church planting

Multiplication is Impossible Without Intentionality

January 30, 2016 By Daniel Im

*My post here was originally published on Nov 10, 2015 in Christianity Today.

Wikipedia - Calvin Teo — Wikipedia – Calvin Teo

Growing up in Vancouver, there were a lot of 7-Elevens around. In fact, one of my favorite things to do as a child was to buy a Slurpee, nachos with cheese, and some chewy coke bottle candies. Ah, the memories. So when my Sunday school teacher offered to buy my friends and I nachos and cheese, in exchange for not making his life miserable, you could’ve probably guessed my response. I was like a child with a halo around his head. Who knew bribing a child could be so effective!

The funny thing about 7-Elevens, and other convenient stores like them, is that they have a strategy for multiplication. They don’t just haphazardly place stores wherever there’s cheap rent, nor do they wait for entrepreneurial leaders to show up at their door step. They are intentional. Incredibly intentional. They do their research on the best location for future stores. They develop leaders because they know that the success of their stores rises and falls on leadership. Intentionality is everything.

The same is true for church planting.

Intentionality Matters in Church Planting

When we conducted the largest and most thorough research project ever done on church planting, we discovered that intentionality was everything. You can download the U.S. and Canadian version of the report at www.newchurches.com.

We discovered that:

Church plants who were intentional with evangelism had more unchurched people in their congregation
Church plants who were intentional at having a highly public presence had a larger worship attendance
Church plants who were intentional at starting at least one daughter church within their first 3 and 5 years saw a consistent increase in attendance
Church plants who prioritized leadership development saw more people make a decision for Christ

And the list goes on and on. The fact is, intentionality matters.

3 Ways Tesla Affects Your Church Metrics

January 5, 2016 By Daniel Im

*My post here was originally published on Oct 13, 2015 in Christianity Today.

When you think of Tesla, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

For most people, it’s electric cars, but what if I were to tell you that this was not going to be their greatest legacy? Yes, they did vastly expand the driving range of an electric vehicle from 73 miles (117 km) to 200 miles (320 km) on a single charge. Yes, they did reimagine the electric car and the way that it is powered. Yes, they did open up the black box on their technology patents so that other car manufacturers can benefit from and improve on their technology. However, since electric vehicles only account for one percent of the market, unless more people begin to buy electric vehicles, Tesla’s impact will be small, if not negligible. In addition, with the recent report that revealed Tesla loses more than $4000 on every Model S car that they sell, the future is looking dim for them.

Although Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, may want his company to be remembered for electric vehicle technology, he might actually be inadvertantly writing his legacy elsewhere. Even more than their advancement in battery technology, I believe that the greatest impact that Tesla will make in the automobile industry is from their dashboards. After all, while only one percent of customers might buy an electric car, one hundred percent of vehicles have dashboards. Have you ever seen the dashboard on a Tesla? It feels like a thing of the future. Not only have they gotten rid of all the manual dials and gauges and made them digital, but they have also reimagined what a dashboard could be. I wouldn’t be surprised if other car manufacturers quickly follow suit.

Here are three ways that Tesla has reimagined the dashboard:

1. From static to dynamic. Most cars still have manual gauges to change the temperature, measure the RPM, or change the radio station. In the Tesla dashboard, everything is digital and dynamic.

2. From single-function to multi-function. If you look at the dashboard in a common vehicle, you’ll have single-function gauges. In the Tesla, you have the ability to display anything you would like on your dashboard. For example, you could measure the energy consumption on your car, while adjusting your car’s height suspension, and follow your GPS all at the same time. Your dashboards are digital screens.

4 Tips to Casting a Compelling Vision

August 18, 2015 By Daniel Im

Every leader needs to be able to cast vision. Casting vision is about painting such a compelling picture of the future that others are willing to follow you on the journey that you’re on. So whether you’re a church planter gathering your launch team, a pastor working on a building plan, a contractor focused on a renovation, or a parent needing to deal with your child’s behavior, being able to cast a compelling vision is leadership 101.

Casting vision is about painting a compelling picture of the future

Click To Tweet

Here are a few tips on casting vision:

10 Reasons Systems Matter for Church Planting

July 14, 2015 By Daniel Im

Yasunari Nakamura - Flickr — Yasunari Nakamura – Flickr

There are no perfect models, and there is no silver bullet. Many models are useful though.

What’s fascinating is that two church planters can use the exact same model in the same city and get vastly varying results. Notice that I said the same model, but I didn’t mention anything about the systems that each church planter used.

For example, let’s consider the Dodge Charger that police drive versus the Dodge Charger that you can drive off the lot.

Although, at first glance, they both look like the same car, the performance between the two is like night and day. For police cars, not only do they upgrade the engine, but they also change out the battery, alternator, cooler, suspension, brakes, and many other components that make up the car.

Essentially, the model or framework of the car is the same, but everything that makes up the car, which are its systems, are different.

I realize this isn’t a perfect example, but it illustrates the importance of systems, as the next step, in church planting.

This is a natural next step for those of you who are highly detailed and systematic. However, what I’ve found is that many church planters are weak in this area.

As a result, church planters will often think about their church planting model at a 30,000 foot level and work on many of the aspects needed to plant successfully, instead of working in those aspects.

If all the work is done on the plant, instead of in the plant, then planters will not have any control over the systems that are shaping it; and that will ultimately determine the fate of their church plant.

For example, working on the plant is all about thinking through the location, name, logo, and vision statement. Working in the plant is about thinking through financial sustainability, church structure, launch team, and the intricacies of congregational formation, and long-term discipleship.

I’m not advocating that you take care of every single detail yourself, but I am advocating that you involve yourself at every step of the process. If God has called you to plant a church, he has called you to be the steward of this vision. Don’t neglect your responsibilities and don’t delegate the details.

If God has called you to plant a church, he has called you to be the steward of this vision

Click To Tweet

What would happen if you were stubborn and decided to leave systems to chance?

New Churches: Multiply the Mission

June 23, 2015 By Daniel Im

Currently, a significant trend in the U.S., Canada, and around the world is a renewed emphasis on starting new churches. More than 4,000 new churches are launched in the U.S. each year alone, each one representing the potential to reach new people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

However, new churches commonly struggle with limited resources, a lack of trained volunteers and few tools to support their work. Even more, these limitations can often be the most detrimental to churches in their very first years.

But LifeWay and the initiative that I’m leading through New Churches is committed to help.

For churches in their first two years of operation, LifeWay has a variety of free offerings to help get a few of the foundational aspects of ministry in place. This includes helps for:

Bible Study Groups (6 months of digital curriculum for all age groups)
Church Website: twenty:28 (Free website design and 1 year of hosting)
Leadership Development (1 year access to Ministry Grid, LifeWay’s new web-based training platform)
LifeWay eGiving $0 month + 2.75% + .30 per transaction. Plus, no set-up fee for text giving
LifeWay Envelope Service– 600 free offering envelopes
Plus, $500 in free printed LifeWay resources of the church’s choosing

To qualify to receive the free offers above, simply complete the form here at New Churches.