E A S T C O A S T C O N F E R E N C E O F T H E E VA N G E L I C A L C O V E N A N T C H U R C H

Launch Team Training Day June 20 , 2015 • Ha r t f o rd , CT

Hartford City Covenant Churchwww.hartfordcitychurch.com

Notes :

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 20152

Welcome & Intros Leadership & Support

• Phil Beatty, Lead PastorHartford City Covenant Churchwww.hartfordcitychurch.com

• Jason Condon, Director of Church Planting, Assoc. SuperintendentEast Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Churchwww.jasoncondon.com

Group Intros: • Share your name and what you love about where you live

• Why are you involved in or exploring the Hartford City church planting project?

• What do you hope to get out of today?

Opening Devotional “Outsiders, Insiders, Friends, Family” What are the four types of people typically drawn to a new church community?

You become who you embrace, choose wisely!

• “Outsiders” - Matthew 12:46-50 confuse concern with control

• “Insiders” - Matthew 20:20-22a, 24-28 confuse position with purpose

• “Friends” - John 20:24-26, Matt 22:11-14 - mostly positive; caution: don’t confuse sentiment with covenant

• “Family” - Matt. 12:50, Galatians 3:26-29 - mostly positive; caution: don’t confuse membership with mission

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 3

Audio | Full MessageVersion of Devotional • http://archive.org/download/

OutsiderInsiderFriendFamily-ChooseWisely/OutsiderInsiderFamilyFriend-ChooseWisely.m4a

• First presented Sat March 11, 2012 at combined Launch Team Training Day for Sanctuary Church, Providence RI; Highrock Northshore, Salem MA; Highrock Quincy, Quincy MA

Our Larger Church Family East Coast Conference www.eastcoastconf.org

Our Mission: “Believing we are a movement of God, the mission of the East Coast Conference is to Multiply Churches, Orchestrate Ministries, Vitalize Congregations, and Empower Leaders”

Our Regional Mission Field • Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island • Eastern New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania • Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., and most of Virginia

ECConf Staff • Howard Burgoyne, Superintendent • Jason Condon, Director of Church Planting (Assoc. Sup.) • Kreig Gammelgard, Dir. of Congregational Vitality (Assoc. Sup.) • Alicia Sturdy, Office Manager • Robin Jones, Finance Manager

Quick ECConf Stats & Stories • 85 Total Churches (120 projected by 2020) • Oldest: 251 years old, St Paul's Wolf's Covenant Church, York, PA • Newest: This one! (with 4-5 more coming this calendar year, 8-10 in the next 12 months) • 23 Current “Church Plants” (defined as congregations under 10 years old):

"

1. Phillip Beatty, Hartford City Church, CThartfordcitychurch.com (July 2015)

2. Ezra Sohn, Disciples NYC, Queens NYdisciplesnyc.com (March 2015)

3. Steven Martino, Movement Covenant Church, Staten Island NYthemovementsi.com (Jan 2015)

4. Will Barnett, Highrock Acton, MAhighrockacton.org (Dec 2014)

5. Dan Sadlier, Hope Roosevelt Island, NY,hoperooseveltisland.org (Dec 2014)

6. Drew Hyun, Hope Midtown, Manhattan NY, hopechurchnyc.org (Fall 2014)

7. Chris Bannon, The Commons ECC, Rochester NHchurchofthecommons.org (April 2014)

8. Grant & Miho Buchholtz, Tokyo Life, Japan (special partnership, Fall 2014)

9. Don Schiewer, Dust Covenant Church, Blacksburg VA, dustchurch.com (Sept ‘13)

10. Eli Hernandez, Charm City Covenant Church, Baltimore MDwww.charmcity.cc (Aug 2013)

11. Kimberly Wright, Church of the Resurrection, New York NY resurrectionchurchnyc.com (Feb 2012)

12. Stephen Sharkey, Highrock Quincy, MAhighrockquincy.org (May 2012)

13. Aaron Engler, Highrock North Shore, Salem, highrocknorthshore.org (Feb ‘12)

14. Drew Hyun, Hope Church NYC, Astoria NY, hopechurchnyc.org (Feb 2012)

15. Andrew Mook, Sanctuary Providence RIsanctuaryprovidence.com (Jan 2012)

16. Efrain Alicea, Elements, Bronx NYwww.elementsbx.org (Aug 2011)

17. Monyroor Teng, Sudanese ECC, Manchester NH, Dinka & Arabic languagesudanesechurch.com (July 2010)

18. Michael Carrion, Promised Land Covenant Church, Bronx NYfacebook.com/PLCChurch (July 2010)

19. Frank Catalano, Evergreen Covenant Church, Sanford MEevergreencovchurch.org (April 2008)

20. Josh Throneburg, Highrock Brookline, MA, highrockbrookline.org (Jan 2008)

21. Kiho Lee, Worship Frontier Church, Brookline MA, Korean languageworshipfrontier.org (July 2008)

22. Derrick Jackson, Life Covenant Church, Morganville NJ, lifecovenantchurch.org (March 2009)

23. Jose Humphreys, Metro Hope, Harlemwww.metrohopenyc.org (June 2007

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 20154

Evangelical Covenant Church www.covchurch.org

Our Values: The “Four ALs” Two historic questions early Covenanters asked:

• Biblical: “Where is it written?” • Devotional: “How goes your walk?”

