+ NCD Core Values & Year One Benchmarks
+ New Church Developments in Pittsburgh Presbytery
Why
New Congregations? (back to top)
New Congregations Are More Evangelistic
Lyle Schaller, in his book 44 Questions for Church Planters
writes: “New
churches are more likely to reach more people and to grow in size than are
long-established parishes…. Perhaps the simplest explanation of this
pattern is that new congregations are organized around evangelism and reaching
people not actively involved in the life of any worshipping community.” The
survival of new churches depends on constantly reaching new people.
New Congregations Are A Blessing To Established Churches
It is a fallacy that a new church will hurt the attendance and income of
established churches. The exciting thing about starting new churches is
that they are often able to reach people that have been un-reached by all
efforts of established churches. Research shows that a new church is able
to keep one person in ten that it reaches. The other nine out of ten often
start going to or return to other congregations.
New Congregations Raise Up New Leaders
Planting new churches spurs opportunities of ministry to people who want
to be better used of the Lord in ministering.
New Congregations Reach Other Cultures
As our nation becomes increasingly diverse, we should realize that establishing
new church plants is the best way to reach all people groups.
New Church
Development Plan (back
to top)
(Adopted by Pittsburgh Presbytery in December 1999)
The Vision For Pittsburgh Presbytery, reads:
“By the year 2010, Pittsburgh Presbytery will be known by its contagious
faith and hope in the resurrected Christ and by its role in fostering a continuous
spirit of renewal in its members, congregations and the wider community….
There (will be) enthusiastic support among congregations for planting new
Presbyterian congregations.”
The congregations
of the Presbytery of Pittsburgh unite in their desire to fulfill Christ’s
calling to love one another and to share that love, with those who do not
know it,
through the creation of new worshipping communities.
These new congregations will be ones:
NCD Core
Values & Year One Benchmarks (back
to top)
Core Values
In order to carry out its vision, each new church development will hold the
following core values:
Benchmarks
By the end of its first full year of offering worship services, a new church
development will show the following: