Church Plant Proposal

Charlotte, NC

PASTORS KALUM & AMBER CAVAZOS CHURCH PLANTERS

Contact Information: Pastor Kalum Cavazos

P a g e |2 1409 Majestic Meadow Dr Charlotte, NC 28216 Tel: 704-361-8539 www.relevantnc.com (web) kalum@relevantnc.com (email)

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents............................................................................................................................................................3 Mission............................................................................................................................................................................5 Vision...............................................................................................................................................................................5 Core Values ....................................................................................................................................................................6 Purpose...........................................................................................................................................................................7 Expose.........................................................................................................................................................................7 Encourage....................................................................................................................................................................7 Equip............................................................................................................................................................................7 Proposed Location..........................................................................................................................................................8 Demographics.................................................................................................................................................................8 Beliefs............................................................................................................................................................................11 Growth Strategy............................................................................................................................................................13 Timeline.........................................................................................................................................................................13 Support Teams..............................................................................................................................................................15 Prayer Support..........................................................................................................................................................15 Leadership Team.......................................................................................................................................................15 Budget...........................................................................................................................................................................16 Soft Launch Idea............................................................................................................................................................17 The Structure.............................................................................................................................................................17 Definitions.................................................................................................................................................................17 Our Plan.....................................................................................................................................................................17

Timeline.............................................................................................................................................17 Ideas for Comeback Connections.......................................................................................................18 Budget.......................................................................................................................................................................19 Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

P a g e |4 Impact.......................................................................................................................................................................19

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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MISSION “Relevant Church connects people into a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ.”

We believe that ministry flows out of relationship - relationship with God and people. Our goal is to build lasting relationships that are authentic and motivated by the love of Jesus. The vision is to see everyone connected in a relationship with Jesus, with a desire is to cultivate a diverse community that is doing life together.

We believe in encouraging God-first lives, because we know that living that way will produce inspiring marriages, spiritually healthy children, and Kingdom expansion.

VISION Relevant Church was birthed out of a call to minister to a multigenerational/multiethnic group of people. The desire is to be a church that focuses on effectiveness in ministering to the lost, while being relevant to today’s culture without compromising biblical truths.

We dream of becoming a church where…

•

Ministering to the lost is the greatest priority. We want to see the lost make a full commitment to Jesus Christ, resulting in reaching others with the same life-changing message.

•

We help to create a culture of authentic community where people live God-first by serving others inside and outside of the church.

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Everyone feels welcome and valued as we encourage each other to participate in living for Christ.

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We discover, sharpen, and implement our God-given talents and spiritual gifts in ministry to each other, our community and the world.

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Inspiration takes place through teaching that is Biblically based and culturally relevant, engaging worship, and relationally-driven community groups.

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Our leaders function as an effective team at every level of ministry.

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We partner in multiplying God’s Kingdom.

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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CORE VALUES

We Value People PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD: We believe that people matter to God, so they matter to us! God demonstrated the high value He places on people when He gave us the gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our purpose at Relevant Church is to connect people with Jesus Christ through His life-changing message and equip them for God-first lives. (John 3:16, Rom 5:8, Luke 15:7, 10)

We Value God’s Written Word THE BIBLE IS FOR LIFE CHANGE: We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to our world. It is the absolute standard of truth. Therefore, we must live and practice its life-changing principles. God gave His Word in order to equip and change us for His glory and benefit. (2 Tim. 3:16, Heb. 4:12, James 1:22-25, Psalm 119:11)

We Value Authentic Community LIFE CHANGE HAPPENS BEST WITH REAL RELATIONSHIPS: We believe authentic relationships are best described as sharing life together and allowing others to see strengths and weaknesses. We will help people find their way from the large group (weekend worship) into relationally-authentic community groups. (Acts 2:44-47, Colossians 4:5)

We Value Relevance OUR METHODS CHANGE, OUR MESSAGE DOES NOT: We believe that the Bible is the most exciting book ever written, and we seek to share its good news in relevant environments. We will create appropriate ways for our preschoolers, elementary children, middle and high school students as well as adults to learn the truths written in God’s Word. (1 Corinthians 9:22, 1 Chronicles 12:32)

We Value Diversity ALL PEOPLE BELONG TO GOD: We believe that God created all people, regardless of race or color. Therefore, we must embrace, love and accept all people just as Christ does. We will openly accept and promote an attractively diverse culture by equipping and visibly positioning leaders of ethnicity. (Deuteronomy 10:17, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Job 34:19)

We Value Service EVERY PERSON HAS A PLACE OF SERVICE: We believe that God has equipped everyone with gifts and passions so they can become a difference-maker for Jesus. We will encourage everyone to use and develop their gifts and talents in service to our church, community and world. (1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, Ephesians 4:11-13)

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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PURPOSE “The purposes of Relevant Church are to EXPOSE people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ENCOURAGE people to live God-First, and EQUIP people with knowledge and tools to live out their God-given purpose.”

