Hi, it’s Kerrick Thomas again – Executive and Teaching Pastor at The Journey and co-author of Launch. Nelson asked me to share my answer to this recent question about re-launching a church:

Q: I recently came across your book “Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch,” and was hoping for some assistance.

I have recently become the pastor of an older church that is on its last legs. Our attendance is very low currently and the church has been declining for years.

However, those who are still around have expressed a renewed passion lately to make a real Kingdom difference in our community and the consensus is that we are ready and willing to do “whatever it takes.”

With that in mind, we are trying to put together a strategic plan to “re-launch” the church – not to dismiss the church’s history, but to demonstrate our renewed vision to reach this community for Christ.

I know your book was about “launching” a new church, but could you give me any advice on how to re-Launch this one?

A: Thanks so much for the question. My suggestion is that you follow the “Launch” model and pick a strategic launch date for your weekly services.

Back off of that date by 6 months and do 6 monthly services leading up to that launch date. Ask those who have been attending to join you in the endeavor to re-launch and be part of your new “Launch Team.”

Then use the monthly services and creative “come-back events” (fun events like cook-outs, movies, etc. between the monthly services) to recruit people to be on your launch team.

The entire goal of the launch team is to successfully launch the weekly services. So, you are not focusing on discipling your launch team, but on equipping them to serve and prepare for the beginning of the church.

We lay out this process in Launch and I suggest that you do the same thing in your re-launch as a normal church planter would do in an initial launch.

I hope that helps – please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!

P.S. You might consider getting your hands on the 2-Day Launch Conference that Nelson and I taught for ideas of what to do and how to prepare your launch team.

Here’s a link to grab The Launch Conference on CD.

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.