How Fast-Growing Churches Help Other Churches Thrive
Practical Ways to Help
Not all fast-growing churches are intentional about investing in other churches, but the following examples give a glimpse into the volume and variety of help that is flowing from one church to another. This posture and practice of pouring into other local churches embodies a biblical pattern and priority to invest what God has given you into kingdom work.
* Cross Church (No. 30, fastest-growing) in San Benito, Texas, has donated chairs, production equipment, cameras and other resources to churches that had tangible needs. As relationships developed, they created a network of bilingual churches for coaching and mentoring. The help they provide includes sharing administrative resources as well as templates on how to plant a church and develop leadership and volunteer teams.
* At Traders Point Christian Church (No. 11, fastest-growing; No. 47, largest) in Indianapolis, Indiana, Allie Bryant, executive director of ministry effectiveness, shares pain points, struggles and what she is learning with a small group of women executive pastors in the area. These relationships are mutually beneficial. Traders Point has a year-long residency program that invests in the discipleship and leadership of young leaders including those being mentored in worship, kids, groups and pastoral teaching ministries.
* Shepherd Church holds revival services every other year. On one day of the services, they have an event called “Iron Sharpens Iron” where they invite local pastors and have a keynote speaker. They also set up 20 tables addressing specific areas of help for the pastors, such as IT and communications. Additionally, they have a ministry staffed to pour into under-resourced churches.
* The Church of Eleven22, like many fast-growing churches, invests extensively in church planting. They have a church planting residency and a retreat center where they host and invest in church staffs.
“It just becomes a friendship and doesn’t stay a mentor-mentee relationship,” says Britt.
* Canvas Church invited a pastor that Christiansen knew who needed help writing messages to join their sermon writing team. This pastor has become an active contributor and uses the messages in his own church in rural Montana.
* At Victory Life Church, Sunnock recalls, “We had a police chief come to us a number of years ago and say the inner-city churches have the relationship, but the churches in outlying areas have the financial resources.”
Sunnock decided to build a relationship with a pastor in the inner city and see where God took it. Eventually Victory Life Church funded a ministry idea their partner church had for helping recovering addicts. The first men are graduating from this program now.
* Upstate Church (No. 62, fastest-growing) in Simpsonville, South Carolina, started investing in a struggling church two blocks from their front door. They helped address some financial debt and led them through a merger with another church. Since then, Upstate has been able to help behind the scenes by sharing resources and making ministry suggestions. The church also has a two-year residency program training pastors and those preparing for ministry with students, kids or missions.
* When Community Bible Church organized a leadership course for its staff, a pastor of another church asked to join. That pastor then asked if he could invite a group of church planters he knew. So, Community Bible started a separate track for these planters. The seven churches now gather every other month for lunch. They also have a yearly retreat.
The resources and training have been great, but “it has been more of a brotherhood,” says Mason. The church also conducts a Pastor’s Day each November where they bring in speakers for their own staff to learn from and also invite local pastors to attend at no cost.
