Note: This blog entry is part of a series on church planting. If you would like to see all entries that have been posted so far in this series, you can bring them up by doing a search for “church planting series” on this blog. You can also purchase the full 27 page Church Planter Coaching Guide, with multiple coaching questions for each subpoint, in the Logan Leadership store.
- What legacy would you like to leave when you die? Dream big.
- What will your church legacy look like in 100 years?
- What steps would you need to take now to see that legacy become a reality?
Ensure all systems are reproducible
For any of the work you have done to produce a long-term effect, it must be reproducible. Just as the church you’ve planted needs to be able to function without you, the whole system needs to be able to function without you. Make a list of all the systems in your church (e.g. small groups or missional communities, worship, leadership development) and describe in one paragraph each how that particular system could continue reproducing itself indefinitely.
Monitor reproduction rate
Schedule regular check-in times to assess the rate of reproduction in all areas: disciples, missional communities, ministries, churches. Set clear goals in advance and see how well your church is meeting these goals. If you’re not seeing progress in an area, evaluate why not and brainstorm possible solutions.
Multiply disciples, missional communities, churches and movements
Think beyond your own church and even beyond your own movement. Expanding the kingdom isn’t done solely through multiplying disciples—or even through multiplying churches. It’s done through multiplying movements. New movements can reach new people groups that are beyond where your own movement can travel.
Continue raising up new leaders
Nothing is replicable without new leadership. You’ll need to put systems in place to develop these new leaders: training, coaching, and resourcing them. Just as importantly, you’ll need to be able to release and sponsor them into their new ministries. This last can be harder than it sounds, as releasing includes the releasing of decision-making authority.
Multiply to the 5th and 6th generations
A missional community hasn’t really multiplied when it becomes two groups. It has really multiplied when the first group has given birth to a second group and the second group has given birth to a third group—to the fifth and sixth generations. The genealogies can become confusing at this point as you try to remember which group was rooted in which other group. But even after multiple generations, you can still see some similar DNA between the 6th generation and the first generation.