Church Planter's Checklist
Clarify Your Personal Calling
- Spend time in personal prayer and scripture study
- Seek confirmation from spouse and family
- Consult a trusted mentor, friends, and others to verify God's calling and timing
Establish Supportive Partnerships
- Develop a Prayer Support Network
- Enlist a church planting coach with similar vision and values (need a coach?)
- Enlist one or more Partner/Sponsor congregations who share and can support your vision
- Develop a written covenant with partner congregations to clarify and define the relationship and expectations
- For UBA Affiliation, meet personally with a UBA Consultant (e-mail) to identify member responsibilities and available resources
Identify and Complete Appropriate Skills Preparation
Your coach or a UBA Consultant can assist you in selecting the appropriate training for your model.
- Reading
- Instructional Tapes
- Basic Training Conferences
Do Your Background Work
- Identify a potential location and people group to which you are called (your mission field)
- Learn everything you can about the people, the community, and how your personal gifts and passions connect with them. See 'Know Your Mission Field' for suggested research strategy and information resources.
- Identify and pursue any legal, business, and financial steps you need to take to start the church (It is essential that new churches be aware of the most current statues in their state. This web site does not serve as counsel on legal or financial issues. The following references are provided for general information only and are not intended as legal advice and must must not be substituted for competent legal counsel.)
Establish a Healthy Foundation
- Mission - Vision - Values
- Prayerfully and in dialogue with your coach and others, begin to articulate the mission, vision, and values (guidelines) to which you believe God is calling you.
- Core Group
- Whether you call it a core group, a launch team, or a group of friends committed to the process, prayerfully enlist a group of believers committed to join you in the start of the new church. Continue to develop and refine mission, vision, and values with this group
- Model of Ministry/Vision Path
- Prayerfully, and in conversation with your core group and your church planting coach, determine the best model for reaching unchurched people in your mission field. Answer basic questions about the shape your ministry will take. Identify a few key strategic actions that must be taken during the first few month.
- Some key questions:
- How will you worship?
- How will you develop relationships with unbelievers?
- How will you develop new believers into mature, reproducing disciples?
- How will you multiply leaders who can multiply leaders?
- How will you develop corporate and member accountability?
- How will you serve the community around you?
- How will you reproduce and start more new churches?
- more . . . (link to worksheet)
Evaluate Your Readiness
Evaluate your personal readiness to start the new church by participating in an approved Church Planter Assessment Process. UBA recommends that potential planters confirm a strong calling to plant a church and complete basic church planter training prior to engaging in the Church Planter Assessment process. UBA recommends the assessment process provided by New Church Initiatives. (click)
Evaluate Finances and other Physical Resources
- Personal resources, core group contributions, partner congregations, and denominational agencies are potential sources for financial and physical resources. The majority of resources should come from with the congregation and core group. It should be anticipated that if denominational funding is available, it will diminish quickly and conclude within a short period of time.
- It is possible to make decisions early that reduce the amount of financial resources needed.
- Do you have secular employment that can continue during the initial start-up phases of the church?
- Are there family financial resources available during the initial phases?
- Have you considered a model of church planting that requires fewer paid staff, minimal programming, and non-traditional facilities? House church? Small groups meeting in homes?
- Can you share facilities with another established congregation?
Get Started!