church planting - amazon s3 · 2.4 prayer and church planting 11 2.5 the place of church planting...

CHURCH PLANTINGGuidelines and Resources

Phil Wheeler John BellamyGraham Murray

[This Page Intentionally Le� Blank]


Evangelism & New Churches

© Evangelism & New Churches, 2018

Church Planting and ENC Contact: Rev Phil Wheeler | Director


+61 (2) 9577 9874

[email protected]

Research Contact: Dr John Bellamy | Senior researcher

Anglicare Sydney

+61 (2) 9421 5419

[email protected]

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of the following committees and individuals to the development of these guidelines:

Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney – funding for publication of these guidelines

Strategic Research Group – guidance and feedback on emerging drafts

Archbishop Glenn Davies, the Regional Bishops and the Archdeacon for Women – feedback on sections of the draft guidelines

Belinda Burn, Stuart Crawshaw, Simon Gillham, David Lim, Tony Payne, Archie Poulos and Scott Sanders – feedback on the draft guidelines

Penny Andersen and Zoe Paleologos, Anglicare SPRU – editing assistance

Bronwyn Pietsch, Beni Creative – graphic design and layout.

SECTION 1

Introduction 06

1.1 How to Use These Guidelines 07

1.2 Where to Get Help 08

SECTION 2

Why Church Plant? Theological Convictions and Foundations 09

2.1 The Imperative of Reaching the Lost 09

2.2 What Is Church? 10

2.3 The Word of God and Church Planting 11

2.4 Prayer and Church Planting 11

2.5 The Place of Church Planting 12

SECTION 3

Church Planting in the Sydney Diocese – History, Models and Policy 14

3.1 Some Recent History 14

3.2 Models of Church Planting 14

3.3 Church Planting in the Diocese – Survival Rates 15

3.4 Church Planting Guidelines Across Parish Boundaries 16

3.5 Benefits of Church Planting as Part of the Diocese of Sydney 18

SECTION 4

The Life Cycle of a Church Plant 20

4.1 Preparing – What You Need to Think About First 20

Person – the Church Planting Leader 20

Place – Determining the Vision, Location and Target Group 24

People – Getting a Core Team Together 27

Plan – Identi�ing Key Steps 28

Payment – Funding the Church Plant 29

4.2 Forming – Getting Started and Launching 30

Documentation and Writing the MoU 30

Appointing a Council 30

Licensing and the Diocese 30

Bank and Xero Accounts 31

Insurance 31

Governance and Compliance – Safe Ministry, Copyrights, Risk Returns and Financial Returns 31

Payroll and Sta� HR Matters 31

Renting a Property, Meeting Space and O¡ce 31

4.3 Establishing – How to Keep Going and Growing 32

Developing the Ministry 32

Collect Data – Researching the Focus Community 32

Communication – Raising the Profile of the Church Plant 32

Connection – Reaching out to People in the Wider Community 34

Community – Being Part of the Wider Community 34

Congregation – Meetings, Groups and Activities at Church 35

4.4 Ongoing Financing and Budgets 37

4.5 Relationships and Partnerships 37

4.6 Coaching, Training and Development 37

4.7 Exiting – the Path to Independence 38

Options for Exiting 38

Transitioning Leadership to Parish Council and Wardens 39

Taking Over Accounting and Managing Property 39

APPENDICES

Forms and Documents 40

Appendix 1: Thoughts on Repotting Existing Churches 40

Appendix 2: Sample MOU with ENC 41

Appendix 3: Sample Letter of Appointment ENC 51

References 58

Contents

06 | 2018

Two of the 10 goals adopted to achieve this vision and mission involve planting new churches. To respond to the changing face of our society the Diocese aims to:

1. Plant 15 new churches in greenfield areas by 2020, and

2. Plant at least two new churches per Mission Area by 2020.

Church planting can be defined as mission carried out by forming faith communities (Hopkins & White, 1995, 3). This definition captures two important concepts:

That church planting has a mission emphasis; and

That it essentially involves the creation of new entities.

Church planting can be defined as mission carried out by forming faith communities. (Hopkins & White, 1995, 3).

Church planting as it has been defined in the Diocese includes the commencement of new congregations (church services) at existing church centres, as well as the establishment of churches at new locations. It includes pioneering churches that are established without a parish base, ‘mother-daughter’ churches where a church starts another church o�-site, and ‘repotted’ churches where one church sends people to revitalise another church. It includes churches or services designed to reach specified people groups, such as people from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds.

It must be stressed that church planting is only one of many strategies employed across the Diocese to see Christ honoured as Lord and Saviour in every community. It ought not to be, nor is it our only strategy. Churches, individual Christians and Diocesan organisations and schools are involved in a range of evangelistic or outreach activities, building cross-cultural networks and realigning existing ministries to become more missional.

In view of the centrality of church planting to the Diocesan mission, and the survival rate of church plants established in the last 15 years, the Archbishop’s Strategic Research Group in conjunction with Evangelism & New Churches (ENC) has decided to publish these Guidelines to assist church leaders wishing to embark on church planting. The Guidelines are based on:

Research carried out in 2015 into the experience of church planting in the Diocese. This research included analysis of National Church Life Survey and other data collected since 2001, and interviews carried out with ministers and other workers who have been on the front-line of church planting in the Diocese. This study report (Bellamy et al, 2015) has been referred to as the Church Planting Study throughout this set of guidelines.

Requirements and resources gathered and developed by ENC for prospective church planters. Resources available from allied agencies such as Geneva Push and City to City Australia have been accessed.

The wisdom of ministers and organisations within the Diocese such as Moore Theological College and the Centre for Ministry Development.

SECTION 1

Introduction

The Vision of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney is ‘to see Christ honoured as Lord and Saviour in every community’ and the 2020 Mission that ‘we commit ourselves afresh, in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, to glori� God and love our neighbour by proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to repent and living lives worthy of him.’

CHURCH PLANTING GUIDELINES AND RESOURCES | 07

1.1 How to Use These Guidelines

These Guidelines are intended to provide an overview of key issues that need to be considered in taking a church plant from the conceptual stage to launching and ongoing development of the church plant.

The Guidelines cover:

SECTION 2

Theological foundationsThe need for church planting, its place in the extension of God’s Kingdom and the place of God’s word and prayer in church planting.

SECTION 3

Brief history, models of planting and policy for church plants A description of di�erent types (models) of church plants, most of which have been established in the Diocese. An outline is given of the proposed guidelines for the location of church plants, especially plants to be located in other parishes.

SECTION 4

Practicalities of planting

APPENDICES

Forms and documents

Key areas to be considered in planning a church plant, up to the launch date. Issues to be addressed beyond launching are then identified, for the ongoing development of the plant.

Includes sample documents for the establishment of church plants within the Diocese.

Preparing, planting and ongoing development

08 | 2018

1.2 Where to Get Help

If you are considering undertaking church planting, further help is available through:

Evangelism & New Churches (ENC) is a department of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, fostering evangelism and establishing new churches in Sydney and Wollongong’s multicultural and multi-religious context.

29 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042


+61 (2) 9577 9874

[email protected]

www.newchurches.org.au

facebook.com/EvangelismAndNewChurches

Centre for Ministry Development (CMD) is a centre of Moore Theological College. CMD supports ministers and churches through providing coaching, mentoring and consulting; diagnostic and assessment tools; training in e�ective ministry and ministry skills.



+61 (2) 9577 9835

[email protected]

www.cmd.training

Geneva Push is an Australian church planting network committed to seeing hundreds of new churches evangelised into existence.

Level 3, 13-15 Bridge St, Sydney NSW 2000

PO Box 3266 Sydney NSW 2001

+61 (2) 9251 1199

[email protected]

www.genevapush.com

facebook.com/genevapush

instagram.com/genevapush

twitter.com/genevapush

youtube.com/channel/UCi_ GNt911geVhthmhxYQmVg

City to City Australia recruits, assesses, trains and coaches local leaders, helping them to launch and grow gospel-centred churches.

64 Bland Street, Ashfield NSW 2131

64 Bland Street, Ashfield NSW 2131

+61 (2) 9797 1545

[email protected]

www.citytocityaustralia.org.au

facebook.com/citytocity.australia

instagram.com/citytocityaustralia


SECTION 2

Why Church Plant? Theological Convictions and Foundations

There is always a danger in ministry of assuming our theological convictions and simply getting on with the execution and practicalities of proclamation and building new churches. We must never assume our theology but rather ensure our theological convictions keep driving and shaping the ministry. To do this we need a thorough and robust theology of church planting and mission.

This section briefly outlines theological convictions and foundational assumptions undergirding church planting in the Sydney Diocese.

We need to recognise that a church plant is not an end in itself, rather a temporary arrangement. A ‘church plant’ in time will become simply a ‘church’. Fundamentally, church plants are churches in the start-up phase as compared with churches with a well-established history. This means we should not overstate the unique aspects of plants compared to established churches nor overstress the particular skills a planter might need. The biblical characteristics expected for pastoral leadership of a church must still be paramount in selecting pastors for planting. The pattern of ministry in a church plant will, in essence, be very much the same as in any church – proclamation of God’s word, prayer, and people work – disciples making disciples.

2.1 The Imperative of Reaching the Lost

In the book Let the Nations be Glad! John Piper says ‘mission happens because worship doesn’t’. God is on a mission in this world and we, as his people, partner with him in bringing all people under the Lordship of Christ. Until every knee bows and every tongue confesses Christ as Lord, we have a commission to fulfil – of making disciples of all nations by baptising and teaching all that Jesus commanded (Matt 28:18-20). Christ is at work to build his church (Matt 16:18) and his Spirit is at work as the gospel is proclaimed to bring repentance and faith and submission to Christ (1 Cor 2:10-13, 1 Peter 1:11-12). The need is obvious. Our Diocesan church network, while geographically extensive, hardly impacts our city. Less than 10% of our city would have any regular involvement in Bible teaching and gospel proclaiming churches (Anglican

or otherwise). At the same time, around two-thirds of the population believe in the existence of God or a higher power and over 50% would identi� as ‘Christian’ in the broadest sense.

The harvest fields are before us and we are called to reach all people with the good news while there is time. God is exercising patience delaying his just judgment in order that many might come to salvation (Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). The urgency and imperative of reaching the lost with the good news of salvation in Christ is clear from God’s word.

Our task is therefore to preach the gospel and make disciples. In doing that inevitably churches or fellowships will emerge - believers gathering together around God’s word for edification and encouragement. In the first century, the apostles went out across the empire proclaiming Christ and establishing churches in various places. These churches then partnered together to send out missionaries and multiply fellowships in other places (Rom 15:23-29, Phil 4:14-19). The apostles were concerned not only for the establishment of the churches but for their ongoing strengthening and health (Acts 14:21-23, 15:36-41).

The harvest fields are before us and we are called to reach all people with the good news while there is time.

Throughout the years since, Christians have been preaching the gospel and living godly lives, and churches have been planted across the globe. Sadly in the West with the rise of secular humanism and the pressures of consumerism, urbanisation and other factors, the urgency and imperative for evangelism and church planting have waned. Many existing church buildings are under-utilised and demographic shi�s mean vast areas of large cities have few or no churches reaching out with the gospel.

We need a renewed commitment to evangelism and reaching a lost, confused and dying world. A ‘both-and’ strategy is needed of planting new churches and revamping and re-growing existing churches which have lost their missional focus.

10 | 2018

2.2 What Is Church?

In considering church planting it is worth asking: what does the church we want to plant look like? If under God it ‘succeeds’ and a body of believers gather together, what does ‘good’ look like?

A church is a gathering together of believers under Christ around his word in a particular time and place.

We must recognise that the church does not belong to us. It is not of our making; it is God’s church. The Lord Jesus Christ declared ‘I will build my church!’ (Matt 16:18). It is his Body, his Bride and his inheritance. The church comes into existence as the gospel is preached and people come to faith.

God is at work in his world to move people from outsiders, under wrath and without hope, to insiders cherished, loved and adopted into his family (Eph 2:1-10). Our ministry therefore is about partnering with God in moving contacts to maturity in Christ by the word and in fellowship. Fellowship with God’s people is unquestionable for a believer (Heb 10:24-25). Every believer is by definition in fellowship, a co-heir with others in Christ, a brother or sister to every other believer.

This universal and heavenly reality of fellowship is given expression in our local fellowship with other believers. As we evangelise, we are bringing people into a fellowship of God’s people in a particular location and time. One church planting agency describes their work as ‘evangelising churches into existence’. Such a fellowship may have a particular focus on certain contacts or people groups but ought obviously to be open to all and every person whom the Lord might call. No church ought be an exclusive club for a particular cultural or socio-economic group, although experience has shown that ‘like attracts like’. So there is a place for the homogeneous group to reach a particular demographic (eg. a Korean group reaching other Koreans) - provided this is a means only and not an end in itself.

A fellowship or church of God will (in our context of an Anglican Diocese) be marked by:

hearing and heeding the word of God (Heb 12:22-29, Col 3:16, 2 Tim 4:1-3);

responding to God in obedience and prayerful dependence;

loving and caring for one another (Heb 10:24-25);

remembering the work of Christ on the Cross through the sacraments (the Lord’s Supper and Baptism);

discipline exercised through appropriate leadership (1 Cor 5, 1 Tim 3, Titus 1, 1 Peter 5); and

a gospel-hearted concern for the lost (evangelism and an outward mission concern).

The last point is significant and o�en missed – the churches that are ‘evangelised’ into existence must necessarily have the gospel and evangelism at their heart. If the gospel calls a church into existence and is its foundation, then a church must be marked not only by gospel-word, gospel-faith and gospel-signs, but by a gospel-heart for the outsider and the lost. The church as an ‘evangelistic organism’ is theologically at the heart of church planting. We are planting a cutting from the tree into a new piece of ground — if the cutting doesn’t have the sap of gospel-hearted love for the lost running through it, it won’t grow.

A church is a gathering together of believers under Christ around his word in a particular time and place.

Beyond such core activities, there is great freedom in what a fellowship of God’s people might look like. The sort of meeting format or structure, and the music, food or social interactions will be determined by the group who gather. But these will always be under the principles given in God’s word of all things being done to edi�, in love and in an orderly fashion, with a consciousness of the ‘outsider’ in the midst of the gathering. Church does not have to look and feel like we have traditionally experienced in our Diocese - a building with a steep pitched roof and coloured glass windows on a street corner with a car park and adjacent hall. Church can just as easily be in a home over a meal with families gathered around the word of God or mid-week in a community centre for people who are unable to gather on Sundays. Witness the church growth and planting in China, India and Africa that is extraordinary by God’s grace and yet looks nothing like our network of churches in Sydney.

