multiplication

Why Every Church Planter Should Plant Pregnant

August 14, 2018 By Daniel Im

Planting a church is like having a baby.

It’s hard to know when you should start trying. During pregnancy some babies thrive, and others have more of a difficult time. When the baby is delivered, it’s messy and painful, but in the end a beautiful life is born, the labor is forgotten, and we often want to have another.

Planting a church is like having a baby

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In the same way it’s difficult to know when you should start plans for a daughter church; after all, there always seems to be a countless number of reasons to put it off:

“We aren’t even two years old, and I’m the only staff member.”
“When we begin to hit budget, I’ll consider starting a daughter church.”
“We’re too small. If we start a daughter church, that’ll cannibalize our people and finances.”
“Isn’t that the denomination’s responsibility anyway?”
“I’m barely keeping my head above the water, and you want me to add something that big onto my plate?”

Sound familiar? If you’ve found yourself saying similar things, you’re not alone.

However, once you get past those initial hurdles and decide to plant a daughter church, sometimes the assessment, training, and preparation of the planter goes well; however, other times the process unfortunately ends prematurely.

And when that daughter church is finally ready to be launched, it’s painful because everything changes.

You lose leaders, people, tithes, and your sense of normal.

Want to Multiply Your Church? Focus on Leadership Development

February 27, 2018 By Daniel Im

Churches that multiply do not see their volunteers as hirelings to carry out grunt work so that the pastors can do the real work of ministry.

Churches that multiply live out Ephesians 4:11–13 and believe that every member is a minister.

This is because leadership development is not just about teaching people leadership principles, or giving church members a place to serve. Leadership development is about helping every member discover their God giving calling, grow in their skills, and develop their competencies so that they can continue to grow in their kingdom impact.

Churches that multiply do not see their volunteers as hirelings to carry out grunt work.

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For example, while some churches may just be glad to find nursery workers to fill an empty spot, churches that multiply place each nursery worker on a development path, where that volunteer is not only serving, but also growing in their character and competencies.

In other words, being a nursery worker is not the end; it’s rather the means to maturity in Christ and the development of one’s leadership skills.

Seismic Shifts and a Missional Response

October 4, 2016 By Daniel Im

seismic-shift

There have been two seismic shifts in the church and culture in the English-speaking Western world over the past few decades. The first shift is predominantly a good one, while the second shift has mixed reactions.

Seismic Shift #1: An Increased Focus on Church Planting

Recently, I came across a tweet from my friend, Jeff Christopherson, who leads the North American Mission Board’s Send Network.

jeff-christopherson-tweet

I love this! In the Southern Baptist Convention, church plants baptize almost four times the number of people than existing established churches! I agree with the hashtag, #plantingworks.

Statistics like this are one of the reasons that denominations are placing a greater emphasis on church planting. The dynamic long-term growth of many church plants has helped as well. Consider Life Church with Craig Groeschel, Saddleback with Rick Warren, and Redeemer Presbyterian with Tim Keller, among many others. Compare that to a few decades ago, when church planting was on the periphery and seen as a ‘suspicious activity’ to most.

Seismic Shift #2: The Church Moving to the Periphery

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.

Exponential East 2015 – Leadership Seminars

April 23, 2015 By Daniel Im

If you’re going to be at Exponential East 2015 at the end of April 2015, I’d love to meet up with you and connect! In fact, here are the four leadership seminars that I’ll be leading while I’m there.

Workshop Session 1: Using Technology to Unleash a Culture of Multiplication
This isn’t about Twitter, Facebook, or Google Analytics. Nor is this a session for geeks or techies either. In this session, we will discuss how you can easily use technology to support a leadership reformation in your church. After all, gone are the days where you would expect 100% of your leaders to show up on a Saturday morning training seminar. How can you train, support, empower, and coach your leaders using technology? Come and find out. There’ll be freebies galore, including free access to the latest and greatest conference videos.
Time: Tuesday, 2:30-3:30pm
Location: A148

Workshop Session 3: Are You a Future Planter or Campus Pastor?
Not everyone is called to plant a church. Some are called to plant a campus, and that’s not a lesser calling. So how do you discern what God is calling you to? What are your next steps in this journey of discernment? In this session, you’ll learn the key differences in these roles and receive a framework to help you make that decision.
Time: Wednesday, 1:00-2:00pm
Location: A148

Workshop Session 4: Discover How To Use Your Strengths to Multiply Your Church
Churches that multiply are led by leaders who are self-aware and know their strengths. Do you know what your areas of strength and natural talent are? Do you intentionally build those areas, while managing your weaknesses? For your church to grow and multiply, you may not actually need the latest and greatest strategy. Perhaps what you need is greater self-awareness. In this session, you’ll discover your areas of strength and develop a plan to manage your weaknesses.
Time: Wednesday, 2:30-3:30pm
Location: A148

Workshop Session 5: Using Technology to Unleash a Culture of Multiplication
This isn’t about Twitter, Facebook, or Google Analytics. Nor is this a session for geeks or techies either. In this session, we will discuss how you can easily use technology to support a leadership reformation in your church. After all, gone are the days where you would expect 100% of your leaders to show up on a Saturday morning training seminar. How can you train, support, empower, and coach your leaders using technology? Come and find out. There’ll be freebies galore, including free access to the latest and greatest conference videos.
Time: Thursday, 8:45-9:45am
Location: A148