Learn about one of the best approaches that we have seen to community outreach on this video. This approach is simple, results in revenue back to the ministry and reaches a broad variety of families and individuals. Check this out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9A5zsMRVRU. If you are a Virginia ministry go to www.angelfooodva.com.
June 2 & 3rd, Compassion by Design will offer a 2 day intensive training on needs assessment for church leaders of both new churches and churches working to turn the missional corner. This training provides the skills and insights that will you allow you to lead your new church team or church volunteers through a high impact needs assessment. The outcomes will include lots of new relationships, insights into community ministry, new partnerships and real growth in the lives of all who participate. Email dmills@compassionbydesign.org if you would like to attend. The event will be held in Burlington New Jersey and begin at 1 p.m. on the 2nd, concluding at 4 p.m. on the 3rd. David Mills, author of two needs assessment manuals for new and existing churches will lead the training for compassion by design.
For those who joined us at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, it was an important moment of life impact and ministry calling. We were so encouraged to meet many of you and hope that you can take advantage of upcoming resources that are noted below. I’d like to thank all the folks at Passion for Planting for their help in getting us there.
Needs Assessment Training: June 2 & 3 New Jersey
We will hold an Intensive Needs Assessment Training on June 2nd and 3rd in Burlington NJ at 2005 Columbus Road, at the New Jersey Community Resource Center. To register please email dmills@compassionbydesign.org with the subject line “June Training”, and let us know who is coming and how many. The cost for this training is $179 per church (up to 3 people).
The intensive need assessment training will equip each participant to lead a needs assessment in their own setting, and provide invaluable experience and insights about how to make the needs assessment a high impact part of your church development. David Mills will lead the training that will begin at 1 p.m. on June 2nd and conclude at 4 p.m. on June 3rd. Plan on staying in Mt. Holly or another nearby community. You will enjoy expert training and great fellowship.
Deadline for Compassion by Design Coaching & Franchise Applications: May 15th
May 15th is the deadline for all coaching and franchise applications. The coaching process is a 12-month group coaching process that will place you with other leaders who are also cultivating missional new churches under training and coaching provided by David Mills. The process begins with the needs assessment and proceeds through the development of leadership, service programs and funding. Included in the coaching program is a 2.5 day orientation, all the kits available through Compassion by Design and two monthly coaching sessions via telephone.
Franchise applicants will get the benefit of non-profit status in addition to the coaching process.
Email dmills@compassionbydesign.org if you need information or forms. You can call or fax to 888.579.5335
We live in an age in which the art and science of church planting is developing in fantastic ways. The Exponential Conference, that will occur next week in Orlando is a gathering of 2500 church leaders and planters from all corners of the denominational (and non) spectrum that will hear and share some of the best approaches to growing new churches on purpose.
In many ways, we know that what goes into a new church (leadership, style, location, etc.), will have a lot to say about what that new church becomes. And since many believe that new churches are our best hope to turning around the slide of American church, and to create a new renaissance of faith in America, how we grow new churches is critical.
The truth is, we are planting these new churches on purpose. They are in many ways, designer babies of the church world, and we are growing some great new churches that really exemplify a modern faith expression that is true to the historic life of Christ, but with a style that fits modern America. I am afraid that we are missing one big ingredient in the new mix–the capacity to touch our communities.
If we are going to design new churches on purpose, then I cannot imagine a new church being born without the intentional capacity to serve its community. This is not just a thanksgiving basket or a painting day in the neighborhood. Just like we plan in a worship team, children’s team, pulpit team and set up team, we have to plan for service.
The church that is born without the built in capacity to reach out through service,
is born out of season and without the ability to reproduce.
The ability to intentionally engage the congregation in service, and the infrastructure to connect to the community needs to be built into the beginning effort, not added later as an afterthought. That means we must use the latest tools of needs assessment, community based organizations and effective service planning on purpose, and we do it as a part of our new church process. If it is an afterthought we will birth new churches that cannot reach the un-churched effectively and may even grow a church that is really not missional or incarnational at all.
At Compassion by Design, we are publically announcing our effort to share support tools for this process at the Exponential conference, and it will include availability of a Community Based Organization for church planters, a 12 month coaching program and toolkits that support the process– you are invited to join us.
If you are growing a new church today, don’t forget to design in the important elements that will connect you to the community and take you into the next decade.