Joel Nelson (MBC Church Planting), just sent this email to some of us planters:

You might have heard somewhere along the line that the MBC/BGC participated in a big honking survey done by Ed Stetzer. (If you’ve been listening/reading some of the stuff that comes out of Arlington Heights you might have heard a statement saying that TeAMerica has the most effective and healthiest church planting ministry at this time…that came from this report.) Well, since you guys are all actively involved somewhere along the parenting line, I thought you might enjoy a copy of the report.

Here’s a summary from page 3…

Church Plant Survivability
According to a study done by the North American Mission Board, the following were some of the factors were found to be associated with higher attendance in church plants:
• meeting in a school in the first year over not meeting in a school in the first year
• meeting in a theater in subsequent years over not meeting in a theater in subsequent years
• meeting in a school in subsequent years over not meeting in a school in subsequent years
• conducting a special children’s event (i.e., Fall Festival, Easter Egg Hunt)
• mailing invitations to services, programs, events
• conducting new member classes
• using a church covenant signed by new members
• starting at least one daughter church within three years of the church plant
• having a proactive stewardship development plan enabling the church to be financially
self-sufficient
• having multiple staff members rather than a single staff members at the beginning of the
church plant
• being financially compensated as the church planter
• receiving health insurance whereby the majority of the premiums were paid for by the
church plant, sponsoring church, or denomination
• conducting a block party as an outreach event
• delegating leadership roles to church members
• conducting leadership training to church members
• working full-time over part- or half-time as the church planter
• being assessed prior to planting the church as the church planter
• having the church planter’s expectations realized

Read the Report >>>