Nexus Works in Partnerships!

Nexus works in partnerships! (It’s what the word “nexus” means… connections!!) We’ve never started a church on our own! And we’ve never had a partner go it alone! We do things together, or not at all. We form collaborative partnerships between like-minded people, churches, and organizations. And we’d love to have your group, church, or organization join us to launch a new faith community in your region.

How Partnering Usually Works:

1. Develop a Working Draft of a Covenant Agreement (formerly called a Memorandum of Understanding).  The CA will summarize what the partners may expect of one another, what the church planter may expect of the partners, and what the partners may expect of the church planter. The CA will also tentatively specify a schedule by which partnership funding will become available for the project. But note: we won’t implement the CA until the Lord pulls the project together.
2. Partners Commit to a Shared Strategy for Church Planting. These are the key strategic elements:
   • Pre-Assessment Screening by an experienced church-planting leader.  Before partnership funds are expended on a Formal Assessment an experienced leader must screen candidates.
   • Formal Assessment of the Church Planting Couple(s):  The assessment process evaluates four areas of core compatibility: church-planting skills; contextual and cultural fit; emotional and marital health; and theological beliefs.
   • Formal Approval: partners formally approve of the church-planting leader following the successful completion of the Assessment.
   • Management Team:  A management team of leaders from partnering churches and organizations will be established to provide the project and church planter with supervision and accountability until an indigenous eldership has emerged from within the new church.
   • Formal Training:  Initial and ongoing church-planting training.
   • Formal Coaching & Mentoring: Coaching and Mentoring relationships are initiated.
   • Church Planter Develops a Strategic Plan.
   • Fund-Raising:  The church-planting leader solicits additional funding for the project.
   • Missions Commitment To Church Planting:  The new church will tithe (10%) of its offerings to replace the church-planting funds that have been provided through the partners, thus insuring that yet another new church will be started out of this endeavor.
   • Shared Biblical Heritage:  Confirming that the partners have a shared set of doctrinal standards and expectations.
3. Identify the Four Keys of a Healthy Project. A project comes together when we have these four items: the Partners; the Place; the People Group; and the Planting Couple. Every project comes together in a unique way, some rapidly, some slowly. The partners must patiently wait for the important dynamics to emerge. When these four keys are identified the church-planting Project is ready to be formalized.
4. Identify and Pre-Assess Potential Church Planting Couples.
5. Formal Assessment of the Selected Church Planting Couple.  The Formal Assessment will verify whether the couple is emotionally ready for church planting and whether the leader has the needed skills and abilities. It is up to the partners themselves to confirm doctrinal compatibility as well as the church-planting couple’s cultural compatibility with the target community.
6. Formal Approval by Partners upon the Successful Completion of Assessment.
7. Partners Issue the Approved and Signed Covenant Agreement.
8. Formation of the Management Team.
9. Financial Plan Approved by the Management Team.
10. Church Planter Hired. 

Contact us today about becoming a church planting partner!