1. for new people new churches in new places for new people in new places
Strategy Lab
September 2014

2. Your Ministry Plan Envisioning a new church
Envisioning success brings you an inspiring image, but bringing that image to life requires action ~ Larina Kase
Preparing your ministry plan is an act of creation. According to Stephen Covey, this is the first creation, the mental creation. We have seen an awe-inspiring connection between the ministry plans prepared from Strategy Lab and the churches that have resulted from them. What you do here is the most highly predictive activity of your future.

3. Hidden Treasure
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field (Mt. 13:44) ?
Your ministry plan will answer these questions:
Why are you doing this?
Where will you do this?
Will anyone be doing this with you?
What will this new church look like?
How will you get there?

4. 3 views of the plant Narrative Illustration Financial
There are 3 ways you need to learn to view your church plant. You’ll work on 2 of those this lab and we’ll introduce you to the third way.
Narrative – you’ll work on writing this picture so you can gain the language to speak it
Illustration – Missional map
Financial – You need to learn how to see your church plant in financial terms.

5. 30 day product
We ask you to complete the writing of your ministry plan in 30 days. This gives you enough time to dream but not so much time that you can procrastinate.

6. How much is your Ministry Plan worth?
$ Quarter Million?
You need to have a WOW ministry. If you follow our process you will have one. We have heard many times that our planters’ ministry plans and presentations are the best that churches have heard.
In the first 3 years of planting you will likely spend over $250,000 for:
Your personal salary
Launch preparation activities
Rent
Working funds for operation
Salary: Your best opportunity for success is for your salary to be fully funded for 3 years from external partners. This gives you the time and opportunity you need to launch this new church well. Your biggest financial danger will come if you are not fully funded and you use the offerings of your seed team to supplement your personal salary. At that point you begin starving the church and limiting what the church can do.
Workfund: You should plan for the majority of your operating costs, your workfunds, to be paid from the tithing of your seed team, launch team, then your church. There are times when you will need $20,000 of special funds, but consider those funds to be truly special. If you can help your church see that it is self-supporting in operations from the beginning you have laid a good foundation.

7. Ministry Plan Reflects: Your personality Region of the country
Personality of the church
Your ministry plan will have two critical documents:
Strategic Summary: this is a one-page, front & back, summary document that is highly formatted and structured. It is something you will want to hand out to everyone you can.
Ministry Plan: This is a page document where you use photos and color, fonts and graphs, to display your personality, the region of the country where you are planting, and the personality of the church.

8. Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Directions Cover
Table of Contents
Page numbers
Orientation
You want your ministry plan to orient the reader even when you’re not around.
The cover performs two critical functions
It creates interest. Do this via color, photos and themes. Regional color schemes, motifs, well known features or structures make great covers. When you print, print your covers (front and back) on card stock paper
It gives key information. From your cover people should know
Where you will be planting
Gain a sense of the style
Who you are

9. Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Directions Cover
Table of Contents
Page numbers
The Table of Contents gives people a quick, easy snapshot of the contents.
And don’t forget page numbers!

10. Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Directions Letters of support
Kairos
Elder or minister
Faculty
The cover performs two critical functions
It creates interest: color, photos and theme. Regional color schemes, motifs, well known features or structures
It gives key information: it places the plant geographically and clearly tells who you are and how to contact you

11. Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Directions Letters of support
Kairos
Elder or minister
Faculty
Strategic Summary
Strategic Summary
This is your second credibility piece. Go to KairosChurchPlanting.org > Resources > Strategy Lab Resources > Groundwork. Under Vision download the Strategic Summary Directions sheet and the Strategic Summary Kainos for an example.

12. A concise, one-page document that defines the new church
Orientation
Credibility
Mission
Capacity
Directions
A concise, one-page document that defines the new church
The Strategic Summary links the vision of the new church with the community and the plan you will use to reach the vision.
Prepare your strategic summary last, when you have all your work done on your Ministry Plan.

13. Why the branding? Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Credibility
Directions
Why the branding?
Credibility
Movement ambassador
The SS gives you credibility, you are part of something bigger than you, a network. You are also an ambassador for a movement.
Have printed the SS directions and an example.

14. Your Plan Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Planter Directions
People
Missional Map
Seed Team
Timeline
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

15. Your Plan Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Planter Directions
People
Vision frame
Seed Team
Timeline
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

16. Your Plan Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Planter Directions
People
Missional map
Seed Team
Timeline
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

17. Your Plan Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Planter Directions
People
Missional Map
Seed Team
Timeline
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

18. Your Plan Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Planter Directions
People
Missional map
Seed Team
Timeline
Critical dates
Tasks
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

19. Your Financial Plan Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity
Directions
Your Financial Plan
Group by:
Salary
Start-up
Ministry
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

20. Then . . . Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Directions
Make your
ASK!
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

21. GIVE! And. . . Orientation Credibility Mission Capacity Directions
Tell them how to
GIVE!
Whoever reads your ministry plan should already have a good feel of your work from the SS and your previous conversations. The ministry plan almost serves as a reference work. It provides answers to questions they will ask when you are not immediately available as well as giving a more in-depth view of the plant project. Give people a fair look at how all this will work but don’t wear people down with details. Because this portion is information heavy your themes, motifs and a few illustrative photos do a lot to keep the interest level up.

22. Details matter Don’t use fancy fonts
Don’t overcrowd the pages with text or details
Have it spiral bound