ARC Church Planting Roundtable Update

Thought I would let you know how the ARC Church Planters Roundtable went last week. Here are some reflections...

• Colorado Springs is beautiful, even in the rain.
• New Life Church is pretty awesome - great place for the roundtable.
• Met Ross Parsley and Brady Boyd, New Life's new senior pastor. Boyd will be a great spiritual leader for the New Life family.
• Met about 50 people who have a true passion for church planting.
• Billy Hornsby introduced ARC as an organization dedicated to planting churches that look like Jesus - churches through which people can "encounter Jesus." No joke! Billy used the word "encounter" a number of times. Churches need to reflect the personality and attributes of Jesus - Did Billy read our Encounter Prospectus??!!!
• I really resonate with ARC's passion - to plant life-giving churches.
• Billy shared eight characteristics of life-giving churches:

1. Empowering Leadership - Leadership empowers believers to follow God's plan.
2. Gift-Oriented Ministry - Help believers identify and integrate their gifts.
3. Passionate Spirituality - Faith lived out with commitment, fire, and enthusiasm.
4. Functional Structures - Structures must help fulfill the purpose of the church. Cut the fluff.
5. Inspiring Worship - Excellent worship that inspires people.
6. Holistic Small Groups - Encourage groups where people can find intimate community, practical help, and intensive spiritual interaction.
7. Need-oriented Evangelism - Address the questions and concerns of non-Christians.
8. Loving Relationships - Form strong and genuine trust relationships.

I feel challenged by our next steps with ARC. A lot more was shared at the roundtable, including all the different ways they help and come alongside church planters. If you want to know more, just contact us and we'll talk. But here are the basic facts:

1. To continue, we must submit an application - if approved, we must attend a church planter assessment in Atlanta, Georgia. The cost of the assessment is small, but the travel expenses will be difficult. I estimate it will cost nearly $2,100 to travel and stay there for the assessment. Of course, it could be cheaper if we could stay with someone, find some transportation there, or receive a donation of frequent flier miles.
2. We must also secure a "sponsor" church to come alongside us. This sponsor church must believe in our vision enough to vouch for us financially. That means that although ARC will match all the funds we raise dollar-for-dollar (up to $30,000) - if the church plant falls through, the "sponsor" church will repay ARC for all funds provided.

We would like to pursue this partnership with ARC, but we're going to need some help. For now, we're praying for God's direction and working in this situation. If God is moving you to help with any of this, please let us know.

Steps Toward Partnership

Because of your help, we are going to Colorado Springs this week to attend the ARC Church Planters Roundtable (CPR) at New Life Church.

I mentioned the Association of Related Churches (ARC) before as one possible Encounter partner. ARC comes highly recommended by several people I've talked to recently as well as Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (see his post here).

Just to let you know, ARC seeks to provide encouragement and coaching that includes close mentoring relationships and financial resources for new church planters. There are four components in everything they do - and those four components are what interested us in ARC.

1. They Believe in a Big Start – They want to help us build up to a big start. They coach planters how to build a team, raise funds, develop a worship team and children's ministry, and open our doors with excellence and momentum. If we can start strong, we have a greater chance of growing strong.
2. They are Focused on Reaching the Unchurched — They are focused on finding ways to cross the cultural wall and reach the lost. ARC is all about helping build churches that are culturally relevant with passionate worship, practical Bible-based teaching and dynamic family ministries.
3. They Build Friendships and Do Life Together — They believe friendships and relationships are critical for being successful in life and ministry. As ARC churches expand around the country, there is a group of people that can help us, coach us, and be there for us as we plant Encounter in Helena.
4. They Offer a Network of Practical Resources — ARC offers help on many levels including conferences & seminars, the ARC Intranet (resources for sermon series ideas, outlines, PowerPoint and media), Bible training, internships, missions opportunities, and much more.

This week, we'll be learning more about ARC, and they will be learning more about us. If it is God's will, we may be joining with them to plant Encounter as a life-giving church community in Helena. Please pray for our travel and for the kids as they stay here in Helena.

Making Kingdom Connections Through Facebook

Interestingly enough, Facebook has been a great help in making connections with other church planters.

I've been talking with one guy planting a church community in Tennessee. They've got great momentum and, like Encounter, their church community is one focused on the unchurched in their area. Their launch date is approaching quick on Sunday, October 5, so I would encourage you to throw some Kingdom prayers their way.

