Few events transform a family more than the arrival of a new child. First time parents quickly discover a baby can turn their whole world upside down. You can usually spot those first time parents, loaded with all the baby gear and multiple diaper bags, wrestling at every doorway. New babies change your world as parents. This observation is equally true for churches that decide to start or sponsor a new congregation.

In fact, we’re learning that baby churches birth healthy mothers! At first reading that sounds backwards, but most sponsor churches discover it to be true. When evangelism remains the primary motivation, sponsor churches experience a renewal themselves through the process of mothering a new church. The benefits for the sponsor church are clear in several ways.

First, the number of people reached for the Kingdom increases. Most of the time after the launch of a new church, more people attend worship and become connected to a community of faith. Simply add up the worship attendance for the new church and the sponsor church after the new church launches. With few exceptions, more people are attending in the combined count. In most instances, sponsor churches bounce back to their former levels of worship attendance – if not even greater - within six to twelve months. New churches continue to be the best method for evangelism - and without becoming a drain on the mother church.

Second, new churches activate new leaders. Both in the new church and the sponsoring church, new leadership emerges through the sponsorship process. It’s like a high school basketball team with gifted second string players. As long as the first string team is on the floor, there’s no place for rising starts to shine. But graduate the seniors to play college ball and suddenly other players on the bench have an opportunity to contribute for the next win. Most churches have gifted leaders on the bench who are waiting for an invitation to get in the game and make an eternal difference. Until they see an opportunity to be on the team, most will wait on the bench–or just stay in the stands watching as spectators.

New churches also open new pockets for giving. New ministry partners respond to the challenges and celebration found with starting strong churches. Significant investments for reaching their children and grandchildren through a new church attract new partnerships for ministry. The record is crystal clear: God blesses missional churches that think and give beyond themselves. While that’s not why they start a new church, just like any other kingdom priority, the spiritual consequences are very predictable.

Churches and leaders with the long view in mind are becoming strategically involved with new church sponsorship. After nearly eleven hundred new Nazarene churches started since 1994, most sponsors want to mother another daughter congregation. The positive ripple effect yields multiple, powerful – and usually unintended – results.

by Jim Dorsey,
Director Evangelism Strategies

(Note: For those interested in starting a new church, visit the NewStart website online at www.newstartusa.org).