For churches planted in the Sydney Diocese and as Anglicans, our historical legacy is being in an evangelical Diocese under an episcopal oversight with appropriate license and support from the Diocese.


2.3 The Word of God and Church Planting

As evangelicals, we believe the gospel is God’s power for the salvation of all people (Rom 1:16-17). The church is built as the gospel of God is proclaimed, as the word of God by the power of the Spirit of God transforms darkened hearts and brings repentance and faith (2 Cor 4:4-6). It builds ‘out’ as it makes the unbeliever ‘wise unto salvation’ and brings repentance and faith (2 Tim 3:15). It builds ‘up’ or ‘in’ as the word of God and the grace of God revealed in Christ teaches and instructs the believer for a life of godliness and good works to God’s glory (Titus 2:11-14). It is the word that does the work.

God is ordering his disordered and broken world by his word. God has spoken a Word. His truth, his grace in Christ and sound doctrine are being spoken by his heralds into a world of deception and falsehood, and lives are being transformed (Titus 1:1�, 2:11-14, 3:3-7). In a world of darkness, God is shining his life-giving light, opening eyes and bringing people to life and renewal (2 Cor 4:1-6, Rom 12:1-2).

The primary activity of church planting will be the proclamation, hearing and heeding of God’s word. This will happen week by week in the public gatherings of the fellowship but also at other times through small groups or community groups, in

In a world of darkness, God is shining his life-giving light, opening eyes and bringing people to life and renewal. 2 Cor 4:1-6, Rom 12:1-2

homes, families and one-to-one as believers meet to spur each other on, and privately as each believer reads and prays. The word of God ought to dwell richly in our gatherings as it is spoken and heard (Col 3). This centrality of the word and letting the ‘word do its work’ under the agency of the Spirit is grounded in our evangelical convictions that the word of God is authoritative and su¡cient for life and faith. Just as importantly, the primary activity of proclamation is for the world outside the church as well. It is by the word spoken or read and understood that salvation comes and people are transferred from darkness to light and sealed with the Spirit marked as God’s possession (Romans 10:8-15, 2 Cor 4:2-6, Eph 1:13-14).

2.4 Prayer and Church Planting

Any church planting plans that do not include a rigorous commitment to prayer are far short of what is required, and even if successful in human terms, are not God-honouring.

12 | 2018

John Stott said of Christian ministry that ‘work without prayer is atheism, but prayer without work is presumption’. We must, with Nehemiah, ‘pray to the Lord, and post the guard to meet the threat’ (Neh 4:9). As the Lord alone by his Spirit can bring life and transform hard human hearts, it is to the Lord we must pray (2 Cor 4:5-6). It is by his mercy we have the ministry. He alone brings fruit (John 15:1-8). Prayer must therefore be central to our work. Following the apostles, we are not to ‘neglect the ministry of prayer and the word’ (Acts 6:2).

This will be manifest in the personal life of the pastor, in the corporate life of the church and in the daily lives of the members. All the activities ought to happen in prayerful dependence upon God. This cannot be tokenistic and cursory. God is not mocked. At the same time we recognise the spiritual battle and how weak the flesh is in this matter. Who of us feels adequate for such a task?

As Anglican church leaders both ordained and lay, we are reminded in the ordination service of the task of the leader and to commit ourselves to prayer. The ministers are called to be ‘messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord; to teach and forewarn, to feed and provide for the Lord’s family; to seek for Christ’s sheep who are scattered abroad, and for his children who are surrounded by temptation in this world, that they may be saved through Christ forever.’ The charge of the Bishop to new ordinands reads:

‘You are to serve the church of God and to work with its members in caring for the sick, the needy, and all who are in trouble. By your teaching and your life you are to show Christ’s people that in serving others we are serving Christ himself. You are to make his redemptive love known, by word and example, to those among whom you live, and work, and worship.

You are to share with the community the love of Christ and his gospel of reconciliation and hope. You are to pray and work for peace and justice in the world.

As deacons, you are to model your life according to the word of God. You are to be faithful in prayer …’

2.5 The Place of Church Planting1

Richard Coekin in Co-Mission: a passion… for planting… for London… for Christ outlines why our great city of Sydney, like London, needs church planting. Sydney needs church planting because:

Church planting reaches more unbelievers (the ‘unchurched’). New churches are generally better than established churches at evangelism because:

A planted church, at least in its early years, is o�en small and there is a sense of urgency to carry out evangelism and reach new people;

Those who choose or are chosen for a planting team are o�en gi�ed and passionate for evangelism and can accept that the new church will have a stronger focus on evangelism than on meeting the needs of members;

A church plant can adapt and set their culture to fit the community they seek to reach. There is little ‘history’ or traditions in place and so the plant is very flexible and adaptable to make their ministry attractive;

A church plant knows how imperative it is to welcome and integrate newcomers and invariably have good structures in place. Newcomers o�en feel more welcome than in an established church because ‘everyone’ is new or relatively new in a plant; and

A church plant can o�en look and feel quite distinct from existing churches and so be attractive to younger people and those who have negative associations with denominational/ established churches. However, this can be a negative in some contexts where there is a suspicion of the new church not being a ‘real church’ or perhaps a cult.

Church planting rescues the ‘de-churched’. Experience has shown that church plants o�en reach and reconnect people who have dri�ed from church and faith. The reasons why they have disconnected from church life varies - sometimes it is disillusionment, other times acrimonious church splits or false teaching that has le� them with doubts, many times their own issues and misunderstandings of the gospel or just backsliding

1 This section draws upon Richard Coekin’s Co-Mission: a passion… for planting… for London… for Christ. A Biblical

Vision. Used with permission.


because of love for this world or wilful sinfulness. These ‘lost sheep’ are o�en drawn to a new church that is di�erent, focused on connecting and building strong community and has compelling and clear preaching.

Church planting trains and mobilises believers for radical discipleship and mission. There are few ‘passengers’ in church plants. Everyone has a role and is needed. Joining a church planting team is an active choice – you want to be there. The need for everyone to step up and use their God given gi�s is obvious. It is all hands on deck each week. Church plants o�en have vibrancy and energy, and a willingness to take up your cross and follow Christ that is less apparent in existing churches. Church plants are great training places for growing Christians. Members serve and stretch themselves and find in God’s kindness that they grow spiritually and deepen in faith and love. Team members o�en report that being in the team was both the ‘hardest thing they have done in their Christian lives and yet the most rewarding spiritually’. O�en church plants recognise their prayerful dependence upon God for survival and this is healthy for all Christians. O�en the planting team is called upon to give both time and money in a way that perhaps they were not previously as part of an existing church with solid numbers and finances.

Church planting revitalises and energises sending churches. There is a cost to church planting for a sending church/mother church. It is hard to lose people, who are o�en some of the most able and energetic people, to the new church venture. At the same time there are benefits that can revitalise the sending church. Space is created in the building and the sense of need to refill those places is heightened. The enthusiasm of the new venture

creates a backwash for the existing church and the priority of evangelism is rediscovered. A sense of achievement at having partnered in reaching new people also helps to reinvigorate the church.

There are of course negatives to church planting. There is invariably opposition or protectiveness from other churches concerned about ‘sheep stealing’. There is a period of unsettledness and uncertainty for both the sending church and the planting team as plans are made. There are obvious financial costs (a minimum budget for a church plant hoping to engage a full time pastor in Sydney and needing to rent premises might be around $120-150,000), as well as personal costs as key people leave and a comfortable church existence is changed. Older church leaders can find it hard to let go and lose control as they delegate leadership to a younger generation.

In all of this we must remember we are but servants and stewards. God alone gives the growth (1 Cor 3). We do not own people nor is any patch of ground ‘ours’. Every believer has but one Shepherd and Master, the Lord Jesus. We are accountable to him for our actions and must take care in how we build and the attitudes we display. Above all we must know how secure we are in Christ by grace and so not feel threatened but rather seek first his kingdom and righteousness far above our own reputations or successes.

Unless the LORD builds the house,its builders labour in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city,the watchmen stand guard in vainPsalm 127:1

churches. There is a cost to church planting for a sending church/mother church. It is hard to lose people, who are o�en some of the most able and energetic people, to the new church venture. At the same time there are benefits that can revitalise the sending church. Space is created in the building and the sense of need to refill those places is heightened. The enthusiasm of the new venture

Unless the LORD builds the house,its builders labour in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city,the watchmen stand guard in vainPsalm 127:1

14 | 2018

SECTION 3

Church Planting in the Sydney Diocese – History, Models and Policy

3.1 Some Recent History

Since the 1950s, Sydney has expanded relentlessly to accommodate an ever increasing population. The Diocese has sought to keep up with this expansion. In the immediate post-war period, the vision of church planting under Archbishop Mowll was to establish a network of churches within walking distance of local populations. Since then the Diocese has purchased many new sites and built new churches in greenfields suburbs on the edges of Sydney, through programs such as the Archbishop’s Vision for Growth (1984).

The previous Diocesan Mission (2002-13) had as a central strategy to ‘multiply Bible-based Christian fellowships, congregations and churches’.

In recent decades, State Government urban consolidation policies have seen low density development replaced by medium density and high-rise residential development, increasing the populations of older inner and middle-ring suburbs of Sydney. This has raised the need for church planting and the revitalisation of parishes in existing urban areas. Some of the earliest ‘urban renewal’ (brownfields) church plants in the Diocese were commenced by the Centennial Park parish during the 1990’s, such as at James Cook High School, Kogarah and the Greek Bible Fellowship. A church plant was commenced at Fairfield in 1999 by the Fairfield with Bossley Park parish. This was followed by several o�-site church plants commenced by the Carlingford parish and the revitalisation of the Naremburn-Cammeray parish through the transfer of people from the North Sydney parish.

The previous Diocesan Mission (2002-13) had as a central strategy to ‘multiply Bible-based Christian fellowships, congregations and churches’. This led to an upsurge in church planting in this period, with many parishes starting new churches, re-establishing congregations in previously closed church buildings, starting congregations in community facilities and commencing new

congregations alongside those at existing church centres. A large number of new congregations were established for Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) people, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Indonesian and Sudanese people.

3.2 Models of Church Planting

A foundational question when setting out to plant a church is ‘What is the best model of church planting for our situation?’ There are several major approaches to church planting, shown in the table below. Most of these approaches have been used at one time or another in planting churches in the Sydney Diocese.

New church services: By far the most common kind of church plant in the Diocese has been new church services started on existing church property. A new congregation o�en begins by splitting o� part of an existing congregation to meet in a di�erent time slot.

Mother-daughter church plant: This model involves a ‘daughter’ church being started elsewhere by a ‘mother’ church. The leader of the church plant is appointed by the mother church, and members and resources initially come from that church. The mother church o�en nurtures the daughter church to maturity and potential independence. Some daughter churches become independent quite quickly because of su¡cient resources and a good location, while others take several years to become independent.

Church repotting (or ‘replanting’): A struggling church is revitalised by contributions of people and resources from a larger church, or a congregation is planted into another church that is still operating (see Appendix 1). This di�ers from an amalgamation of two previously viable churches or churches making an equal contribution of people and resources.

Pioneering church planting: Pioneering involves establishing a church where there may be none, including through evangelism and recruitment from the wider community. The pioneering


model is the most di¡cult to implement as it usually occurs with little or no support from another church elsewhere. This type of work requires exceptionally gi�ed and flexible church planters, who can successfully transition through the multiple roles they must play as the church matures.

Church planting among a people group: A new congregation established among a particular ethnic group, social grouping or interest group. The church plant may be a new church service, pioneering, mother-daughter or repotting in

mode. It is common for such new congregations to share the church building of another congregation.

There are other models of church planting including the multi-site or satellite model and the small group or house church network. The former involves establishing new venues o�-site or ‘satellites’ with the intent that they remain tied to the planting church, in contrast to the mother-daughter which is about leaving eventually. The latter involves the formation of small groups or house churches which then associate as a network.

Church Planting Model Description

New church service A congregation commenced on-site, perhaps through splitting an existing congregation

PioneeringA church commenced with little or no support from churches elsewhere

Mother-daughter A church started at a new location by an existing church

RepottingAn existing church revitalised by people and resources from another church elsewhere

People group (eg. people born in non-English speaking countries or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders)

A new congregation established among a particular ethnic or social grouping

Multi-site or Satellite New sites established by a church that remain part of that church

House church networkThe formation of small groups or house churches which then form a network

3.3 Church Planting in the Diocese – Survival Rates

The Church Planting Study identified church plants that had commenced during 2002-2014 and plotted their survival rates at the beginning of 2015. New church services were far and away the most common form of church planting in the Diocese during this period. It is estimated that some 400 have been established since 2001. Of these, around two-thirds (69%) were still operating in 2015. Further analysis revealed that this survival rate varies somewhat according to the time of the service, with only 56% of services with a starting time of around 5pm still operating.

Mother-daughter and NESB/Aboriginal congregations were the next most common, with 66 and 65 entities respectively. However, less than two-thirds of Mother-daughter church plants (40 out of 66, or 61%) were still open at the beginning of 2015. By comparison 47 out of 65 NESB/Aboriginal congregations were still operating, or 72% of those launched.

Seven examples of the Pioneering model and eight of the Repotting model were identified in the Diocese. No examples of the Satellite model or House church networks were identified. All Pioneering and Repotted churches were still open at the beginning of 2015. While this may point to the potential strength of these particular models, it is noted that relatively few have been implemented in the Diocese since 2001, reflecting the special circumstances and requirements for launching either a Pioneering or a Repotted church.

16 | 2018

It could be asked whether church plants generally have a natural use-by date; in other words, do church plants typically fold a�er a certain number of years? The Church Planting Study found that 53% of Mother-daughter church plants that commenced in 2002-06 were still operating in 2015 compared with 63% of those that commenced in the 2007-11 period. Similarly about 70% of NESB/Aboriginal congregations that commenced in both 2002-06 and in 2007-11 were still operating in 2015. This relative stability in the rate of survival of 2002-06 and 2007-11 commencements suggests that church planting failures are most likely to occur in the first few years of operation, followed by erosion among the surviving plants in the years that follow. Among those church plants that have closed, the average length of survival among both Mother-daughter and NESB/Aboriginal church plants was about 4 years.

