Since our arrival at Fairview last August many persons have expressed a desire to be a part of our church planting journey. We are very grateful for that interest! Some have made verbal commitments, many have given financially, yet others have become (and are) members of Fairview, our sending church.
With an eye on our likely August launch date, the time has come for us to begin organizing the interest we have received. Most central to that organization is the forming of a “core team.”
As you consider how the Lord would have you posture towards planting, below is a list of questions and answers that you may find helpful.
What is a core team?
Though there are various models of who a core team is and what a core team does, it is best for us to define our core teams as: a subset of sending church members who pledge to take responsibility for the planting of Coram Deo Baptist.
What does a core team do?
Between now and launch Sunday this team will meet regularly to prepare structures, ministries, systems and operations for weekly Lord’s Day services. Please pray for this team as it begins to assemble and will likely grow in the coming months.
How do I join the core team?
Your first step is to simply have a conversation with me, Neal Thornton (lead planter) or one of the elders at Fairview. One of us will explain the overall vision of the church plant to ensure the core team is right for you. Perhaps there is a time commitment you cannot make or a theological conviction you do not hold.
If you are still interested, your next step would be to join Fairview Baptist. You can do so by contacting the pastoral staff, or simply filling out the preliminary documents prior to an upcoming membership class. Perhaps you are already a member. Either way, by joining Fairview you are aligning yourself with a particular confession of belief and philosophy of ministry. Being that Coram Deo will share the same, church membership at Fairview acts as an alignment tool to ensure like-mindedness among the core team. Further the membership process is somewhat of a philosophical and theological filter for onboarding team members, as well as an emotionally liberating transition step for those with a difficult church experience in their recent past.
Once you are a covenant member of Fairview, you are able to join the core team. Reach out to me for a schedule of our upcoming meetings.
Why is Fairview membership required to join?
One of the most important factors of a successful church plant is unity among its founding members. Such unity of course is multi-faceted. Members unite around an adopted confession of faith; the mission and vision of the church; a philosophy of ministry; certain systems, structures and polity; key documents and policies; and so forth.
Core teams must decide when they want to create such unity. Some choose to do so upon covenanting as a church. This would be considered a late unity in their planting process often leading to unnecessary stress and division. However other models of core team formation opt to create an early unity, setting direction upfront. This will be our choice. Because Coram Deo Baptist will be of a very similar model of ministry to that of Fairview Baptist (e.g., our shared Pillar Network DNA), our core team will borrow the unity shared from our sending church, and make it our own.
Therefore, a core team made of Fairview members will enjoy a unity that has been established by their congregational life together. And perhaps the greatest benefit of all, forming a core team this way helps our sending church foster a sending culture.
Note: There may arise a scenario where members from one of our supporting Pillar Network churches (e.g., Redeemer Community) wish to join our core team. Given the unity we share in theology and philosophy of ministry we would strongly consider them for the team without them joining Fairview Baptist. Any such additions would be at the discretion of core team leadership and counsel of our sending church elders.
What should I do if I’m not on the core team?
Core team membership isn’t for everyone. That’s ok. Folks who opt not to join the core team can still be in the outer circle of what you may call the “launch team.”
Though this team will not be responsible for planting the church upon launch, they play a vital role in the success of Coram Deo. They can pray, recruit, give and encourage to see a healthy launch Sunday and the weeks that follow. Upon launch, this team will add fellowship, community, presence and energy to the overall ministry of the church. As we did in 2024, we will continue to hold monthly fellowships to gather those interested in this team. As the launch grows near we’ll ask for verbal commitments from folks who want to attend on Sunday #1 and invite friends to join them.
When will I be able to join Coram Deo?
Coram Deo will launch with a membership process in place, approved by the covenant core team members. Sometime shortly after launch we will open the process to prospective candidates. Those seeking membership at the time of launch should anticipate being able to complete their membership process by year end with ease.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me personally. I’d love to help you discover your part in church planting.
Blessings in Christ. Coram Deo.