This document summarizes an upcoming regional cohort gathering focused on member care and church governance. It provides details on the dates and locations of cohort meetings in NY/NJ and Boston on March 14-15. The document outlines topics for discussion including creating a culture for membership, leadership structures, and caring for members. It also lists requirements and resources for church constitutions, membership policies, and leadership teams.
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Regional Cohort Gatherings March 14 & 15, 2012
1. Regional Cohort Gatherings | Big Picture (+ Open Discussion)
⢠Wed March 14: NY/NJ Metro Cohort
⢠Thu March 15: Greater Boston/New England Cohort
Big Picture Topic: Member Care & Church Governance
Opening Questions
⢠How do you created the culture (values, systems, policies, etc.) for vibrant congregational membership?
⢠Where are you currently in this process in your church plant?
Relevant Factors
From âChurch Planter Covenant Agreementâ
⢠âThe Responsibilities of the Congregationâ
⢠4. Polity. The congregation shall incorporate and operate under church governance patterned after a
Covenant model of articles of incorporation, constitution, and by-laws. The initial governance documents
must be approved by the East Coast Conference Superintendent and the Executive Minister of Church
Growth & Evangelism of the ECC prior to their adoption by the congregation in order to become a full
member congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
⢠11. Membership. The congregation shall begin the administrative process for becoming a full member
congregation in the ECC and the East Coast Conference one year after the conclusion of the appropriations
period. During this time the missional viability of the church shall be determined as a prerequisite for
membership.
⢠âAddendum 2: Benchmarksâ
⢠H. Years 1-3
⢠Attendance: Average 225 in worship attendance by the end of year three
⢠Finances: Financially self-suďŹcient by the time the church goes oďŹ appropriations
⢠I. Years 4-5
⢠Church Planting: Parent or Partner with other churches in the planting of your ďŹrst church plant
⢠Membership. Upon meeting the necessary criteria and missional viability requirements, complete the
process for becoming a full member congregation in the Evangelical Covenant Church
Other Issues
⢠âVision leaksâ - you need to always be reďŹlling the vision reserves
⢠âPeople are down on what they are not up onâ - John Wenrich (borrowing it from Zig Ziglar)
⢠âOpportunity Costâ - from miscommunication, misunderstanding, dissipated ministry eďŹorts
Key Requirements
Constitution and By-Laws
⢠Every Covenant Church Plant must have this in place before being received into full membership in the Covenant
⢠bit.ly/sampleconstitution - The approved âLeadership Team Formâ with (an approved) adaptation to allow for
additional pastoral staďŹ as a minority of the Leadership Team (recommend using wholesale, use âďŹnd & replaceâ :)
⢠ChurchPlantingWiki.com: www.churchplantingwiki.com/index.php/wiki/Category:Leadership_and_Governance
⢠Transitional Leadership Teams First and Second Years in a Church Plant
⢠Policies and Procedures: Sample of Categories
⢠(plus several more documents)
Regional Cohort Gatherings | Big Idea: Member Care & Church Governance March 14 & 15, 2012 | page 1 of 4
2. Church Membership
⢠Questions
⢠What are ways âmembershipâ can best serve the mission, vision, and values of a church? Ways it may hinder?
⢠Where are you currently in this process in your church plant?
⢠Components
⢠Culture - the most important thing you create
⢠Membership policies and expectations - what does âmembershipâ mean here?
⢠Membership Course - what is the literal process people go through to become a member
⢠Example: bit.ly/artisanchurchmembershipcourse (handouts, videos, and related materials)
⢠Strong Recommendation:
⢠set the bar high (example: bit.ly/artisanchurchmembershipcovenant)
⢠require annual renewal (default to each personâs membership ending each year unless they opt back in)
Leadership: Pastoral StaďŹ, Leadership Team, and other Key Leaders
⢠âtasks not titlesâ + âhire slow, ďŹre fastâ
⢠www.churchplantingwiki.com/index.php/wiki/Hiring_Process_-_Sample
⢠Best: develop leaders and hire from within
⢠Suggestion: Annual StaďŹ & Leadership Prayer & Planning Retreat
⢠schedule for soon after any new Leadership Team members are voted in and before the new ministry season
⢠Artisan Church scheduled these late-May/early-June, after our April Congregational Annual Meeting, and
before July 1 start of the new âministry calendarâ (which gave plenty of lead time for huge fall outreach push)
⢠Sample Outline from Artisan Church âPrayer & Planning Retreatâ: bit.ly/whVaMf
The Care & Feeding of Members
⢠Questions
⢠How will you consistently communicate and cast vision well?
⢠How will you elicit invaluable feedback and input?
⢠How will you create buy-in and ownership?
⢠Example: âThe Galleryâ quarterly members gathering
⢠Members expected, everyone welcome (seriously, members were not to consider this âoptionalâ)
⢠Simple format: potluck dinner, celebrate and honor particular servants and volunteers,
debrief recent ministry eďŹorts, share & discuss future plans. Most importantly: cast vision
⢠www.slideshare.net/jasoncondon/the-gallery-at-artisan-church-080509
Available Tools (Provided in âChurch Planter Covenant Agreementâ)
⢠1-year Church Management System with Online Giving, examples:
⢠The City: www.onthecity.org/ (the Highrock church plants use this, comes highly recommended)
⢠Convergence365.com (Covenant Technologies preferred service provider, canât yet recommend)
⢠1-year QuickBooks Online with Payroll
⢠6-months of Bookkeeping Services with training for hand-oďŹ
⢠Sandy Norris, The Counting House
⢠Currently Using: Sanctuary Providence, Hope Church NYC
⢠Getting Set up: Elements Church, New Season Church
Regional Cohort Gatherings | Big Idea: Member Care & Church Governance March 14 & 15, 2012 | page 2 of 4
