What area of concern interests you, and where are the needs in your community? Make sure you choose something that’s not being done already. No need to compete. Then answer three questions: What are you going to do, how are you going to do it, and how will you prove that you did it?
Getting Started
Answer these three questions.
1. What are you going to do?
- Write your Purpose Statement
- Establish Annual Goals and Due Dates
- Describe your Ministry impact: in one sentence, project the number of people you will impact and tell how you will impact them.
2. How are you going to do it?
- Create a Ministry Organizational Chart
- Write “Job Descriptions” for each person
- Plan a budget
3. How will you prove you did it?
- How will you measure success?
- How will you document the ministry impact?
- How will you share the ministry impact with others?
Consider these points.
- There are plenty of needs out there. Don’t duplicate work already being done or seek to compete with other ministries.
- Make sure your ministry is in line with your church’s mission and vision.
- Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed; Satan will do everything he can to steer you off track.
- You need to be prepared and organized. If you aren’t – partner with someone who is!
- Start your ministry out with a social network, i.e. Facebook, Meetup, etc.
- Make connections and use them!
Begin the Process: The 5-Step Process
When someone is interested in starting a new ministry at the Rock Church in San Diego, he or she must follow the process described below. Adapt these planning steps for your unique ministry.
Step 1: Ministry Proposal Form
Put your ideas on paper. Ministry proposals are not guaranteed to become a part of the Rock Church, but all are prayerfully considered. The Rock Church’s Send Pastor will contact the applicant to approve/deny the initial proposal using the following criteria.
- The ministry must be viable and have the potential to accomplish its vision.
- The ministry must have values and goals that are compatible and complimentary to the overall vision and mission of the Rock Church, while still being unique/different from the other ministries at the Rock.
- The ministry must not be a business, either for profit, or non-profit.
Step 2: Leadership Questionnaire and Spiritual Gifts Test
Upon approval of Step 1, the applicant will complete a Leadership Questionnaire and Spiritual Gifts Test detailing leadership abilities, skills, and experience.
A ministry leader must meet the following requirements or commit to meeting these requirements before his/her application will be approved. A leader must:
- Have attended the Rock Church for at least one year.
- Be connected to the Rock Church body as an active participant in some ministry or fellowship group.
- Not rely on the new ministry to provide his/her employment.
- Have a passion and gifting for serving as described in the ministry proposal.
- Have some type of ministry leadership experience (at the Rock or at a previous church or ministry).
Step 3: Application
Upon approval of Step 2, the applicant will complete an application in which she/he will be required to:
- Observe and report on ministries or community services that currently exist to serve your target audience.
- Assemble at least three team members who are willing to participate in the leadership of the new ministry.
Step 4: Goals Worksheet
Upon approval of Step 3, the applicant will be required to outline goals (the suggested tool: S.M.A.R.T. Goals*) for the ministry at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months of existence. Applicant will present these goals to the Send Pastor for discussion, revision, and prayer in a face-to-face meeting.
*S.M.A.R.T. Goals are:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Step 5: Starting a Healthy Ministry
Upon approval of Step 4, the ministry leader will meet with a Rock Church pastor to receive and discuss the following:
- Ministry contract to be reviewed and signed by the leader. The contract outlines the expectations and requirements of leaders, including:
- Attendance at bi-monthly leadership meetings with pastoral staff and other ministry leaders
- Submission of monthly ministry reports.
- Representation of the ministry at all church ministry fairs.
- Timely follow-up of any inquiries from people interested in the ministry.
- Godly leadership conduct.
- Agreement to a 90-day probation period.
- If the leadership team does not succeed in staying connected using the methods stated above, they will meet with a Team Send leader to discuss consequences/next steps.
- Ministry guidebook, which outlines best practices, advice and procedures.
Ministry Launch
Before the official launch of your new ministry, it is suggested that you hold an informational meeting. This is where people can come, hear about the proposed ministry and catch the vision. They can also ask questions and give you ideas. This is also a great opportunity to recruit volunteers.
When launching your ministry it is important to have the following in place:
- A clearly defined mission and vision for the ministry
- Your core leadership in place
- An informational meeting or orientation to advertise. This should take place within two weeks of your launch.
- A list of the roles that your volunteers could fulfill.
- An open mind to people who are drawn to your ministry, but don’t exactly align with the roles on your list.
Launching a ministry can be very time-consuming. Please remember to keep things in balance: God, family, ministry.
Other things to consider:
- Funding sources
- Volunteer recruitment, application process, training
- Liability
- Accounting practices
- Promotion
- Emergency procedures
