch churches start with a team. All of the churches profiled had preselected a
worship leader, some paid and some volunteer, to help them launch the church. Effective
preaching and excellent worship music are the bread and butter for a new plant. Each of the
churches profiled also started with either a paid or volunteer secretary. Seven San Diego,
Anthem Church and Eleven22 each started with a full-time associate pastor as well. You can start
a church with just you and your wife and kids but I greatly encourage starting with a team.

8. Large Launch churches develop a large core group – usually between 25-75 before they
have their first preview services. Starting from scratch is still an effective way to start a church
but as Director of Church Planting I much prefer to start churches that have the support of a
mother church.

9. Large Launch churches usually have between 3-6 previews before they launch. They
especially emphasize the first preview as being the most important one.
10. Large Launch churches have fun accomplishing their mission! People enjoy coming to
these churches. They celebrate Jesus and have fun participating in ministry together.

11. Large Launch churches have a mother church birthing them and supporting them.
Each of the churches profiled had a mother church that helped them in significant ways.
12. Large Launch church planters exhibit “Page’s 15 Characteristics” of large launch
pastors that I described earlier in the eBook.

13. Large Launch churches utilize nice rented buildings to meet in. Each of the churches
profiled started out of schools – elementary, intermediate and high schools, with the exception of
Anthem church that started out of California Lutheran University and Eleven 22 that started out
of a Wal-Mart. Each location has a nice appearance, is fairly new and is easily accessible. Most
everybody in the community is familiar with where the meeting place is located in town.

14. Large Launch Churches love their cities. These churches serve their communities through
servant evangelism projects. They seek to be a blessing to the community and to make the world
a better place.

15. Large Launch churches look for people who are receptive to reach. Vantage Point
Church planted a new church in a new community. These churches realize that people are very
open to spiritual things when under tension or in transition. Jeremy, Brad and Matt all do
strategic weddings for unchurched couples to reach them for Christ.

16. Large Launch churches understand their identity and do a good job branding and
marketing their church. These churches utilize demographic studies, killer websites, social
media and direct mail. These churches know who they are and who they can and cannot reach.

17. Large Launch churches utilize technology. They use computers, iPads, video, in their
offices and in their services. Each pastor profiled uses an iPads to preach with and microset
headset microphones that clip on your ear and give superior performance. Each church profiled
also utilizes portable church equipment, great sound systems, video screens and flat screen TV’s.

18. Large Launch churches value children’s ministry. This is usually a signature ministry for
our new large churches and something each one of our 5 EFCA West churches emulate.
19. Large Launch churches are praying churches. Prayer shows that your dependency is on
God and his resources and not your own.

20. Large Launch churches have excellent communicators that teach biblical and practical
messages geared toward the felt needs of people. They believe the Bible is the Word of God,
teach it in a loving yet truthful manner, knowing that it does not return void but changes lives.

21. Large Launch churches are generous and unselfish. Each of the churches profiled are
generous to those in the community and look for ways to serve others and financially bless
others. Anthem Church gave away their first offering to another new church. They also raised
nearly $30,000 to bring fresh water to a tribe in Africa.

22. Large Launch churches are led by pastors who are lifelong learners. These church
planters listen to their coaches and learn all they can. They seek out mentors to help them grow
and they learn from one another through coaching networks and pastor clusters.

23. Large Launch churches have a value reproduction in every area in the church’s
ministry and in terms of planting new churches. Anthem Church and Resonate Church have
already planted daughter churches and Eleven22 is in the planning process to launch a new
church.

SECRETS OF CHURCH PLANTING

What are some secrets about church planting? The list below are key learnings from planting
three different churches:


   1. Love everyone, but move with the movers.
   2. Learn from practitioners not personalities.
   3. Understand the principle of scaffolding.
   4. Don’t focus on numbers, focus on trends.
   5. Enlist a coach for the journey.
   6. Fight your way to the fringe.
   7. Don’t surrender the vision.
   8. Learn to assimilate on the run.
   9. Church planting is a team sport.
10. Learn to ride the emotional roller coaster that is church planting.

TOP TEN MISTAKES CHURCH PLANTERS MAKE
I launched my first church at the age of 28, pastored it for 8 years, launched my second church at
age 37, pastored it for 10 years and launched my third church in my mid 40‘s. I made a lot of
mistakes in the process. Oscar Wilde wrote, “Experience is the name that everyone gives their
mistakes”… And how right he was! I hope and pray that you will gain the benefit of my
experience and that it will help you avoid making some painful mistakes. Below is my list of the
Top 10 Mistakes Planters Make:

       1. Forming a leadership team too quickly.
       2. Not taking care of yourself and your family.
       3. Not teaching about money.
       4. Not taking believers deeper.
       5. Acting arrogantly.
       6. Listening to the wrong people.
       7. Lack of leadership development.
       8. Being married to a model (methodology).
       9. Misfiring on hiring.
       10. Refusing to dream big.


SUMMARY


WHY PLANT NEW CHURCHES?
      Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches.22 “The Great Commission is not just a call to
“make disciples” but to “baptize” them as well, which means to incorporate them into a church.
Paul’s strategy was to plant churches in strategic cities. The evidence is overwhelming that
starting new churches is best means for reaching unchurched people with the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains
most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any
worshipping body, while churches over 10-15 years of age gain 80-90% of new members by
transfer from other congregations.”23 This means that the average new congregation will bring

22   Matthew 28:18-20
23   Lyle Schaller, Church Growth Strategies That Work (Nashville: Abingdon, 1980), 100.
6-8 times more new people into the life of the church than an older congregation of the same
size.
       I think this is why C. Peter Wagner describes church planting as “the single most effective
evangelistic methodology under heaven.”24 Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church
and church planting advocate said, “ The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is
the single most crucial strategy for the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and
the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else - not
crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational
consulting, nor church renewal processes - will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive
church planting.”25

WHY LAUNCH LARGE WHEN PLANTING A CHURCH?

