More Project Updates

With everything going on during our cohort meeting we failed to give more updates. Here is one on Barnesville

Barnesville: Dave have moved up to the community and are doing work on the pasonage. Barb is getting plugged into the community and they are praying for team members to help establish a spirit-filled, family-centered community of believers. Currently they are praying for a worship leader and children's leader for the church and would appreciate your prayers for God's direction.

Church Planting

Well we had a great time with many of our Cohort members. We will be offering the resources that Paul talked about soon, so let us know if you would be interested in any copies.

As we continue on this journey together I am often amazed at the different ways Parent churches approach supporting their church plants. Some open up the congregation and allow anyone to go with the church planters, other give a set amount of people and money, while others won't even entertain the idea of letting the key people go with the church planters. Paul touched on a point that I am noticing elsewhere in church planting around the nation. Church Planting is a great way to grow your church. It creates excitment and purpose to a congregation as well as releases something within the spiritual realm that seems to bring an increase within the giving congregation. I don't know where you fall on this topic but it is an issue that will come up in your church planting endevours. We will be giving all of you an opportunity to learn and discuss this issue at our next Parent Church Planter Cohort meeting on Monday January 07, 2008 at Craguns before the Minister/Spouse Seminar. We will be joined by Maury Davis, the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Nashville. His church has become a parent church and he has very specific guidelines for releasing his people. We are very excited by what we are seeing throughout the state and this is going to be an incredible meeting. Please start letting me know if you plan on being there.

Peace

More from Paul

Remember it is essential to educate and motivate people before you ask them to give.

Good book to give your people to motivate and educate them

"Lost in America" by Tom Clay

Another book "First Impressions"

Qustion and answer

When you provided the salary for the church planter for a year how did you handle them

- We handled them as a staff pastor and their church was a separate department

Funding Resource

Paul Hamelink discussed another funding option for our church planters.

He started talking about his experiences in church planting
God provided for the funding as he stepped out to do the plant
God brought in more people as they stepped out to the church plant
Planting a church will not hurt your church
God will provide the resources
Anyone can do it.

Here is the process

The goal was to get everyone to participate
He had to get his people motivated before the participated
Therefore he had to educate his people
But he had to investigate the process.

You have to be ready to answer peoples questions
You had better find out the demographics
You need a budget (clarify your vision)
You must educate your leadership
Identify you informal leadership and educate them as well
Identify the "blockers" in your church and sit down with them to educate them
Put the process in front of your people (messages on church planting, introducing the church planter, etc)
Preach on church planting (what is the church, why is the church here, and how do we fit into that plan)
His plan was to have everyone in his congregation to do three things for one year
1. Pray
2. Talk about it
3. Give something

If you really do your homework and take the time to educate your people you will be able to plant a church and fund that plant.

New Ulm Update

Doing summer outreaches in the Park all summer in New Ulm averaging about 40-50 people every time. The team will do the outreaches until mid Dec. They will move into a store-front property this coming Sunday and see what happens over the next couple of months.

Hawley Opening Day

We had an update on Hawley's opening day. Here is a picture

The Waters Church

Doug gave us an update for the Waters Church. Here is picture from their opening day.

Chort Meeting Starts

Roger opened with a welcome and prayer to everyone.
After some housekeeping.

Question #1
What have I done to move your church planting process forward?

T-Minus 3 days and counting until Cohort meeting

There are only 3 days left until our next Cohort meeting. We are so excited about what God is doing around the state. We are seeing an incredible wave of "church planting fever". We hope to see you there. For those of you who will not be able to make it, we will be providing a recap of the day.

Parent Church Planters Chohort

This is a reminder to everyone that the next Parent Church Planters Cohort will be on Monday September 16th at Lake Geneva Christian Center in Alexandria, MN. We will begin at 10:00 AM. Please contact Mac Dwyer at mdwyer@mnaog.org to register