As established churches, leaders, and pastors begin to catch a vision for furthering the life cycle of new churches, one of the first things they ask is, “How can I help?”
Often, this is accompanied by a statement something like this, “We might not be able to contribute financially, but we’d still like to be a part of this.”
How Starting New Churches Helps Established Ones
Cyclical San Diego works to create a mutually beneficial network of friendship, collaboration, and partnership between new and established churches. As Ed Stetzer notes in this Christianity Today article:
Jeff Farmer did his Ph.D. dissertation on how church planting impacts mother churches. He studied seventy-five churches of different sizes that were planting churches and compared them with seventy-five that were not. Comparing churches of similar sizes and backgrounds, he found churches that were planting churches were healthier than those that did not.
The data did not simply reflect the tendency that healthy churches are more likely to plant churches. It showed that the planting of churches actually makes churches healthier as an end result.
When people hear stories of life change at the new church, they start to see their community differently. “Maybe it could happen here, too?” The rising tide of church planting lifts boats all along the way.
How Established Churches Can Partner
In addition to utilizing church buildings in new and effective ways, here are a few simple ways your established church can join in:
- Borrow and return tables and chairs for an event.
- Starting a regular (monthly, quarterly) prayer group for new churches.
- Help with Sunday School, childcare, and other student ministries.
- Use of conference room, phone, and wifi for meetings.
- Office equipment for short runs of printing or photocopying.
- Worship rehearsal space.
- Classroom space for leadership training or meetings.
- Fellowship hall and kitchen for events.
- Partnering for VBS or summer sports camps (use of gymnasium, planning/leading together, etc.).
- Saturday night church venue.
- Sunday morning fellowship hall church venue.
Cyclical San Diego 