Process toward becoming a participating member of the EFCA Southeast District.

These are the developmental steps and policies we follow in bringing a church to the place where it is self supporting and reproducing.

Purpose of these statements: "to clearly define the guidelines, steps and the SED-EFCA involvement into a church plant becoming a full participating member of the EFCA.”

Classification and the Process…

1. Church Plant Project: Church Planter or a Lay Team begins the new church.


• The Church planter or Lay Team begins with a signed covenantal commitment to the SED-EFCA and the process followed in the SED for establishing a new church. The commitments are listed in the covenant.


• The Church Planter or Lay Team agrees to use the Articles of Incorporation as specified by the SED-EFCA.


• The SED-EFCA or the mother church will handle the finances until a treasurer is chosen, the 501 3c is obtained and the new church is incorporated with the state. The process is limited to 6 months for the final transition for the time the church planter begins or the lay team begins services. The planter or church chairman will file state incorporation papers. SED-EFCA and mother church will stop handling the finances at that point.


• The Church Planter or Lay Team (if the planter is not on sight) will appoint a Provisional Leadership Team of people for the purpose of assisting the lead planter to carry out the responsibilities of developing a new church. The Church Planter (or Lay Team Chairman until there is a pastor) can remove people at their discretion if they do not support the vision, values and the "person” of the planter. The people do not necessarily need to be elder qualified but should be believers of good standing among others in the community.


2. Church Plant: Church Planter with a Provisional Leadership Team


• 18months into the process, the church planter appoints elders; If the new church is a lay driven start then the people can choose to choose it's elders before a pastor comes;


• If a planter comes early in the process then the lay team is encouraged to allow the pastor to take the leadership in this process.


• Church Planter prayerfully chooses new elders (5 page paper; interviews; examples as to why the man should be considered an elder (Acts 6));


• Church Planter presents new elders to SED representative or a Steering Committee Team if one exists;


• SED Representative lays hands on the men as elders during a church service;


• New elders conduct membership classes (Welcome to the Family);


• The superintendent is called and asked to come and meet with the elders to discuss "affirmation voting”. This is critical to the leadership understanding how to function in meetings! Roberts Rule of Order is NOT encouraged. Biblical congregationalism is not democracy but God's people seeking God(Acts 1:14; Phil 2:2).


• New Elders present new members to SED representative.



3. Church Status in the SED-EFCA:
   
   • Once members have been through classes, signed a membership covenant, they are then presented to a SED Staff member for approval.
   
   
   • Once members are finalized, they should be recognized at the first congregational meeting; a season of prayer, a time of celebration and a few agenda items are encouraged; all the names and the addresses of first members shall be turned into the SED offices. The names are put into the churches file in case the process is called into question.
   
   
   • The superintendent shall present the new church to the SED Board and the Annual Conference.
   
   
   
4. Financial Support and Participation in the SED
   
   • The pastor and leaders shall participate in SED conferences,  Regional Network Meetings as spelled out in the covenant and work along other EFCA's church to accomplish kingdom work.
   
   
   • Once the pastor is paid fully by the church plant or the church the tithing process will begin.
   
   
   • The covenantal agreement is tithing 10% of the general offering after the pastor is fully being paid. The areas where the funds go to are (1%) the National Office,
     and then (2%) to the SED general fund; and that leaves another 7% to come alongside church planting initiatives and other multiplication ministries.

The primary idea behind all of these steps and policies is to see a healthy reproducing cooperating church extending the kingdom of God.  We can do more together then we can a part.