At the LAUNCH Network we realized early on if we desire to have an exponential impact on church planting we can’t do it alone.  In fact, you may be surprised that we acknowledge we don’t actually plant churches.  Churches plant churches.  That’s why our primary focus is not the church planter but church planting churches.  We are a Leadership Development Network that helps churches in their efforts to build a local church planting network that inspires and equips church planters to lead strong.  Our strategy is to come along side churches bringing them processes, systems, models and curriculum that make’s their church planting efforts easier and more effective.  In addition, because we’re creating a national network of local LAUNCH Networks we can synergize their efforts, time, resources and best practices to make each other stronger and better.  We currently have LAUNCH Hubs in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Jackson, Birmingham and Winston-Salem.  Below is an update from Pinelake Church who heads up the LAUNCH Jackson Hub.

OUTLIVE Update: June 26, 2011 from Carl Barnhill on Vimeo.

At the LAUNCH Network we’ve decided to take a unique approach to our national structure by using a Hub approach.  In this short video I interview Tim Wheat, Church Planting Pastor at Pinelake Church in Jackson, MS who explains this Hub Strategy.  Pinelake serves as the LAUNCH Jackson Hub.

“Is church planting for me?” A lot of young men are asking themselves that question today. Now days I get to spend much of my time interacting with men who have ambitions to start churches that advance the Gospel in unreached areas.  I have to tell you, it’s one of the greatest joys of my life, listening to, challenging, coaching and celebrating these young church planters.

So far in 2011 the LAUNCH Network has assessed 34 potential church planters.  Each time these young men and their wives come to our Assessment Retreat we love on them, encourage them, inspire them and help them build a personal growth plan. But we’re also very straightforward with them, warning them of the risks and dangers of starting a new church.  Church Planting Is Not Easy. That’s one of the messages we want them to hear loud and clear.

From my own personal experience as a church planter and from coaching others over the years, there are 3 things that have always rung true:

• Church Planting will cost you more than you think. When we planted in 1998 I did a rough estimate of what it would cost. But it didn’t take long until reality hit and I realized planting a church is an expensive endeavor.  You can do all the work of estimating your budget, raising funds, scouting for deals, but things always go wrong.  Someone doesn’t come through, a deal falls apart, or a promise is undelivered.  And suddenly the planter finds himself against the wall wondering how the immediate need is going to be meet.  Even with great planning things go wrong, but it’s the most wonderful opportunity of your life to watch the miraculous provision of God.  If you’re planting be ready to TRUST God for your provision.  Your faith will be put to the test, that’s just part of how God builds the man for the mission.
• Church Planting will take longer than you think. Leaders can be very impatient people.  And when a leader is good at casting a compelling vision the people who follow can get excited and become impatient to get the new church started as well.  They begin to push to move the launch date sooner against the better judgment of the planter.  “How hard can it be to start a church?  Throw out some signs, set out some seats, select some songs, preach and you got a church…right?”  Wrong.  If that were your plan you’d have a church service but not a church.  A Church is a community of believers who gather under a common mission, aligned with the same values, working toward the same vision for the sake of the lost of their community.  And if a church is going to be healthy it takes time for the DNA of that community of believers to grow, develop and solidify in the hearts of the core leaders. Not to mention there are systems and structures that simply take time to develop.  A baby who is born without the proper time for it’s systems and structure to develop will have long term health issues, if they survive at all.  In the same way,  a church without developed systems and structures will quickly show signs of being unhealthy.  Church planting takes time, don’t rush it.  Enjoy the journey and don’t miss the beauty of how God “knits together” the Body in the womb of the pre-launch stage. This is a tough one for us in America but…Slow is not unspiritual,  I’ve never met a planter who said, “I wish I would’ve launched sooner.”
• Church Planting is harder than you think. When I planted I envisioned myself as the next Andy Stanley.  I know many young guys see themselves that way but I was different…Someone told me I was the next Andy Stanley…well not in so many words, they said I was really great…or good…or something like that, BUT I knew in their heart they were saying, “Mac, you are the next Andy Stanley”.  So I knew once I announced I was starting a church multitudes of people would come and it would be easy once we had a crowd.  I guess it took about 2 months for me to realize, Andy Stanley I was not!! I learned two things:  1.  Starting a church requires it takes time, energy and personal sacrifice.  2.  Leading a growing church is hard.  More people = more money required.  More people = more expectations.  More people = more opinions. Bigger is not easier, bigger is harder.  So church planting can’t be something you’re curious about and want to take a stab at.  Church planting can’t be something you want to do because it’s the cool new thing.  Church planting requires a very specific calling and it will be that calling that will sustain you when thing get difficult. I always say church planting was the most difficult, challenging, frustrating, rewarding experience of my life.

I am by no means saying that church planting is a miserable experience because if you’re truly called and you have a strong coaching network beside you it will be one of the biggest highlights of your life, it certainly was for Cindy and me.  So if that question is echoing in your mind, “Is church planting for me?”  Count the costs, right size your expectations and make sure you have a firm confirmation from a group of godly friends who love you.

If you are looking for confirmation and coaching I encourage you to go to our website www.launchstrong and sign up for our next Assessment Retreat in Atlanta, GA on October 17-18.  Space is limited and will fill up quick so don’t delay.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit one of our LAUNCH Network partners, Life Point Church in Fredericksburg VA. I was blown away as I watched the LIfe Point team transform a local high school and pull off the best executed worship service I have ever witnessed in a portable environment. In the past 5 years, under pastor Daniel Floyd’s leadership, LIfe Point has grown from a small group of people dreaming about a new church to over 1400 worshippers meeting each week. His team is not only passionate about reaching their community but they are also passionate about serving other church planters. So I am thrilled to announce that they are offering a FREE one day church planting conference on Saturday August 27th called REACH.

REACH is a one of a kind church planting experience – portable church in a portable setting. It is not about theory based on assumption, but practical nuts and bolts learning based on the proven experience of the Life Point staff and volunteers. REACH is five and a half hours packed full of the answers to your questions, during which you will get a hands-on feel for operating successfully in a portable church setting.

Every participant will leave with a USB drive loaded with all the Life Point ministries documents and forms, a list of vendors, and a link to access sermon series graphics/splashes. They will also have special giveaways throughout the day, including an iPad 2 loaded with a leadership book library. Ultimately, Pastor Daniel and his team want to motivate and inspire you to follow hard after the dream God has placed in your heart and the vision He has given you.  SIGN UP TODAY AT www.reach2011.tv

I was in Fredrickberg VA recently speaking to a passionate group of leaders at Lifepoint Church. Pastor Daniel Floyd and his team have done an amazing job creating a strong culture that enables them to move their vision forward.  In this short video Pastor Daniel shares his insights for church planters on discovering and developing your organizational culture.

I was in Las Vegas recently visiting with Vance Pitman, lead pastor at Hope Baptist Church, when I heard him say that the US is now the 4th largest lost nation in the world.  That statistic floored me!  Then he told me that the majority of the lost people of our country live in the Western states.  Because of several visits in the West over the past two years that statistic didn’t shock me because every time I’m there I’m overwhelmed with the absence of churches.  You can drive around an area with a population of thousands of people and not find one church.

In an effort to plant more churches in this region of our country we are excited to announce that we are starting a new LAUNCH Hub in Las Vegas.  LAUNCH Las Vegas will assess, equip and encourage church planters who feel called to the Western United States.

We will be hosting our first Church Planters Assessment Retreat in Las Vegas on June 20-21.  If you feel God is calling you to plant in the West fill out the church planter application HERE.  If you’re a church that has a heart for planting in the West and would like to invest with us in this enormous challenge click HERE.

Watch the video below where Vance shares his heart and pray about how God may be calling you to help in this cause.

We are excited to announce that LAUNCH will be hosting one of the Best Practices Pre-session Intensives at Exponential this year.   We will be focusing on Nurturing Spiritual Vitality and Family Health

Join us as we engage church planting couples who are learning how to effectively build strong, healthy families while building strong, healthy churches.  We’ll discuss the questions and situations that can potentially hijack our families.  How do we create and maintain “safe” friendships?  How do we protect our children from the expectations of others?  Where do we go to build relationships outside of the church?  When and how do we communicate with our children about major ministry transitions?  Who should be in our inner circles?  What are appropriate guardrails for safeguarding relationships and reputation?  Our family is our most significant ministry.  We’ll help you formulate a game plan for success.

Sessions will be lead by various LAUNCH partners and their wives including: Brian and Amy Bloye, Mac and Cindy Lake, Chip and Lisa Henderson, JR and Devon Lee,  Chip and Colleen Judd.