An important lesson from this data is that church planters need to be on their guard in the earliest years of a church plant and should work carefully to lay a strong foundation for the future. It is the aim of these Guidelines to help church planters to do just that. While it is tempting to assume that all church plants are just a temporary manifestation because of the numbers of plants that fail in the early years, the statistical record suggests that this is just what it is – an assumption – and that there is no inherent reason why a church plant should not become a permanent part of the church landscape in the years to come.

3.4 Church Planting Guidelines Across Parish Boundaries

Abraham Kuyper once memorably declared that ‘There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!”’ By extension, in a far less authoritative way, there is not a square inch of our Diocese over which there is not an existing parish seeking to reach people for Christ. Wherever we might want to plant a church there is already a parish that has responsibility for reaching that geographical location with the good news of Jesus, but may not have the resources to do so.

While there is a value in having a spread of Anglican churches across the city so we can reach everyone everywhere, the reality is di�erent. In some areas we have four or five churches within comfortable walking distance and other greenfield areas where whole suburbs have appeared where once there were open spaces. In areas of intense urban renewal the existing churches are sometimes inadequate for the numbers and o�en have ageing facilities. In other locations the cross-cultural demographic shi�s mean that the ‘Anglo’ congregation is ill-equipped to reach the new cultural mix of the suburb.

Church Plants - Open or Closed?Sydney Diocese 2002 - 2014


One benefit of the ‘parish system’ in generations past was a mindset of clergy that they had responsibility for the ‘cure of souls’ in the whole parish not just those in the church. They considered ‘all the parish’ their patch to reach for Christ. Sadly we have sometimes reduced our vision as church leaders to a focus primarily upon the church or Christian community in the parish. We need a renewed vision for every soul in the whole area to be reached.

Part of the role of ENC is to encourage the creation and multiplication of new Anglican ‘fellowships’ across the diocese.

We need more churches in key locations, we need churches and congregations reaching particular demographics, we need partnerships and cooperation between parishes to reach the un-churched and de-churched for Christ, and we need to renew and repot churches which are struggling in this sea of change. Historic parish boundaries can mean very little in our mobile, complex, multicultural city.

Part of the role of ENC is to encourage the creation and multiplication of new Anglican ‘fellowships’ across the diocese. Ideally, this will involve facilitating partnership and cooperation between parishes to plant/repot/renew. In circumstances where this is not possible, ENC, with the goodwill and encouragement of the regional bishop, is able to create fellowships which are a ministry of ENC under its oversight and administration with the diocese.

These guidelines incorporate the following assumptions:

Every parish minister/church/group should take responsibility for planting or conducting evangelistic ministries in any part of their parish as a priority, in order to see more of those who never come under the gospel to find faith. Where a parish minister/church/group desires to plant or conduct evangelistic ministries outside their parish, this should be applauded as a godly desire to see more people won for Christ. However, as brothers and sisters in Christ, making every e�ort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3), such new ministry initiatives ought to be undertaken with humility, gentleness, patience and forbearance in love. There ought to be a

spirit of consultation and cooperation from all stakeholders and especially in the planning and concept stage, rather than a�er plans are in place and a core team built. Consultation ought to be, at the very least, with the rector in whose parish the plant is proposed and involve the Regional Bishop and the Director of ENC.

It is recognised that while it might be ideal for parishes and individuals to work together in planting, this is not always possible, due to di�erent ministry philosophies or personalities of the parties involved, and so it may emerge that there are several church plants or existing churches operating in reasonably close proximity. Through prior consultation and clarity of each church’s plans and mission, churches in close proximity ought to be able to develop good working relationships. The role of the Regional Bishop can be very helpful in such situations.

If, despite best endeavours, it is not possible for a church plant in another parish to proceed with the goodwill of that parish, then one option is for the church plant to become a ministry of ENC, under its administration and oversight. In these circumstances, ENC will engage with the Regional Bishop and the minister of that parish to seek goodwill and encouragement for the new fellowship.

All ministers of the gospel must seek ‘kingdom growth’ before they seek ‘church growth’ (especially ‘my church’s growth’). This requires a deep personal security in Christ and trust in his sovereign purposes, and a gospel generosity towards others (even those who may have disappointed us or hurt us or seemingly been indi�erent to us and the ministry we oversee). Paul’s example in Philippians 1:15-18 is instructive.

Most tensions around church planting arise over members of an existing church being approached to join the new plant without any consultation with the rector of the existing church. For this reason it is important to clari� who is being approached, why they are being asked, how they will be asked and when. Ultimately it is up to each person, not the ministers, to decide which church they wish to attend. But where someone is already a member of an existing church the planting pastor should contact the minister of the other church for a discussion about the person’s suitability to be approached.

18 | 2018

This is not a matter of ‘permission’ but rather of consultation. It may be that the existing member hears of the church plant and approaches the planter. Even in this situation the person ought to be encouraged to discuss the idea with their current minister before deciding to join the plant. While clergy do not ‘own’ people nor control their lives, they do have oversight and responsibility for the congregation and are accountable to God (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2). Consequently, Christians ought not simply leave a church on a whim and join another without speaking to those who have had oversight of them spiritually. A church planting team is rarely helped by having people join who have le� their existing church on bad terms or for poor reasons or without reflecting upon the impact of leaving their existing church. A wise church planting pastor will decline their request to join and insist on their resolving matters with their existing church or ministers.

Care must be taken by planters using social media as a means of recruiting a core team. Constant appeals on Facebook to ‘come join us’ are o�en heard by other pastors as targeting indiscriminately existing church members. Sometimes social media messages inviting new recruits are inadvertently critical of existing churches and so discouraging to local ministers and church members. At the same time, local pastors can feel threatened and become critical and negative about the new plant without good reason. The best way to keep the sheep is to nurture and involve them in mission rather than focus on someone else’s pastures or try to build fences.

3.5 Benefits of Church Planting as Part of the Diocese of Sydney

All church planting requires some sort of structure and organisation. While it is possible to go out and proclaim Christ, be blessed by God in seeing people come to faith, and gather as a church, issues such as insurance, buildings, leases, finances, accountability, safe ministry, training, succession, and legal requirements are also significant.

The Anglican Church in Sydney provides, among other things, the following:

Evangelical and godly leadership who are committed to mission, flexible and willing to reform structures that hinder gospel ministry;

Structures and patterns of ministry grounded in Scripture and tested over many years, providing good governance and order in churches for the proclamation of the gospel (parish councils, wardens, ordinances, ordination assessment etc);

A legal status and structure for churches without the need for incorporation - this allows for employment of sta�, entering into contracts and the like, as well as authorisation to fundraise and appeal for financial support;

A world class theological training college at Moore College that continues to supply well trained pastors/leaders for churches here and across the world;

Protocols and training to ensure Safe Ministry for children and the highest professional standards for pastors (Faithfulness in Service and compulsory Safe Ministry training for all ministers, lay and ordained) and the legal and pastoral support of a Professional Standards Unit (PSU) for matters concerning serious misconduct;

Professional sta� providing support for insurance, long service leave, human resources (HR), marriage licences, legal and property advice and services;

Financial and people resources assisting churches with recruiting and training (Ministry Training and Development), evangelism and mission (Evangelism and New Churches), coaching (Centre for Ministry Development), governance (Sydney Diocesan Secretariat), media and public relations matters as well as links to external church planting agencies (Geneva Push and City to City);


A network of pastors, lay leaders and churches across the city o�ering prayer, encouragement, new ideas and friendship and a wider network of evangelical churches and ministries across the world through the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon);

A vision to plant churches, especially in greenfield areas of the city, supported by significant financial resources;

A missionary agency (Church Missionary Society NSW) and the Centre for Global Mission facilitating the sending of missionaries and training pastors across the world; and

A reputation and acceptance within the wider Australian community as a religious and charitable institution and thus provision of taxation benefits (FBT free, GST free, rates and stamp duty exemptions), as well as licences as Religious Celebrants and other benefits.

There are costs in association with the Diocese, such as levies and compliance with various reporting requirements, professional development by ministers, and other matters as determined by the Diocesan Synod. These costs are more than outweighed by the benefits, and in any case, some of these costs or requirements are inevitable even for an independent church plant.

20 | 2018

SECTION 4

The Life Cycle of a Church Plant

4.1 Preparing – What You Need to Think About First

There are many important matters that need to be addressed before starting a church plant. But if these were to be boiled down to a list of essentials, what would these be? The Church Planting Study provides evidence from people who have been on the front-line of starting church plants, of what they believe to be essentials in preparing to plant.

These ‘essentials’ have been grouped under 5 headings:

1. Person – the leader or leaders who are tasked with making the church plant happen

2. Place – the who, where and why of the church plant

3. People – the core team who will partner with the leader to run the church plant

4. Plan – the steps to be followed in establishing and maintaining the church plant

5. Payment – sources of funding initially and into the future.

These essential elements can be viewed in a more detailed diagram on pages 22-23.

Person – the Church Planting Leader

A key finding of the Church Planting Study was that the selection of church planter or planters is crucial to the success of the church plant. Particular skills for the task – spiritual gi�s, ability to motivate and equip others, evangelism and discipling skills – are mentioned in the literature (Ott & Wilson 2011, Thompson, 2007).

It must be stressed that while there may be particular skills for planting, the basic biblical expectations for pastoral leadership (1 Tim 3, Titus 1, 1 Peter 5, and similar) must still be paramount in selecting pastors for planting. The pattern of ministry in a church plant will in essence be very much the same as in any church – proclamation of God’s word, prayer, people work, disciples making

disciples and perseverance. The more specialist characteristics noted below must be considered only once the biblical characteristics have been met.

The Church Planting Study also came up with the following key characteristics which in turn a�ect what the leader does ‘on the job’:

An evangelist: The church planter should be someone for whom sharing the gospel and seeking to win others to Christ will be part of their DNA. Being an evangelist is a ‘must have’ quality to be an e�ective church planter. While being an evangelist may be more about conviction than competency, people wishing to be church planters need to have demonstrated ability in this area. Being an evangelist means that:

The gospel and sharing it with others is at the forefront of the leader’s mind;

The leader has a passion for the lost and reaching them in whatever way possible;

The leader has skills in sharing the gospel, such as in preaching;

The leader will not be satisfied with anything less than people coming to know Jesus on a regular basis;

The leader will model this priority to the congregation, enabling it to drive congregational direction and activity;

While church is primarily for believers, making the claims of Christ clear is a frequent not a special event; and

The leader will recruit people into the work and seek to empower others to share the gospel.

An innovator: The leader needs to be proactive and skilful in establishing new things (Hadaway & Marler 2001; Dadswell & Ross 2013, 47; Malphurs 2004, 22). Such leaders exercise faith and courage in the face of risk and uncertainty. The leader is not afraid to fail, being able to learn from mistakes (Malphurs 2004, 25, 75-81). The following qualities of innovative leaders have been identified (Bellamy et al, 2015):


Regularly starting new things and bringing about change – a self starter;

‘Evangelistically entrepreneurial’;

Energetic;

Flexible and can live with uncertainty and ambiguity;

Will scrounge for people, resources and finances;

Can ‘think outside the square’ about issues such as fundraising;

Quick to recognise and seize opportunities; and

Know what to keep and what to change.

It should be noted that the leaders of Pioneering church plants need to be innovative or entrepreneurial even more than with the other models, since Pioneering plants usually start with little or no funding or assets.

A relational leader: Church planting is both hard work and stressful, and is best achieved in partnership with others. Church planters need an ability to bring people with them; to be able to gather people around them in order to drive the establishment of the church plant. A necessary skill is in being able to assemble a core team, convincing and motivating individuals to be part of the team.

The picture of the church as a body made up of many parts means that the leader needs to recognise the value of others in the core team, with complementary gi�s and skills which the leader may well lack. An approach to leadership which includes and empowers others will be important.

The Church Planting Study identified the following characteristics of relational leaders:

Winsomeness;

A ‘people person’;

A good communicator at an interpersonal level as well as up-the-front;

Inspiring and empowering of others;

Trusting others rather than micro-managing them;

Able to resolve conflict;

Working in partnership with others in the core team, the congregation and beyond.

Clarity of communication is essential when dealing with important stakeholders beyond the church plant. Pioneering church plant leaders need to be able to negotiate with the parishes within which they intend to locate. Clear communication is important in multi-congregational parishes where there may be competing interests for the same resources and a strong need for congregations to keep each other informed about their activities and needs.

In Non-English Speaking Background congregations, the need for such relational leadership can be an essential cultural requirement and with Aboriginal people it is important to be empathetic and non-judgemental.

An approach to leadership which includes and empowers others will be important.

Full-time and dedicated: It has been noted in the literature that it is important for the church planter to fully commit themselves to the task (Stetzer & Connor 2007; Malphurs 2004, 24). Leaders who have too many responsibilities elsewhere that take them away from the church plant risk not being su¡ciently available to the new congregation. Not being around enough may mean that the leader cannot maintain the confidence and motivation of attenders. In a smaller congregation such as a church plant, the leader should be able to lead the service, preach and be part of social gatherings a�er the meeting. The leader should be able to be the first to arrive and the last to leave.

We must recognise that ‘full-time’ whilst desirable, might not be possible. Dedicated part-timers can plant churches. ‘Tent making’ might be the financial reality but dedication and focus are more significant than the hours. In some situations maintaining a part-time job may benefit the plant and can lead to more evangelistic growth (LifeWay Research 2016).

A further issue is that as the church plant becomes larger, more of the leader’s time will be required for a host of other issues connected with running a large church. The leader needs to ensure that as the church plant grows it doesn’t stop connecting with its intended target group, potentially losing its evangelistic edge.

22 | 2018

Preparing What you need to think about first

Person

1.

The leader is an evangelist

The leader has a passion to see people come to faith in Christ and has demonstrated ability in this area.

The leader is an innovator

The leader has a track record in starting new things and is quick to seize opportunities. The leader is energetic; flexible; can live with uncertainty; can ‘think outside the box’; will scrounge for people, resources and finances if necessary.

The leader is a relational person

The leader is a ‘people person’; winsome; a good communicator personally as well as up-the-

front; inspiring and empowering of others; does not micro-manage but trusts others to get things done; works in partnership with others; can resolve conflict.

The leader is full-time and dedicated to the task

The leader does not have too many other responsibilities elsewhere that can take them away from the church plant.

The leader must be willing to persevere

The leader must be a person of faith, relying on God in prayer. There is a need to ‘hang in there’ long enough to see progress.

2.

Develop a clear vision and shared directions

The leader needs to consider the purpose, location, target group and composition of core team

Clearly identi� the target group

The target group should be clearly identified, whether in terms of a local population or segments of a population.