As they formed in the US, they chose the name “Mission Friends”:

• Missional: “Are we pursuing Christ’s purposes?”• Connectional: “Are we together in Christian community?”

Our Beliefs: Covenant Affirmations www.covchurch.org/who-we-are/beliefs/affirmations 1. We affirm the centrality of the word of God 2. We affirm the necessity of the new birth 3. We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the church 4. We affirm the church as a fellowship of believers 5. We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit 6. We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ

Our Mission: What We Do as the Covenant | Five Strategic Priorities www.covchurch.org/what-we-do • video: Covenant Mission & Ministry 2013 [vimeo.com/50717463] 1. Start and Strengthen Churches 2. Make and Deepen Disciples3. Develop Leaders 4. Love Mercy, Do Justice 5. Serve Globally

Table Discussion • Which of these “family characteristics” resonates most with you? • Why is it important to be connected with a larger family of faith? • What are the challenges of being connected to something bigger and not just being “independent”?

Staying Connected Take advantage of the many opportunities for connection, encouragement, & development | Examples:

• Online: eastcoastconf.org, facebook.com/eastcoastconf, flickr.com/ecconf • Newsletter & Enews: Quarterly East Coast Covananter sent to your church, monthly Enews • Congregations: Connect with area Covenant Churches (eastcoastconf.org/churches) • Camp & Retreats: Pilgrim Pines for Family & Youth Camps, Retreats. pilgrimpines.org • Cohorts & Events for Pastors, Church Planters, Youth Workers, Worship Leaders, etc. See

eastcoastconf.org/calendar for even more opportunities for pastors, leaders, & congregations

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 5

11 Regional Conferences Form Our Larger Mission11 Regional Conferences Form Our Larger Mission

Vision & Values Answers: “Who are we and where are we going?” Zera* Verse: what is the biblical story for the journey as a new church community?

• Isaiah 61:1-4

• Key Themes: Healing, Freedom, Restoration, Comfort, Provision, Beauty, Joy, Praise

Vision: what is the dream and destination? • “We are a place where all people experience God’s Beautiful Restoration”

Mission: what is the road map? • “We are a church that exists to glorify Jesus Christ and bless the city of

Hartford, CT. We are on a journey to live like Jesus Christ in real and relevant ways to the various cultures around us.”

Values: What defines your church and its culture? Non-negotiables that help you say “yes” and “no” to options and opportunities. God’s unique design.

“Love All. Serve All. Welcome All.” 1. Love All. It is our deepest conviction:

• That Love is the most important and most powerful thing in the world (I Peter 4:8, Col.3:14, I Cor. 13.13, Rom. 8:38-39)

• That the greatest love is God’s love for his world expressed through his son Jesus Christ(John 3.16, John 15.13)

• That nothing else matters without love (I Cor. 13:1-3) • That Love is the foundation, motivation, structure, and power source of everything that we do

(Eph. 3:14-21)

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 20156

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favorand the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beautyinstead of ashes,

the oil of joyinstead of mourning,

and a garment of praiseinstead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,a planting of the Lordfor the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruinsand restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined citiesthat have been devastated for generations.

* Zera: Hebrew for “Seed”

2. Serve All. Through words and actions of Love we will declare that Jesus Christ is the way to God and eternal life. • We are committed to:

• Bringing the whole gospel (good news) to the whole world • Caring for the people God cares for • Bringing Good news where it is needed most – to the poor, outcast, ignored, marginalized,

dismissed and discarded • Crossing lines to share the gospel – culture, race, country, economic status, age, and gender • Stand with people different from us

• We believe that: • Connection to Christ by the Holy Spirit is the life force of every believer. Our connection is

maintained through worship and prayer. We can do nothing apart from Jesus Christ (John 15:1-8)

• Worship should be new and vibrant. We will be attentive to Holy Spirit and to people’s hearts. Worship will not forced or coerced

• Ministry is expressed in gifts of love, word, and power

• Our leadership will: • Take the role of servants. Jesus Christ will serve us, so that we can serve others. We will let

Jesus wash our feet • We will not promote our “brand”, or ourselves but always put Jesus Christ first in our lives and

in our church

3. Welcome All. Through words and actions of Love we will declare that Jesus Christ is the way to God and eternal life. • We will create a place for everyone to belong and opportunities for everyone to believe • We will die to ourselves –give up the right to have things go our own way • We will listen carefully • We are committed to love one another above all else • We believe decisions are not as important as relationships & positions aren’t as important as people

Other things we want to do: • Develop leadership among youth and young adults through mission and ministry opportunities • Create a space for de-churched people to worship, experience community, and serve • Proclaim good news of the kingdom to college, university, and student communities • Build bridges among diverse communities in and around Hartford • Focus locally and build bridges regionally • Be culturally progressive

Communicate these often, clearly, and consistently in word & deed!