      God desires for all people to be saved. “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”26 Jesus said, “Go out to the roads and country lanes
and make them come in, so that my house will be full.”27 Large Launch churches are set on
reaching large numbers of people with the gospel.
      The heart of God is to see his lost people found. The stories of the lost coin, sheep and son
in Luke 15 are compelling. God wants his lost sheep (people) found and his prodigals to return
home! The shepherd is willing to leave the 99 to find the one that is lost. Launching large is an
all out rescue for lost people to help them find their way back to God – not just one by one but in
families and in large groups of people through “oikos” evangelism. We must then incorporate
these we reach into the Body of Christ and this is what Large Launch churches do.
      God is a sending God. Jesus said, “I came to seek and to save the lost.”28 “Missio Dei” is a
Latin Christian theological term that can be translated as the “mission of God,” or the “sending
of God.” Mission is understood as being derived from the very nature of God. The missionary
initiative comes from God alone. Large Launch churches are missional at their very core. They


24   C. Peter Wagner, Strategies for Growth (Glendale, CA: Regal, 1987), 168.
25   Tim Keller, Why Plant Churches”, article published in 2002.
26   2 Peter 3:9
27   Luke 14:23
28   Luke 19:10
exist for the sake of those who are not part of the church. Their primary mission is to reach the
lost. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”29
      The Early church launched large. We see the launching large methodology used by God to
birth the first church in Jerusalem. Jesus selected 12 disciples and then gathered a large core
group of 120 people who waited on God to move. This resulted in Peter preaching the gospel and
3,000 people being saved and incorporated into the church in one day! Talk about a large launch!
I recently coached a church planter named Joby Martin who launched large in Jacksonville, FL.
Joby’s church, Church at Eleven 22, bought an abandoned Wal-Mart and reached out into the city
with a large core group. They had 3,300 people attend their launch in the new building. They
literally rocked the city of Jacksonville that day!
      We have the technology to reach out in new ways to reach people that were not available a
generation ago. Why not harness that technology for God by launching large churches?
      Practically speaking, launching large enables a church to reach more people for Christ
initially and in the long run. Hundreds of people can be reached in just a few short months of
preview services and a grand opening. Ed Stetzer, author of “Planting Missional Churches,” said,
“Most churches today start with a large launch … seven out of ten people in attendance at the
(large) launch service are typically unbelievers without church experience.”30 And he said,
“Church planters have learned that a public (large) launch is most effective.”31
      By launching large, churches can blow by church growth barriers very quickly, especially
the dreaded 200 barrier. It’s a great momentum builder Nearly 90 % of churches never break
through the 200 barrier. We see many of our churches doing this routinely.
      By launching large churches become financially sustainable must faster. Most of our
EFCA West churches that launch large become financially sustainable within two years, some in
less than a year.
      Launching large gives the leader credibility. Gaining credibility is a great challenge for a
new church planter. When a church grows it builds momentum and translates into credibility in
the eyes of the people attending – especially when it grows beyond 200 people in the first or
second year.

29   John 20:21
30   Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006), 258
31   Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006), 259
And maybe the biggest reason to launch large, churches can reproduce much sooner than
a typical church plant of under 100 people because they have greater resources and more
people to do so. Hopefully this can lead to a church planting movement of reproducing churches!
   The bottom line is, churches that start small normally stay small and churches that launch
large normally keep on growing.


THE END
Bibliography


Easum, Bill & Cornelius Bil. Go Big: Lead Your Church to Explosive Growth. Nashville:
  Abingdon Press, 2006.

Gray, Stephen. Planting Fast-Growing Churches. St. Charles, IL: Church Smart, 2007.
Keller, Tim. “Why Plant Churches.” Redeemer Church Planting Manuel, 2002.
Malphurs, Aubrey. Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century. Grand Rapids: Baker
  Books, 2004.

Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007.
McGavran, Donald A., Effective Evangelism. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed
  Publishing Company, 1988.

Moore, Ralph. Starting A New Church. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2002.

Olson, David T. The American Church in Crisis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.

Schaller, Lyle. Church Growth Strategies That Work. Abingdon: Nashville, 1980.

Searcy, Nelson & Thomas, Kerrick Thomas, Launch. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2006.

Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006.

Stetzer, Ed & Bird, Warren. “The State of Church Planting in the United States”, Lifeway
   Research and Leadership Network, 2007.

Stetzer, Ed & Conner, Phillip. “Church Plant Survivability and Health Study”, Research
   Bulletin, North American Mission Board, 2007.

Sylvia Ron. Planting New Churches on Purpose. Lake Forest: Purpose-Driven, 2006.
Wagner, C. Peter. Church Planting for a Greater Harvest. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1990.
Wagner, C. Peter. Strategies for Growth. Glendale, CA: Regal, 1987.
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