Find a suitable place to meet

The building chosen should be suited to the needs of the target group.

Place


PaymentPeople Plan

Assemble a core team committed to the vision

The core team needs to include evangelistically committed lay people who are a good match for the leader in theology and passion for the lost. The core team and leader need to have a shared vision for the church plant.

As large a core team as possible

Thirty is an optimum number for the core team. The larger the core team the greater the diversity of gi�s, the easier the load and the shorter the time needed to reach a viable size.

Undertake thorough planning

An optimum lead time of at least 12 months to identi� a model of church plant, develop a vision, assemble a core team and obtain a venue.

Achieve financial viability

Identi� sources of finance from congregational giving, partner parishes, former church, friends and family.

3. 4. 5.

24 | 2018

Perseverance and God’s sovereignty: The leader will be growing in Christlikeness, being transformed under the gospel. The leader must be a person of faith, relying on God in prayer and in the many steps of faith that will need to be taken. Leaders of church plants need to persevere in pursuing their goal, in the light of God’s sovereignty over all things. There is a need to ‘hang in there’ long enough to see progress and to keep encouraging the core team and congregation. The Church Planting Study highlights that it may take years to see growth in attendance. Leaders will need to pray earnestly and wait upon God, stepping out in faith and seeing where he may guide them.

By implication, the leader will be committed to the church plant for the long haul. Depending upon the model of church plant being undertaken, the establishment phase may be quite lengthy. Data presented in the Church Planting Study suggests that it may take several years for church plants to reach a viable size, and even longer in lower socio-economic areas. Losing the planter too early in the process is likely to damage the prospects of the church plant.

Should I Be Assessed for the Role?

While it is not a mandatory requirement, the strong recommendation is that prospective church planters be assessed for the role. For example, Geneva Push provides a variety of resources for church planters, including assessment. Assessment through Geneva Push not only considers suitability for the role but also covers understanding the context for mission, a mission plan and a financial plan. City to City also provides similar services.

Assessment can shape subsequent training and coaching, since it identifies a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Being able to receive advice from others about one’s suitability for the role can provide confirmation that the candidate is on the right track. In the end, however, some assessments have been found to be incorrect and should not be seen as the final arbiter of a candidate’s suitability or otherwise for the role, particularly where the candidate already has a track record as an evangelist or innovator. We must allow the sovereign God to raise up whom he may choose for the task. Selection of a church planter should be done in fellowship, in prayer and looking at track record.

Place – Determining the Vision, Location and Target Group

Setting a vision and direction: Having a clear vision and direction o�en crops up as an important factor in the church planting literature. A vision articulates what is the purpose of the church plant: who it is trying to reach and what it is trying to achieve. It may include the values, ministry distinctive and missional emphases of the church plant (Winseman 2007; Malphurs 2004, 128-148; Keller 2012; Dadswell & Ross 2013, 27). Sometimes this is referred to as the ‘DNA’ of the church plant.

In developing the vision, the leader will need to consider:

The purpose of the church plant;

Its preferred location;

The target group;

Who will be part of the core team; and

Values and guiding ministry principles.

A vision may include a mission statement, capturing the purpose of the church in a memorable way. A couple of good examples include ‘Disciples making disciples through the Word of God and prayer’ and ‘Jesus Christ transforming lives to transform the community’. However it should be recognised that a vision is not simply a statement in the church bulletin, but needs constant reinforcement, revisiting and needs to be owned by the congregation.

Choosing a community to reach: The community of interest or ‘target group’ may be defined as the population of the locality where a church plant is based. Or the target group may be a particular segment of the local or regional population. The answer to the question ‘What is the target group?’ depends upon whether the church intends to adopt a mainly homogeneous or a mainly heterogeneous approach.

The homogeneous unit principle (HUP) identifies that people like being with people who are like them, and so any church ministry is best served by tailoring itself to a homogenous unit. Homogeneous units are a sociological reality, and can be used as a means of gathering people into a faith community; but an HUP approach can also allow selfishness and divisions to remain which the gospel overturns. The challenge in church planting is to both engage in the sociological reality to draw people into the orbit of the faith, and to then move them on in their


thinking and actions, so that they see Christ draws all types of people to himself, without prejudice.

A homogeneous approach involves the formation of separate congregations aimed at specific groups of people while a heterogeneous approach seeks to embrace a wide range of groups within the one congregation. Non-English Speaking Background congregations are usually expressions of the homogeneous approach, mainly targeting a single ethnicity. By comparison, the majority of parishes adopt a heterogeneous approach to meet the needs of the range of people living within the locality; however, at the same time, parishes can have essentially homogeneous congregational structures through the provision of traditional, family and youth services.

There are varying points of view about the validity of each approach. In the Church Planting Study some interviewees were of the view that while heterogeneity is the heavenly reality, on Earth homogeneity is a limitation that must be worked with. Culture and language can be hurdles to overcome and sin further constrains people from overcoming these hurdles, given the natural tendency for people to want to mix with people who are like themselves.

Others had a di�erent viewpoint. Soul Revival at Kirrawee is based on the proposition of di�erent generations meeting in the one gathering to benefit each other through conversation. The church strives to be ‘all age/all stage’ and intercultural. It is intended that older people will benefit from the cultural awareness of the young and that younger people will benefit from the spiritual wisdom and experience of the old.

Some church plants adopt a hybrid approach, targeting specific demographic groups but also striving to maintain demographic diversity when splitting a congregation into two. There can be benefits of di�erent ethnicities mixing together in an ‘international’ congregation but also cultural benefits in meetings held along more ethnic lines.

Planters need to be flexible and recognise that the growth comes from the Lord and he determines who comes to him. Some plants have begun targeting a particular ethnic group only to see no one from that ethnic group converted and join but rather seeing many other ethnicities come to faith. They then broadened their mission plans and objectives to reflect where the growth was happening.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

The characteristics of the local community have an impact on the church planting task. Some interviewees in the Church Planting Study were aware that at least some of the success of their church planting was due to a favourable demographic tide in their suburb, while others were aware that the characteristics of their local community had made church planting more di¡cult. For instance, it was noted that there had been an influx of young professionals and families into suburbs on the lower North Shore which had created more favourable conditions in which to establish church plants.

In planting an NESB congregation in an area, there is a need to consider education levels and socio-economic characteristics as well; migrants in higher socio-economic areas are more likely to be aspirational, better educated and competent English speakers compared with lower socio-economic areas. Very di�erent church plants may be required, depending upon these demographic factors.

Finding a suitable building: Schools, church buildings, community centres, shopping malls, movie theatres, commercial o¡ce buildings and industrial units are all possible options for accommodating a church plant. Art studios, restaurants and co�ee shops could also be considered (Malphurs 2004, 222-224; Stetzer 2006, 247-352).

While the building is of secondary importance to the success of a church plant, the building should be comfortable and safe, providing good opportunities for social gathering as well as public worship. The building chosen needs to be suited to the needs of the target group; for instance young families will need crèche areas and Sunday School programs, and study groups will need small meeting rooms (Malphurs 2004, 178; Stetzer 2006, 347; Dadswell & Ross 2013, 14-17). Issues of safety will be paramount for the parents of children, including both safety in ministry and the physical safety of the site.

A church building should not necessarily be seen as a hindrance to connecting with the wider community. A church building can provide a better profile for the congregation. Unlike a school

26 | 2018

where the congregation is only present for a short time each week, a church building is a constant community presence and is o�en used for meetings throughout the week as well as on Sundays. Older church buildings, however, may require refurbishment to bring them up to an acceptable standard for meetings and to maximise comfort.

Schools are the most common facility used for Mother-daughter church plants in the Diocese. For some, a school is simply seen as a base, being an a�ordable premises with most of the facilities needed by a church plant (eg. a large hall, classrooms, kitchen facilities). For others, the church plant is set up with the expressed aim of reaching out to the broader school community. In the Church Planting Study, the leaders of church plants that had sought to reach out to the school community described the many opportunities available to become part of the school community, such as:

Providing Scripture classes and leading special school assemblies;

Joining or chairing the P&C;

Organising events such as BBQs for parents;

Providing holiday programs or a�er-school care for students; and

Providing chaplaincy services for the school.

However many leaders also described a lack of ‘traction’ at schools, with few if any families becoming part of congregational life. Plants located at schools may also lose their sense of purpose once the last of the congregation’s children have le� the school; parents attending the church may also leave the church once their children have le� the school.

It should also be noted that it may be increasingly di¡cult to utilise public buildings, such as public schools, in future years. Any such arrangements may be unstable and contingency plans must be in place. It may be that use of public facilities may involve restrictions in the years ahead.

Other models for church may see private homes used for churches. A network of homes each with a gathering of 10-20 people may well be a model for planting, especially in demographics where entering a traditional church building is problematic (eg. people with a Muslim background).


People – Getting a Core Team Together

The core team is a key factor in the success of church plants. Stability, unity, a common purpose, an accepted leader, satisfactory relationships, a functional division of labour and agreement on how to work together are all important issues to be resolved (Ott & Wilson 2011, 347). Most significantly the core team will share the same vision for the church plant as the leader.

The core team needs to include evangelistically committed lay people who also want to see the church plant fulfil its missional purpose as much as the leader, and who will create ways to reach out. The team needs to have the same ‘DNA’ as the leader in theology and passion for the lost, and must not be motivated by wanting to get away from an unsatisfactory church situation. Church plants can attract disa�ected people who want to shape the church to suit themselves rather than working towards a common vision.

The core team should comprise people with similar demographics to the target group. It is an advantage to have people in the team with gi�s and skills that can be used to help raise the church’s profile in the community, as profile-raising is particularly important in the early days of a church plant. Gi�s and skills that are useful among the core team include handling finances, managing the building, leading meetings, music, running kids ministry and assisting in evangelism. It is important that everyone on the team is contributing to the running of the church in some way or contributing a particular view on how church should be run. The core team needs to be on the same page before launching.

Following commencement of the church plant, it is likely that as the church plant grows, others will need to join the core team. Other gi�ed and committed people may join the church and have a role to play in the running of the church. The membership of the core team needs to remain open to new members and will change as the years go on.

What is a minimum-sized core team? The general consensus in the literature is ‘the bigger the better’ (Malphurs 2004, 209; Stetzer 2006, 119). The Church Planting Study also found that the bigger the team the better and that it is harder to plant a church successfully with a small team. A larger team enables the early commencement of a children’s ministry, a greater diversity of gi�s in the congregation such as pastoral, musical and

28 | 2018

graphics skills, and more ‘bodies on the ground’. The smaller the team, the more that people are on rosters or have multiple responsibilities, while in a larger team the workload can be shared around.

A minimum of 30 is a good number (Bellamy et al, 2015). Meetings will not feel too empty when visitors arrive. Greater starting numbers such as 40 or 50 would enable the church to reach viability in a shorter time period. The smaller the team, the greater the rate of growth in attendance needed to reach a viable size. Ideal core team size will be situationally prescribed (eg. a school set-up is more labour-intensive than an existing church building because of the work involved in loading in and loading out each week). Other experienced church planters within the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and Geneva Push would suggest 50 to 60 people as a minimum start-up team.

However we must remain open to the possibility of other church planting models that do not require larger core teams or high start-up numbers. Planting in some areas may well be with small teams of only 3 or 4 families meeting in a private home and networking with other gatherings to form a larger body of believers.

Plan – Identi�ing Key Steps

Pre-launch planning: The key planning phases prior to launching a church plant have been highlighted in the literature, including:

Commissioning the leader and team;

Gathering support;

Developing the vision;

Understanding and strategising to reach the target group; and

Equipping and strengthening the team (Ott & Wilson 2011, 155-207).

There is o�en a tension between the need to plan well and the need to quickly seize an opportunity that could be lost. A reliance on God’s sovereignty is needed where so many factors are beyond the control of the church planter.

Longer lead times can be beneficial for planning the church plant (Bellamy et al, 2015). Lead times of 12 months or more enable the church planter to gather support, to convince people to join the core team, to obtain a venue and to develop the model of church plant. It is important not to launch too

early, since members of the core team are o�en making significant commitments in leaving their previous church to participate in the new church.

There is a range of decisions which need to be made prior to launch about the structure and processes of the church plant. Financial accounts, record keeping, compliance in relation to Safe Ministry, the authorisation of ministry sta�, insurance cover and leasing are some of the issues that need to be addressed in the planning phase, apart from planning for the conduct of meetings, worship style, preaching and children’s ministry.

There is o�en a tension between the need to plan well and the need to quickly seize an opportunity that could be lost. A reliance on God’s sovereignty is needed where so many factors are beyond the control of the church planter.

Long-term directions: Whilst every church plant has unique circumstances, there are some common issues which can arise according to the model of church plant being pursued.

Mother-daughter church plants usually involve a partnership from the outset, with the daughter church initially being dependent upon the mother church for resources and personnel. How such a partnership is handled can a�ect the success of the church plant. On the one hand, there is a risk of long-term dependency, with the daughter church becoming less willing to take risks or be missionally entrepreneurial. Similarly an unwillingness by the mother church to ‘let go’ of the daughter church can be a source of frustration. On the other hand, the daughter church needs to recognise its need for resources and to keep the lines of communication open; seeking independence too soon from the mother church may be damaging to a daughter church. It is strongly recommended to have a written agreement between a mother and a daughter church, setting out clear expectations regarding future support and independence.

A repotted church plant has the potential to revitalise a parish while at the same time providing the church plant with material resources. However, there is a risk of the church planting team bringing too much change too soon, leading to conflict with the host congregation. The host congregation may also be resistant to change. The best path may be to keep the two congregations separate, making minimal changes to the host congregation. (See Appendix 1 ‘Thoughts on Repotting’).


In view of their lack of a parish base, the leaders of Pioneering church plants need to have a support network. This network includes their spouse, congregational members, and friends and supporters of the church plant.

There can be tension between Pioneering church plants and the parishes within which they are located. Among interviews conducted with pioneering church planters for the Church Planting Study, some indicated that this had been a serious issue for them. Key to resolving tensions is clear communication and a willingness to collaborate. In particular there needs to be communication concerning people who wish to transfer from nearby parishes to the church plant. It is important to communicate early and o�en with Anglican parishes in the vicinity of the church plant. For more information, reference should be made to the proposed Diocesan guidelines on the location of church plants, which is covered in section 3.4 of these Guidelines.

Payment – Funding the Church Plant

Stable finances are a key factor in the long-term survival of church plants.

