If you’re a Christian, there might be a burning desire in you to spread the word of God in your community. Starting a church might be the right thing to do. Beyond reaching out to people, establishing a church can be a satisfying spiritual experience.
Even though a church is a place of worship, it can also be a peaceful haven for people who are having personal problems. No doubt, starting a church has many benefits. However, it can be overwhelming too. That’s why we’ve prepared four tips to start a church without stress.
1. Develop a master business plan.
Just like any business venture, you need to develop a plan. A plan will help you get the necessary knowledge and equipment for a successful church venture. Your master plan should include getting theological education and knowing what type of church you want to run. Next, you’ll have to define the mission of the church, get a name, and decide what objectives your church will fulfill.
Also, remember to include financial plans and choose your preferred method of communication. In your plan, you’ll need to establish how you’re going to deliver the information on your church bulletin to the congregation. Will you send a paper or digital newsletter? Although a church bulletin seems to be outdated, they’re still very much in use.
Your church might have older members that lack the necessary knowledge on how to navigate the internet. Additionally, you need to plan for the cost of publishing the weekly bulletin. If you choose to go digital, have a plan for the amount of money you’ll spend on that also.
2. Create an effective marketing plan.
No doubt, a church depends on its members to spread the word and since the world is becoming more digital every day, you find more people online. That’s why you’ll require a good marketing plan to get healthy church attendance. Developing a marketing plan will help your church grow and using social media platforms (like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube) is a good marketing strategy. You can also publish blog posts that contain valuable information about the word of God.
To ensure you get the word out effectively, it’s best to have a marketing team. Your marketing team can come up with new ideas for your social media posts. You can also get a marketing calendar software to organize your content strategy. A marketing calendar will ensure you don’t get muddled up with so many activities.
Your church should also have a website and you might need to employ the services of a professional with the right skills to build a good website. The website should have good landing pages, created with SEO in mind so that the church can gain more visibility.
3. Invest a good project management software.
As you start your church, you’ll need to start promotion campaigns, ministry launches, and other church events. Since all these activities would be carried out by other team members, get good project management software. Invest in CRM to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Devsu, Asana, Wrike, and Trello are some examples of the best tools you can use in your new church.
Your church needs to carry every team member along on every project. Invest in project management software that would help team members work together, make each person accountable, and aid you in delegating responsibilities. A good project management software can also help your team members work together to achieve the tasks set. This software will also help you know what has been assigned, who it has been assigned to, and the due date. This way, everyone is held accountable for the work set before the team.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to using reliable project management software. For example, you can use Trello to plan your sermon series. You can add things like the title of the message, preacher, and other cards to the sermon series board. This way, everything is in one place and your team members can collaborate easily.
There’s even the possibility of adding collaborators to the board. In general, project management software is a good collaboration tool. All in all, your church start-up process will be very easy as you can keep a record of everything.
4. Register your church as a non-profit.
The church is part of a community. So, it’s responsible to acquire proper registration before carrying out activities. Also, note that a church is a non-profit organization with members and legal properties. So, there are several rules you must follow to maintain your status. As a non-profit organization, your business is exempt from tax.
Besides these four main tips, it’s worthy of note that there are other things you should consider when starting your church. Remember to get experience as a preacher. This way, you’ll be more confident. Whether you choose to begin from your home or get a property, ensure you’re well prepared.