Another connection I made is with a planter in New York. They are running a coffee house to reach those far from God by creating a natural community place to build relationships. They later plan to build on the relationships they've established through the coffee house, by launching a second location (church community) in the area. Awesome!

Finally, I talked with a guy with some experience planting a church in Washington. He contacted me just to offer whatever help he could and prayed for us over the phone this last week. It's truly a blessing to see some of the ways God is connecting the vision for Encounter around the country and throughout His Kingdom.

What It's All About

Sometimes when your friends or family don't understand why you go to church, or why you're into Jesus, don't you wish you could clearly explain this? ...at Encounter we'll never stop trying.



Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17 - NLT)

Church Planting Partnerships

As we've recently reviewed the prospectus, we realized that we may have given the impression that Encounter has already secured a church planting partnership. So we've removed the prospectus from the website for now and we're revising it. UPDATE: The revised prospectus has been posted - check it out here: Encounter Prospectus (pdf).

While we are definitely planting Encounter here in Helena, we have not yet secured the partnerships we desire in this endeavor. Therefore, let's talk about why these partnerships are important and what options we're exploring.

WHY WE'RE PURSUING PARTNERSHIPS
There are a number of characteristics that are common in many successful and healthy new church plants. A few of these factors include:

• Launching with multiple staff members
  
• Launching with the church planters working full-time in ministry, and
  
• Launching with support from a sponsoring church, denomination, or church planting network.

These indicators alone convince us that Encounter needs to launch with the help of one or more sponsors. Here's what we're currently exploring...

PARTNERSHIPS WITH ESTABLISHED CHURCHES
We desperately need to connect with those of this generation and those who are far from God - there are no churches in Helena that are wholly effective at leading this population into a growing relationship with Jesus.

LifeChurch.tv pastor Craig Groeschel says “to reach people that nobody is reaching, you have to do things that nobody is doing.” Encounter’s goal in our style and strategy is to “do church differently” in order fill the gap that currently exists in Helena.

We want to partner with existing churches, local and beyond, to further the expansion of God’s Kingdom. In such a partnership, a local church can continue reaching the population that it is effective at reaching, while joining with Encounter to reach ALL of Helena. So we will be challenging existing churches to support us primarily through prayer, people, resources, and finances. For further information on how a church can sponsor Encounter, please contact us.

A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTH POINT MINISTRIES
If you know our story, the idea behind Encounter first began with God's calling – and then with North Point Ministries as a catalyst to move forward. And while there have been discussions regarding Encounter as strategic partner of North Point Ministries, this partnership may or may not happen. Regardless, we have been influenced by their mission, strategy, values, and beliefs.

If a strategic partnership with North Point is established we would adopt a number of things from North Point, including the same environments, curriculum, logos, and teacher (Andy Stanley) – but we would remain a separate entity. Additionally, North Point would provide invaluable coaching and financial support. To find out more about how North Point strategically partners with new church plants, see northpointpartners.org.

ASSOCIATION OF RELATED CHURCHES (ARC)
The Association of Related Churches is a church planting network that brings together people and organizations with a passion for planting and growing life-giving churches. They oversee a larger membership of churches which partner with the ARC to financially and personally support the growth of new ARC church plants.

Since 2000, the ARC has planted 60 life-giving local churches in America in 26 states. Over 120 churches, and growing, have teamed up with the ARC to share resources, develop lifelong ministry relationships and help plant more churches.

ARC is all about planting life-giving churches that grow and reproduce, and then plant life-giving churches themselves. New or potential church planters get started by attending ARC’s Church Planters Roundtable (CPR) especially designed to address the concerns and needs of church planters.

ACTS 29 NETWORK
The Acts 29 Network is a peer-to-peer network seeking to influence and shape the church planting culture through both rock-solid theology and contextualizing the gospel. Network churches possess a very high view of scripture on the one hand, and a total commitment to engage contemporary culture with the gospel on the other hand, using every effective means of communication. It is their desire to plant 1,000 new churches in the next 20 years.

Like minded denominations, churches, and organizations that partner with Acts 29 provide various resources for church plants such as men, funding, facilities, planting team members, etc. Essentially, assessed and approved church planters are given access to the network community to make a connection and develop relationships with existing partners. Then local churches of the network distribute directly to the church planter that they decide to assist.