Raising funds to plant a church is not an easy task and prospective church planters need to talk to experienced planters and planting agencies for assistance in this task. There are several main sources of funds, not all of which will be available for every church plant.

Funds can be drawn from:

Diocesan funds available for church planting. This is limited, however some Regional Councils have funds. In addition the Mission Property Committee and New Churches for New Communities have some funds for ‘greenfields’ church planting. Specific plants reaching particular communities may also attract funding from other Diocesan bodies such as Anglicare (for planting in areas of social deprivation, aged care villages or with Aboriginal people) and the Schools Corporation (for planting in schools) through the planter being engaged part time as a chaplain to a community or facility. In the future it is possible ENC might have funds available specifically for Anglican church plants in the Diocese.

The core group/congregation funds – pledges and regular giving from the church planting team. This must be the bedrock base for a sustainable church plant long term.

Other churches – the ‘sponsoring’ church, other churches which are supportive either of church planting generally or planting in that location or demographic (eg. Aboriginal, Muslim, Chinese migrants, areas of social deprivation), and churches where the pastor knows the planter and wants to assist because of a friendship or history.

Family, friends and individuals who know the planter and the team and want to support.

Grant making donor organisations supportive of church planting such as Genesis Foundation, Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, Gospel Patrons, and Christian Enterprises. These usually have a formal application process and almost always are ‘seed’ funders who will help with start-up capital but tailor down the grant over two or three years.

Church planting agencies such as Geneva Push or City to City have both grants as well as loans to church plants to assist in their start-up years. Geneva Push is currently seeking to establish a larger Australia-wide funding body to assist with church planting across Australia and across denominations.

Tent-making – the pastor takes a part-time job, or their spouse works to generate income for the pastor’s household. Very o�en church planters do not start on a full minister’s wage and sacrifice income in order to get the plant established.

In most cases funds are pulled together from a variety of sources; it is imperative that ‘conservative budgets’ be established not just for the first year but for a few years going forward. Geneva Push encourages church plants to seek a third of their funding from the core team, a third from external supporters and a third from a seed funding body, as a rule of thumb, as well as having a plan for moving towards sustainability, including a budget for the first few years (Scott Sanders, private communications).

Pioneering church plants usually commence with no formal support from the Diocese or parishes and with no property assets. Pioneering church planters usually create a financial base from a variety of sources, including from a network of supporters (eg. friends, people from a previous church), giving from attenders and spousal income. These church plants are particularly vulnerable, especially in lower socio-economic areas where congregational giving may remain at low levels for many years.

30 | 2018

Mother-daughter churches have the benefit of significant funding from the mother church. However the Church Planting Study found examples of mother-daughter church plants that closed because of the competing need for resources in a multi-church parish or where parish priorities were in transition. In this respect, mother-daughter churches located outside the parish area may be more vulnerable than those within the parish boundaries. Daughter churches and NESB congregations in particular may only remain viable through leaders raising additional funds.

Recent research commissioned by Geneva Push revealed that, in Australia, in most circumstances if a church plant has not reached financial viability by the fourth year, it probably never will (LifeWay Research 2016). This may not mean it ought to close as there may be extenuating circumstances such as being located in an area or demographic of major social disadvantage and lower incomes. Church plants should have a stewardship plan, set realistic financial goals for the church and annually assess their ongoing financial viability. Further, church plants in higher income areas should soberly assess ongoing viability if not reached a�er four to six years.

4.2 Forming – Getting Started and Launching

Once the plans are in place, a location determined, a core team formed, the planter prepared and a timeline developed for launching there are a number of practical realities that need to be considered as a plant launches.

Anglican churches have a structure of wardens and parish councils who work with the minister (or ministry team). The wardens and parish council help support the ministry team by attending to finances, property, insurance and governance as well as contributing to the vision and directions of the church. The wardens of a parish have certain legal responsibilities and status, and can pay sta�, lease properties and enter into contracts. A parish will have a business number (ABN) and be registered

with the Government for various benefits such as GST and FBT exemptions.

Mother-daughter church plants can utilise the wardens and legal status of the existing parish. However all other o�-site church plants in the Diocese will need to utilise Evangelism and New Churches (ENC) for their legal governance structure. They become a ‘new fellowship’ under the ENC Ordinance.

This section outlines a number of these practicalities for church planting with ENC.

Documentation and Writing the MoU

A written memorandum of understanding (MoU) must be created between ENC and the church plant or new fellowship outlining the relationship and responsibilities of each party. A sample MOU is attached in Appendix 2 and has more detail for each of the headings in this section.

Appointing a Council

There needs to be some form of local leadership and decision-making for a church plant in the Diocese. The core team and planter need to establish a council or management committee. Ideally this will comprise members of the core team and the lead pastor but may include others who do not attend the plant. Although this group has no legal authority (eg. they cannot employ people nor sign contracts and the like), they ought to assist the pastor in decision-making and management of the church.

ENC would like the council to begin operating in a manner akin to a parish council and wardens as soon as possible in readiness for the transition to independence. At the very least an appropriate person ought to be appointed as the treasurer to assist the planter with finance matters.

Licensing and the Diocese

All paid sta� must be licensed (if ordained) or authorised (if lay workers) by the Diocese. The licence or authorisation is to ENC and the requisite forms and requirements are available from the Diocesan Registrar’s o¡ce in St Andrew’s House or by contacting ENC. All licensed or authorised persons must complete the mandatory ‘Lifestyle Questionnaire’ and be interviewed by the relevant Bishop for the area and fulfil all the Safe Ministry and Working with Children checks as required by law and the Diocese, before employment and licensing.


Bank and Xero Accounts

ENC will establish a separate bank account for each new fellowship. This account will be owned and administered by ENC; however the new fellowship sta� will have authority to operate and view the accounts once policies are established for the fellowship and su¡cient financial competence displayed.

In addition the new fellowship will need to find a treasurer, accountant or bookkeeper to create and manage simple P & L and Balance Sheet accounts using Xero. These accounts will be linked to the bank account and overall management and auditing will be with the ENC Accountant and Treasurer. ENC will o�er training and support in the area of financial management to the new fellowship in partnership with Benkorp which administers Xero for ENC.

Annual accounts and a budget must be provided to ENC for submission to the Diocese.

Insurance

Suitable insurance cover is supplied by the Diocese for all the activities of the new fellowship. An annual insurance and risk return must be completed by each new fellowship and submitted to ENC and the Diocese. The Diocesan insurance o¡cer is available at any time to discuss insurance issues the church plant might have. All serious incidents (accidents etc) must be notified immediately to ENC and the appropriate incident report completed for the Diocese.

Governance and Compliance – Safe Ministry, Copyrights, Risk Returns and Financial Returns

There are various compliance areas to be fulfilled for each new fellowship, o�en on an annual basis. These include:

Safe Ministry register of WWCC numbers, Safe Ministry training for all volunteers and an annual Safe Ministry report to the Diocese;

Copyright (music, video);

Annual risk, OH&S and insurance returns; and

Annual financial statements to the Diocese.

The ENC o¡ce will assist the fellowship in getting these compliance matters in hand. However church planters are strongly encouraged to find, develop and train lay members to do these tasks as quickly as possible.

Payroll and Sta£ HR Matters

The new fellowship cannot employ or pay sta�. This must be done by ENC. Each paid sta� member requires a ‘Letter of Appointment’ detailing the employment arrangements for that sta� member and remuneration. A sample letter of appointment is available in Appendix 3 and other employment details, including stipends and allowances for Anglican ministers, is available on the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat (SDS) website.

ENC can assist with letters of employment for other sta� such as lay ministers, MTS trainees, student ministers and o¡ce/administration sta�. Each of these appointments needs to be discussed with the local management team and with ENC before appointment. Ideally there is a formal interview process including a meeting with the ENC Director before the employment o�er is made.

The task of recruiting, interviewing and selecting sta� is a learned skill for most planters and advice from experienced lay people, other pastors and the ENC o¡ce ought to be sought before beginning this process. Sta� team issues are a common problem in church plants. Most can be avoided by following good processes and setting out clear expectations.

Renting a Property, Meeting Space and O¤ce

All matters regarding property (rental leasing, purchase, mortgages, contracts for maintenance, etc) need to dealt with by ENC. A new fellowship cannot legally enter into a lease or contract in most circumstances. The new fellowship will need to discuss with ENC all property matters to ensure suitable and sustainable financial arrangements are entered into. ENC may in due course delegate to a person from the new fellowship responsibility to negotiate property matters once competency is established. Residential tenancy agreements to house sta� for church plants should, in most cases, be signed by the sta� member rather than by ENC.

Contracts for photocopiers, printers and o¡ce equipment ought to be discussed with ENC before being entered into and, in most cases, ought to be signed by the ENC Director rather than the planter.

32 | 2018

4.3 Establishing – How to Keep Going and Growing

Developing the Ministry

Church planting is about doing mission through establishing congregations. It is an activity with an essentially outward focus, where the concern of the leader lies not just with the people at church but also for those beyond church life.

What then should be the main areas of outwardly-focussed activity in the development of the church plant? What does the Church Planting Study reveal about the primary areas of such activity among church planters in the Diocese? The key outwardly-focussed activities have been grouped under the following five headings:

1. Collect data – researching the focus community

2. Communication – raising the profile of the church plant

3. Connection – reaching out to people in the wider community

4. Community – being part of the wider community

5. Congregation – meetings, groups and activities at church.

Collect Data – Researching the Focus Community

Church planters should be deeply invested in better understanding the people that they are trying to reach. Some writers say that church planters must be constantly engaged in cultural exegesis, leading to re-evaluation of the form of mission and ministry at the church plant. Remaining in touch with the surrounding culture can involve building relationships, reading, analysing demographic data (eg. Census of Population and Housing) and conducting community surveys (Malphurs 2004, 341-365; Keller 2012).

Several interviewees in the Church Planting Study referred to their use of local Census data, community survey techniques and gathering statistics about the community in planning for ministry. For instance Church by the Bridge at Milsons Point had six church services, each with a distinctive style and flavour, designed for the

target audience and the locality. The services were generally developed through research about the community, arrival at a clear understanding of the target group for each service, and consultation with attenders about resourcing requirements.

Such research should lead to an appreciation of both the opportunities and the di¡culties in reaching out to the target group. This understanding will inform the planning of both outreach and the church’s worship meetings, groups and activities.

Communication – Raising the Profile of the Church Plant

Awareness-raising of the church plant in the local community is important, particularly early in the life of the church. Awareness-raising can include the provision of new signage, letterbox drops, stalls at the local railway station, survey door-knocking and public seminars (eg. seminars about life issues, cooking, raising teenagers, time-management). It can include improved Google Search Engine Optimisation and development of an attractive and functional website. Such awareness-raising can lead to an increase in the number of ‘walk-in’ visitors to the church.

The Church Planting Study identified a number of examples of awareness-raising activity in di�erent social contexts carried out at di�erent scales, including the large-scale awareness-raising exercise described below.

Awareness-Raising at Wild Street

Soon a�er the Wild Street church repotting took place in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, the core team of 30 people spent the next year planning a large-scale community event. Called Wildfest, the event took place in the park opposite the church, and included seminars, food stalls and kids’ activities. Around 2,500 people attended from the community, which had the impact of putting the small church ‘on the map’. Even five years a�er the event, visitors were still coming to the church prompted by flyers handed out at Wildfest.


EstablishingGoing and growing

Collect data

Develop a deeper understanding of the target group

Information and data about the target group should be collected, aecting the form of both outreach and church worship, meetings and group activities.

Carry out awareness raising in the broader community

Awareness raising can include new signage, letterbox drops, stalls at the railway station, survey door-knocking, public seminars and events, improved Google Search Engine Optimisation and website development.

Communication Undertake ongoing

outreach activity

Multiple activities should be held to keep the evangelistic momentum going. Attenders should feel confident about inviting others to activities.

Connection

Recognise the importance of meetings based around meals

Meals together a�er church are important events, whether at restaurants, clubs or on church premises. Eating together has a great significance in various cultures and is valued among disadvantaged groups.

Establish culturally appropriate meetings and groups

Provide God-centred worship, easily comprehensible for visitors and done in a contemporary style.

Congregation

Undertake practical community service

Practical service enables the church to become a recognised part of the community. Long-term, patient service is essential in reaching out to people in disadvantaged areas or groups.

Participate in community events

Apart from attending events, participation can include coordination of the event locally, recruitment of people from the community and the use of the church’s facilities for the event.

Community

34 | 2018

Connection – Reaching out to People in the Wider Community

Outreach is important to the success of church plants. Outreach is perhaps best conceived as an ongoing activity or series of activities which build on one another, rather than as a one-o� event. A momentum can then be built, with a succession of new initiatives to ‘keep the ripples going’. Building relationships with people in the wider community through such activities and beyond requires patience and should be viewed as a long-term exercise.

As mentioned earlier, key qualities of the leader or leaders include being an evangelist and an innovator. It is in reaching out to the wider community that such leadership qualities need to come to the fore, and will also be strongly present in the core team. Innovative approaches to outreach will reflect an understanding of the context and target group, and will involve a degree of risk, trust of one another in the core team and a willingness to learn from failure as well as success.

Evangelism or outreach is more di¡cult in some groups or locations than in others, and inviting to church may be more di¡cult (Bellamy et al, 2015). Therefore training attenders may be necessary to better equip them for dealing with the assumptions that people may hold about Christians and Christianity and to encourage inviting to church to happen.

There should be multiple avenues into church life, in view of the diversity of the wider community. As with church meetings, outreach activities should seek to be culturally appropriate. Attenders should feel confident inviting people to their church and expect that it will not immediately alienate those they have invited.

People living with disadvantage are best reached through outreach that provides practical help and a listening ear (Bellamy et al, 2015). This can require strong boundaries (‘we’re not going to pay all your bills’), patience in being accepted by the community and by demonstrating a long-term commitment to them.

Community events and festive occasions can provide an opportunity for outreach. For instance, Christmas is an important moment when people may choose to visit a church. So rather than ‘closing down’ over January, consideration should be given to holding events that will encourage such visitors to return to church for a second time. The start of the year can also be an important time to connect with new residents in the local community.

Community – Being Part of the Wider Community

The issue of connectedness with the target group or local community came up frequently in the Church Planting Study. Becoming part of the community can involve participation in community-run events such as Clean Up Australia Day and Anglicare’s Toys ‘N Tucker. With the resources of the congregation, participation can go beyond attendance and may include coordination of the event locally, recruitment of people from the community and the church’s facilities becoming part of the infrastructure for the event. Such involvement moves the church in the direction of becoming a community hub.

