Like any other venture begun from the ground up, a new church has several vital elements. In my years in pastoral ministry, my experience has been that new church plants which are missing even one of these elements either suffers or ultimately fails. This is certainly not a comprehensive list, but it is a necessary list. These are absolutely necessary elements. They may not all happen at once, but each element should be a primary goal for the developing church.

A Qualified Pastor

I am defining “qualified pastor” as follows: A well-trained, experienced, mature shepherd with high-level preaching and leadership capabilities who has been ordained by other qualified pastors. Or to put it this way, one man who has “self-ordained” or proclaimed himself called by God to be a pastor is categorically unqualified. He may have an entrepreneurial spirit to him, but that does not qualify him as a pastor. A qualified pastor has been tested, trained, and approved by others.

A Spiritually and Financially Committed Core Group

While many core groups who desire to be part of a new church have begun with enthusiasm, at times it becomes difficult to stay the course. First, the group must be spiritually committed to seeing a church plant as a 5-10 year process to the goal of total establishment. Second, the group must be financially committed to carry the bulk of the load for the church for a time. I believe this is healthier than a church simply receiving a large sum of money to operate for a couple of years. When the core group is spiritually and financially invested, they will work hard for the sake of the church.

A Clear Theological Position in Writing

The core group must have similar or identical theological convictions. It can be disastrous to get this in the wrong order. If a core group forms and begins to work toward establishing a church and then tries to settle on doctrinal issues, the work is likely doomed before it gets off the ground. It will likely experience a “prenatal” church split. These convictions must be in writing either from the founding pastor or with help from outside resources. In some cases, the founding pastor may insist on being part of that process.

A Clear Ecclesiology in Writing

Ecclesiology, the study of the church, is also used practically-speaking as a term of “how we do church.” The core group or founding pastor must establish such basics as philosophy of ministry, leadership structure, and top mission priorities of the new work. This should be clearly laid out and reviewed frequently to keep everyone on the same page. This will give the new young church a narrow and basic direction from which to begin.