Ripe for Harvest

464 • R IPE FOR H ARVEST

Bringing It All Together Exercise Guidelines

I. What is a charter?

A. A written record of the intentions of the church plant team

B. Provides authority for the team

C. Provides means of accountability to leadership

D. Provides clarity of action so team can continue if there are changes in team personnel

E. Provides a limited amount of time to complete the task

II. Why is it important?

A. Church plant teams tend to either take too long without results or get discouraged and want to quit too early. Charters minimize quitting and languishing by giving time frames. B. Church plant teams need to be semi-autonomous. They need oversight on a periodic basis but not micro-management. Charters free up the team to be creative within their stated guidelines so there isn’t excessive oversight that would hinder the effort. Charters also provide a written statement of goals and objectives so there can be specific checkpoints providing accountability to the stated plan.

C. Charters provide a written plan for the next year that helps the team stay on course, minimizing wasted efforts.

D. If there are multiple church plants occurring in an area, charters help scope out the target areas so new efforts are not causing a duplication of effort.

Context Values/Vision

III. How do we fill out the charter?

Prepare Launch Assemble Nurture Transition Schedule/Charter

A. Ask God to guide your final exercise.