Practical service can become the avenue for connecting with the community (Ott & Wilson, 2011, 399-407). Examples of church plants doing just that were documented by the Church Planting Study - three of which are outlined below.

Becoming Part of the Community

Having been a community youth worker has meant that the leader of the Living Water Fellowship in Redfern is a constant presence in the local community and has a practical role in helping Aboriginal young people.

Using the ‘Adopt-a-Block’ approach, the leader of Berkeley Life Centre near Port Kembla found that o�ering practical support to people living in a lower socio-economic area enabled his team to become known to the residents. They o�ered prayer and help to sick people, a listening ear to lonely people and gave away food to those who needed it. Eventually there were also conversations about church and about God.

Sadleir Anglican in south-western Sydney held a regular BBQ for people living in this lower socio-economic area. The BBQ became a connection point with Anglicare’s on-site counselling service and with Sadleir’s Anglican’s Friendship service, which provided a short worship time, a place of safety, socialising and meals for participants.


Congregation – Meetings, Groups and Activities at Church

A theme that emerged throughout the Church Planting Study was that of being culturally appropriate for the context within which the church plant was established. This principle applies both to the internal life of the church – meeting style, preaching and worship – and to the external interface with the wider community or networks – communications, outreach, evangelism and community service. Malphurs (2004, 72-74) put it well when he said that successful church planters are deeply rooted in the conviction that the Gospel is unchanging, but that the form in which it is expressed must be well contextualised. This implies that being prepared to try things that are both innovative and customised to the local context will be needed rather than simply repeating approaches – even successful ones – that have been used elsewhere.

The nature and number of church plants undertaken by a parish may reflect not only a desire to reach the local area but also the di�erent demographic groups within the area. The common model of early morning (traditional), late morning (family) and evening (youth) services o�en results in substantial variations in service style to accommodate cultural di�erences between demographic groups. Similarly the multiplication of church services along ethnic and generational lines can give a church greater ‘surface area’ for connecting with local communities, providing more opportunities for outreach and evangelism.

How Context Can A£ect Form – Examples from the Church Planting Study

People who have had no experience of church when growing up are best included in meetings that have contemporary music, use overhead projection or service sheets and which have a modern tone.

For churches located in shopping centres, services can be timed to coincide with high levels of pedestrian activity, increasing the likelihood of ‘walk-in’ visits.

The literature speaks of the importance of culturally relevant church meetings, creative and ‘done well’ (Malphurs 2004, 367-386). More o�en than not, this means adopting a contemporary style (Stetzer 2007). Gatherings need to be God-centred and easily comprehensible to visitors (Stetzer 2006, 376-388). Importantly church services should be enjoyable, giving attenders the confidence to invite people to church, knowing what they can expect from the service. Preaching needs to be interesting, touch upon felt needs, balance the practical and the theological, be simple and memorable, not too long, employ clear simple language, and be creative and positive (Malphurs 2004, 386-392; Stetzer 2006, 389-403). Such public worship should be innovative in seeking to respond e�ectively to the context and target group.

The importance of eating together and food were a common theme in the Church Planting Study. Meals together a�er church were considered to be important events, whether held at restaurants,

Services with starting times prior to meal times (eg. 11am, 5pm) create the opportunity for meals together a�er the service and the extending of hospitality to visitors.

Church services around tables, with butchers paper and pens, a ‘smoko’ break, cup of tea and a meal, are more appealing to attenders living in public housing areas.

Services and meetings in lower socio-economic and multicultural areas need to be carried out in simple English.

For Aboriginal people the provision of transport to the meeting, flexible start and finish times, respect for elders and meals together can encourage participation.

Non-English Speaking Background services need to be geared to the cultural requirements of the ethnic group. For example, informality and meeting together around a table is appropriate in Iranian culture, reflecting the idea of meeting together on equal terms.

36 | 2018


clubs or on the church premises. NESB services held in the morning would o�en be followed by lunch. Church services held at 5pm would be followed by dinner. Some churches have commercial kitchen facilities and dedicated eating areas on the premises. People from outside church life are able to meet others and make friends in the context of a Christian gathering over a meal. The provision of food and meals has special value to people living with disadvantage.

4.4 Ongoing Financing and Budgets

Church plants must plan for the future and not simply be occupied with getting started. Some sort of budget forward planning needs to happen with projections for years two and three for both costs and projected income. O�en start-up seed funding is adequate for the first year or two but then as it scales down, congregational giving must grow.

The goal of any church plant ought to be to become self-sustaining, if possible. Some churches in areas of social disadvantage or that are reaching particular communities (such as Aboriginal or Muslim background) may never become self-sustaining financially and require ongoing external support. However church plants in other, more a¿uent areas really ought to be able to become self-sustaining within a few years.

It is imperative that the church planter works hard at building the financial base of the congregation by teaching about giving and calling upon members to be generous. There are helpful resources and ideas for developing giving at church, such as from Geneva Push and a number of online resources from the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).

Grant-making agencies do provide grants for new projects within a church plant such as putting on a new sta� member, beginning another congregation or starting a new mission work. These can be helpful to boost the budget bottom-line but church plants ought to be wary of ‘grant dependency’ and focus instead on building the congregation and generous giving from the members.

Where church plants have begun in rented premises such as schools or factories, there may be growing pressure or a desire for a more secure church location that is owned and not rented. Invariably large amounts of capital are required either to purchase premises or redevelop an old church facility that may have become available. The

Diocese has a Mission Property Committee (MPC) that can advise churches on these developments and possibly assist with building and development. It is unlikely the Diocese would assist with a financial contribution to purchase facilities or redevelopment other than the purchase of land in the greenfields growth areas of Sydney.

There are a few generous Christian patrons who may be willing to assist with capital to purchase a property for a growing church plant. ENC together with MPC can assist plants seeking to purchase or develop properties by putting planters in touch with appropriate professionals such as planners, architects, developers, financiers etc.

Church plants must plan for the future and not simply be occupied with getting started.

4.5 Relationships and Partnerships

Church planting is hard work and all plants will benefit from partnerships and fellowship with other plants and planters. ENC is seeking to establish a network of Anglican planters to supplement other, more established networks through Geneva Push or City to City.

Planters are encouraged to form partnerships with both other planters and with existing churches for their mutual benefit. Other leaders can act as mentors and advisors, and such relationships might lead to strong partnerships in prayer, in advancing mission and potentially building stronger financial support for the plant.

Planters are strongly encouraged to keep looking for mentors and partners, and ensuring these relationships are a ‘two way street’ of mutual benefit to both parties. There are some great examples of such mutual partnerships between churches such as Christ Church St Ives and Chester Hill Anglican, Normanhurst Anglican and Fairfield Church, and Kiama Anglican with Berkeley Life Centre.

4.6 Coaching, Training and Development

Professional development for church planting sta� is a necessity. This should come from the church planter themselves but also be expected and supported by the planting team. All church planters

38 | 2018

must therefore have plans in place for ongoing coaching and mentoring, and for attendance at various church planting conferences and workshops. A personal development plan ought to be developed with the coach.

Mentoring involves acting as an advisor or guide to another person, providing personal reflections to them based upon a greater experience. Coaching involves showing someone how to carry out a role or tasks, perfecting technical aspects and improving performance.

Mentoring and coaching are important ways that denominations can lend support to church plants (Malphurs 2004, 56; McCrary 2001; Rowley 2005). Mentoring and coaching were considered important by most interviewees in the Church Planting Study and essential by some. There is some research evidence around the importance of coaching and mentoring, with frequent mentoring and coaching being associated with larger attendance levels at church plants (Stetzer, 2006). Both can provide accountability structures around decision-making and time management, and can provide support for leaders to deal with the stress and di¡culties of leadership.

Since most Pioneering church planters (and many Mother-daughter church planters) are young leaders and church planting is stressful, ‘mentoring will keep the bloke in the game and coaching will help him to do it well’ (Bellamy et al, 2015).

There is some research evidence around the importance of coaching and mentoring, with frequent mentoring and coaching being associated with larger attendance levels at church plants. Stetzer, 2006

Rectors are able to provide mentoring for Assistant Ministers undertaking daughter church plants, but Pioneering and other planters need support from other sources. Currently ENC, Centre for Ministry Development (CMD), Geneva Push and City to City provide opportunities for mentoring and coaching. Other leaders have developed mentoring relationships informally with people they have met in church life. There may be value in having mentors with di�ering expertise and background providing advice on di�erent aspects of the church planting role.

Most recently the Diocese through CMD has established a ‘Developing Rectors Course’ designed for first time Rectors/Incumbents. This involves

an initial two day ‘boot camp’, several training days over two years and provision of a monthly coaching session with a trained coach/mentor over a two year period. Coaches develop with the new rector a ministry development plan and rectors have access to a wide variety of coaching and personal assessment tools including professional psychological testing. Church planters, while technically not rectors as yet, can participate in this CMD training.

Planters and their teams ought to expect to pay for this sort of coaching and professional development and to budget accordingly.

Furthermore there is a place for coaching of the church planting team. Core team members are encouraged to attend planting conferences and other training events in the Diocese. ENC and CMD hold workshops and training regularly, many of which will be relevant and helpful for core team members as much as pastors (financial training, evangelism, welcoming, HR and inter-personal skills training, vision setting, etc).

4.7 Exiting – the Path to Independence

ENC is committed to transitioning church plants to independence. Unless there are extenuating circumstances it is expected that all fellowships will ‘graduate’ from ENC and become parishes in their own right within the Diocese.

Options for Exiting

For church plants within the Diocese that are successful and grow to the point of financial self-sustainability, there are several options for transitioning into a parish within the Diocese in their own right.

If an ENC fellowship has now reached viability, they could:

Become a ‘Recognised Church’ within the Diocese. This is the category of church where they do not have their own property/church building. The threshold for this is an average adult attendance of 80 and su¡cient finances to pay their minister the minimum stipend.

Become a ‘Provisional Parish’ or full Parish if they have a building and su¡cient income to pay their minister the minimum stipend. This has happened several times where the plant began in an under-utilised Anglican church building and the parish boundaries were


redrawn to accommodate a new church (eg. Concord North). On other occasions the church plant started in land and buildings purchased by the Diocese and once viability was achieved, the new parish was created out of an existing parish (eg. Oran Park, Glenmore Park).

Another path has been viable church plants in an area eventually merging with the existing Anglican church of the Parish and a larger merged parish entity eventuates (eg. Wild St at Pagewood, Vine Church with Surry Hills, Grace Anglican with East Roseville).

A new parish can be declared by the Archbishop as he determines but most usually it is done by Ordinance either at Standing Committee or at Synod.

Transitioning Leadership to Parish Council and Wardens

To enable this transition the church plant needs to develop its capacity to manage its own finances, HR and property. It needs to appoint a suitable local management team that would become the wardens and parish council for the church at the point of transition. There are several necessary o¡ce bearers for any Anglican parish, such as wardens and treasurer. Such o¡ce bearers become the responsible persons for the new parish and hold legal authority then to employ sta�, manage property, enter into contracts and the like on behalf of the church.

A full Parish would need three wardens to be appointed. Two are elected by the congregation at the AGM and one is appointed by the Rector of the church. These become the o¡cial o¡ce bearers of the church. At the first AGM the congregation can decide whether to have a Parish Council and the size of that Council, or whether to operate simply with wardens and Rector looking a�er the administration, finance and property matters. Details of how a parish operates are found in the Parish Administration Ordinance and other relevant Ordinances on the Anglican SDS website.

Taking Over Accounting and Managing Property

One critical aspect of this step will be demonstrating a capacity and having suitable persons to take over the finances of the new parish as it is created. This would require a suitable person to act as treasurer and, if possible, a bookkeeper/accountant to look a�er transactions and keeping accounts up to date. There would be a process of

creating new bank accounts and transferring the balance of funds and liabilities over to the new Parish from ENC accounts. Church plants can easily transition their existing Xero accounts across to become Xero accounts for the new parish.

If church plants transition to a Recognised Church (without property assets) they will likely have few assets or property management issues. They may need to take over existing leases for rental of premises or houses for sta�. Where they do have assets these would need to transition from an ENC balance sheet to the new Recognised Church entity.

If church plants become Provisional or full parishes there will be the need for Ordinances to transfer property (buildings or houses) currently held on trust with another Anglican entity (such as the MPC or a Region) across to the new Parish. These arrangements would all be overseen by the Bishop and SDS through Standing Committee.

40 | 2018

APPENDICES

Forms and Documents

Appendix 1: Thoughts on Repotting Existing Churches

It is o�en the case that a church plant may begin in a school or public facility and then be o�ered an existing church/parish as a location to meet in and in time to ‘repot’ the existing church by merging a new group with the existing congregation. This clash of cultures can be hard to manage, particularly where a dysfunctional church is repotted with an evangelistic disciple-making group.

Here are some observations from pastors who have managed such a process:

Don’t try it on your own, it is hard work, and you need a team and support!

Respect the existing group and try to honour their churchmanship as best you can. This might mean ‘ignoring’ for a time some issues and simply getting on with preaching (eg. accept the worship style until enough trust and momentum for change is built).

Treat everyone as someone who needs the gospel – they may be unconverted or may be saints but poorly taught. Some might be wolves and enemies but don’t start assuming they all are! Deal with the enemies once that is clear what they are.

Nibble away at things, keep looking for a better day patiently (eg. they want 8 minute sermons, give them 10 for a time, then up it to 12 etc). In one church, lights were being changed inside and a sca�old went up, so the new pastor took the opportunity mid-week to take down the crucifix over the table, unbolted ‘Jesus’ from it and put the cross back without the body on it, and no one noticed for three years!

Move forward ‘at the pace they and you can deal with’. (Your patience might be the limiting factor not them!) It may take 3-4 years before you feel it is really working out.

Be proactive and intentional – don’t just let it happen and unfold ad hoc; you must have some sense of plan and program for change. At the same time expect surprises! The fights you have may not be the ones you thought you might have. Be ready for anything.

Be prayerful in all things – it is a spiritual work and so we must pray. Look to the Lord in whose hands are the hearts of o¡cials, authorities and opponents to turn as He sees fit. Never doubt His power.

Get into peoples’ homes: (when there are only 20-30 people it is realistic to visit everyone and have a meal). Be indebted to them in terms of hospitality. Listen carefully and be attentive but not indebted to their agenda or thoughts. Most people just want to be heard. You will never win everyone, so live with that. Courage and confidence in the Lord is needed not acceptance and popularity.