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Launchology e book_davepage

  • 1. Launch:ology The Art & Strategy of Launching Large Churches by Dave Page eBook Dave Page
  • 2. DEDICATION I dedicate this eBook to church planters around the world: spiritual entrepreneurs who risk everything to start new churches! You are my heroes! I also dedicate this eBook to Rick Warren, my mentor, friend and role model. Thank you for believing in me! Lastly, I dedicate this eBook to Jackie Page, my daughter in heaven and inspiration on earth! I love and miss you so much! TESTIMONIALS “Having planted 3 churches, Dave knows firsthand the ever changing challenges of starting a new church. He's a guide who knows the trail very well.” - Nathan Oates, Emmaus Church Community, Lincoln, CA “Dave just had a great handle on how to start a church from scratch and he just understood what God is doing in our day and age. Dave took me under his wing and taught me biblical principles and effective practices in launching a new church that cannot be learned in a classroom.” - Mark Lee, Vantage Point Church, Eastvale, CA “Dave has a pastor's heart and a heart for church planters. So many times I asked Dave, ‘What do I do now?’ He was always there not only with encouragement but with practical next steps to carry us to the next stage and level. “ - Jim Cowart, Harvest Church, Warner Robbins, GA “Dave's youth, athletic vigor, and unique success as a church planter has revolutionized EFCA West's unique role in church planting.” - Steve Highfill, District Superintendent, EFCA West “If there’s ever been a church planting coach in America that is effective, it’s Dave Page!” - Ron Sylvia, Church at the Springs, Ocala, FL “If you want to know about church planting, you need to talk to Dave Page!” - Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA “I recommend Dave to you as a coach! I’m a big fan of his!” - Ken Blanchard, Ph.D - Author and Leadership Guru
  • 3. BACKGROUND This eBook is the result of my experience as a church planter who started three churches, a conference speaker who taught church planting at Saddleback Church and now teaches at Exponential, a trainer who has trained church planters and pastors on four continents, a church planting coach and mentor with the Evangelical Free Church of America and a leadership coach with NEXT Coaching Networks. PASSION I have a passion to see people follow Jesus. I also have a passion to help church planters. Church planting is a team sport. No one can do it alone. We need ministry partners to help us plant. Even the Apostle Paul needed ministry partners: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6 GOAL I want add value to your life by watering the seeds you plant in your new church and watching as God grows them. Whether you define your church as attractional, incarnational, or missional, you’ve accepted God’s call to reach others for Jesus Christ. My goal is to provide you with helpful tips and tools to launch larger and reach more people than you originally planned. I hope to stretch your faith and equip you to plant a healthy church for the glory of God that not only survives but thrives! I believe some of the most effective churches in the world are yet to be launched. God may use you to launch one of these churches! Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 MY STORY Truth be told, I really didn’t know what I was doing when I planted my first church and there wasn't much written on the subject at the time. I just knew I had a call from God to reach my unchurched friends through starting a church. I decided my best strategy was to find someone
  • 4. who had done it and done it well and have them coach and mentor me in the process. A meeting with Rick Warren turned out to be a divine appointment. At the time, Saddleback Church was seven years old and was running around 2,000 people. Warren had been greatly influenced by Donald McGavran and believed that God wanted his church to grow–he wanted his lost sheep found! Saddleback Church had a core group of 15 people who hand addressed and hand stamped 15,000 letters that were mailed out into the community. The letters arrived a week early and 60 people from the community showed up for a dress rehearsal (trial run) service. The next Sunday the church held its first worship service on Easter, April 6, 1980 and 205 people showed up. This was the beginning of a new paradigm for church planting - launching large! I first met Rick at a Southern Baptist evangelism conference. I shared with him that God had called me to plant a church in Palmdale, California. He asked, "Why Palmdale?" I said, “My wife and I prayed about where to go and I did some demographic studies and believe Palmdale would be a great place to plant a church.” We talked for about 20 minutes and at the end of our conversation he said, "Dave, Saddleback Church will sponsor you and your new church plant." He encouraged me to attend a seminar that he was teaching at the next week that was put on by the Fuller Institute of Church Growth. The seminar was called," How to plant a church.” The first presenter at the seminar was C. Peter Wagner. At the end of his presentation on demographics he said, “If I was going to plant a church today I would plant in Palmdale because it's the fastest growing city in the state of California of cities under 50,000 people."1 My first thought was, "Oh no, now all 200 of the seminar attendees are going to move to Palmdale to plant a church." In reality it was God's way of confirming my call to Palmdale. This was the beginning of my journey into the world of church planting and church growth. I figured if Rick could launch large then maybe I could as well. We sold our home and moved to Palmdale and started a home Bible study and held our first public worship service out of a hotel five months later. We had 154 people show up at the launch of Harvest Community Church. Eight years later we felt God call us to Auburn, California, a suburb of Sacramento to plant again. This time we had a core group that grew to 70 people and we launched Bayside Auburn Church with 383 people on Easter Sunday, the largest launch in the history of the California Southern Baptist Convention at the time. Ten years later we felt God calling us back 1 C. Peter Wagner, quote from the “How to Plant a Church” seminar at the Fuller Institute of Church Growth, 1988.
  • 5. to Southern California to start a third church. We had a core group of 30 people and had 220 people at our first preview service and 260 people on Conejo Church's launch Sunday. All three church plants were daughter churches of Saddleback. If I can do it so can you! I ended up planting 3 churches in California, all of which launched large, two of which grew to be very large (1000+) and reproduced. I became the primary trainer at the Purpose-Driven Church Planting Seminars at Saddleback Church for 10 years. I'm not an authority on many things but I feel I do know a little about launching large churches and breaking through growth barriers quickly. Some have written books on launching large but have never done it. If you feel God calling you to start a church and you want to launch large I would encourage you to find someone who has done it and learn from him. I have a passion to see people won to Jesus Christ and see changed lives. I also have a great love and admiration for church planters and enjoy training them, coaching them and empowering them to launch thriving churches and to reach their fullest leadership capacity. My goal is to do for church planters what Rick Warren did for me. I am now the Director of Church Planting for the Evangelical Free Church of America (West District). I help coach all different types of church planters to launch their various models of churches as large as possible. By God's grace, our district has planted over 30 churches in the last five years, the majority of which have launched large. In this paper I will share five examples of churches in our District that have recently launched large and continue to grow. A MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT New church plants typically start out small, many begin as home Bible studies or in a storefront. The old paradigm was to plant a church and watch it slowly grow, like a tree. The Southern Baptist denomination used to refer to new church plants as mission churches. The mission church would not become a full-fledged church until it was at least 3 years old. When I planted my first church our Director of Missions for our local SBC Association gave me a book on church planting that laid out a plan for breaking the 25, 50, 75 and 100 attendance barriers within the first few years of the church. We had already broken the hundred barrier in our grand opening service. A generation ago pastors who planted churches had it a bit easier. Regardless of the model they used, if they built a church building, people would come. That was when the majority of