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 7

Key Verses that Will Guide Us • Isaiah 61:1-4 (Luke 4:14-20). Seed Verse • Matthew 4:23-25. Follow Jesus in proclaiming the kingdom of God • Romans 8:38-39. No condemnation, No separation, God’s love is most powerful force in

universe • Matthew 22:34-40. Great commandment. Love God and love others with all heart, soul,

mind, and strength • Matthew 28:18-20. Great commission). Go into all the world and make disciples of all

nations, baptize and teach • 1 Thessalonians 5:15-24. Always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone

else. Rejoice, Pray, Give thanks in everything. Don’t quench Spirit, Hold on to what is good, Reject every form of evil

Initial Launch Team | Hartford City Covenant Church

While many join us from Trinity Covenant Church, others come from Valley Community Baptist, Calvary Church, Crossroads Church, & Redeemer Hill. Others are previously unaffiliated with a church.

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 20158

1. Phillip & Jennifer Beatty, Skyler, Tristan, and Scarlett

2. Perry and Deborah Benjamin 3. Sophia Benjamin,

Gabriel Lopez & Isaac 4. Bill & Karen Bristol,

Liam and Jade 5. Allison Marchese & Dan Bruni 6. Rachel Byam 7. Colin Cassidy 8. Amy & Brian Clark,

Alma and Ben 9. Larry & Lori DeNorio 10. Sheryal Goldston 11. Austin Goldston 12. Matt Guastamacchio 13. Gail Hill 14. David & Sarah Hughes,

Ethan & Seth 15. Braden Koenigsberg & Christy Page 16. John & Linda Lund, Derek

17. MaryKate McKinney 18. Steve & Becky Norton 19. Donna Olander 20. Matt & Carey Penney,

Esther & Naomi 21. Jenni Reilly 22. Jennifer Smyth 23. Shaun Smyth 24. Arjen Vlaar, Arianna 25. Alissa Watson 26. Joyce Wong

With more to come! 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.…

Notes :

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 9

Four-StageLaunch Process Your first twelve months as a church plant!

Purpose of Four-Stage Launch: • Build missional momentum and effectiveness

• While having “permission” to focus and pace yourselves accordingly

Overview of Four-Stage Launch: Timing & Benchmarks: Each stage is 3-4 months with clear healthy, missional benchmarks 1. Stage 1 | Launch Team Development: gathering like-minded, diversely gifted,

missionally motivated people into a cohesive team

2. Stage 2 | Monthly Preview Worship Services: reaching and gathering more people to the new church, developing effective ministry systems, practicing what you’ll become

3. Stage 3 | Weekly Pre-Launch Worship: continuing to reach and gather, refining the ministries, getting the systems right, acting “as if ”

4. Stage 4 | Grand Opening Launch: launching for accelerated growth and impact, unfettered outreach & evangelism, robust ministry systems

Four Scenarios for Adaptation 1. New Church Plant:

from scratch, not a pre-existing congregation

2. “2.0” Church Plant: pre-existing congregation, new to Covenant, ranges from soft relaunch to hard reset

3. New Campus: extending church’s pre-existing ministry to a brand-new location or venue

4. New Worship Service: multiplying worship services (new times, different rooms, new styles, etc.)

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 201510

Reflection: • what scenario (or blend) best

represents your project? what are its advantages? disadvantages?

• what caution or mistake resonates most?

• what do you dislike about the Four-Stage Launch idea? (be honest :)

• what’s just one way it might be extremely helpful?