There may be wisdom in leaving the two groups/cultures (eg. old high church morning crowd and younger evangelical families a�ernoon crowd) separate for a year or two years before attempting to ‘merge’ into one church. They both need time to build trust and get to know each other.

When you do merge ensure everyone has to adapt and change – so both service times should be changed. There is then a relaunch for both congregations. Everyone has to adjust not just the older existing crowd.

Understand that the skills for church turning/renewal/repotting a dying church are very di�erent to the pioneering church planter skills. Far more patience, forbearance and people management skills are needed.


Appendix 2: Sample MoU with ENC

Memorandum of Understanding between the Board of the Department of Evangelism and New Churches

(the “Board) and [name of church/new fellowship] (“NF”)

Background

1. Under its constituent ordinance, the Board has as one of its objects: advancement of the evangelistic purposes of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney (the “Diocese”), including through the planting of new congregations and fellowships in the Diocese.

2. A “fellowship” is a group of persons who meet together on a regular basis within the Diocese under the pastoral leadership of a person who is appointed by the Board to lead the fellowship and who holds a general licence or authority to o¡ciate in the Diocese.

3. The NF activities and ministries will be ultimately under the supervision of the Board and its Director. However the NF will have its own Ministry Leader and in practice be given significant autonomy in undertaking its ministry activities through the establishment of a local ‘Ministry Council’ (akin to a ‘parish council’ but without the same formal and legal status).

4. It is envisaged that at a suitable and agreed time the NF will become independent of ENC and become either a full Parish, a Provisional Parish or a Recognised Church within the Diocese of Sydney.

5. This MoU replaces any previous MoU or letter of o�er between ENC and the NF and outlines the nature of the relationship between ENC and the NF.

Obligations of ENC

The Board agrees to -

1. Set governance policies for the relationship with the NF, and provide infrastructure to support NF.

2. Employ the ministry sta� of NF, provide payroll services and other services incidental thereto.

3. Assist with any application to the Archbishop for a licence or authorisation for the ministry sta� of NF (provided it is satisfied of the fitness of those persons to undertake ministry).

4. Noti� the Manager, Insurance Services of the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat of the existence of NF and its activities to ensure adequate cover under the insurance program of the Diocese, and pay any premiums for that cover (apart from the direct PCR charge for clergy SC/LSL).

5. Establish an independent bank account for depositing money raised by or for the NF (the “NF Account”) and apply these funds wholly for the purpose of meeting liabilities incurred by or on behalf of the NF as detailed in clause 3.

6. Consult with the Regional Bishop and the NF Ministry Council to provide or arrange for pastoral care, coaching and mentoring for the sta� of the NF by an appropriately qualified minister(s) or lay person(s).

7. Meet with the NF Council and Ministry Leader at least bi-annually (or such other regular schedule as agreed between the parties) to review the ministry and discuss future plans.

8. Act for and on behalf of NF in all property matters including lease of premises, licences, Council approvals, purchase of property and negotiations with any Diocesan authorities.

42 | 2018

Obligations of NF

The NF agrees to -

1. Report regularly to the Board concerning its ministry, attendances, finances and other matters in the form and timetable to be agreed.

2. Provide to the Board at an agreed time each year a full set of accounts for the previous year and an annual budget for the year ahead to the Board.

3. Appoint a treasurer/bookkeeper to oversee the NF finances and liaise with the ENC accountant and ENC treasurer on a regular basis to ensure good governance of the finances.

4. Comply with all the policies set by ENC with respect to financial administration, compliance, record keeping and such other policies as the ENC Board determines from time to time.

5. Appoint a Safe Ministry O¡ce and ensure that all sta� and volunteers of NF who hold or will hold positions that primarily involve contact with children undertake safe ministry training that has been approved by the Safe Ministry Board of the Diocese, and have completed a prohibited employment declaration and a Working With Children Check (WWCC).

6. Keep up to date records of all WWCC numbers and Safe Ministry Course completion dates for all volunteers and meet all other requirements as set out by the Safe Ministry and Professional Standards Unit of the Diocese including completion of the annual Safe Ministry Report.

7. Immediately report any accidents or incidents that may give rise to potential insurance claims to the Manager, Insurance Services of the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat, and copy any such report to the Director ENC.

8. Immediately report any incidents or alleged incidents concerning child protection matters or other forms of misconduct or abuse (including those a�ecting an adult), to the Professional Standards Unit of the Diocese and inform the Director of ENC of any such report or incident.

9. Ensure the ministry leader (and any other ministry sta�) are being supported, encouraged and coached/trained so they continue to grow in Christlikeness and their competency/skills as ministers, teachers and leaders of God’s people.

The schedule below outlines the various obligations of both ENC and the NF with respect to various matters of governance.


Supervision and Ministry Council

Item / Obligation Responsibility of Actioned Notes

1. As soon as practicable the Ministry Leader of the NF in negotiation with both the Regional Bishop and the Director of ENC will appoint a ‘Ministry Council’ of at least 3 members and ideally 5 members to assist with the ministry of NF. This Council will be akin to a ‘parish council’ or wardens of a regular Anglican Parish, however without the same legal status and authority.

NF The Council ought therefore comprise (if possible) some members with:

financial and accounting experience/skills

legal, compliance, governance experience/skills

ministry experience/training

HR, marketing or business experience/skills.

Ideally the Council would comprise both men and women and be drawn from members of the NF but where this is not possible can be from the wider Christian community but must be members of another Anglican Church and be able to sign the usual statement of faith as required for o�ce holders within the Anglican Church Sydney Diocese.

It is suggested that the usual Anglican pattern be used of the Ministry Leader appointing one member of the Council for each two elected by the congregation. (Council of 3 - one appointed, two elected. Council of 5 - two appointed, three elected).

2. The responsibility of the Council is to• Meet regularly (ideally monthly) with

the Ministry Leader to pray for and discuss the ministry of the NF

• Ensure all matters regarding finance and property are managed well especially around collection of o�ertory and banking and keeping of the Xero accounts

• Ensure Safe Ministry and keep Safe Ministry records (WWCC numbers, Safe Ministry training and approvals, Safe Ministry Report to the Diocese)

• With the Ministry Leader to develop an annual ministry plan and budget for the subsequent year

• Approve leave for the Ministry Leader or other sta�

• Ensure that the annual returns are completed for Insurance, OH and S, Risk are completed for the Diocese through the ENC O¡ce.

3. Council members must be Christian and be able to sign the statement of faith and articles as required for o¡ce holders within the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Sydney.

4. Appointments are for a term of one year and subject to re-appointment by the Ministry Leader or re-election by the NF members. It is suggested that initially the Ministry Leader in consultation with the Director of ENC and the Bishop initially appoints the first Council and then in due course holds a meeting of members to determine the membership of subsequent the Council.

44 | 2018

Finances


5. The Board through its treasurer will apply the funds in NF Account for the following purposes:(a) paying the remuneration due to the

NF sta� including salary or stipend, allowances, superannuation, leave and other statutory entitlements,

(b) meeting any other on costs incidental to the employment of the NF sta� such as workers compensation insurance,

(c) meeting the cost of any liability incurred by NF in fulfilling its purposes, and

(d) meeting the cost of any other liability incurred by the Board that it has undertaken at the request NF or under the terms of this memorandum such as rental payments, the purchase of plant or equipment and so forth.

ENC

6. The Board is not obligated, and does not commit to, pay monies beyond the funds that are available in the NF account from time to time. It is the responsibility primarily of the NF Council and Ministry Leader to communicate with supporters and churches and grant making foundations to raise funds to support NF. The ENC Board will commit to making the ministry of NF known across the Diocese as part of its advertising of church plants.

ENC and NF The ENC Accountant will establish a ‘reserve’ of at least two month’s expenses of the NF in the NF account in accordance with the ENC Policy.

7. The NF will need to arrange their own bookkeeper/treasurer to create and keep Xero accounts for NF. These accounts will be linked to the bank account created by the ENC Board for NF. The Xero accounts will be kept and updated regularly by the NF treasurer/bookkeeper but also be able to be managed by the ENC accountant. Ideally quarterly updates of cash flow, cash position, income and expenditure will be provided by NF to the ENC Director and Board.

NF The NF will need to establish some policies around authorities and limits of payments. Two signatures are required for all payments and amounts up to agreed limits can be made by designated sta�. Above certain agreed amounts approval must be sought from the NF council and/or the ENC accountant/Director.


8. The NF Council and Ministry Leader will provide a proposed budget for the next year as part of an annual ‘ministry plan’ to be presented and discussed with the ENC Director as part of the annual review of the ministry.

NF

9. The services provided by the Board are as per the following schedule(a) first year of operation of MoU a flat

fee of $500(b) in subsequent years the following

(i) 1% of net operating receipts for NOR up to $100,000

(ii) 1.5% of NOR between $100,000 and $250,000

(iii) 2% of NOR above $250,000.

NF This will allow the ENC Board to develop capacity to help establish and service more fellowships. It should be noted that once a fellowship becomes a Recognised Church or a Parish within the Diocese the PCR charge levied by the Diocese will be of the order of 12% of NOR.

The treasurer/accountant of the Board has discretion to refuse to make a payment or reimbursement from the MEA. The items that can legitimately be claimed through an MEA are outlined in the Guidelines for Remuneration for Pastoral Sta� for the Diocese of Sydney (available online at sds.anglican.asn.au).

10. The Board will establish a Ministry Expense Account (MEA) for sta� of NF who are “religious practitioners” for the purposes of subsection 136(1) of the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986. Each MEA will operate as follows:(a) the MEA will be jointly administered

by the ENC accountant and the NF sta� member to whom it relates,

(b) the sta� member is to advise the treasurer of the Board of the percentage of their stipend or salary to be contributed to the MEA, which must not exceed 40%,

(c) the sta� member will not be able to operate the account but will be able to view the account balance online through the Xero facilities,

(d) the ENC accountant will make payments or reimbursements from the MEA on presentation of claims by the sta� member substantiated by invoices or receipts or, upon prior arrangement, by regular transfer direct to other parties, to cover payments for items such as rent or mortgage payments,

(e) claims must be made at least quarterly but preferably monthly, on the form provided by ENC,

ENC and NF sta�

46 | 2018

(f) monies held in the MEA cannot be paid to the sta� member as cash unless it is for the purpose of reimbursement of expenses incurred by the sta� member,

(g) any balance of the MEA not claimed at the end of the year will be paid to the sta� member as salary less the appropriate tax, unless agreed with the ENC accountant and Director that it be carried over for another year. It is not good accounting practice to allow large liabilities to sta� to accumulate.

11. The ENC accountant will submit GST rebate claims and BAS returns on behalf of the NF and sta� upon submission of the necessary receipts.

ENC and NF sta�


Employment of Sta£


12. The Board will employ the Ministry Leader of the NF.

ENC and NF ENC has a separate Leave Policy outlining leave entitlements for all sta�.The Board may employ additional sta� at the request of the NF. Any such appointments must be discussed with the Director of ENC and financial information and budget supplied to ensure the NF will be able to meet the costs of the new employment. All sta� employments require a formal letter of appointment or employment contract to be signed by the employee and ENC. A sample Employment Contract is available from ENC.

13. All new sta� members for a fellowship will require licensing with the Diocese (whether ordained, lay, full time or part time, pastoral sta� or trainees). This will require submission of an application to the Registrar of the Diocese and may include the requirement to meet with the Bishop of the region.

14. The obligations and entitlements of persons employed to undertake ministry for and on behalf of NF will be set out in a separate letter of appointment signed by the employee concerned and the Director.

15. All sta� of NF must submit leave forms (including sick leave, family leave and study leave) to the NF Council or to the Director of ENC for approval and for the purpose of maintaining records of leave entitlements. This can be done through the ‘kiosk’ facility using Xero.

Professional Standards


16. The Synod of the Diocese and the Board have adopted Faithfulness in Service: a national code for personal behaviour and the practice of pastoral ministry by clergy and church workers (the “Code”). The Code outlines the standards of personal behaviour and practices that are expected of clergy and church workers in the Diocese. The Code will apply to all employed sta� of the NF and any other person exercising a leadership position in the NF, whether paid or unpaid. Such persons may be subject to disciplinary action under the Discipline Ordinance 2006.

NF The Diocese has appointed Neil Atwood to assist the PSU Director to ensure Safe Ministry standards and compliance in the Diocese. Any questions or issues with respect to Safe Ministry can be directed to Neil Atwood.

48 | 2018

17. The Diocese requires the NF to appoint a ‘Safe Ministry O¡cer’ and submit a ‘Safe Ministry Report’ annually to the Diocese. Details of the expectations and responsibilities of the Safe Ministry o¡cer and the Ministry Leader of NF with respect to ensuring safe ministry are set out in the Diocesan Guidelines available on the Anglican Church website.

NF

Communication and Reporting


18. The Director of the Department of Evangelism and New Churches will be the contact person for the Board.

19. The Senior Minister/Leader of the NF will be the contact person for the NF together with the chairman of the Council of NF.

20. The Board may delegate all or any of its responsibilities and functions under this memorandum to the Director to undertake on its behalf.

Termination


21. If the NF wishes to terminate this memorandum at least 1 month’s written notice must be given to the Director.

NF

22. If NF becomes a recognised church under the Recognised Churches Ordinance 2000 this memorandum will terminate with e�ect from that date.

23. The Board’s ability to meet its obligations under this memorandum and to continue to provide services to NF is dependent on continuing funding from the Synod of the Diocese. Funding for the foreseeable is guaranteed, however if funding in future years is inadequate the Board’s obligations under this memorandum will lapse.


24. It is a condition of this memorandum that the NF has a Ministry Leader who has met standards necessary for an Archbishop’s licence. If the licence or authorisation is not able to be obtained or, in the event of a vacancy in the position of Ministry Leader, if a replacement Senior Minister is not appointed within a reasonable period of time, the Board may suspend or terminate this memorandum.

NF

25. Should the Ministry Leader of the New Fellowship plan to leave the NF, the minister is to give 6 months notice to the ENC Board through the Director. (This period may be reduced through discussions with the Director.)

NF Ministry Leader

26. Should the minister leave, in recommending his replacement, the Director will consult with NF, and its Council. The Director will a�er discussion with NF recommend an appropriate person to the Archbishop for licensing as the Ministry Leader. While the wishes of NF will of course be given serious consideration, the final decision remains with the Archbishop.

