Church Planting In the Fog

By Nathan Camp

Growing up in Florida early on, I developed a love for fishing. There’s something about being out on the Gulf of Mexico, with the wind blowing, the water shimmering, and the anticipation of that next strike from a fish that has always captivated me. I can get lost in the adrenaline rush of a great day of fishing.

Which sometimes can get me into some challenging situations.

Let me explain.

One summer, I was fishing for Trout in the Gulf. It was a day when it seemed I had a fish on every cast. Every few minutes, I was pulling in another fish. I was having the time of my life!

As is typical for Florida, I could see a storm rolling in. But it seemed miles away, and the fishing was good, so I went back to casting and pulling in the fish. I got so immersed in the fishing that the storm was upon me before I knew it, and I was engulfed in a cloud of fog. This fog was thick! So thick I could no longer see land. And while I was not a long way out, a sense of panic set in. I thought, “I cannot see land. How am I going to get home? I don’t even know which way home is! ”.

With each passing moment, the panic got stronger. I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t know where to go or what to do next. The fog was getting thicker, and I felt helpless.

And then I saw it…a compass!

Attached to this old boat was an old compass. I almost yelled out loud. I was so happy! This little tool made all the difference that day. Suddenly, even though much was clouded from my view, I knew which way to go! My heart found peace, and I went home to fish another day.

Thank God I had a compass!

Many church planters can attest to a similar experience on the church planting journey.

It is so easy to start with passion and energy in your pursuit of planting a church, only to find yourself some weeks or months later in the fog of planting. All of a sudden, you don’t know where you are in the process and don’t know which way to go.

Start heading one way, and you might be headed out to sea. Start heading another, and you could run into land. At that moment, you need a compass! You need something that has a fixed point. Something immovable as your tool to get you going in the right direction.

It’s here that a tool like Launch Halo reorients us to true north and helps us navigate our way through the fog.

Launch Halo was developed to help church planters with the three things they need - a date, a plan, and a tool. Launch Halo is the first church plant management tool that is date-driven, allowing each church planter to develop a customized launch plan for their church!

Launch Halo acts as your compass to help you navigate the foggy days, from naming to fundraising to launch teams to your first service.

How does it work?

Just like any compass, you need a fixed reference point for navigation.

Launch Halo has two: Launch Date and Church Type.

For church planters, your first point of reference is your launch date.

This is the day you will have your first public service. This will act as a true north for the timing of your plant. Everything must lead us here. Someone once said, “Aim at nothing, and you will hit it every time!”. This is one of the first essential steps that every planter must take.

The second point of reference is the launch plan.

The old saying is true, “A dream without a plan is just a wish.” It's a moment of creating an actual plan to launch where the dream in your heart starts to take shape.

Launch Halo makes this process more accessible than ever.

Starting with selecting a launch date and a church type - out of the box, Launch Halo has two standard plans, launching large or launching at home - Launch Halo then creates a date-driven plan that gives you the step-by-step strategy for getting there.

Then, once you accept the plan and strategy, Launch Halo will upload your steps daily into your Google calendar to ensure you take every step. Each week will have a to-do list. Launch Halo will even create a list of steps you have missed along the way or are off pace, so you can make course corrections as needed.

And, of course, because no church plant is ever linear, Launch Halo allows you to add customized steps or remove steps to fit your vision along the way better. 

On the journey to planting a church, there will be times when the fog rolls in. Days when it will be hard to see which way to go. At that moment, one of your church plant's most important tools will be your compass, reminding you how to get home.

It’s vital that you don’t just wish you planted a church; it's time to plan to plant that church. Launch Halo can help you get there.

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