Program

 THE NEXT CHURCH CONFERENCE
Because EVERY church needs to know what's NEXT!


 If you are planning to start a new church . . . Launching the Church is NEXT.  The NEXT Conference is designed to provide an overview of the foundational action steps to help you start a new church. Sessions are listed below.

If you are leading a church . . . Breaking Through Growth Barriers is NEXT.  Many pastors ask, "How do I grow my church?"  The question should be, "What's keeping my church from growing?"  The NEXT Conference will help you determine the things that are keeping your church from growing and how to correct them.

If you are stuck or plateaued . . . Strategic Leadership is NEXT.  The NEXT Conference offers an all new Leadership Track that will help you take your leadership skills to the next level.

But let's face it, you can only absorb so much information over the course of two days.  So in order to go deeper into these strategies, you will have the opportunity while at the conference to join a Coaching Network.  NEXT Coaching Networks consist of 10-12 Lead Pastors who meet with a coach one day each month for six months.  Whether you are launching or at the next level, there is a Coaching Network for you.  We will also offer a Worship Coaching Network in Ocala for Worship Leaders.

  

Launching Sessions  

STAGE 1: Dream

Mapping and preparing for the church-starting experience is critical for the success of the church. You can always draw people to a church, but you can lose just as many out the back door. If you don’t have a plan in place, it will eventually cost you in leadership, people and momentum. Churches are also best started with a team. If God is working in your heart to start a church, he’s probably working in the lives of others. How do you find these people? In this session you will learn how to:

  • Develop your vision
  • Create a purpose statement
  • Craft a strategy
  • Formulate your core values
  • Build a launch team
  • Finance the dream

STAGE 2: Design

It is crucial to design the right form before people start pouring the concrete. The form a leader constructs will shape the future of the church. Do not take the beginning form of your church lightly! Based on the purpose-driven philosophy and without compromising your theological convictions, you’ll learn how to focus on a specific group of people in your community and how to:

  • Determine your worship style
  • Develop your teaching style
  • Decide your leadership structure

STAGE 3: Launch

On opening day the goal of a new church is to have a fully functioning team and hundreds of first time guests that show up for the service. If a church can’t break 200 in the first 1 to 2 years, it generally never does; a church that launches large, however, has a better opportunity to keep growing and growing. You’ll learn how to:

  • Develop credibility with the community
  • Create preview services
  • Market the church to the community

STAGE 4: Development

Healthy churches are continually looking to innovate and improve what they are doing. After a church is launched, several critical areas of the church must be developed. Gathering a crowd is important, but moving them to greater Christ-like maturity is just as critical. Too often churches are in a rush to become a “full service” congregation by trying to do everything for everyone. In this session, you’ll learn how to:

  • Create a welcoming atmosphere
  • Develop a worship experience
  • Install an intentional discipleship system
  • Start the right ministry at the right time

STAGE 5: Strategic Leadership

Church starters must continually develop as leaders or they will become the barriers for growth in their churches. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Purpose driven leaders learn how to lead larger by continuing to grow and develop their leadership skills. As the church grows, the pastor must give up more and more ownership to the members and staff. In this session, you’ll learn how to:

  • Determine what to stop doing as the church grows
  • Hire the right staff in the right priority
  • Add multiple services
  • Ride momentum without killing yourself