OUR MOST IMPORTANT PARTNERSHIPS
Encounter's most important partnerships will be with you – the individuals who will join with us as planting team members, prayer partners, and financial partners. And while sponsor churches and church planting networks will help Encounter with essential prayer, coaching, resources, and funds - you will BE Encounter.

It will be individuals like you who are investing in peoples lives and inviting them to our entry environments. It will be individuals like you who are strategically serving in one or more environments to see others pursuing growing relationships with Jesus. It will be people like you who will make up the LifeGroups where we will "do life together" and experience life change.

These are the "early moments" of a movement within Helena to lead a generation into a growing relationship with Christ. If you haven't already thought seriously about it, we challenge you to consider being one of our most important partners. You can partner with us in prayer, you can partner with us financially, or you can partner with us as a planting team member of Encounter. If you feel that God is calling you to any of these, please let us know by contacting us now.

Essential Number 4: Strategic Service

As we look forward to what Encounter will be like, I can identify at least four things that will be essential to making our mission a reality. If we really want to lead people into growing relationships with Christ, everyone must be focused and committed to our Entry Environments, Life Groups, an Invest & Invite Culture, and Strategic Service. Let's discuss essential number 4, an Strategic Service.

INTENTIONAL STRATEGIC SERVICE
Strategic service occurs when we intentionally serve in a place that moves the church closer to fulfilling its mission.

Our strategy is very specific: to create environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue growing faith through intimacy with Jesus (Encounter God), authentic relationships by doing life together (Experience Community), and trust relationships that lead to transformation (Engage Culture).

One of the best ways to connect and grow is to serve others, but it's not enough to simply serve. Our impact relies upon a coordinated, strategic effort of service with other gifted members of the body of Christ. That is why we need every person to serve in at least one of our ministry environments.

At first, you may be asked to serve in areas of need. It is important to understand that as Encounter grows and as God adds new gifted individuals to our community, we will eventually find a place that best fits our individual mix of gifts.

Essential Number 3: Invest & Invite Culture

As we look forward to what Encounter will be like, I can identify at least four things that will be essential to making our mission a reality. If we really want to lead people into growing relationships with Christ, everyone must be focused and committed to our Entry Environments, LifeGroups, an Invest & Invite Culture, and Strategic Service. Let's discuss essential number 3, an Invest & Invite Culture.

INVEST & INVITE CULTURE
Everyone at Encounter must be committed to investing in relationships with people who are far from God. It is only in this way that we can Engage Culture resulting in transformed lives. As Jesus invested His life into those around Him, we must invest our lives into those around us. We must serve them, befriend them, accept them, and when we speak of our faith, we'll speak from the overflow of our heart. One thing about investments is that there is rarely an immediate pay-off. Investing takes time. It took Jesus three years to convince the twelve.

After such an investment, it is much easier and effective to invite people to an Encounter environment. Then it is more natural to resurface the subject later providing opportunities to share your journey with Jesus. Being with other believers at the right kind of event has a way of opening people up or pricking their interest in spiritual things. We all know people whose picture of Christianity is so distorted that they need to see the real thing before they can hear you.

Invest & Invite is a both a community culture and a personal strategy. It means genuinely caring for people outside the church and then being bold enough to risk the relationship by inviting them to go deeper. It takes energy and effort to build and invest in a relationship. It takes equal compassion and courage to leverage that relationship for the sake of eternity.

Essential Number 2: LifeGroups

As we look forward to what Encounter will be be like, I can identify at least four things that will be essential to making our mission a reality. If we really want to lead people into growing relationships with Christ, everyone must be focused and committed to our Entry Environments, LifeGroups, an Invest & Invite Culture, and Strategic Service. Let's discuss essential number 2, LifeGroups.

LIFEGROUPS
As we move people from the "entry" environments, then through transitional "connection" environments, we want everyone to end up in the "growth"environment of LifeGroups. We believe that the best place for people to experience life change is in the small group context.

These groups consist of six to eight individuals or five to six couples who meet regularly for Bible study and prayer and commit to accountability, friendship and support. They are a safe place to ask tough questions and build lasting friendships in an environment of commitment and strength and security. They are also a great place to grow in our relationship with Jesus and community with others.