  • 6. Americans went to church. That is not the case now. Today, we live in a postmodern and post- Christian society. Most Americans still say they believe in the existence of God, are spiritual but not religious, but most of them do not attend church these days. David Olson, author of the American church in crisis, did a national survey recently and found that only 17.5% of Americans attend a local church on any given Sunday. 2 In today's culture, a new church is not something you put in the ground, tend to, hoping that it will eventually grow - that's an old school church planting metaphor. Rather, a starting a church is more like launching a rocket ship –a new church planting metaphor. This metaphor of launching large is what differentiates it from traditional church planting thinking. If you've ever witnessed a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center you have seen the power exerted to get the rocket ship off the ground. Neighbors who live nearby remove everything that hangs on their walls because off the blast. The rocket launch can be seen for hundreds of miles and felt by everyone within a 30-mile radius. Like a rocket ship, churches are now being launched into communities. They explode onto the scene and capture everyone's attention.3 I believe there are three main metaphors for church planting: planting, birthing and launching. Have you ever been invited to a planting? Probably not, if you ever were I don’t think you would find it very exciting. The Apostle Paul used the planting metaphor when he said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 4 God is always the one who gives the growth but Paul was referring to a metaphor that made sense to people living in an agrarian culture in the first century. Have you ever been invited to a birth? I'm talking about being invited to witness the birth of a baby that is not your own - probably not. Bob Logan, author of The Church Planter's Toolkit, was the first person I'd read who used the birth analogy for starting churches and the various stages that accompany the birth process. Church planting is a lot like having a baby; it brings incredible joy and pain - all at the same time, not to mention the postpartum depression! There is a built in urgency in birthing a baby with a set timeline. You don't want to birth the baby prematurely or wait very long after the nine month gestation period is up. The goal is to birth a healthy baby. But I believe the best metaphor for church planting in the 21st Century is launching. We launch rockets, movies, 2 David T. Olson, The American Church in Crisis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 150. 3 Ron Sylvia, Planting New Churches on Purpose (Lake Forest: Purpose-Driven, 2006), 107. 4 1 Corinthians 3:6
  • 7. careers, new business ventures, new products and new churches. In fact, I believe the early church in the book of Acts was launched. Acts 1 and 2 tells us that the first church went from a core group of 12 to 120 believers to over 3,000 believers overnight. Acts 2:47 says, “Each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” The number of believers actually grew daily! And Acts 4:4 tells us that many of the people who heard the disciples' message believed it, and the number of believers totaled about 5000 men, not counting women and children. Conservative estimates put the number of believers around 20,000. In the first year after Christ's death, the number of believers grew from 120 to 220,000. So not only is crazy, go big, huge growth possible, it's biblical!5 Like the early church of Acts, your church, if growth is a part of your and your people's vision, can grow beyond what you could ever imagine.6 New church launches are vibrant, life changing, living organisms positioned to impact communities in a great way by bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ in a relevant way to a desperate, hungry, lost, fast-moving and ever-changing world. God's vision and plans for new churches today are limitless. I believe the greatest churches in the world are yet to be launched. You could be the pastor of one of those churches! I challenge you to stop planting and start launching. WHAT IS LARGE? Nelson Searcy, who served on staff at Saddleback and went through our training and started the Journey Church in New York City and in South Florida defines launching large as "the ability of a new church to reach as many people as possible within the first six to eight months of existence." 7 Large is a relative term and it depends on your city, your context and the culture you are trying to reach. I coached a friend of mine named David Miller, a former mega church pastor turned church planter, who started a church in Exeter, CA - think Mayberry R.F.D.! The population of Exeter is around 10,000 people, a little over 3,000 households. The largest church in the city is the Assembly of God church that averages 400 people on Sunday and has been in existence for over 5 Bill Easum and Bil Cornelius, Go Big (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006), 8. 6 Ephesians 3:20-21 7 Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch (Ventura: Regal, 2006), 28.
  • 8. 30 years. Most of the eight churches in the city average less than 100 people. For Exeter, 100 people would have been a huge launch! I told David I thought he could have 200 for their launch Sunday and he thought I was crazy. After six months of preparation, Rocky Hill Community Church launched with just over 200 people. If you started a church in Lone Pine, CA where the population is 2,035 people, 50 people would be a big launch! I started churches in smaller to medium size areas with populations between 12, 000-40,000 people. My wife and I got very involved and embedded in the communities we planted churches in through coaching and club sports, serving as a pastor and as a schoolteacher. However, large would look very different in the heart of Los Angeles, Orange County or Orlando, Florida. Normally, I think of launching large as starting with 100, 200, 300 people or more at the grand opening. Again, this may differ with certain denominations, cultures and ethnic groups. Our mission at the EFCA is to “Glorify God by multiplying healthy churches among all people."8 Launching healthy churches among all different people groups is very important to us. Each year we start at least one Filipino church in our district. We also attempt to start at least one Hispanic church. In both of these cultures, they usually begin their church is very small with 50 or less people. A couple of years ago we started a Hispanic church a predominantly Spanish community with over 200 people on its grand opening. Launching large is not just a methodology for suburbia. WHY LAUNCH LARGE? There are many benefits to launching large: Launching large provides the opportunity for more people in come to know Christ. Launching large provides a large group of people to follow up on and assimilate into the church. Launching large helps a church to thrive and become healthy quicker. Many new churches tend to focus on survivability versus thrivability. Ed Stetzer found in his Survivability Study that the typical church plant does not pass 100 people after four years and that average size is approximately 92 people.9 This is the difference between viewing the new church as a full- fledged church from the beginning versus a mission church. 8 Evangelical Free Church of America, Mission statement. 9Ed Stetzer and Phillip Connor, “Church Plant Survivability and Health Study 2007”, Research Bulletin, North American Mission Board, 47 pages.
  • 9. Church plants that don't break the 200 barrier within the first two years after going public lessen their ability of ever doing so. “I've noticed over and over that if a church doesn't get beyond 200 within about a year and a half, it usually doesn't happen at all. On the other hand churches that get over 200 in the first year just keep on growing and growing.”10 Churches that launch large tend to blow by church growth barriers much easier and much quicker then churches that don't launch large. Churches that launch large tend to create a buzz with in the community. Crowds attract crowds. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, once said, “When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” People are attracted to new beginnings and significant events. A large launch creates excitement and enthusiasm and can really impact a community. Churches that launch large have a tendency to establish credibility in a given community. “A growing population is a Kings glory; a dwindling nation is his doom.”11 Launching large creates momentum. John Maxwell calls momentum “the big mo.” He says, “Momentum is really a leader’s best friend. Sometimes it’s the only difference between winning and losing. People throughout the organization are motivated to achieve more, and at a higher level. And maybe above all else, momentum makes the leader look good.”12 Launching large enables the church to become financially sustainable much quicker. Many denominations provide support for church planters for three years, gradually decreasing it each year. At the EFCA West, our goal is to see the plant be self-supporting within a year or two. Most churches of less than 100 people are not able to pay a pastor a full time salary. By launching large the church can provide a full-time salary for the pastor and even salaries for other staff members. Launching large can help a new church reproduce sooner. Our EFCA West goal is to see our churches reproduce a daughter church within the first 3 years of its existence. THE CHALLENGES OF LAUNCHING LARGE There are certainly challenges that must be considered in advance before deciding to launch 10 Rick Warren, quote from his Purpose-Driven Church Conference     11 Proverbs 14:28 12 John Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 197.
