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Project Project
A “Project” begins when a decision is made by a core group of people, a pioneer planter, or a parent church to start a new Evangelical Free Church and this action is recognized by the Central District staff.
A core group is a group of people who present the need for an EFC in their community or area.
A pioneer planter is a person who desires to work at planting a church in an area and work in cooperation and in an accountability relationship with the Central District office.
A parent church may be a church that has had excellent growth and wishes to divide and establish a church in a different location in the same large city or in a nearby community.
A Church Planting Missionary (CPM) assists each core group in becoming a church.
Forming a Core Group
A core group of people must be willing to commit their time and resources to initiate the church planting process.
The core group may form from within a larger church, or from within a community, and contact the Central District office for assistance in planting a church. Sometimes a number of individuals independently contact the office and the CPM brings them together to form a core group. Forming a core group may take several weeks to several years depending upon how many people express interest within the area or community.
The original number of people interested in planting a church may be quite large. The CPM will meet with the prospective core group members. He outlines the church planting process and presents a vision for the church. Usually a smaller number of people are actually willing to commit the time and effort required the first year or so in setting up the church plant. The final core group is normally made up of 6 to 12 people with strongly similar spiritual beliefs. The group may contain a diverse mix of ages, economic standing, education, and marital status (couples and singles).
Neighboring churches are then notified of the intent to plant a church. They have several weeks to express their support for the church or objections if they feel the church is too close.
The District Superintendent is informed and gives his consent. The District Staff, after proper review, recognizes this group as an approved "Project".
Initial Involvement of CPM
The core group will work with the CPM who is assigned to, and lives in, their area of the Central District. The CPM will already be working with an existing church and may be preparing to begin assisting another. The core group may have to wait to begin the process unless a pioneer church planter, coached through the process by the CPM, is involved. A CPM could be assigned in several months to a year.
The CPM evaluates the core group for cohesiveness and spiritual maturity. He will encourage them to form a Bible Study that meets on a weekly basis. The intent of the regular meetings is to build and strengthen relationships within the group as they wait to begin the church planting process.
The CPM will serve as the initial pastor at no charge to the church plant. The salaries for these missionaries are funded through a partnership of financial support from Central District sources, other churches, personal contacts, and core groups.
Financial Plan
Once the core group is approved as a recognized project, a CPM begins to work with them and a financial plan is proposed. The core group takes offerings during their weekly meetings. The money will eventually be used to fund whatever is needed to begin the ministries of the church plant (facilities, hymnals, equipment, etc.).
The core group is encouraged to give10% from the offering to support ministries of the Central District, including the church-planting ministry. This does not pay the salary of the CPM but it does help with the District expenses for planting and also begins the interdependent relationship of the church supporting the District ministries. It also instills a missions mind set of giving outside the ministry scope of the church.
1. Each CPM is to advise the project/plant to give 10% of the total offerings received by the congregation to the Central District.
2. This amount is to be sent to the District Office on no less than a monthly basis.
3. At the District Office, this gift is divided among three ministry areas as determined by the Board of Directors. Currently this is proportioned as:
a. 50% - Church Planting Expense Fund
b. 25% - District Ministry Fund
c. 25% - Hidden Acres General Fund
4. To accomplish the above objective the CPM emphasizes that the 10% requested is the plant/project's stewardship response partially in appreciation of the ministry of the Central District on their behalf.
5. At the time the church becomes an official member church of the Central District, Project FAIR SHARE, and other EFC opportunities for stewardship will be explained to the new church and they will take full ownership of their mission program.
Communication
Communication with the Central District is Initiated.
The CPM will announce the new project in his regular newsletter and request prayer support for the new group.
The CPM also challenges the core group to develop a prayer strategy for the church planting process. The core group should also make sure they have each others telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for quick communication.
The core group may want to publish a small notice in the local paper about their intent to plant a church and notify area churches as well. It is important to be honest and up front about the intentions of the group.
Insurance Initiated
An insurance plan is set in motion by informing the Central District Superintendent according to our “liability insurance procedures.” Insurance liability is different depending upon the phase of the church planting process the core group is in.
Initially the core group is under the umbrella of the Central District Insurance. Eventually the new church is totally responsible for insuring itself.
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