ENC

27. The Board may also terminate this memorandum immediately if in its reasonable opinion the NF: (a) is not materially meeting its

obligations under this memorandum (a�er having drawn those breaches to NF attention), or

(b) its leader is not holding to orthodox Biblical teaching, or

(c) is engaging in, or permitting the existence or continuation of, acts or practices which o�end the doctrine of the Diocese or otherwise undermine its reputation.

ENC

50 | 2018

28. If this memorandum is terminated the Board agrees that it will forward the balance of the NF Account to the entity that replaces or succeeds the NF less any amount required to be retained to discharge any liabilities of the NF or which the Board has or will incur on behalf of or on account of NF including sta� wages and other entitlements, obligations owed under a contract (such as a lease agreement) and so forth.

ENC

29. The NF agrees that if this memorandum is terminated it must cease to hold itself out as being Anglican or a ministry of the Diocese unless it has become:(a) a recognised church under the

Recognised Churches Ordinance 2000 or such other ministry unit of the Diocese that is recognised at the time, or

(b) an a¡liated church under the A¡liated Churches Ordinance 2005.

NF The Board will provide a transition pack of information for New Fellowships ready to transition out to this arrangement to become either an independent church or a recognised church or a provisionally recognised church of the Diocese. If a New Fellowship becomes an independent church it may also choose to become a church a�liated with the Diocese under the A�liated Churches Ordinance 2005.

Assignment


30. In the event that the Ministry Leader of NF resigns or otherwise leaves his position this memorandum is to be assigned to the incoming Senior Minster/Leader or to the Council of the NF.

NF


Appendix 3: Sample Letter of Appointment ENC

29 King Street Newtown NSW 2042 (02) 9577 9874[date]

[pastor name and address]

Dear [name] ,

Letter of o£er for position of Lead Pastor of The New Fellowship in [name of Fellowship]

We are pleased to o�er you the position of Lead Pastor of The New Fellowship in [name] from [date]. This letter sets out the terms and conditions that apply to the position.

You will be responsible to the Director of Evangelism and New Churches (ENC) (the “Director”) for the performance of the duties associated with the position. You are under license from the Archbishop of the Sydney Diocese and finally answerable to him.

The position is a full-time position and is capped at a term of [number] months (the “Period”). The term of your employment may be renewed by the Director at or before the expiration of the Period.

Your employment may be terminated by ENC or yourself within the Period in accordance with the terms of this letter of appointment.

The position is subject to all applicable ordinances and rules in force from time to time in the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney.

By accepting this position, you are representing to the Board of the Department of Evangelism and New Churches (the “Board”) that you are not bound by any existing legal obligations to any of your previous employers that would prevent you taking up the position.

The Board’s ability to meet its obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding (the “Memorandum”) between the Board of the Department of Evangelism and New Churches (the “Board”) and The New Fellowship and to continue to provide services to The New Fellowship is dependent on continuing funding from the Synod of the Diocese. If funding in future years is inadequate, and there is no other available source of funds, the Board’s obligations under the Memorandum will lapse.

52 | 2018

Duties and performance of duties

The duties of the position may be reviewed from time to time by the Director in response to the changing needs of the position. However currently the main duties are:

To discharge the ministries of the Lead Pastor of [name of church plant] as agreed and discussed with the Director.

You will also undertake any other duties that the Director reasonably and lawfully directs you to undertake from time to time.

If you undertake any other form of employment you are to inform the Director in general terms of the other work you may be undertaking. This work is not to adversely impact on your capacity and ability to perform in the position. Should you be invited to take on ministry activities beyond the ministry of [Name of church] (such as being on a Board or work for a ministry organisation) such arrangements need to be discussed with the Director prior to any commitment.

During the course of your employment you may become aware of confidential information. You agree to keep this information confidential both during and a�er your employment.

You agree to abide by all the policies and procedures of the Board as varied, supplemented or added to from time to time.

Remuneration

Salary or Stipend

You will be paid a salary or stipend of not less than the National Minimum Wage that is applicable from time to time and not more than the minimum stipend for a Senior Minister set out in the Guidelines for the Remuneration of Parish Ministry Sta� published by the Standing Committee of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney each year. The details of the remuneration will be decided by the management committee at [name of church]. The details are set out in the attached schedule.

Your stipend will be paid monthly for the duration of your employment, and during any renewal of the Period, on a date to be determined by the ENC treasurer.

The amount you will be paid each month will depend on the balance of funds available in the bank account into which money raised for support of The New Fellowship is deposited. You agree that all support raised for or by The New Fellowship will be deposited in The New Fellowship Account.

If su¡cient funds are in The New Fellowship Account at the end of the month to pay you at the level of a Senior Minister you will be paid that amount. If there is a lesser amount in The New Fellowship Account at the end of the month you will be paid the balance of The New Fellowship Account, less any amount that is required to be retained to make provision for workers compensation insurance, superannuation, leave entitlements, any other on costs of your employment and any other known liabilities of The New Fellowship that must be paid for out of The New Fellowship Account, such as rent.

If the balance of funds available in The New Fellowship Account in a month is less than the National Minimum Wage the ENC Board will fund the di�erence for that month and for that month only. In such event you agree to immediately meet with the Director to determine if the number of days you are engaged to work should be reduced to ensure that there are su¡cient funds in the account in future months to pay you at National Minimum Wage rates.


At any time throughout your employment you may advise the Director that you wish to decrease your work hours to ensure your position is able to be funded from the support you expect to raise for The New Fellowship. Any increase in your work hours must be approved by the Director.

Superannuation

We will make compulsory superannuation contributions from The New Fellowship Account in accordance with applicable superannuation legislation and the Diocesan recommendation. We will pay the superannuation contributions into either:

your choice of complying superannuation fund (in which case, you need to complete and return the enclosed Superannuation Standard Choice form); or

Anglican National Super if you do not nominate a fund.

The Diocesan superannuation recommendation is 17% of your stipend.

Minister’s Expense Account

A separate minister’s expense account (MEA) will be established into which up to 40% of the salary or stipend you are due to be paid each month may be deposited.

We will also pay you a travel allowance and any other allowances as determined and agreed as part of your package into the MEA if you and the Director agree that there are or will be su¡cient funds in The New Fellowship Account to do so. However if at the end of any month there are insu¡cient funds in The New Fellowship Account no allowances will be paid for that month.

The MEA is to be jointly administered by you and the Director (or his nominee). Payments will be made on presentation of claims substantiated by invoices or by regular transfer to payees (e.g. landlord or mortgagee). Claims must be made at least quarterly but preferably monthly. MEA claims and receipts need to be received in the first two weeks of each month to be processed for that month and paid into your account. ENC will provide a statement of available funds in the MEA quarterly; you will also be able to check the bank balance yourself online but will not be able to transfer any funds.

Housing

You will be housed in the residence at [address]. Costs associated with this residence (utilities, maintenance, grounds, etc) are to be met by either yourself (through your MEA) or the church directly as negotiated and agreed by the [name of church] and/or the Director.

Leave

You will be entitled to annual, long service, personal/carer’s and other forms of leave in accordance with the statutory entitlements that apply from time to time. All leave entitlements are to be paid or provided for out of the funds held in The New Fellowship Account.

Application and approval for leave must in the first instance be submitted to the [name of church] management council and once approved submitted to ENC for our records.

If you are a member of clergy, provision will be made for your long service leave by ENC making a quarterly contribution from The New Fellowship Account to the General Synod Long Service Leave Fund (the “Fund”). The contribution amount is fixed by the board of the Fund each year irrespective of the days per week that you are working. The amount for [year] is $[amount] per quarter. The operation of the Fund is governed by the General Synod Long Service Leave Canon 1992, the details about which may be found on the SDS website.

54 | 2018

Your long service leave will be portable while ever you are working for a church or participating organisation of the Anglican Church of Australia.

Professional standards

The nature of Christian ministry means it is not appropriate to distinguish between standards of personal conduct when you are at work and standards when you are not at work. It is expected that you will conduct yourself in accordance with the highest personal standards at all times in a way which is consistent with the principles and values of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney, including those set out in Faithfulness in Service: A national code for personal behaviour and the practice of pastoral ministry by clergy and church workers.

You acknowledge and agree that allegations of certain types of misconduct may be subject to disciplinary proceedings brought under the Discipline Ordinance 2006 (as amended from time to time). The Board and the Director of ENC also reserve the right to suspend you on full pay if the need arises.

Performance review

The Director will endeavour to review your performance from time to time and at least annually. The main purpose of the review is to give the Director a formal opportunity to provide you with feedback about your work. It will also give the Director an opportunity to review the allowances that are paid in connection with your work. It is required that you engage a coach to assist you with planting and leading the new fellowship. Such coaching is expected to happen at least monthly and you are encouraged to take the initiative in your own professional development as a church leader and pastor. The arrangements for your coaching need to be submitted and approved by the Director.

Probationary term [if necessary]

The position is subject to an initial probationary term of 6 months. During this time an assessment will be made of your suitability and capability for the position. If this assessment confirms your suitability and capability for the position, the position will be confirmed upon completion of that term. If this assessment does not confirm your suitability or capability for the position, your employment may be terminated at any time during the probationary term by either you or the Board by one week’s notice in writing to the other party.

Termination

A�er the probationary term, your employment will automatically terminate at the end of the Period unless it is renewed.

The Board or the Director may terminate your employment during the term if there are insu¡cient funds in The New Fellowship Account to pay you a salary or stipend that is not less than the National Minimum Wage (a�er amounts have been retained for the on costs of your employment and other known liabilities of The New Fellowship) or if in the judgment of the Board of ENC or the Director there will not be su¡cient funds at a future point in time.

Your employment may also be summarily terminated by the Board of ENC or the Director before the end of the Period for serious misconduct by notice given to you by the Director e�ective immediately.

Serious misconduct would include, among other things, gross dishonesty, violence, gross incompetence and


pursuing a lifestyle which is inconsistent with the principles and values of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney and any other conduct that would entitle the Board or Director to dismiss you summarily.

If you wish to terminate your employment within the Period, you are required to give two months written notice to the Director. This term may be reduced by negotiation if the Director and the Board agree.

Special condition(s) of employment

Given the duties involved in this position, this o�er is conditional on:

(a) you providing before you start in the position:

(i) a copy of a licence or authorisation from the Archbishop which allows you to undertake the position,

(ii) your Working With Children Check application number or clearance number, a copy of your driver’s licence and any other personal information we may reasonably require in connection therewith, and

(b) us veri�ing that you have obtained a Working With Children Check clearance.

It is an ongoing condition of your employment that a valid Working With Children Check clearance is in e�ect at all times in addition to the Diocesan Safe Ministry requirements. If the clearance was to expire and not be renewed by you, or were it to be revoked, you will no longer be able to have direct contact with children and we may immediately take action to terminate your employment.

Your appointment is also conditional upon you obtaining, and continuing to hold, the necessary authorisation from the Archbishop.

Documents to be completed and returned

Tax File Number Declaration

Fair Work Information Statement

Standard Superannuation Choice Form

Other attachments

Faithfulness in Service: A national code for personal behaviour and the practice of pastoral ministry by clergy and church workers

Remuneration schedule for senior pastor as agreed.

56 | 2018

Acceptance

If you wish to accept the position in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in this letter, you should:

(a) sign a copy of this letter in the space indicated below, and

(b) complete the “documents to be completed” listed above; and

(c) return the copy of the signed letter, the completed documents, and details of the bank account into which you wish us to pay your salary to us as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely

Director, Department of Evangelism and New Churches, for and on behalf of the Board.

Date

I accept appointment to the position on the terms and conditions set out in this letter.

Date

58 | 2018

Bellamy, J., Kemp, B. & Compton, B. (2015) Study into E�ective Church Planting in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Report prepared on behalf of the Archbishop’s Strategic Research Group, Parramatta: Anglicare.

Coekin, R. Co-Mission: a passion… for planting… for London… for Christ. A Biblical Vision, unpublished.

Dadswell, D. & Ross, C. (2013) Church Growth Research Project: Church Planting, Rippon College Cuddesdon: Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology and Practical Theology.

Hadaway, C. & Marler, P. (2001) New Church Development: A Research Report, NY: Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, Episcopal Church Center.

Hopkins, B. & White, R. (1995) Enabling Church Planting, Coventry: CPAS.

Keller, T. (2012) Centre Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centred Ministry in Your City, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

LifeWay Research (2016) Support, Experience and Intentionality: 2015-16 Australian Church Planting Study, Nashville, TN: Lifeway Research.

Malphurs, A. (2004) Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

McCrary, L. (2001) More Than Money! A modified content analysis of written material regarding the relationship between sponsoring churches and their new church plants in the Southern Baptist Convention, DMin Project Paper, Deerfield, IL: Trinity International University.

Ott, C. and Wilson, G. (2011) Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Piper, J. (2010) Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Rowley, R. J. (2005) Successfully Coaching Church Planters, Doctoral Dissertation, Dallas, TX: Dallas Theological Seminary.

Stetzer, E. (2006) Planting Missional Churches, Nashville TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Stetzer, E. (2007) Improving the Health and Survivability of New Churches, Leadership Network: http://www.leadnet.org/downloads/CP-2007-OCT-State_of_Church_Planting_Report_Health-Stetzer.pdf

Stetzer, E. & Connor, P. (2007) Research Report: Church Plant Survivability and Health Study 2007, USA: North American Mission Board, Center for Missional Research.

Thompson, J.A. (2007) Church Leader Inventory: A PCA Qualitative and Quantitative Study, Lawrenceville, GA: Presbyterian Church of America.

Winseman, A. (2007) Growing an Engaged Church: How to Stop ‘Doing Church’ and Start Being the Church Again, Omaha, NE: Gallup Press.

A useful additional resource for many of the topics in these Guidelines is the 9Marks website: http://www.9marks.org/journal/church-mergers-

and-plants/

References

[This Page Intentionally Le� Blank]

If we want to see Christ honoured as Lord and Saviour in every community, it will be vital to be planting new churches. But how is this to be done? What are the main steps and key priorities in planting a church?

Church Planting Guidelines and Resources provides essential answers to these questions, drawing on research findings and the wisdom of experienced church planters both within and outside Sydney Diocese.

Key topics covered include:

Theological foundations for church planting;

Church planting models and policy in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney;

Key steps and priorities for establishing and developing a church plant;

Forms and documents for planting in the Diocese of Sydney;

Contacts for getting advice or assistance.

Church Planting Guidelines and Resources is an invaluable publication that you will continue to use throughout the church planting journey.




+61 (2) 9577 9874

[email protected]

www.newchurches.org.au

facebook.com/EvangelismAndNewChurches