TUESDAY
Session 1: Common Challenges in the Planters Home
Session 2: Taking care of your own soul
Session 3: Maintaining a Vibrant Marriage – Panel Discussion
Session 4:  Parenting – Helping your children with the pressures of being a church plant family
WEDNESDAY
Session 5:  Finding Safe Friendships
Session 6:  Building healthy boundaries –Panel Discussion
Session 7: Game Plan
Closing Challenge:  Brian Bloye

Sign up today by CLICKING HERE

Dates / Times: Tues, April 26, 1pm – 5pm and Wed, April 27, 9am – 12pm

Cost: $59

I was having lunch with David Putman (at Pappasitos, you’ve gotta try the fajitas)  the other day and we were talking about the upcoming Velocity Church Planters Conference. David is one of the co-founders of the churchplanters.com as well as the conference so I took the opportunity to ask a few questions.

Mac: Tell me about the background of Velocity, why did you guys start this particular conference?

David: This is our sixth conference year.  When I joined the Mountain Lake team back in 2004 I own the URL www.churchplanters.com.  At that time our church was experiencing incredible growth as a new church plant.  We were “the little engine that could”.  We were a group of ordinary guys with a very ordinary church plant.  There was nothing special about our number or anything else.  God began to do some amazing things in us and through us.  We felt as if God could work through us he could anyone.   Our message was simple, “God wants to use you in your church.”  We felt like that message needed to be repeated.

Mac: What are you personally most excited about this years conference?

David: To me it’s all about the relationships.  I can’t wait to see guys who have made churchplanters.com conference an annual part of their life.  We aren’t a network, but we are.  We share a strong affinity.  I am also excited about hearing some new voices like JD Geear and Pete Wilson.  Over the past year I have gotten especially close to Billy Hornsby and his son-in-law Chris Hodges pastor of Church of the Highlands will close out our conference.  The guys from ARC are so life giving I think that is going to be a special treat.

Mac: How will the conference benefit a church planter and his team?

David: I consider our conference a sort of church planting revival every year. I think people are going to come second guessing it and their ministries and leave supercharged.  There will be tons of inspiration, but there are also tons of practical help coming from our breakouts.  I think part of the answer is in your question, every church planter should come and bring their team.

Mac: It’s not to late to register!  Go to www.churchplanters.com today!  Email me if you’d like $20 off regular price conference ticket.  Also if you’re a LAUNCH Network partner or interested in hearing more about the LAUNCH model join us during Tuesday’s Conference lunch break.  Email me at maclake@launchstrong to sign up or to get more info.

I love my job!  Everyday I get to hangout with bold, passionate young men who are following God’s calling to start new churches to reach their communities for Christ. Accompanying this calling is a great sense of fear and uncertainty. Rightfully so, they’re putting a lot on the line, taking a risk not knowing if people will follow, if the funds will be there or if they have the “leadership stuff” to make it work.  Every planter I’ve ever met wrestles deeply with the question, “Is God really calling me to do this?”

This is why LAUNCH offers Church Planter assessments.  One of the most dangerous things you can do is go plant a church without solid confirmation of your calling. Church planting is not for everyone.  At Launch we use a two-step process of assessing potential planters.  We have online assessments that score an individual’s leadership, personality, strengths, evangelistic abilities and health of their marriage.

Following the online assessments potential planters and their wives attend an in-person assessment in Atlanta, GA where they will meet with a counselor, be interviewed by an assessment team, interact with experienced church planters, face a battery of challenging exercises and develop a personal growth plan.

Our team of assessors will provide honest feedback and insights into the individuals growth plan.  In the end Launch assessors share their perspective on the calling on the potential planter’s life.

If you believe God may be calling you to plant and you want this type of feedback you can go to www.launchstrong.com and fill out the online application located under, “Want to Plant a Church”.  Or if you want more information first shoot me an email at maclake@launchstrong.com.

Those who pass the assessment will be eligible to go through the LAUNCH training process starting in February 2011.

Do you have a heart and proven track record for coaching church planters and next generation leaders?  If so I have an amazing opportunity for you.

Pinelake Church who has recently signed on as a partner with LAUNCH to become one of our National Hubs for equipping church planters is hiring a full-time Church Planting Director.

A few of the responsibilities will include…

• Facilitate the LAUNCH church planter equipping model for the Deep South Hub.
• Work in coordination with The Chief Launch Officer (that’s me!) of LAUNCH to network with church planting churches across the US.
• Develop and manage Pinelake’s church planting residency and Ascend Internship Programs for kingdom multiplication.

Lead Pastor Chip Henderson and Executive Pastor Tim Smith have created a leadership rich environment where young leaders are being developed and sent out to impact their world for Christ. They currently have eight interns and a church planter in residence.  Pinelake is an amazing church with 4 multi-sites and an attendance of around 7,500.

Interested applicants can email resumes to angieday@launchstrong.com and copy maclake@launchstrong.com and we will send you the job description. Don’t worry — all correspondence is held in strict confidence.