Cautions & Common Mistakes • New Church Plants (and sometimes Campuses or Worship Services):

• go too fast, skimp on key components • downplay or ignore benchmarks

• “2.0” Church Plants (and sometimes Campuses or Worship Services): • assume “regular attenders” = “Launch Team” • don’t make the “hard asks” • don’t revisit foundational principles

Four Key Metrics:each is a blend of qualitative & quantitative measures 1. Discipling Relationships: Those who are intentionally receiving discipleship, with the

commitment to disciple others when ready, for the ongoing reproduction of disciple-making disciples (Note: this is a newer metric we’re intentionally tracking, still developing best-practices)

2. Launch Team Members: Specifically asked to commit to the church plant launch, the reliable leaders and workers, count on each other (balance of quality and quantity)

3. Worship Attendance: Through prayer, evangelism, invitation, events, marketing, follow-through, and more, reach or surpass goals for each stage (emphasis on quantity, care for quality)

4. Key Ministries: Deploy Worship, Children, Hospitality, Follow-up & Connection, Small Groups, Evangelism & Outreach (or others). Improve “letter grades” throughout each stage (emphasis on quality, care for quantity/capacity)

Suggested Launch Timeline & Benchmarks for Hartford City Covenant Church

KEY: DR = Discipling Relationships, LT = Launch Team Members, WA = Worship Attendance, KM = Key Ministries Quality Letter Grade

Discussion & Questions ••••

STAGE: Launch TeamDevelopment

Soft Launch/Preview Worship

Pre-LaunchWeekly Worship

Hard Launch/“Grand Opening”

Post-Launch 1: Depth & Stability

Post-Launch 2: NewOutreach & Growth

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct NovDR: 6 8 10 12 14 20 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

LT: 30 40 50 55 60 65 70 70 75 75 75 75 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

WA: N/A N/A N/A 80 90 100 120 90 110 125 150 130 130 130 135 135 160 140 140

KM: N/A N/A C C+ B- B B B+ B+ B+ A- A- A- A A A A A A

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 11

Leadership Reproducing leaders that effectively lead, serve, and multiply

2-2-2 Principle (from 2 Tim. 2:2) 1. 1st Generation: Paul → Timothy 2. 2nd Generation: Timothy → “Reliable People” 3. 3rd Generation: “Reliable People” → “Others” 4. 4th Generation: “Others” → ...

Recognizing Potential Apprentices The Must-Haves:

• Spiritual Velocity (what’s their movement/direction, not just position in relation to Jesus?) • Teachability (are they open to being developed and sharpened?) • Relational Intelligence (do they get people, do people like them?)

The Bonuses: • Missional (are they willing to sacrifice for God’s mission?) • Discerning (can they wisely discern things in people and situations?) • Inclusive (do they love to bring people alongside them?) • Biblically Knowledgeable (strong grasp on God’s Word?)

5 Steps of Leadership Development 1. I do. You watch. We talk. 2. I do. You help. We talk. 3. You do. I help. We talk. 4. You do. I watch. We talk.  5. You do. Someone else watches. You talk…

* Ideas and highlights on this page adapted from the Apprentice Field Guide, created by Community Christian Church. Updated version available at www.lulu.com/spotlight/bigidearesrouces

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 201512

3 Question at each debrief (“We talk.”)  • What worked? • What didn’t work? • How can we improve?

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many

witnesses entrust to reliable people who will

also be qualified to teach others.”

~ The Apostle Paul to Timothy

(a seasoned church planter to a younger

church planter,2 Timothy 2:2)

The Six Christian Leadership Styles Created by Dave Olson, Evangelical Covenant Church, More resources and info available at SixStyles.org

Metaphor: The Leadership Stool • All Three Legs are required • The Seat provides strength & stability • Legs should be near the same length • Problem: no one has all in equal length

Spirituality: • commitment to deep spiritual transformation that

brings about the life-changing work of God in people • Biblical insight and passion • Devotions and intimacy with God • Authentic self-revelation • “PRAY”

Chemistry:• creates an inviting relational atmosphere within your church

that connects people to God’s community • Personal relationships • Small group dynamics • Leading large gatherings • “PLAY”

Strategy:• creates process of sequential actions that produce

fruitful ministry in line with God-directed goals. • Ability to anticipate tomorrow • How to get from point A to point B • Delegation and administration • “PLAN”

10min | TEAM TIME: self-select into the three groups around the room

• What are our strengths & weaknesses? • What about us annoys each other? :-) • How should we communicate and interact

with each other and show we value other styles?

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 13

Understand Your Leadership Style There are Six Leadership Styles 1 (see diagram next page) 1. Relational Leader

• Leadership Sequence: CHEMISTRY - Spirituality - strategy

• APEST 2 Type is often: Shepherd (Pastor) - interpersonal intelligence helps them connect to people in a warm and caring manner.

2. Inspirational Leader • CHEMISTRY - Strategy - spirituality • APEST: Evangelist - social intelligence helps them

connect with people, especially in crowd context

3. Sacred Leader • SPIRITUALITY - Chemistry - strategy • APEST: Teacher - their greatest gift to the church is

communicating to people the deep things of God

4. Imaginative Leader • SPIRITUALITY - Strategy - chemistry • APEST: Prophet - like to look to the future and call the

people of God to become who God created them to be.

