Ready to uncover the secrets behind successful church planting? Join us on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as we chat with Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, who reveals the essential ingredients for thriving church plants. Todd shares his wealth of experience and insights from working with numerous church planters, highlighting the critical elements such as having a clear mission, a strong leadership team, a robust financial model, and intentional community outreach. Discover why church planting, though challenging, can be immensely rewarding for those driven by a passion to build new faith communities.
In this episode, Todd doesn't sugarcoat the realities of church planting but instead provides practical advice on how to overcome the common pitfalls that many new churches face. He discusses the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of unexpected challenges and offers valuable resources for those considering this path. If you're thinking about church planting or want to support someone who is, this episode is packed with actionable insights and encouragement. Reach out to Todd at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com for more information and opportunities in this adventurous field. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the business.
Ready to uncover the secrets behind successful church planting? Join us on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as we chat with Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, who reveals the essential ingredients for thriving church plants. Todd shares his wealth of experience and insights from working with numerous church planters, highlighting the critical elements such as having a clear mission, a strong leadership team, a robust financial model, and intentional community outreach. Discover why church planting, though challenging, can be immensely rewarding for those driven by a passion to build new faith communities.
In this episode, Todd doesn't sugarcoat the realities of church planting but instead provides practical advice on how to overcome the common pitfalls that many new churches face. He discusses the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of unexpected challenges and offers valuable resources for those considering this path. If you're thinking about church planting or want to support someone who is, this episode is packed with actionable insights and encouragement. Reach out to Todd at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com for more information and opportunities in this adventurous field. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the business.
Hi there and welcome to this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Hope you had a great weekend. My name is Todd Rhodes, I'm one of the co-founders here at chemistrystaffingcom and today we're venturing into the wild and wonderful world of church planting. Now, I've never personally planted a church, but my first experience matter of fact Chemistry and with my work previously at Leadership Network and at churchstaffingcom. And let me tell you, these folks, the people that plant churches, are a special breed. They're visionaries, they're risk-takers, they're entrepreneurial, they're passionate pioneers who are willing to go really where no church has gone before by planting a brand new church.
Speaker 1:
But church planting is not for the faint of heart. We know that it's a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, of triumphs and setbacks, and it really requires a good amount of grit and resilience and a whole heck of a lot of faith. According to research done recently, there's roughly about 4,000 new churches planted every year in the United States, but sadly only about one in four of those churches will survive beyond the first five years. So what makes the difference between a thriving church plant and one that doesn't make it past that five-year mark? There's a few factors that can contribute to church planting success. I'll go over those really quickly. The first one is just a clear mission and vision. A church plant really needs to have a compelling reason to exist. What's unique about why you're meeting and the community you're meeting in? What difference do you want to make in the world? So clear vision and mission is number one. Number two is strong leadership team. A church plant is not just a one-person show or a one-couple show. It takes a team of dedicated, passionate leaders A lot of times we call them a launch team, but passionate leaders that want to build a thriving community. So you need to have clear vision and mission. You need to have strong leadership. Number three you need to have a healthy financial model, and one of the reasons that churches don't make it the reality, why they don't make it past that fourth or fifth year, is because they run out of resources financial resources.
Speaker 1:
Church planting requires finances. It requires resources, whether it's through fundraising or grants or personal sacrifice. You have to have a sustainable financial plan to support the ministry long term. There also needs to be some intentional outreach and engagement. A church plant can't just sit back and wait for people to show up the days of if you build it or if you start it, people will come. Those days are gone. You need to actively engage with your community and build relationships and invite people into your story. And then, finally, there just needs to be some resilience and adaptability.
Speaker 1:
Church planting it's full of unexpected challenges. Talk to anybody that's been a part of a church plant or anybody that's planted a church, and you'll know that. Expect the unexpected, you need to be able to pivot on the flip of a dime, you need to adjust your plans and you need to be able to learn from your mistakes. But even with all the challenges, church planning can be one of the most rewarding and most impactful experiences of your life and it's an opportunity to start something new and to build community from the ground up and to see God work in just some incredible, amazing ways. It's not easy, but it's worth it.
Speaker 1:
I've said for a long time I think the hardest gig and I use the word gig when we're talking about church stuff the hardest role that you could take on in the church as a staff member is a church planter. Like I said, it's not easy, but it's worth it If you have the vision to reach new people for Jesus, if you're passionate about building a thriving community. If you're willing to embrace the adventure, then church planting could be your calling. And if you're considering church planting or want to support those who are, I encourage you to reach out. You can reach out to me anytime at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. We have a bunch of resources and experience to help you on your journey. We're also looking for a couple of church planters right now for some of the searches that we're doing. So reach out to me and I can get you more information on those opportunities, those places that are looking for a church planter, and we'll get you going on that journey.
Speaker 1:
I hope this episode has been helpful to you, inspired you, maybe, to think about possibilities. I've heard a lot of pastors say I'm thinking about I'm thinking about planting a church. I've heard a lot of pastors say God has called me to plant a church. Whether you're a seasoned planter, whether you're just starting to explore that idea, you're not alone and it's not something to put out of your head by any means. If God's calling you to do it, there's a whole community of church planters that would love to get to know you and cheer you on, and if I can help you connect in any way, do reach out to me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. All right, so that's our episode on the thrills and the trials of planting a church. Join us again tomorrow. And the trials of planting a church. Join us again tomorrow. We're going to be talking about something different that hopefully will interest you as a church staff member. That's what we do each and every Monday and Friday here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Join us again right here tomorrow.