  • 10. large. You must count the cost. Launching a church is extremely stressful, especially when you start the church from scratch. I remember working many 14-hour days for weeks on end. Launching large is an emotional investment up front of everything you've got! This is a special season where you upload the front end so that in the long run you’re much better off. There is a higher cost financially to launch large. It will take more money up front. Money is needed for marketing, advertising, multimedia, and portable church equipment, renting a facility, nursery equipment, computers, iPads, and office supplies. There is a faith factor that is involved in launching large. Here I am talking about KROI, Kingdom Return On Investment - the greater the risk the greater the reward (return) on your investment. It takes exceptional leadership skills to launch large. Launching large is not for everyone. Rick Warren said, “I have discovered one great common denominator in every growing church, regardless of denomination or location: leadership that is not afraid to believe God. Growing churches are led by leaders who expect their congregation to grow.”13 WHO SHOULD LAUNCH LARGE? Launching large is not for everyone. Each planter needs to be assessed to see how he is wired and what his strengths and gifts are. Some planters work better one on one with people or in small groups and may be better suited to begin a house church or missional communities. Potential large launch pastors need to be strong leaders (usually a high “D” on the D.I.S.C. and strengths such as Maximizer, Achiever or Strategic on StrengthsFinder). They need to possess excellent teaching and communication skills; they are able to connect with a room full of people. They are entrepreneurial in nature and have a proven track record of successfully starting new ministries in the past. They must also be good decision makers who are able to adjust on the fly like a good football coach who makes half time adjustments. Todd Hunter, former director of church planting for the Vineyard Church, USA found that the primary indicators for church-plant failure rested with the disposition of the lead church plant pastor. Hunter’s research indicates that a passive approach to ministry is prone to failure; however, church planters with an aggressive strategy (e.g. “launching large”) for penetrating the community and gathering those who would be leaders for the kingdom more frequently results in 13 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 398.
  • 11. successful church plants. 14 Charles Ridley, professor at Texas A&M University compiled the germinal research on church planting assessments with his Church Planter Profile (CPP). Most assessment instruments start with Ridley’s 13 characteristics in mind as they formulate their own church planter profiles to determine the effectiveness of a church planter. I have developed “Page’s 15 Characteristics” for a Large Launch Church Planter: • Clear Call • Compelling Vision • Large Faith • Extreme Likeability • Humility (Teachability/Servant Leader) • Flexibility • High Leadership Capacity/Skills • Entrepreneurial Skills • Excellent Communication Skills • Evangelism/Discipleship Skills • Emotional Health • Integrity • Hardworking/Never Gives Up • Enthusiastic • Spousal Support GATHERING A CORE GROUP Church starts without a solid core group will tend to falter and fail. Being able to gather a core team separates the men from the boys in church planting. If you can’t gather a core group then you can’t start a church. I’ve found that the larger the core group prior to the launch the more people you will be able to assimilate into the church. 14Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird, “The State of Church Planting in the United States 2007”, Lifeway Research and Leadership Network, 50 pages.
  • 12. So how many people will you need to have in your core group prior to starting the church in order to launch large? You will need at least 25–50 adults or more in your core group in order to launch large. Researcher Steven Gray found that fast growing church plants had a larger number of people involved in the core group before the launch. While struggling church plants had twenty five or less in a core group, fast-growing church plants had 26-50. 15 In discussing core group size, Malphurs says, “Bigger is better.”16 Peter Wagner said, “To launch into public worship prior to building a significant core group is not recommended.”17 Core group development is one of the most crucial issues of any church plant. I can’t stress enough how important it is to gather a good-sized core group. Build your core group through your friends and their network of friends. We started each of our churches with a bible study in our home, which became the core group for the new church. Where do you find core group members to help you start the church? Everywhere! I received referrals from friends, churches, colleges (alumni who lived in our community) and employees from my wife’s work. My wife (Carrie) worked as an assistant manager at a yogurt shop and I was able to recruit many of the workers, including the manager, to be part of our new church. I signed up for a basketball class at the local community college in order to meet and make new friends that could join our church. I also did a radio commercial on the local Christian radio station. I shared the vision of the new church and invited listeners to our first home bible study a week later. Eight people showed up from the radio and each of them became part of our core group that helped us launch the church. DEVELOPING A LEADERSHIP TEAM Lyle Schaller said, “Starting a new church is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. I wouldn't do it unless I were part of a team.”18 Developing a leadership team is essential for launching large. I've started the church from scratch and, just me and my wife, and I’ve started a church with a team. I highly encourage you to gather a team in order to launch large. When we started 15 Stephen Gray, Planting Fast-Growing Churches (St. Charles, IL: Church Smart Resources, 2007), 110. 16 Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) p. 320. 17 C. Peter Wagner, Church Planting for a Greater Harvest (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1990), 120. 18 Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) p. 300.
  • 13. our second church I was the point person over the church – the quarterback of the team. We also had a point person over worship/music/creative arts (this was a paid part-time employee), a point person over children's ministry, a point person over evangelism, a point person over discipleship, a point person over students ministry and a point person who oversaw our administration (this was a volunteer secretary who worked 20 hours per week). It is extremely important that team members understand that they are joining the lead pastor in launching the church and not the other way around. They must buy into the lead pastor's vision and philosophy of ministry or they need to find another church. When recruiting team members we looked for people with the right character, competency and chemistry (organizational fit). Teams members must fit the new church’s culture. Team members need to be responsible to raise a large portion if not all of their salary. The lead planter is not responsible to raise funds for other team members. Fundraising is to be short term, one or two years at the most. We would normally begin by hiring part time employees from within our church. When funds became available we moved people from quarter time to half time and from half time to full-time. We also implement what I call the “50% Staff Salary Strategy.” In faith, if you have 50% of the salary needed for a potential staff member then you can go ahead and bring him on staff. This doesn't mean that you have half of his salary for the year sitting in the bank. It means that you have half of his monthly salary right now in your ongoing budget. The principle is that a good staff person is worth his salt and will help the church grow thus bringing in more revenue. PREVIEW SERVICES Preview services are one of the greatest innovations in the church planting world in the last two decades. Previews were originally invented by David Olson of the Covenant Church and
  • 14. first implemented at Bayside Church by pastor Ray Johnston in Granite Bay, CA in 1995. Preview services were specifically designed to attract a crowd and then turn that crowd into a church. Preview services are monthly services prior to your launch (Grand Opening), which is when your weekly worship services begin. They are helpful for reaching out to unchurched people. Preview services ease the unchurched into attending church on a gradual basis – they like it because church only meets once a month! Bayside Church did its first preview as an experiment. They rented the Granite Bay Golf Club on a rainy Sunday morning in January. A small core group of people from a Covenant Church in Folsom, CA invited their friends and sent out a direct mail piece into the community. The church initially set up 80 chairs but when Pastor Ray saw it begin to rain he asked the ushers to remove 40 chairs. They had to put back those 40 chairs back and add a bunch more as 161 people attended that first preview service. Pastor Ray thought why not do another service like this next month - so they did. At the second preview service 226 people showed up. They were onto something. Bayside Church ended up doing six monthly services in order to gather a large number of people for their grand opening. It worked so well that they had over 400 people when they launched on their grand opening Sunday. Preview services are like sneak previews for a coming movie. They introduce the community to what the new church will be like. They should be done just like you plan on doing your regular Sunday services once you have your grand opening. They are evangelistic events that can have extra ordinary results. They are “big days” that provide an opportunity for the core group to invite all their friends and family to the new church. They are not to be confused with practice services, even though they provide good practice. I encourage having between 3-6 monthly preview services leading up to the grand opening. Steven Gray found that the more preview services a church did, the more people they reached at their launch.19 All the preview services are important but in my opinion the first preview service is the most important. It sets the stage for all the others and it has the potential to build tremendous momentum if it’s done well. I encourage church planters to do their best outreach and marketing for the first preview service. It will affect all the other previews. 19 Stephen Gray, Planting Fast-Growing Churches (St. Charles, IL: ChurchSmart Rescources, 2007), 115.