5. Mission Leader • STRATEGY - Spirituality - chemistry • APEST: Apostle - ability to lead the mission of God into

the future, through the development of ministries, ministers (both professional & lay), and mission endeavors

6. Building Leader • STRATEGY - Chemistry - spirituality • APEST: Apostelist (hybrid of an Apostle & Evangelist) -

primary love is growing the church or organization they serve, while simultaneously making it better and stronger. Pragmatic visionaries that focus on strategy and structure, they typically stay in a location for extended times, never tire of creating “more” and “better”

1 More details at www.sixstyles.org. Your pastor has online survey links specifically for your church 2 APEST = shorthand for five-fold gifts of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd (Pastor), & Teacher

found in Ephesians 4:11-12. Dave Olson contends these often align/overlap with Six Leadership Styles.

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 201514

“So Christ himself gave the apostles,

the prophets, the evangelists,

the pastors and teachers,

to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ

may be built up.” ~ Paul (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Implementation in a Church Context• Mission Leader (Apostle)

sets the Agenda • Imaginative Leader

(Prophet) analyzes the Target (the Culture)

• Inspirational Leader (Evangelist) leads People to Christ

• Relational Leader (Pastor) disciples the Converts

• Sacred Leader (Teacher) lays (reinforces) the Scriptural foundation

• Building Leader (Apostelist) grows the Church

~ Johannes Reimer,New Testament Scholar

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 15

Complem

entary,Styles

Complem

entary,Styles

Complem

entary,Styles

SacredLeader

InspirationalLeader

ImaginativeLeader

Mission

LeaderBuildingLeader

RelationalLeader

The Im

agin

ative Leader is gifted

by God to interact powerfully w

ith an innovative vision from

God, then lead people to step out in faith and live out that new

way of being the

people of God.

Strongest7inSpirituality

Strongest7in7Chem

istry

Strongest7in7Strategy

The B

uild

ing

Leader is gifted by

God to strategize for growth,

enlist other leaders, and then together lead the w

ay in enlarging the m

ission of God.

The In

spiration

al Leader is gifted

by God to connect powerfully w

ith a crow

d, and motivate them

to follow

Jesus, by encouraging them to

engage in the mission of God.

The R

elational Lead

er is gifted by God to connect em

otionally with individuals,

and inspire them as a group to follow

Jesus and love each other.

The S

acred Lead

er is gifted by God to connect spiritually w

ith people, and encourage them

to grow deeper

with God, w

hile bringing attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Mission

Leader is gifted by God w

ith spiritual vision to foresee w

hat is needed in the im

mediate future. M

ission Leaders call people to follow

a deeper Gospel, w

hile multiplying disciples, expanding

ministries and starting new

ventures.

The Six Primary Roles of Christian Leaders 1. Relational Leader Love .........2. Inspirational Leader Motivate .....3. Building Leader Grow ...........4. Mission Leader Multiply ...........5. Imaginative Leader Create .....6. Sacred Leader Deepen............

The Six Hidden Needs of Christian Leaders 1. Relational Leader Need for attention, Need for affirmation .........2. Inspirational Leader Need for power, Need for attention .....3. Building Leader Need to over-work, Need for power ...........4. Mission Leader Need to over-innovate, Need to over-work ...........5. Imaginative Leader Need to be right, Need to over-innovate .....6. Sacred Leader Need for affirmation, Need to be right............

The Six Intelligences of Christian Leaders 1. Relational Leader Interpersonal Intelligence .........2. Inspirational Leader Social Intelligence .....3. Building Leader Organizational Intelligence ...........4. Mission Leader Strategic Intelligence ...........5. Imaginative Leader Cultural Intelligence .....6. Sacred Leader Intrapersonal Intelligence ............

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 201516

Notes :

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 17

Stage 1: Launch Team Development What is a Launch Team? Simplest Definition: The ones who show up and get it done.

• Highly committed hard workers and leaders who will pray, sweat, laugh, cry, grow, and bleed together for the church planting mission to which God has called them

• As the Pastor, you can rely on them • As the Launch Team, you can rely on each other

Purpose: build, assist, provide, become, create, protect • Invite Others • Evangelism • Develop Key Ministries

Gathering Where will these people come from?

• Pray, Pray & Pray some more! (Ask the Lord of the harvest…) • Work, Work, & Work some more! (faithful with the little things…) • Support Churches (Parent, Partner, & Mission Friends) • Strategic Networks (para-church, non-profits, professional organizations, and more) • Find Opportunities: tap into, partner, and network with existing churches & organizations • Create Opportunities: organize and execute well targeted gathering events (vision desserts, open

house, picnics/bbqs, service projects, etc.)

