Helping established churches renew and new churches start.
GCI Church Multiplication Ministries (CMM) provides various church development services
to help GCI-USA churches start, renew, and relaunch. To help fund CMM’s ministry, click here.
Helping established churches renew
CMM helps established churches navigate the journey of renewal (often involving relaunching)
by providing various services, including the two consulting services detailed below.
Transformational Church (TC) consulting
Through TC consulting, CMM helps congregations develop the seven characteristics of churches that participate actively in what the Spirit is doing to transform the lives of individuals and communities. Those characteristics make up the Transformational Loop shown below. Research indicates that all seven are strongly present in churches where people are encountering Jesus, choosing to follow Jesus, and growing as co-workers with Jesus.
(For details concerning these seven characteristics, click here.)
TC consulting include the following elements: 1) a church-wide assessment using an online assessment instrument, 2) a day-long interactive Discovery Retreat, 3) formation of a detailed action plan that defines the congregation’s journey forward, 4) follow-up ministry coaching for the congregation’s lead pastor.
TC consulting is provided by GCI-USA trainers certified to use LifeWay’s Transformational Discipleship Assessment tools. For an issue of GCI Equipper devoted to transformational church values and resources, click here. For videos addressing TC consulting, click here. For articles about two GCI congregations that have received TC consulting, click here (Dallas, TX) and here (Big Sandy, TX).
Outside the Walls (OTW) consulting
Through OTW consulting, CMM helps larger congregations take steps toward missional renewal. These services include video conference training, support during a hands-on Outside the Walls outreach event, follow-up consulting and coaching. To learn more about OTW consulting, click here and watch this short video:
Helping new churches start
Through the three support services listed below, CMM helps new churches navigate The New Church Pathway (for details, click on the links, for related resources, scroll down).
- Assessment—helping new church team leaders confirm their calling to start a new church.
- Coaching—providing ministry coaches to give new church leaders relational support and accountability.
- Training—providing Church-Next training to help new church teams start, develop and multiply their churches.
(click diagram to enlarge)
New church resources
Here are resources that address starting new churches and related issues.
General resources:
- Ministry ToolBox (church development infographics)
- Age-Graded Resources
- Faithtalk Equipper (equipping small group leaders)
- Outreach
- Small Groups.com
- The Alpha Course (USA) (evangelism program)
- Pastors.com (Rick Warren)
- Church Planting Supersite
Books:
- Planting Missional Churches (Ed Stetzer)
- Seven Steps for Planting Churches (North American Mission Board)
- Church in the Making (Ben Arment)
- Ready? Preparing for the Pressures of Church Planting (North American Mission Board)
- Church Planting Land Mines (Tom Nebel)
- Big Dreams in Small Places: Church Planting in Smaller Communities (Tom Nebel)
- Full Disclosure: Exposing Church Planting Blind Spots (Stephen Gray & Barry Smith)
- Mission-Shaped Church: a Theological Response (John Hull)
- Church Planting: Laying Foundations (Stuart Murray)
- Starting A New Church: The Church Planter’s Guide to Success (Ralph Moore)