  • 15. COMEBACK EVENTS In order to build relationships with the new people who came to one or more of the preview services, a second technique used alongside preview services is called a “Comeback” event. A comeback event is scheduled two weeks after the preview service. For my first comeback event we rented a roller skating rink and invited everybody from our first preview service to join us. We had 72 people show up to roller skate! For another comeback event we had a “Pastor’s Chat” in our home and had 35 show up. In this casual and fun setting, my wife and I got to meet many of the new people and their families and build relationships with them and become friends. Some churches schedule a cookout in a local park. LEADERSHIP TRAINING Leadership training is scheduled for the first and third weeks after a preview service. This is a time of training for the core group. It’s a chance to debrief after each preview service and strategize on how to make the next preview service even bigger and better. I know one church planter who instead of having the second leadership training of the month used that night to serve the city through various forms of servant evangelism. Leadership training also provides a chance to enlist new people for service in the new plant and to continue to do ministry training with your regular core group. However, the primary goal is not to have a new person come to the bi- monthly leadership training but to come to the next comeback event. WORKING THE “W” I am a visual learner. So I wanted to see what the launching large (preview) strategy would look like on paper. When you draw the strategy out you find that it forms a “W.” I encourage church planters to “Work the W.” Have monthly preview services followed by a night of leadership training, followed by a comeback event, followed by another night of leadership training and then another preview service. The goal is to string between 3-6 months of “W’s” together in order to have a large grand opening. Below is the “Working the W” Strategy:
  • 16. The “W Strategy” for Preview Services Preview Service Preview Service  Comeback Event  Leadership Leadership Training Training Highlighting 5 Groundbreaking Church Plants Each of the church planters below launched large churches within the EFCA West District within the last 4 years. Each planter went through the A,B,C’s of our District’s training: Assessment, Boot Camp and Coaching. Our assessment is a full day behavioral assessment of the potential planter and his spouse, boot camp is 5 full days of training and coaching ongoing. Meet Ryan Kwon
  • 17. Ryan Kwon planted Resonate Church in Fremont, CA, less than three years ago. Ryan was a teaching pastor at Bridges Community Church when he felt God call him to start Resonate. The elders and the staff of Bridges fully supported the new work and Ryan was able to gather over 100 people from the mother church to be in his core group. Resonate is a gospel centered church and feels called to become a catalyst that provokes a missional movement to bring wholeness to their city for Jesus Christ. At my request, Ryan attended the Exponential Conference in Orlando in 2010. It was at that conference that he felt God calling him to start a church. Resonate Church believes in loving their city and participates in many servant evangelism projects. In fact, the church calls itself, “A church for the city.” They began holding public services at Oliveira Elementary School and members of the church did a workday to improve the public school. At a result, many of the teachers from that school and some of the administration from the school district attended Resonate’s first preview service. Resonate held 3 preview services. At their first preview service they had 170 people (140 adults and 30 kids). On their launch Sunday (Grand Opening) they had 390 people (350 adults and 40 kids). The church is committed to reaching the unchurched with the gospel and last year baptized 99 people! Resonate Church launched large and continues to grow. This healthy church is now averaging over 700 people each Sunday and has plans to launch many new churches in the near future beginning in 2013 when the church will be three years old.
  • 18. Meet Mark Lee Mark Lee planted Vantage Point Church in Eastvale, CA four years ago, Mark was an associate pastor at the EV Free Church in Diamond Bar when the lead pastor, Mark Hopper, felt their church needed to plant a new church in Eastvale. Mark felt God calling him to be the man to start a new church for a new community. Mark gathered about 40 people in his core group who went with him from the mother church to start Vantage Point. They started the church by asking God a question, “Can a group of people doing simple acts of kindness really make a difference in a community?” The church began doing random acts of kindness toward residents in the community. They handed out thousands of bottles of water, washed cars, hauled away trash to the dumpster, did a gas buy downs and paid for coffee for the person behind them in the drive through line at Starbucks! The goal was to show people the love of God in a tangible way. This is a church that seeks to love people into the Kingdom of God - they have a real heart for the unchurched. I began coaching Mark about 6 months prior to their launch. We developed a strategy to launch large by combining servant evangelism and direct mail. Mark said, “We knew going into it that the 200 barrier is the hardest barrier for a church to break so we tried to get the biggest running start we could for our launch.” The church did a large direct mailout to every residence in Eastvale, about 20,000 homes. At their first preview they had 220 people, a tremendous start. The church did a total of 5 previews and then launched with 353 people a month before Easter. They intentionally launched a month prior to Easter in order to network many of the friends of those who came to their launch. The strategy worked as Vantage Point Church had 414 people for their first Easter Sunday just one month after the launch. At their first baptism they baptized 53 new believers and
  • 19. have since baptized a few hundred people. Today, Vantage Point Church has over 1,000 people attending each weekend and recently had over 2,000 on an Easter Sunday. Meet Jeremy McGarity I first met Jeremy McGarity, a former pro baseball player turned pastor, at a NEXT Coaching Network for new church plants that I led at Saddleback Church a few years ago. At the time Jeremy was an associate pastor at High Desert Church in Victorville, CA. Jeremy came to the coaching network because he was considering planting a church. Jeremy moved to San Diego, CA about a year later to begin Seven San Diego Church. Why the name? Seven is the perfect number in the Bible. The number 7 represents “completeness.” The church’s mission to take broken people and bring them to completeness through Christ. Jeremy gathered about 50 people who moved from Victorville to San Diego to help him start the church but the majority of this initial core group moved back to Victorville primarily for financial reasons. The church used creative advertising including a large direct mail campaign and billboard advertising. The church also utilizes an “oikos” evangelism strategy; an approach Jeremy learned from Tom Mercer, his former pastor at High Desert Church. The church did 4 preview services in total with a huge first preview of 261 people – some of which just came for the day from Jeremy’s old church. They launched with 221 people four months later. This church is really doing a great job in reaching the unchurched in the Lakeside community, a suburb of San Diego. Their slogan is, “No perfect people allowed.” Just four years old, Seven San Diego Church has breezed by some significant church growth barriers and is now averaging over 800 people on Sunday mornings in three worship services and had over 1,400 last Easter.
  • 20. Meet Matt Larson Matt Larson planted Anthem Church three years ago in Thousand Oaks, CA. Matt was a Student Pastor at EV Free Conejo Church in Newbury Park, CA. Matt interned under Dave Ferguson and the New Thing Network in Chicago for nearly one year. This was crucial in developing a passion for reproduction. Matt, more than any of our planters gets it – that we are trying to plant churches that plant churches. Anthem’s slogan is “Helping people find their way back to God.” Anthem Church utilized social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter to draw people to their church. They also did a direct mailout for their grand opening but not for any of their previews. Anthem Church did four preview services and had a little over 200 at their first preview and launched with a little over 300 on their grand opening. Anthem Church has seen many people come to Christ over the last three years, many baptized, and many leaders developed. The church is averaging 350 people each Sunday morning. What is unique about this church is that they have now planted two daughter churches in just three years! Reproduction is in their DNA. They started Anthem Church Camarillo with pastor Kevin Bailey when they were just 18 months old as a church. Kevin launched with 153 people. Then just a month ago they started Restored Church in Mission Valley (San Diego) with pastor Andy Rodgers. Andy launched with 203 people. This is unprecedented within the EFCA but I believe it will become a model for future EFCA church plants! Some may think it's impossible for a new church to plant another church in that short of time but as Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible!”20 20 Matthew 19:26
