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When you are creating a new church from scratch, it’s important to have a plan and to be consistent. A church is not about having a building; it’s about having people with whom to come and share your beliefs, preferably in a regular setting.

These are the thoughts from one who has been researching what it will take to start a New Church and how best it can be created. The intent is to get you thinking about Bible Study as a means to not only start a New Church but also how to expand an existing one.

Most of the early Churches started this way as there were no formal Church buildings in which to meet and hold services and that the teachers, disciples and other ministers were being persecuted in those early years.

PLAN AHEAD:

Have a vision for what you'd like to see happen in your group:

VISION: Catch a vision for what you'd like to see happen in your group! What do you want to see happening a month from its launch? What would you like your experience to be? Try to invision the experience you hope participants will have and convey that in your promotions. Vision will help to set expectation, ensure more "right fits" with prospective members, and help people feel more comfortable in their new commitment.

CHILDCARE: As soon as you know you'll have people in your group with childcare needs, discuss options for childcare so you can convey this to other people inquiring. If your host home has a play area for the kids, communicate that in your promotions. People with young kids will be instantly drawn to groups that express an early plan (no matter how simple it may be) for how kids can be a part of the group or be in another location of the host home while the adults meet.

PICTORAL PROMOTIONS:

When informing other about your new group, help people to construct mental pictures of what they can anticipate by "advertising" everything you just planned (affinity, vision, food, and childcare). The more questions you can answer up-front, the better. This also helps them to invite friends to join them who may not have any prior church or small-group experience.

“What is the single most important thing to keep in mind when leading small groups?”

1 answer is this:

“The key principle to keep in focus is that small groups offer a totally different way of ‘doing church’ compared to a congregational setting.” Now, of course, both formats are needed. It’s not either/or, but both/and. The point is that when we meet in small groups we should exploit the advantages they offer to the fullest. What is different between the two ways?

1) They are done in a completely differently way. The style presented in a congregational meeting is primarily that those present are spectators. Whereas, the emphasis in a small group is that everyone gets to become a participator. This can best be summed up in the New Testament recurring phrase “one another”. Every believer present is a recipient of the grace of God and therefore has something to share with the rest of the group. The body edifies itself in love (Eph.4:16).

2) We also do things in groups which do not happen in a congregational setting. For example, discipleship. Small groups are the ideal setting for making disciples.

The New Testament clearly recognizes the need for both. In the book of Acts we often come across the two formats of church life in terms such as “in the temple” and “from house to house” (e.g. Acts 2:46&47; 5:42; 20:20). This is just part of the information needed for creating a new church from scratch. Please keep an eye out for the other article discussing the other ways.