Have you been called to plant a new church but you aren't sure how to get started? If so, you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about church planting, including how to get started and some tools you'll need to help you along the way.
When you hear the call to plant a church, it can feel daunting to figure out how to get started. Such a noble calling can feel overwhelming when it comes to the practicality of actually planting a church.
If you’ve been called to plant a church, we’ve got your back! In this article, we’ll walk through the basics of church planting, including how to do it, the key duties of the planter, and 4 common mistakes you should avoid.
Get your metaphorical shovel ready – it’s time to plant!
Church planting refers to the process of establishing an organized group of worshipers in a specific location. Think of it as planting the seed that will grow into an established church, which is an important part of the community around it.
Church planting also sometimes refers to opening new locations or branches of an already established church.
Here we’ll look at steps to start the process of planting a church.
For a more comprehensive guide, check out our How to Start a Church article, where we walk you through the nitty gritty of establishing an official church.
When you set out to plant your church, the first question you’ll receive is – why?
With so many other churches out there, you need to have a compelling reason for planting a new one. This should be a part of your communication strategy as you connect with the community and with your new worship group.
Consider the following questions:
Having the “why” in place will help you with the next step.
Your mission or vision statement is your guiding light. It’s the outline you’ll follow throughout your church planting process. It’s also a great tool to share your intentions and brand with the world around you.
You may already have a mission statement if you’re planting a branch of an existing church, but now is a great time to decide if you’d like to update it or make any adjustments.
Your mission statement should speak to:
For more help with your mission statement, check out our how-to guide for writing nonprofit mission statements. If you already have your church leadership established, you can consult them to help write your statement.
Pro tip: Your mission statement is a great addition to your church’s fundraising page. It serves as a reminder of your important work and helps donors confirm that your church’s vision aligns with theirs. Check out how First Presbyterian Church included its mission statement on its Donorbox donation page.
Church fundraising is vital to church planting. Without funds, you’ll struggle to create a valuable space that can attract new members – and connect more people with the good word.
You’ll want a fundraising tool that helps you easily fundraise both online and in person. That’s where Donorbox comes in. Donorbox MinistryMatters is a dedicated pillar completely focused on church fundraising. We know how important it is to have easy-to-use and effective tools to keep funds flowing to your church.
Donorbox MinistryMatters - Learn More!
Donorbox helps thousands of churches fundraise with tools like –
Learn more about Donorbox MinistryMatters and the tools, features, and services it has to offer in our article here.
A church without a community isn’t a fully planted church! That’s why it’s important to recognize that the people helping you plant a church are your most important resource.
In addition to supporting you, these are the people who will help bring others to your church. They’re also your pool of volunteers to make your programming come to life, and yes – they will be supporting you financially through tithing and offerings.
Here are three ways to be a good steward of this new community:
Pro tip: Leverage your donor database for storing important information about your supporters. Donorbox Donor Management lets you record communication notes for each supporter record. This will make it easier to track their feedback and your meeting details and use them to plant your church.
While you may not be ready to fully commit to a new building yet, you’ll need a space to host services and connect with your members.
You’ll need to look for something that fits your budget. It should be big enough to fit the crowd you already have, but should also leave you plenty of room to grow.
Pro tip: Launch a church capital campaign to raise the funds for a new space. It can really energize your new church community. Inspire your supporters to become fundraisers for your capital campaign. Donorbox Peer-to-Peer lets you easily turn a fundraising campaign into a peer-to-peer fundraising one. You can invite supporters to create their own fundraising pages right from the tool. Learn more in this article.
Now that you have a community that supports you, a strong mission to guide you, and a place to call home, you’re ready to finish setting up your church – and launch!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help during this step. Pioneers Church ran a Donorbox crowdfunding campaign to help cover the administrative costs of launching their church. They raised over $47,900 in just 44 donations!
Create a Campaign to Launch Your Church
As you host your first service, be sure to have methods in place to stay connected with any new attendees like connection cards and newsletters.
You did the hard work of planting a church – now it’s time to steward this seed into something magnificent.
What is a church planter, and what are their duties?
Church planters are those that set off with a mission in their heart – to spread the word of God through planting a church. Whether they’re planting a branch of a preexisting church or starting their own, they are the driving force behind the church.
Here are a few key duties of a church planter.
Church planters have a sacred duty to cultivate a spirit of goodwill in their new church and take steps to ensure the longevity of their worship community.
This means leading with love and figuring out how to best support those around you.
They also have a duty to remain transparent in how they’re operating the planting. In other words, they need to ensure those who donate to their church feel like their money is being properly spent.
One way to do this is to put strong church accounting practices in place.
Another is to send automated, tax-compliant receipts for every donation received. Donorbox sends donation receipts automatically, every time someone donates. It’s easy to customize the receipt on the tool for each campaign. Your church can also send a year-end tax receipt summarizing every donation someone has made to your church throughout the year.
This makes tax time easy for your donors since church donations are typically tax deductible. It also shows them that you value transparency and organization – so they can trust you with their hard-earned money.
Part of your duties as a church planter will include securing an Employer Identification Number, or EIN, using Form SS-4.
You’ll also be responsible for deciding whether to apply for official 501(c)(3) status. Since churches that follow the requirements automatically receive 501(c)(3) status, this isn’t something you’ll need to do right away. But it is something you’ll be responsible for should your church choose to make it official.
You’ll also be responsible for annual financial reporting with Form 990.
Although you may have volunteers to help with this, ultimately you’re the spokesperson for your church. Any questions or concerns the public has will come to you – and it will be your responsibility to answer them.
It can be easy to lose touch with what’s most important as you get swept up in the logistics of planting your church. But remember that your ultimate goal is to help the community around you – that you are there to make that part of the world a better place.
We love how the Darden family, who planted Calvary Highlands Ranch, kept outreach at the center of their messaging when they launched their fundraising campaign.
Fundraise for Your Church - Sign Up!
What does success look like for you as you’re planting your church? What should it look like?
Don’t get too wrapped up in attendance and fundraising numbers that you forget what’s most important about planting a church. While the numbers are important because they’ll help grow your church, they should come secondary to your idea of success.
Your church isn’t going to get planted overnight. It took God 7 days to build our home – trust in the process and know it might not be smooth sailing all the time.
Pro tip: Create a checklist that will help you stay grounded and focused on the process while giving you manageable tasks to cross off.
Gratitude is such an important piece when planting a church. You need to take time to show gratitude to God, of course, but also to those who have supported you along the way.
Donor appreciation is often overlooked in those early, frantic days of planting a church. But it’s so important to properly thank those who have gone out of their way to support your journey.
Donorbox makes donor appreciation easy. You can fully customize the thank-you letter that arrives with each automated donation receipt (shown below). This thank-you letter is a great place to fully communicate your gratitude.
The call to plant a church can feel overwhelming at first. Figuring out what it takes and what your duties as a church planter are doesn’t always come easy.
But following a set of steps to successfully plant your church and avoid some common pitfalls is the best way to honor those who have decided to join you. And the religious goodwill you’re hoping to share.
You’ll need financial support to make your dreams of planting a church a reality. Donorbox helps both new and established churches fundraise gracefully and effectively. With comprehensive tools, tons of resources on our Nonprofit Blog and in the Donorbox Library, and our Donorbox MinistryMatters totally dedicated to churches, we can help every step of the way.
Sign up to start fundraising for your church today!
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive the latest blogs, news, and more in your inbox.
Lindsey Baker Bower