EXPOSE Exposing people to God embodies: • • •

Experiential Worship - Places value on encountering God through corporate gatherings that welcome His presence through dynamic and culturally relevant music.

Impactful Evangelism - Going beyond just influencing people, it’s reaching them for Christ and connecting them to a local church. We want to have a sustainable impact.

Relevant Messages – Delivering a culturally relevant message of God’s Word without compromising Biblical truth.

ENCOURAGE Encouraging people to live God-First happens through: • •

Outwardly Focused – Being more focused on the needs of others than the needs of self.

Community Emphasis – Placing a priority on connecting people with others in a small group setting that fits their stage of life.

•

Self Growing – Teaching people to become students of God’s Word and to maintain a healthy devotional discipline.

EQUIP Equipping people to live out the Great Commission incorporates: • • •

Targeted Ministry - Having specific goals for ministry to children (nursery to high school), while meeting the expressed and felt needs of adults.

Transformational Discipleship - Learning that exhibits transformation; as seen through lifestyles of worship and how people love others.

Strategic Service - Finding everyone’s unique gifting and placing them in strategic areas of service.

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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PROPOSED LOCATION Based on the demographic study below and God’s call on our hearts to minister to area that is family natured, our proposed location is __________________.

DEMOGRAPHICS With the growth trends in the Lake Norman area, we have limited our target demographic focus to an area of zip codes. We are focusing on the western side of Huntersville (28078) and the Mt. Island area of Charlotte (28216).

Charlotte and the surrounding area is one of the fastest growing areas in population. A recent study done showed that Charlotte is 7th on the list of the fastest growing areas with a population of over one million. There has been a 14.6% change in population from 2000-2006. Charlotte falls under cities like Las Vegas, Orlando FL, & Austin TX. On the list of the 50 largest cities, Charlotte is ranked 36th.

It is because of this rapid growth that we believe that the Charlotte area is a great place to plant a church. There are more people that are moving to this area every day. Therefore, there is a great need for more churches that are presenting the gospel message to a city that is ever growing. *all figures are based on a study done of a 10 mile radius around Hopewell High School in Huntersville, NC (2008 estimates).

Population: Mecklenburg Co. – 837,187 Huntersville – 43,100 Zip Code 28078 – 48,754 Zip Code 28216 – 40,345 (2007 estimate)

10 Mile Radius: 2008 estimate – 296,468 2013 projection – 347,610 Median Age: 36

Median Income: $67,120

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

P a g e |9 Workforce: 128,410 Blue Collar – 37,532 White Collar – 69,979

Education: 34.5% age 25+ have bachelor’s degree or better.

Races: White Non-Hispanic 2008 - (61.3%) 2013 Projections (59.7%) Black 2008 - (30.1%) 2013 Projections (30.3%) Hispanic 2008 - (6.7%) 2013 Projections (8.2%) Asian or Pacific Islander 2008 - (3.5%) 2013 Projections (4.0%) Other Races 2008 - (2.5%) 2013 Projections (2.9%) Two or More Races 2008 - (2.1%) 2013 Projections (2.5%) American Indian 2008 - (0.5%) 2013 Projections (0.5%) For population 25 years and older: • •

High School Graduate or higher– 88.1% Bachelor’s Degree or higher – 34.6%

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

P a g e | 10 •

Graduate or professional degree – 10.6%

For population 15 years and older: • •

Never married – 25.1% Married – 55.9%

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Separated – 5.5%

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Divorced – 8.6%

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Widowed – 4.8%

Population Change: • •

1990-2000: +78,611 (+60.2%) 2008-2013 projection: +51,142 (+17.3%)

Our primary target will be adults age 25-64, both married and single.

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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BELIEFS We adhere to the beliefs and doctrines of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. This is a summarized list of our core doctrinal beliefs. For a complete listing you may visit www.foursquare.org.

Our 4 foundational beliefs are: • •

Jesus Christ - Savior. John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9 Jesus Christ - Baptizer. John 14,16; Acts 1:8 2:4

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Jesus Christ - Healer. I Peter 2:24; James 5:16

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Jesus Christ – Soon Coming King. Acts 1:11; Matthew 16:27

Our Doctrinal View: The Holy Scriptures We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God: true, immutable, steadfast, and unchangeable (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

The Eternal Godhead We believe that God is triune: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the Three are coexistent, coeternal, and equal in divine perfection (1 John 5:7).

