“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, …” Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian Church; New York City, USA).
Background
Lakeshore Community Church of Christ is a church of 2 congregations made up of about 180 people. As we continue to grow we need to create new congregations in order to reach new people. The practice of commencing new services in order to grow the church comes from our Vision.
Goal of the Mission
The goal is to reach as many people on the Sunshine Coast with the life changing Gospel of Jesus as God allows and establishing appropriate disciple making congregations.
Strategy for Lakeshore
The strategies for achieving this goal include the following fundamental aim:
“To multiply Christ centred, Bible-based and prayerfully dependant congregations and churches which equip and nurture their members and expand themselves, both in North Buderim and across the Sunshine Coast.
Our proposal
To commence a new Sunday morning congregation at a different time slot similar to the current morning congregation utilising the facilities of Lakeshore.
Why Plant?
Lakeshore has been working on a congregational multiplication model. Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York gives these reasons for multiplying congregations;
1. New churches best reach the unchurched. They conclude that “dozens of denominational studies” have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its members (60-80%) from among people outside any worshipping community, while churches over 20 years old gain most of their new member (0-20%) from people moving from other congregations. Therefore new churches are 5-10 times better at drawing new people into the Body of Christ.
2. New churches best reach new residents, new generations and new people groups. New residents are disproportionately found in new congregations because newcomers do not need years of tenure before their voices are heard or before they can gain real leadership and influence in the church. New and younger generations are found in large numbers in new churches, because there is greater openness to new ministry approaches and to new leadership. Newly arrived groups of people are found in new congregations because of a contextualized approach in evangelism, worship and discipleship. (Language, cultural sensitivity, worship styles).
In Australia, the 2001 National Church Life Survey Data available seems to imply that Church plants are more mission minded (56% of congregational members invited people to Church as compared to a national average of 45%) and more likely to attract Newcomers to Church life (16% of those attending Church Plants were newcomers to church life compared to a National average of 10%). This data seems to suggest that if the modern Church is to reach the non-Churched, then Church Planting may be the most effective means of reaching these ends.
Why Seek To Plant another morning congregation?
This will maximise the resources of the current morning congregation if we run the services one after the other. Just having a congregation meeting at a different time will allow people to attend.
Details of church service
The church service will meet on Sunday mornings after the current morning meeting at a time to be determined after current morning congregation is surveyed.
The options would be:
1. 9am and 11.
2. 8.30am and 10.30am.
We would aim to commence with a committed core group of around 30 adults with L-T as the Pastor. Andrew Carruthers will also provide leadership in this congregation. This core group will primarily be sent from our existing congregations as well those who would like to who have come from SALT Church.
The meeting will be similar to the current morning congregation with the same elements including the same sermon; similar music; communion; prayer offering. Obviously being new and initially smaller it will have it’s own distinct feel.
Timing for commencement
1. Prayer and planning would commence January 2012.
2. A planning group could begin to be formed in January 2012.
3. The Core Group would meet regularly from January to April for prayer and planning.
4. The core group would be commissioned on Sunday April 15.
5. The service would commence April 22
Costs
There will be some heartache in the changing in relationships in the current morning congregation as people choose to move to the new service.
There will be disruption to the current activity of the current morning congregation including parking and morning tea.
There will be a hard work in making the new congregation work for a small group of people.
There will be a perceived and felt sense of not knowing all the people in church and there being differences within the church congregations.
Benefits
We believe starting this new congregation will mean reaching people we are not otherwise reaching. It will give the 9am service an opportunity also to have a fresh start and allow room for new leadership to surface. It will provide growth and room for growth in the existing morning service.
Next steps
1. People commit in prayer
2. People from every age group to prayerfully consider joining the new congregation. Some may choose to attend two Lakeshore services with the view to serving at the new service to help it ‘get off the ground.’ Others may choose to make the new service their congregation.
3. People attend Information and Prayer Meeting
Meeting Dates
1. Information and Prayer Meeting – Sunday 12th February at 11.
2. Core Group Meetings –Sundays at 11. 19th February, 4th March, 25 March, 15th April
3. Commissioning Service – Sunday 15th April
4. First Sunday Service – Sunday 22nd April
Please start praying and join us at the Information and Prayer Meeting on Sunday 12th February after church.