Team Mix • Roughly “1/3rd” Each:

• Committed Christians • Unchurched Christians • New Christians & Seekers

• reflective of your target (multi-ethnic, 18-30 yr-olds, etc.) • balanced gifting (musical, kids, hospitality, tech, admin, etc.)

Training Best Practices • Teach the Vision - “T-Shirt Test” (succinctly communicate its essence) • Key Ministries Teams – break the group into your 5 or 6 teams • Pray and Practice - reduces fear, builds skills, increases success

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 201518

Cautions Launch Team Landmines

• “tasks not titles” - proven faithfulness and effectiveness • “process not promises” - clear leadership development path • faithfulness and fruitfulness need to be demonstrated • Three “Highly” people to watch for and respond accordingly:

• Highly Controlling • Highly Needy • Highly Missional

Agenda Harmony: How do we keep this group together? • critical to have clearly defined DNA, mission and vision that are Biblically based (cf. earlier session) • planting pastor must be the champion, custodian, and defender of the mission, vision, and values • out-counseling poor fits is a necessary leadership task • self-selecting out is a mature response if the church plant is not a fit

Benchmarks • initial minimum of 30 committed, gifted adults before signing Covenant Agreement • 50% of Launch Team from new contacts • continually adding, growing, and maturing to 50-75+ through entire 4-Stage Launch • planter is seen as the legitimate leader of the group • increasing number of people contacted, coming, and connecting with the group with growing

enthusiasm and commitment

15min | TEAM TIME: Launch Team Audit: Hartford City Covenant Church Initial Launch Team Use poster paper if helpful...

• Evaluate: • What is the current make-up of your Launch Team? • What would God have you do to build a stronger Launch Team?

• Strategize: Create initial strategy for reaching 50-75 people total • often a 3:1 ratio or more, so probably need to connect with 150 people at least • Put real names and real networks on the list (as much as possible) • Pray for your list

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 19

Stage 2: Soft-Launch/Preview Worship Question: What’s one big mistake Planters & Launch Teams often make early on?

Goals • accelerating growth while continuing to build momentum • more fully express what your church is becoming through public worship and expanded

attractional & incarnational ministries (“come & see” + “go show & tell”)

Benchmarks • 75-125 at each monthly worship service (build momentum from “low” to “high”) • 50 new people attending each preview service • strong word-of-mouth: over half of guests from personal invitation and investment • roughly double the size of the initial Launch Team

The ‘W’ Wisdom behind the ‘W’ Rhythm

• for most, gathered worship is the high-bandwidth High Point of their experience of God and his community at a new church

• but there’s a tension, especially early on, they also need Greater Depth with Launch Team development, training, and small- to medium-sized group experiences

• yet both “extremes” can overshoot many people you’re called to reach, so also need some more accessibleMiddle Ground to make friendly connections

Repeating Cycle: • each type of gathering is “open” (preview worship, launch team meeting, gathering event, etc) • purposefully invite people to each type of gathering (may invite different people, different

ways, for each portions) • at each type of event also invite people to the other upcoming events - always be casting

vision, calling to commitment, and inviting each time, adjusting appropriately to setting & audience • Note: See Benchmarks from Suggested Launch Timeline on p. 9

Temptations, Cautions, and Common Mistakes • Rushing/Demanding Weekly Worship Services: succumbing to internal & external pressures

and expectations (real or imagined); “When will we be a real church?!”, “Can’t we just worship?!” • Fake/Anemic ‘W’ Rhythm: do some of everything every time, nothing done with purposeful focus,

resulting in ineffective “mushy middle”; doing everything poorly at same time vs. one thing done well • Short-Sighted/Short-Term Thinking vs. the long view over generations and eternity; are you

planting a centuries-long church or a worship service now? (especially when the “wait” is only weeks)

! | Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 201520

Wk 1: Preview Worship

Wk 2: Launch

Team Mtg

Wk 3: Connection

Event

Wk 5:PreviewWorship

Wk 4: Launch

Team Mtg

MONTH 1 MONTH 2 …

Example ‘W’ Rhythm 1. Worship: music, message, related key ministries, vision casting, a vital invite opportunity to the

following weeks (invite at each) 2. Launch Team Mtg 1: orientation, bible study, vision-casting 3. Gathering Event: picnic, bbq, service project, bowling, etc. 4. Launch Team Mtg 2: prep key ministries teams for next Preview 5. Worship: restart cycle (like Week 1), only improved upon, more new people, etc. (rinse, repeat!)

Note: these principles can be applied to either condensed or stretched-out time-frames

Applications • Brand-new Plants & Campuses: fairly straightforward, though variations are possible (e.g.

Preview Worship every other week, stretch out over summer lows, etc.) • “2.0” Church Plants: had already been meeting weekly, usually bi-vocational pastor now full-time

• Turn weekly meeting time into a feature, leveraging the existing structure and strengths… but still honor the principles!

