Church Planting Progression Guide
From a home Bible study to a self-governing church: the five steps, how to know when a work is ready for the next one, and the PA application process.
Every church plant looks a little different, and not every work will follow all five steps. Timing, growth, style, and methods will vary. If you’re ready to start a preaching point, daughter work, or NAM church in Pennsylvania, the application process at the bottom of this page is your first step.
Bible Study
An individual teaches a home Bible study and wins a soul. Often a church plant begins this way, distinct from the mother church in location or language. The convert naturally gathers family and friends.
Home Group
The study grows organically from an individual, couple, or family into a small group. As conversions and attendance grow, it begins conducting church services.
Preaching Point
Intentional teaching and preaching grounds families in the Word of God, develops leaders internally, and creates more conversions.
Daughter Work
Under the care and oversight of a mother church, the preaching point progresses to a daughter work until it is organized into a congregation.
Self-Governing Church
With adequate, equipped, qualified leadership, the work maintains services, programs, and finances on its own, and repeats the cycle by starting home Bible studies.
The cycle repeats: every self-governing church starts new home Bible studies.
Definitions
Preaching Point
In accordance with the UPCI Manual, a preaching point is a regular service or meeting that is:
- Distinct from the mother church as to location or language.
- Designed to reach people who are currently unchurched.
- Seen as a first step toward possibly starting a daughter church. It does not include a service in a prison, nursing home, jail, college campus, or other institutional setting.
Daughter Work
In accordance with the UPCI Manual, a daughter work is a congregation that:
- Has met at least three months.
- Is the result of the concerted efforts of an established mother church to plant a new congregation.
- Holds at least one service per week apart from the mother church.
- Is under the general oversight of the mother church pastor.
The stated intention of a daughter church is to plant a new church that will eventually become self-governing. A mother church is an established United Pentecostal Church with the desire, financial means, and staffing to plant a church in a nearby unchurched or under-evangelized city, neighborhood, or people group. It is best if the mother-daughter relationship is born organically.
Self-Governing Church
A self-governing church is a congregation that:
- Elects its pastor and other leaders.
- Owns property.
- Prepares and follows its budget.
- Establishes its membership.
- Conducts all necessary business.
Readiness Checklists
Is the preaching point ready to become a daughter work?
Over the past four months
- How many outreach events have been hosted, and how many new contacts were secured?
- How many new Bible studies have been secured and taught?
- How often have Bible study participants attended monthly worship services?
- How many guests have attended monthly worship services?
Consider these thoughts
- What are the evangelistic benefits of increasing worship services and ministry efforts?
- Are there regular evangelism events that provide continuing new contacts and biblical conversations?
- How many preaching point participants are active in evangelism, and what are the results?
- Do participants understand the effort needed for more activity, and are they committed to increased participation as a daughter work?
- Is leadership ready and capable of assuming the next level of responsibility without diminishing evangelism efforts?
- Does the preaching point have volunteers and leaders to increase the service schedule, departments, and programs?
- Are finances increasing? How many are giving regularly, and how many are tithing?
- Does the mother church pastor feel the preaching point is ready to become a daughter work?
- Does the church plant have access to adequate facilities if the number of services is increased?
Is the daughter work ready to become a self-governing church?
Does the daughter work
- Have a pastor ready and capable of assuming the pastoral responsibilities of a new church?
- Have adequate staff to maintain the service schedule, departments, and programs without mother church staff?
- Have an adequate number of musicians?
- Have enough finances to carry its financial obligations as a new church?
- Have access to adequate facilities for holding services?
- Have members willing to detach from the mother church and commit to supporting the new church?
- Have assigned workers who believe it is ready to become self-governing?
- Have the support of the mother church pastor and Board of Trustees?
Before publicly announcing a transition, meet with
- The assigned workers of the daughter church.
- The mother church Board of Trustees.
- The daughter work pastor or overseer.
At these meetings, discuss the possibility of becoming self-governing and ask straightforward questions to determine whether it is the right time to detach from the mother church.
Agreements to write before a daughter work becomes self-governing
- The responsibilities and accountability of the daughter work pastor to the mother church pastor.
- Where each assigned worker will attend church afterward.
- Where members will attend church afterward (some may want to stay at the mother church).
- The transfer of funds, accounts, books, minutes, and records to the new pastor.
- The mother church pastor's responsibilities and relationship to the new pastor and members.
- The new pastor's responsibilities and accountability to the mother church pastor.
- The official date of detachment, which generally depends on approval from the district's North American Missions Executive Committee and/or Pennsylvania District Board.
PA Church Planting Application Process
Anyone wishing to start a preaching point, daughter work, or North American Missions church with the Pennsylvania District of the UPCI follows this process.
Request an application.
Email the Pennsylvania NAM Director to request an application. Within a week, the Director will email the appropriate application for your type of work (preaching point, daughter work, or NAM church) along with a list of the requirements to submit with it. Email: director@pamissions.org
Download the Application Process (PDF)Submit the application.
Complete the application and send it, with any required documents, to the Pennsylvania NAM Director. The Director will confirm receipt and let you know your application is in process. The Director forwards everything to the NAM Executive Team: the Pennsylvania District Superintendent, the Presbyter of the section where the new work will be located, and the Pennsylvania NAM Director.
Executive Team review.
The team reviews the application and considers any negative aspects of starting a church in the area. The Sectional Presbyter may consult with local pastors who could be affected. For every application type, the review, meetings, vote, and approval or recommendation should be completed within one month of receiving the application.
Approval and next steps.
Depending on the type of work, the Executive Team approves the application or recommends it to the Pennsylvania District Board. Once approved, the Pennsylvania NAM Director submits the church status form to UPCI Headquarters and meets with the new work to go over the benefits, resources, and training available.