3. Open Discussion: Recent happenings & Whatâs on your mind?
Brief Reports from Launch Team Training (with application for everyone)
⢠Launch Teams that Attended
Sat March 4: New Rochelle (70-80 in attendance)
⢠Hope Church NYC, Astoria NY (Drew Hyun)
⢠Elements, Bronx NY (Efrain Alicea)
⢠Promised Land: Willis Campus, Bronx NY (Michael Carrion)
⢠New York Covenant Church: Manhattan Campus, New Rochelle (David Holder)
Sat March 11: East Bridgewater (60-70 in attendance)
⢠Sanctuary, Providence RI (Andrew Mook)
⢠Highrock Northshore, Salem MA (Aaron Engler)
⢠Highrock Quincy, Quincy MA (Stephen Sharkey)
⢠Quick Debrief
⢠What worked well? What was most helpful to the church planter and Launch Team members?
⢠What should be changed, removed, and/or improved?
⢠Others: How would your church plant and congregation beneďŹt from speciďŹc training? (on any topic or area)
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âHow can we plant more churches?â
⢠Question raised by Josh at the Thu Feb 23 Greater Boston/New England Cohort, started a great discussion
⢠Retreat Content: what should we discuss and decide today so this can go even deeper at our Retreat in Orlando?
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Anything Else?
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Housekeeping:
Exponential Conference & Church Planter Retreat
⢠conďŹrm ďŹnal count for housing
⢠discuss retreat content
⢠ECConf Party to invite prospects?
⢠topics & party & ďŹnal count (housing)
Calendar Review
Regional Cohort Gatherings | Big Idea: Member Care & Church Governance March 14 & 15, 2012 | page 3 of 4
4. Coming Events | Mark Your Calendar (subscribe at eastcoastconf.org/calendar)
April June
⢠Easter Next Month, April 8 ⢠NO Cohort Gatherings
⢠Hope your plans are well underway! ⢠Church Planting Training Center
⢠Feel free to review past Cohort gathering Wed June 6, 9pm - Sat June 9, 11:30am
handouts where we discussed the âFall Outreach (somewhere mid-country, for small teams of 3-4)
Seasonâ if you still need ideas [available at ⢠Covenant Annual Meeting
www.jasoncondon.com/search/label/ Thu June 21 - Sat June 23
churchplanting ] Irvine CA, www.covchurch.org/am/
⢠NO Cohort Gatherings ⢠Tentative: ECConf Assessment Center
⢠East Coast Conference Annual Meeting for church planting candidates
⢠April 19-April 21 (Thu-Sat) Thu June 28, 11am - Fri June 29, 2pm
⢠Covenant Church, Easton CT (another possibility: sometime July 9-13)
⢠eastcoastconf.org/annualmeeting
July
⢠Jason leading workshop: âUnderstanding Church
Planting on the ECConfâ (interested in helping?) ⢠NO Cohort Gatherings, but hereâs a crazy ideaâŚ
⢠Exponential + Church Planters Retreat! ⢠Special Get-Together for all the church planters
and spouses at Jason & Lisaâs in Columbia CT!
⢠April 24-26 (Tue-Thu): Exponential Conference:
www.exponentialconference.org ⢠Paintball, BBQ, BonďŹre (Backyard Camping?!)
⢠Date: Wed July 18, 12noon âtil Late Night
⢠April 26-27 (Thu Afternoon â Fri Night): ECConf ⢠Rain Date: Wed July 25
Church Planters Retreat. Debrief, Dream, and Play!
(*book ďŹights home for either Sat or Sun) August
⢠Optional Bonus Days: Mon April 25 Exponential ⢠Jasonâs family at Pilgrim Pines Family Camp
Pre-Conference; Stay at resort through Sun April Sat Aug 4 - Sat Aug 11 - Feel free to visit!
29 check-out (I am :) ⢠NY/NJ Metro Cohort
⢠Very AďŹordable: automatic $200 scholarship, Wed Aug 22, 11:00am-2:30pm
crazy-cheap resort housing, plus other funding ⢠Greater Boston/New England Cohort
built into many of your Agreements. Housing and Thu Aug 23, 11:00am-2:30pm
house groceries: $200. You might still get a $29
discount using the code "expo2012" September
⢠NY/NJ Metro Cohort
May Wed Sept 26, 11:00am-2:30pm
⢠NY/NJ Metro Cohort ⢠Greater Boston/New England Cohort
Wed May 16, 11:00am-2:30pm Thu Sept 27, 11:00am-2:30pm
Decide Location:
⢠Greater Boston/New England Cohort October
Thu May 17, 11:00am-2:30pm ⢠NY/NJ Metro Cohort
Decide Location: Wed Oct 24, 11:00am-2:30pm
⢠Greater Boston/New England Cohort
Thu Oct 25, 11:00am-2:30pm
Full Calendar for East Coast Conference
⢠Visit www.eastcoastconf.org/calendar to subscribe to our East Coast Conference Google calendar (subscribe
through Google Calendar, iCal, or any calendar app that reads ical feeds)
⢠Entries labeled âChurch Plantingâ are speciďŹcally for church planters, the rest will relate to Covenant pastors in
general, so note those as well
Regional Cohort Gatherings | Big Idea: Member Care & Church Governance March 14 & 15, 2012 | page 4 of 4