• Build the rhythm and emphases into your weekly gathering, treat each gathering purposefully • Launch of Any New Ministry Area: principles really works across a wide variety of applications

Quick Table Discussion • What struggles might you face with the ‘W’ rhythm, monthly worship concept,

and execution with your group or in your context? • Done well, what benefit will it bring?

‘W’ Scenarios for Hartford City Church • Q&A and Discussion

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Stage 3: Pre-Launch Weekly Worship Natural continuation of Stage 2, with freedom still to tweak, improve, & over-haul as needed (plus, people are far more forgiving when it’s labeled “Pre-Launch” :)

Goals: • move from monthly to weekly rhythm of public worship services • develop more strength and structure through vital ministry teams and effective systems • strengthen and improve your Key Ministries • strengthen gathering and growing prior to Hard Launch/“Grand Opening” • develop leadership and volunteers • finalize Grand Opening Launch Strategy

Benchmarks • minimum of 80 in the now weekly worship services (75 is the enemy!),

then reach or surpass 120 in weekly worship services before Hard Launch/“Grand Opening” (Note: easier to get people “once a month” than “every week” - need to work harder with larger pool)

• improve quality of Key Ministries from B to B+/A- • increasing number and percentages of people serving in ministry teams • 50% of adults in “small groups”

Stage 4: Hard Launch/‘Grand Opening’ Culmination of the first three stages, with Hartford City Church ready to go “fully public”

Goals: • Launching Strong (Qualitative) • Launching Large (Quantitative) • Letting the Entire Community know we’re here! • Help ensure Vitality, Sustainability, and

growing Missional Impact for future generations

Benchmarks • Launch past 125 in Worship, stay above 125 throughout • Key Ministries with letter grades in B+/A- range • Great facility that can accommodate growth to 200+ • Seeing increasing #s coming to Christ and connecting • Healthy Mix: 1/3 mission-minded, 1/3 formerly de-churched, 1/3 formerly un-churched

(these are rough generalities, not hard-and-fast percentages. YMMV :)

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Launching Large, Launching Healthy • Contextualize: What might

launching large look like for Hartford City Church?

• Brainstorm: What might you do to launch large enough and healthy enough to have greater missional impact in your community

• Strategize: What specific action steps are still needed to launch large in your context? Who will do what?

Helpful Congregational Growth Equation Net Growth = [Visitor Flow × Retention Rate] – Backdoor Loss Visitor Flow = how many first-timers experience the church Retention Rate = percentage who become regulars at least for awhile Backdoor Loss = how many eventually leave for any reason

• pay attention to each of those variables so you know what’s working & what needs improvement; this applies to worship services, small groups, etc. - any “ministry” that should grow through people

• easy to focus on the wrong thing, so get beneath the “numbers” • BIG Caveat: these are people, not soulless numbers; the “numbers” are merely a tool for fruitful

accountability and ministry insight. They are essential, but not sufficient to tell the whole story.

Scenario 1:• [10 visitors/mo × 20% Retention] - [2 leave/mo]

= [2 stay/month - 2 leave/month]= 0 Net Growth • Possible Interpretation: 20% is actually a fairly good

retention rate and 2/month departing isn’t bad either, therefore increasing the number of visitors (through prayer, invitation, evangelism training, hospitality, etc.) will likely increase Net Growth

Scenario 2:• [20 visitors/mo × 10% Retention] - [2 leave/mo]

= [2 stay/month - 2 leave/month]=0 Net Growth • Possible Interpretation: 10% isn’t great for retention,

though 2/month departing isn’t bad. For some reason people aren’t coming back and getting connected. Evaluating hospitality, facility, spiritual vitality, quality of programming, etc. might reveal ways to improve that retention rate to increase Net Growth

Scenario 3:• [10 visitors/mo × 50% Retention] - [5 leave/mo]

= [5 stay/month - 5 leave/month]=0 Net Growth • Possible Interpretation: Might be an urban area or

college town with very transitory population and lots of “churn” AND/OR church is great at “first impressions” but lacks depth and growth opportunities. Depending on issues, may need to really increase visitor rate while also working on back door loss

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 23

Looking Ahead Key Missional Milestones in Your First Five Years Stewardship & Sustainability 1. Year 1: 130 in worship

attendance, 33% progress to financial self-sufficiency

2. Year 2: 160, 66% towards financial self-sufficiency

3. Year 3: 190, 100% financially self-sufficient by time Appropriations end

4. Year 4: 220, 105%, preserving or using surplus for parenting or partnering in church planting

5. Year 5: 250, 110%, using surplus for parenting or partnering in church planting

Multiplication & Membership • Years 4-5 Church Planting:

Parent or Partner with other churches in the planting of your first church plant

• Full Member Church: With demonstrated missional vitality, complete process to become a full member congregation in the ECC

Extended Team Time & Future Launch Team Exercises work on one of the following, combine them, or make up your own!

