There are a variety of ways to plant a new
congregation that impacts the amount of financial resources needed.A general
rule is the more believers you have in the core group the less likely you will
need to focus on a high-cost launch strategy. If believers are taught to share
their faith and are actively building relationships in the unchurched community,
growth can be fast and sure through networking. If the planter is in a highly unchurched context and has a traditional church planting strategy
with a small believer base, his start-up strategies will likely have to depend on
ministry evangelism events and an effective marketing plan. Both of these
approaches can be costly.
Another factor likely to impact the cost of start-up is the rental cost of the
meeting facility. If the launch strategy is to attract a large group of people, it
will require a meeting place that can handle the crowd. A space for 200 to 500
people in worship can require a large amount of financial resourcing.
However, a home, coffee shop, or boardroom usually doesn’t cost anything
and opens up an entire relational network.