Nelson Searcy - Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch

The church-planting landscape has changed since the original edition of Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch . More new churches are being started right now than ever before. Multi-site locations have become the new normal in many areas. A large percentage of church planters are being called to launch churches as a second career, after years of experience in another industry. These realities bring new nuances to the conversation.

As much as things have changed, however, even more remains the same. The core principles of the Launch strategy for starting a healthy church are as relevant todayif not more soas ever. Since its release, thousands of churches have used the original Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch as their essential guidebook for launching healthy, thriving churches that continue to reach people for Jesus. Church leaders who have studied and implemented the truths in these pages continue to be ministry success stories, while those who forge ahead without a plan still fail at an astounding rate.

In this revised, updated, and expanded edition of Launch , you will have the opportunity to rediscover the well-tested and proven strategies for everything involved in your launch, from finding funding to conducting your first worship servicesand thats just the beginning. This expanded version is filled with new insights based on the positive experiences of churches all around the world that have used the Launch system to get started.

In the last few years, many church growth experts have observed this reality: churches that follow Launch principles to start a new church or a new campus are able to launch large and healthy congregations, while those that go it on their own have a much harder time getting started and sustaining healthy growth. In fact, the Launch system has become so ingrained in the culture of starting new churches that the terminology has largely shifted from planting churches to launching churches .

Partnering with God to launch healthy churches is significant work. My prayer is that as you dive into the pages aheadwhether you have used the Launch system before and are back for a refresher, whether you are a seasoned pastor ready to start a new campus, or whether you are just beginning the journey of launching your first church from scratchGod will speak to your heart and mind as you prepare for the awe-inspiring task he has set before you.

Authors Note: While the thoughts, anecdotes, and principles presented in these pages represent the contributions of both Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, weve chosen to fuse our combined experience into one voice for claritys sake. The voice in the pages ahead is Nelsons.