The Fall of Man We believe that man, created in the image of God, by voluntary disobedience fell into the depths of sin and iniquity, bequeathing sin’s nature and consequences to all mankind, with their accompanying loss of intended meaning and purpose (Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12).

The Plan of Redemption We believe that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, took our place, and with His life’s blood purchased the pardon for all who believe in Him (John 3:16; Titus 2:14).

Salvation Through Grace We believe that salvation is wholly through grace; that no human righteousness or merit can contribute to our receiving God’s love and favor (Ephesians 2:8).

Repentance and Acceptance We believe that, upon sincere repentance and a whole-hearted acceptance of Christ, we are justified before God through Jesus’ sacrificial death (Romans 10:6-10; 1 John 1:9).

The New Birth We believe that the change that takes place in people at conversion is a very real one; that having received righteousness in Christ and having received of His Spirit, people will have new desires, interests, and pursuits in life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20).

Daily Christian Life We believe that it is the will of God that those who have been born again grow in sanctification, become partakers of His holiness, and daily grow stronger in the faith, power, prayer, love, and service (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

P a g e | 12 We believe that being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an essential response to Jesus’ command, testifying to His lordship as Christ and King (Romans 6:4). We believe in observing the Lord’s Supper, receiving the broken bread and the fruit of the vine with joy and faith as we partake anew of the life and triumph of Christ’s Cross (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) Baptism in the Holy Spirit We believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers believers to exalt Jesus, to live lives of holiness, and to be witnesses of God’s saving grace; we expect the Spirit’s incoming to be after the same manner as that in which He came upon believers in the days of the Early Church (Acts 1: 5, 8; 2:4).

The Spirit-Filled Life We believe that it is the will of God that believers walk in the Spirit moment by moment, serving the Lord and living lives of patience, love, truth, sincerity, and prayer (Ephesians 4:30-32; Galatians 5:16, 25).

The Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit bestows enabling ministry gifts upon believers, and that these gifts will build up the Body of Christ through edification and evangelism(1 Corinthians 12:1-11); as evidence of a Spirit-filled life, believers should show spiritual “fruit”: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-25).

Moderation We believe a Christians’ moderation should be obvious to others and that relationship with Jesus should never lead people into extremes of fanaticism; their lives should model that of Christ in uprightness, balance, humility, and self-sacrifice (Colossians 3:12, 13; Philippians 4:5).

Divine Healing We believe that divine healing is the power of Jesus Christ to heal the sick in answer to the prayer of faith; He, who does not change, is still willing and able to heal the body, as well as the soul and spirit in answer to faith (Mark 16: 17, 18; James 5:14-16).

The Second Coming of Christ We believe that the second coming of Christ is personal and imminent; the certainty of His coming and the fact that no man knows the hour of His coming prompt our evangelistic efforts; that the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven, the dead in Christ shall rise, and the redeemed will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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GROWTH STRATEGY •

Identify and recruit developed and developing church leaders including talented teachers, musicians, preachers, etc. This group will be instrumental in the church launch.

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Leverage contacts in the community to help exposure and name recognition.

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Work with community leaders to identify the areas of greatest need. Specifically target these areas with meaningful outreach programs.

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Maximize exposure by interfacing with civic leaders, business leaders and others in the local Christian community.

TIMELINE The following overview reflects some history as to our burden for this area, initiatives that are already underway and upcoming efforts that are milestones in our launch:

MID 2003 Sometime in the early spring to 2003 my wife and I were prophesied over. The prophecy was simple and said that we were going to plant a church in a year. We had never thought about this before so we took it to prayer. After numerous months in prayer and council the word was confirmed.

MAY 2004 Currently living in Utica, NY where we were youth pastoring, we packed up our family and said goodbye to that season of life and headed down to Charlotte, NC on Memorial Day weekend.

EARLY 2005 After intensive prayer and seeking God’s will, He spoke and put the passion and desire to senior lead the church plant. From 2005 to 2008 God was working out His plan in our lives. We served and ministered in different areas of our parent church. Through this time Amber was employed by the school and the church in the early childhood department. I served in several areas including the men’s ministry and youth ministry.

SEPTEMBER 2008 September 2nd 2008 I was hired on staff to begin a 12 month process of planting the church. The work that God was doing in us was becoming a reality.

DECEMBER 2008 THROUGH MAY 2009 We will be conducting launch team home group meetings. These meetings are designed to brainstorm and dream about the church. This group will be the core group that will help launch the church. There will be a focus on

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

P a g e | 14 building community as well as team during these meeting times. We plan on having 1 meeting in Dec. 2 meeting in January and start meeting weekly in March.

