Category: Worship Service Planning

  • What is a Church Plant Preview Service?

    What is a Church Plant Preview Service?

    Before your new church makes a splash with its Grand Opening, you need to run at least 4 church plant preview services. I started learning about preview services before I even got into church planting ministry. Many years ago, I was on staff at a bank as we opened a brand-new branch on the other […]

  • 20 Steps to Children’s Ministry Safety for Your Church Plant

    20 Steps to Children’s Ministry Safety for Your Church Plant

    Children’s ministry safety in your church plant is serious business. But it doesn’t have to be mysterious. Here are 20 practical steps to stellar children’s ministry safety: No question, Jesus holds children in high regard. I’d say that churches in the US do, too, though we haven’t historically done the best collective job at protecting […]

  • 6 Things NOT to Do Just Before Your Church Plant Launch

    6 Things NOT to Do Just Before Your Church Plant Launch

    The time just before your church plant launch can be an exciting but stressful time. So why would you want to pile up more stress on top? I’ve seen church planters weather some tough life events in the first few years of a church plant. I think some of the hardest are those less than […]

  • 3 Ways to Help Your Grand Opening Well-Wishers Help You

    3 Ways to Help Your Grand Opening Well-Wishers Help You

    Your Launch Sunday attendance will be inflated by grand opening well-wishers. That can be good and bad at the same time. Here are some ideas to maximize the good and minimize the bad. Many churches experience a spike in attendance at their inaugural public worship gathering. Which can be exciting! But then the following Sunday, […]

  • How to Decide Between a Fall and Spring Church Plant Launch

    How to Decide Between a Fall and Spring Church Plant Launch

    It is generally acknowledged that there are 2 best windows for a church plant launch in the US: fall (Sep/Oct) and spring (Feb/Mar). How will you decide? The windows work kind of like a space shuttle landing – in its day, it couldn’t come down just anywhere. It had to wait for the window to […]

  • Do You Need Temporary Launch Team Members?

    Do You Need Temporary Launch Team Members?

    You may need to find some temporary launch team members if you find yourself short a few hands as you gear up for the launch of your worship gatherings. Building a Launch Team is hard work. Some planters get a head start through several families coming with them from a sending church. Some convince friends […]

  • Things You Need to Know Before Offering Gluten-Free Communion

    Things You Need to Know Before Offering Gluten-Free Communion

    Awareness of food allergies and dietary restrictions have been on the rise. With all the clamor about gluten-free this and gluten-free that, here are some things you need to know if you’re going to offer gluten-free communion. I went to the grand opening of a church plant in San Francisco years ago. I’d probably heard […]