Starting a new church or ministry is one of the most rewarding and fruitful things that you can do to advance the kingdom. It can also be very challenging at times. After personally planting multiple churches and youth outreach centers, I can tell you that you will need all of the information and support that you can get! The topics covered here are only a starting point, but are very important when considering a new church plant or ministry.

The need... There is always a need for a good bible preaching church or outreach ministry. The devil will tell us that there are already plenty of churches and therefore there is no need for another one, but he's a liar as always. Each church reaches a unique group of people. You will reach people that the existing churches will never reach and they will reach those that you can't. It's the church that is to come against the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18).

The last thing the devil wants is more strong churches being built. The need is abundant and clear (Matthew 9:36-38; John 9:4; 4:35). If you feel the Lord leading you to plant a new church be assured that there is a need that only your new church plant can meet!

Your calling... Pioneering a new work from scratch is very difficult. Jesus compared it to a women going through birth pains. It can be one of the most exciting things you could ever do but there will also be times of discouragement when your faith will be tested and stretched like never before. The devil will fight you every step of the way and cause you to doubt your calling; are you doing the right thing, did you really hear from Him, etc.

If your not called it will be a devastating experience. If you are called, you will be able to see it through those difficult beginning stages and build something that will display God's glory and wisdom and destroy the gates of hell in the region that God has placed you in (Ephesians 3:10-11 & Matthew 16:18). You have the promise that whatever is born of God overcomes (1 John 5:4 and 4:4; Romans 8:37; Revelation 12:11).

Keeping the faith... You are headed for a tremendous venture of faith! Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of the things that are visible." In other words, you are going to be developing something out of nothing. This is really exciting and takes a tremendous amount of faith, especially if you are starting without a core group of people.

You simply have to step out and do it. You might get a group of people right away and yet you will have many services where you wonder if anyone will show up! This is real faith and will determine if you are really called to plant a church. This is where both persistence and hard work will pay off (Hebrews 6:11-12, Romans 12:11). If you work hard and persevere, God will help you to give birth to a glorious church through His grace.

Having a covering... It's very important that you have a spiritual covering which is helping to support you and your family. There will be times you will need encouragement, counsel and the strength of someone outside of yourself. Paul was sent out of the church at Antioch while they remained as his covering (Acts 13-14). This can be in the form of a local church that is sending you out and covering you with prayer, and/or being a part of a ministerial fellowship.

It is also a good idea to have a small group of pastors you meet with regularly for prayer, fellowship and support. During the times I have been pioneering both my fellowship and the group of men that I met with for prayer really helped to sustain me through the difficult birthing stages of the church and through times of personal struggle. If you do not have a covering, or are looking for a new one, please send us an email stating that you are looking for a covering and we will send you information about affiliation with GSL Ministries, Inc.

Incorporation... One of the first things you will want to do in beginning a church or ministry is to incorporate with the state where your ministry will be located. You will need to contact the Secretary of State to obtain the correct Articles of Incorporation forms. Incorporation is not necessary, and there is some debate over whether a church should incorporate, but we personally believe the benefits outweigh the negatives. I recommend that you do some research on the subject and then decide if it is right for you. You will need to:

1. Decide on a name. Ask the Lord to guide you in selecting a name for your new church or ministry. It is a good idea to try to incorporate your ministry focus in the name if possible. Try to avoid using names that are similar to the names being used by other churches or ministries in your area. God has a marvelous way of giving you just the right name for your ministry if you ask Him.
2. Put together a board. I would suggest you get people from outside the church or ministry that you are starting to serve on the board at first. If you can, get a couple of pastors you know and trust, along with yourself, to start with. Authority is a lot easier to give than to take back if you happen to pick the wrong person!

   Once you have been in existence for six months to a year, and have people who have proved themselves faithful to your ministry, then you can begin to appoint those from within your local body to positions of leadership (2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5).

3. Prepare your constitution and by-laws. You will need to prepare these right away and be sure to include a statement of faith. I would suggest obtaining some samples from other churches or ministerial fellowships that you can use as a starting point.
4. Obtain your government numbers and exemptions. You will need to contact the IRS to get your federal or employee ID number, and the State Department of Revenue to get your state ID number which will exempt you from having to pay sales tax for ministry related purchases. These two are relatively easy to obtain.
5. Obtain you Letter of Exemption or 501(C)3. This is what exempts your church from having to pay federal income tax and gives your people tax credit for their donations. This unlike your federal ID and state exemption numbers is more difficult to obtain and requires a fairly expensive application fee. They usually expect you to be able to prove your church has been in existence for a period of time. It is usually best to get an attorney to help with this if you can afford one.

   There are companies that will do the work for you for a fee, but we have never used any of them. I would recommend getting under the covering of another church or fellowship to begin with and use their exemption status. After you have been in existence for a few years you can then apply for your own letter of exemption.

Next... Church Planting Part 2