  • 21. I compare this to Roger Banister breaking the 4-minute mile on May 6, 1954. Nobody had ever run a sub 4-minute mile. Most believed it was impossible. Some even thought a runner's heart would burst if they tried. Banister believed he could do it and the rest is history. As a result, in less than two years, 37 other runners ran a sub 4-minute mile. I believe this is what we are going to see in the EFCA! I believe we will see many of our EFCA church plants and future plants reproducing churches when they are only one, two, or three years old! This will someday result in multiplication. Meet Brad Hixon Brad Hixon planted Compass Church Surprise in Surprise, AZ less than a year ago. This church is a multi-site church and a daughter church of Compass Church in Goodyear, AZ where Tim Jacobs is the lead pastor. Tim is a church planter and his dream is to establish a church planting center out of his church. This is Compass Church’s first church plant and it’s going very well. Brad came to Compass Church three years ago. He was very successful as a businessman in the marketplace but felt God calling him into full-time Christian ministry. He started volunteering at Compass and Pastor Tim brought him on staff full-time. When the church needed a campus pastor to start and run the new multi-site church Brad stepped up. Brad
  • 22. gathered a core group of about 50 people from the mother church. At their first preview service they had 60 people and on their launch Sunday in February of this year they had 180 people. They followed that up with over 200 people for their first Easter Sunday. They are less than a year old and are currently running 160 people each Sunday morning. The church has a live video feed of Pastor Tim on a big screen, a live worship band and Brad as the campus pastor. I think multi-site churches are the wave of the future. We (EFCA West) have started two multi-site churches this year and plan to start many more in the near future. Meet Joby Martin - The Largest Launch of All I first met Joby at an Exponential Conference in Orlando. He came to a workshop I taught on Launching Large. Joby planted The Church of Eleven22, which began as an alternative worship service offered at Beach United Methodist Church. Joby came to Beach UMC as the church’s Student Pastor, later became their executive pastor, and then was sent out as a church planter. The name for the church came from the time of the original service (11:22 AM) but also reflects Mark 11:22 “And Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God.’” Since then the story of The Church of Eleven22 has been an adventure of faith and God’s faithfulness. After experiencing explosive growth in that service, Beach UMC and the Eleven22 team decided to birth a new interdenominational church that is unapologetically committed to walking through the Scriptures verse-by-verse, calling people to engage in passionate worship, while remaining absolutely committed to reaching out to and including people who are unchurched or de-churched. The Church of Eleven22 is non-denominational in structure but is also part of the Acts 29 Network. Joby hired me as a coach a year before the new church was started to coach him through the launching large process. The Church of Eleven22 had grown to a core group of 1000 people
  • 23. over a four-year period. The people in the core group were the people attending the services led by Joby at Beach UMC. With the help of the mother church, The Church of Eleven22 was able to rent and renovate an abandoned Wal-Mart centrally located in Jacksonville, FL. A building that was formerly known for saving money was now known for saving souls. Wal-Mart is famous for it’s greeters but now the greeters are volunteers from a church welcoming people into the Kingdom of God. We developed a timeline and set some huge goals over a year period and the church launched with over 3,000 people on their Grand Opening! On their first Easter they had 5,595 people! WHAT DO THESE LARGE CHURCHES HAVE IN COMMON? (23 Characteristics) Below are 23 Characteristics of Large Launch churches. A common denominator of the churches I profiled is that they emulate most, if not all, of the characteristics listed below: 1. Large Launch churches are led by strong leaders with extraordinary faith –men and women who are not afraid to trust God for big things. They are willing launch large, risk much and go out on a limb in order to see fruit. “If you can explain what is going on then God didn’t do it!”21 2. Large Launch churches feel their primary purpose for existing is to reach unchurched people with the gospel. They have a burning passion to reach unchurched people. They have a deep conviction that lost people matter to God and need to be found. They are not trying to reach 21 Warren W. Wiersbe, On Being a Servant of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007), 16.
  • 24. existing Christians who attend other churches. They also have a deep conviction in the power of the gospel to change lives. 3. Large Launch churches have a clearly defined target group of people they are trying to reach. You usually reach people just like you when you start a church – it’s called the “homogeneous principle.” Most planters are young so they reach young people. These planters realize they can’t reach everyone so they target certain groups that they can reach best. But as the church grows you are in a great position to reach all kinds of people. The Apostle Paul felt called to reach Gentiles and targeted this group. 4. Large Launch churches use contemporary music that is relevant to the community they are reaching. Most of the churches I profiled resemble going to a rock concert. The music is loud and jamming but also very meaningful to those attending. 5. Large Launch churches seek to do everything in an excellent way. From the music to the preaching, to the children’s ministry to the choice of coffee on Sunday morning. 6. Large Launch churches value innovation. They are open to experimenting with new ideas to reach people and improve ministries. They are not afraid to fail. They view failure as a friend and not an enemy - they see it as an education. 7. Large Launch churches start with a team. All of the churches profiled had preselected a worship leader, some paid and some volunteer, to help them launch the church. Effective preaching and excellent worship music are the bread and butter for a new plant. Each of the churches profiled also started with either a paid or volunteer secretary. Seven San Diego, Anthem Church and Eleven22 each started with a full-time associate pastor as well. You can start a church with just you and your wife and kids but I greatly encourage starting with a team. 8. Large Launch churches develop a large core group – usually between 25-75 before they have their first preview services. Starting from scratch is still an effective way to start a church but as Director of Church Planting I much prefer to start churches that have the support of a mother church. 9. Large Launch churches usually have between 3-6 previews before they launch. They especially emphasize the first preview as being the most important one.
  • 25. 10. Large Launch churches have fun accomplishing their mission! People enjoy coming to these churches. They celebrate Jesus and have fun participating in ministry together. 11. Large Launch churches have a mother church birthing them and supporting them. Each of the churches profiled had a mother church that helped them in significant ways. 12. Large Launch church planters exhibit “Page’s 15 Characteristics” of large launch pastors that I described earlier in the eBook. 13. Large Launch churches utilize nice rented buildings to meet in. Each of the churches profiled started out of schools – elementary, intermediate and high schools, with the exception of Anthem church that started out of California Lutheran University and Eleven 22 that started out of a Wal-Mart. Each location has a nice appearance, is fairly new and is easily accessible. Most everybody in the community is familiar with where the meeting place is located in town. 14. Large Launch Churches love their cities. These churches serve their communities through servant evangelism projects. They seek to be a blessing to the community and to make the world a better place. 15. Large Launch churches look for people who are receptive to reach. Vantage Point Church planted a new church in a new community. These churches realize that people are very open to spiritual things when under tension or in transition. Jeremy, Brad and Matt all do strategic weddings for unchurched couples to reach them for Christ. 16. Large Launch churches understand their identity and do a good job branding and marketing their church. These churches utilize demographic studies, killer websites, social media and direct mail. These churches know who they are and who they can and cannot reach. 17. Large Launch churches utilize technology. They use computers, iPads, video, in their offices and in their services. Each pastor profiled uses an iPads to preach with and microset headset microphones that clip on your ear and give superior performance. Each church profiled also utilizes portable church equipment, great sound systems, video screens and flat screen TV’s. 18. Large Launch churches value children’s ministry. This is usually a signature ministry for our new large churches and something each one of our 5 EFCA West churches emulate.