Sketch out the Next 4-6 Months one giant sheet for each month

• details will depend on what Stage you’re at now, but likely some combination of Stage 1 and 2 • flesh out a Launch Timeline and the ‘W’ • keep developing developing rhythms and strategies • add details like dates, events, ideas, etc (take pictures to capture) • look at key holidays, community events, and seasons on the calendar

that lend themselves to outreach, launching, community engagement, etc.

Normal & Natural Pathways For Hartford City Church what are the normal and natural pathways for…

• Making Disciples that are maturing in Christ • Evangelizing People so they come to a transforming faith in Jesus • Reproducing Leaders that effectively lead, serve, and multiply • Instilling a Stewardship Culture of generosity, sacrifice, & faithfulness.

Stewardship Examples: • placement of offering at end of service, clear explanation connecting with mission and vision • online giving that’s done well and easy to use • Offer Financial Peace University course once per year

• Multiplying Churches that are healthy, missional, and reproduce

Exercise: use one giant sheet for each “vital pathway” full doc & full descriptions at: www.bit.ly/normalnaturalpathways

• Put down one idea for each, then more fully develop a couple. • Which one will be easiest? Which one will be most difficult? • Before the ‘Grand Opening’ Launch, flesh these out fully and revisit them regularly

SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

• one giant sheet for each area (take pictures at end to capture) • In what areas are you going strong? what needs work? • What key resources do you have, what resources do you need? • Where are your greatest opportunities? greatest threats?

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Notes :

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Resource List Web Resources:

• www.jasoncondon.com/search/label/churchplanting - this is where Jason posts many of the materials and resources for our East Coast Conference church planting efforts

• www.ChurchPlantingWiki.com - simple “historic” resource site compiled by Directors of Church Planting across the Covenant - not pretty, tons of good content!

Related Books: Church Planting

• Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers, Ed Stetzer, Warren Bird (2010) • Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement,

Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson (2010) • The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century Church,

Alan Hirsch & Tim Catchim • Planting Fast-Growing Churches, by Stephen Gray (2007)

Congregational Vitality & Ministry Models • Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations, Thom Rainer, Ed Stetzer • Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church: Mandate, Mark Deymaz • Hybrid Church and Deliberate Simplicity, Dave Browning • Cracking Your Church's Culture Code, Samuel Chand • Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny,

Ron McMillan, Al Switzler [notes: bit.ly/crucialconversationsnotes] • Influencer: The Power to Change Anything [notes: bit.ly/influencernotes] • Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne [notes: bit.ly/blueoceannotes]

Missional-Incarnational Ministry • The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century Church,

Alan Hirsch and Tim Catchim • Resources from Mike Breen & 3DM (www.weare3dm.com), such as Building a Discipling Culture

and Multiplying Missional Leaders • AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church, Hugh Halter & Matt Smay • On the Verge: A Journey Into the Apostolic Future of the Church, Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson

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Top Tens! Top Ten Church Planting Maxims 10. You will be broken

9. Plant behind the plow. Prayer is the plow.

8. People are “polite” (*cough* lie) - don’t just believe them :-)

7. 75 is the enemy

6. You can’t plant from behind a desk (or computer screen!)

5. There’s no magic bullet

4. God is in the vision – the devil is in the details (so don’t ignore the details and derail the vision)

3. Its the relational – not the technical

2. Isolation kills – connection gives life

1. It’s a God thing!

Reflection: Which of these maxims are hardest for you to embrace? Most encouraging?

Top Ten Reasons for Starting New Churches 1. New churches needed because vast majority of Americans don’t attend church

2. New churches are more effective at conversion growth

3. New churches are the only truly effective way to reach the growing ethnic populations in America

4. New churches are needed to stem the tide of ideological moral erosion in America

5. New churches have historically been the best method for reaching each emerging new generation

6. New churches give a group of connected churches “market share” and greater influence in their community

7. New churches grow exponentially faster than established churches

8. New churches are a test laboratory for church leadership development

9. New churches are the research & development unit of God’s Kingdom

10. New churches provide excellent on-the-job training for energetic young pastors

Reflection: Which of these reasons resonates most with you?

Launch Team Training Day • Hartford City Covenant Church • East Coast Conference • Saturday, June 20, 2015 | ! 27

Notes :

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Go in Peace.

Thanks for being together and making th is a great Launch Team Tra in ing Day : )

Your ECConf Staff and Family of Churches are pray ing for you, your ne ighbors,and the v ibrant church God has cal led you to p lant !