  • 26. 19. Large Launch churches are praying churches. Prayer shows that your dependency is on God and his resources and not your own. 20. Large Launch churches have excellent communicators that teach biblical and practical messages geared toward the felt needs of people. They believe the Bible is the Word of God, teach it in a loving yet truthful manner, knowing that it does not return void but changes lives. 21. Large Launch churches are generous and unselfish. Each of the churches profiled are generous to those in the community and look for ways to serve others and financially bless others. Anthem Church gave away their first offering to another new church. They also raised nearly $30,000 to bring fresh water to a tribe in Africa. 22. Large Launch churches are led by pastors who are lifelong learners. These church planters listen to their coaches and learn all they can. They seek out mentors to help them grow and they learn from one another through coaching networks and pastor clusters. 23. Large Launch churches have a value reproduction in every area in the church’s ministry and in terms of planting new churches. Anthem Church and Resonate Church have already planted daughter churches and Eleven22 is in the planning process to launch a new church. SECRETS OF CHURCH PLANTING What are some secrets about church planting? The list below are key learnings from planting three different churches: 1. Love everyone, but move with the movers. 2. Learn from practitioners not personalities. 3. Understand the principle of scaffolding. 4. Don’t focus on numbers, focus on trends. 5. Enlist a coach for the journey. 6. Fight your way to the fringe. 7. Don’t surrender the vision. 8. Learn to assimilate on the run. 9. Church planting is a team sport.
  • 27. 10. Learn to ride the emotional roller coaster that is church planting. TOP TEN MISTAKES CHURCH PLANTERS MAKE I launched my first church at the age of 28, pastored it for 8 years, launched my second church at age 37, pastored it for 10 years and launched my third church in my mid 40‘s. I made a lot of mistakes in the process. Oscar Wilde wrote, “Experience is the name that everyone gives their mistakes”… And how right he was! I hope and pray that you will gain the benefit of my experience and that it will help you avoid making some painful mistakes. Below is my list of the Top 10 Mistakes Planters Make: 1. Forming a leadership team too quickly. 2. Not taking care of yourself and your family. 3. Not teaching about money. 4. Not taking believers deeper. 5. Acting arrogantly. 6. Listening to the wrong people. 7. Lack of leadership development. 8. Being married to a model (methodology). 9. Misfiring on hiring. 10. Refusing to dream big. SUMMARY WHY PLANT NEW CHURCHES? Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches.22 “The Great Commission is not just a call to “make disciples” but to “baptize” them as well, which means to incorporate them into a church. Paul’s strategy was to plant churches in strategic cities. The evidence is overwhelming that starting new churches is best means for reaching unchurched people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshipping body, while churches over 10-15 years of age gain 80-90% of new members by transfer from other congregations.”23 This means that the average new congregation will bring 22 Matthew 28:18-20 23 Lyle Schaller, Church Growth Strategies That Work (Nashville: Abingdon, 1980), 100.
  • 28. 6-8 times more new people into the life of the church than an older congregation of the same size. I think this is why C. Peter Wagner describes church planting as “the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven.”24 Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and church planting advocate said, “ The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else - not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes - will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting.”25 WHY LAUNCH LARGE WHEN PLANTING A CHURCH? God desires for all people to be saved. “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”26 Jesus said, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.”27 Large Launch churches are set on reaching large numbers of people with the gospel. The heart of God is to see his lost people found. The stories of the lost coin, sheep and son in Luke 15 are compelling. God wants his lost sheep (people) found and his prodigals to return home! The shepherd is willing to leave the 99 to find the one that is lost. Launching large is an all out rescue for lost people to help them find their way back to God – not just one by one but in families and in large groups of people through “oikos” evangelism. We must then incorporate these we reach into the Body of Christ and this is what Large Launch churches do. God is a sending God. Jesus said, “I came to seek and to save the lost.”28 “Missio Dei” is a Latin Christian theological term that can be translated as the “mission of God,” or the “sending of God.” Mission is understood as being derived from the very nature of God. The missionary initiative comes from God alone. Large Launch churches are missional at their very core. They 24 C. Peter Wagner, Strategies for Growth (Glendale, CA: Regal, 1987), 168. 25 Tim Keller, Why Plant Churches”, article published in 2002. 26 2 Peter 3:9 27 Luke 14:23 28 Luke 19:10
  • 29. exist for the sake of those who are not part of the church. Their primary mission is to reach the lost. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”29 The Early church launched large. We see the launching large methodology used by God to birth the first church in Jerusalem. Jesus selected 12 disciples and then gathered a large core group of 120 people who waited on God to move. This resulted in Peter preaching the gospel and 3,000 people being saved and incorporated into the church in one day! Talk about a large launch! I recently coached a church planter named Joby Martin who launched large in Jacksonville, FL. Joby’s church, Church at Eleven 22, bought an abandoned Wal-Mart and reached out into the city with a large core group. They had 3,300 people attend their launch in the new building. They literally rocked the city of Jacksonville that day! We have the technology to reach out in new ways to reach people that were not available a generation ago. Why not harness that technology for God by launching large churches? Practically speaking, launching large enables a church to reach more people for Christ initially and in the long run. Hundreds of people can be reached in just a few short months of preview services and a grand opening. Ed Stetzer, author of “Planting Missional Churches,” said, “Most churches today start with a large launch … seven out of ten people in attendance at the (large) launch service are typically unbelievers without church experience.”30 And he said, “Church planters have learned that a public (large) launch is most effective.”31 By launching large, churches can blow by church growth barriers very quickly, especially the dreaded 200 barrier. It’s a great momentum builder Nearly 90 % of churches never break through the 200 barrier. We see many of our churches doing this routinely. By launching large churches become financially sustainable must faster. Most of our EFCA West churches that launch large become financially sustainable within two years, some in less than a year. Launching large gives the leader credibility. Gaining credibility is a great challenge for a new church planter. When a church grows it builds momentum and translates into credibility in the eyes of the people attending – especially when it grows beyond 200 people in the first or second year. 29 John 20:21 30 Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006), 258 31 Ed Stetzer, Planting Missional Churches (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006), 259
  • 30. And maybe the biggest reason to launch large, churches can reproduce much sooner than a typical church plant of under 100 people because they have greater resources and more people to do so. Hopefully this can lead to a church planting movement of reproducing churches! The bottom line is, churches that start small normally stay small and churches that launch large normally keep on growing. THE END
  • 31. Bibliography Easum, Bill & Cornelius Bil. Go Big: Lead Your Church to Explosive Growth. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006. Gray, Stephen. Planting Fast-Growing Churches. St. Charles, IL: Church Smart, 2007. Keller, Tim. “Why Plant Churches.” Redeemer Church Planting Manuel, 2002. Malphurs, Aubrey. Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004. Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007. McGavran, Donald A., Effective Evangelism. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Company, 1988. Moore, Ralph. Starting A New Church. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2002. Olson, David T. The American Church in Crisis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. Schaller, Lyle. Church Growth Strategies That Work. Abingdon: Nashville, 1980. Searcy, Nelson & Thomas, Kerrick Thomas, Launch. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2006. Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006. Stetzer, Ed & Bird, Warren. “The State of Church Planting in the United States”, Lifeway Research and Leadership Network, 2007. Stetzer, Ed & Conner, Phillip. “Church Plant Survivability and Health Study”, Research Bulletin, North American Mission Board, 2007. Sylvia Ron. Planting New Churches on Purpose. Lake Forest: Purpose-Driven, 2006. Wagner, C. Peter. Church Planting for a Greater Harvest. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1990. Wagner, C. Peter. Strategies for Growth. Glendale, CA: Regal, 1987. Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.