JUNE THROUGH AUGUST 2009 We plan to conduct preview services (4), servant evangelism projects (3-5), comeback events (3), and follow-up.

Between the services we will conduct team meetings. The team meetings will be two fold; 1) dissect and plan for each preview service, and 2) promote community amongst the team. The community outreaches, or “comeback events” are designed to invite visitors and community folks to a gathering in a park, neighborhood, etc. This event is to gather new potential team members as well as letting people know we are in the area to serve.

SEPTEMBER 2009 Riding the wave of our initial preview services we will conduct a full scale public launch of the church. Promotion will include mailers or door hangers in the community. We are anticipating approximately 200 guests our first official service.

JANUARY 2010 Once the church has been going the plan for home groups will be established. The home groups are designed to cultivate community and help with discipleship. These home groups will start in January.

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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SUPPORT TEAMS PRAYER SUPPORT Currently Relevant Church has enlisted a vast number of believers in prayer. We have contacted our home churches and asked for 12 month commitments to pray, we have asked several people at our parent church to commit to pray, and most recently we have started a Facebook group inviting everyone we know via an internet social media tool. Currently our Facebook group has 140 members and counting.

We are keeping everyone caught up to date via email and letters. Our updates are going out every 1-2 weeks.

Our Prayer Support team consists of approximately 175 people and growing.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

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BUDGET Our budget consists of two parts. The first part is the Initial Start-Up Budget (see Appendix A) and the second is the first year budget (see Appendix B)

INITIAL START-UP BUDGET These are funds needed to purchase materials, hardware, marketing, curriculum, etc. We plan on purchasing a package from Church-On-Wheels that will include all of the major materials we need in order to launch a church.

Everything from sound and video to diapers and coffee is included. All of this equipment will be placed on heavy duty rolling carts that are designed for the equipment. All of the carts will be loaded up into a trailer and delivered to us.

FIRST YEAR BUDGET Appendix B is a table outlining the funds needed for our first year.

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.

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SOFT LAUNCH IDEA The concept of the “soft launch” is one that is gleaned from Purpose Driven Planting. The idea is called “working the W”. In this concept you structure you launch phase into three months of preview services with team building and community service in between. The purpose is to gain momentum and build a stronger base of a launch team before the Grand Opening.

THE STRUCTURE

W Comeback Connection

Preview Service

Launch Team Activity

Preview Service

Launch Team Activity

DEFINITIONS Preview Service – A service prior to the Grand Launch service. There should be as much energy at this service as there will be at the Full Launch. This gives us the ability to see what areas need help and what is working right.

Launch Team Activity – This is a twice a month activity. This is used to strengthen and mobilize the team. Here we will break down the previous service and prepare for the upcoming service.

Comeback Connections – This is an Assimilation Activity. This will happen once a month. Here we will invite everyone who has come to a service or an event. We will also have opportunity to recruit for the Launch Team.

OUR PLAN TIMELINE

JUNE •

14th – First Preview Service

•

18th – Launch Team Activity

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P a g e | 18 •

27th – Comeback Connection

JULY •

3rdth – Launch Team Activity

•

12th – Preview Service #2

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19th – Launch Team Activity

•

26th – Comeback Connection

AUGUST •

2nd – Launch Team Activity

•

9th – Preview Service #3

•

16th Launch Team Activity

•

23rd – Comeback Connection

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30th – Launch Team Activity

SEPTEMBER •

6th- Final Preview Service

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13th – Grand Opening Service

IDEAS FOR COMEBACK CONNECTIONS •

Meet the Staff

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Picnics/BBQ

•

Recreational Activities

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BUDGET OUTREACH EVENT

INITIAL SUMMER OUTREACH #1 (Big Blowout at the Park)

ITEMS NEEDED

QTY

HUNTERSVILLE PARK (BEATIES FORD RD)

1

$

50.00

$

50.00

FOOD

1

$ 300.00

$

300.00

FLYERS

1000

$

$

15.00

1

$

BOUNCE HOUSES (FROM GRACE)

INITIAL SUMMER OUTREACH #2 (BBQ in a Neighborhood)

INITIAL SUMMER OUTREACH #3 (Big Blowout at the Park)

STEPHEN'S GROVE CLUB HOUSE

1

FOOD

1

FLYERS

1000

PRICE

0.02 -

TOTAL

$

-

TOTAL

$

365.00

$ 300.00

$

300.00

$

$

15.00

$

-

TOTAL

$

315.00

0.02

HUNTERSVILLE PARK (BEATIES FORD RD)

1

$

50.00

$

50.00

FOOD

1

$ 300.00

$

300.00

FLYERS

1000

$

$

15.00

1

$

$

-

TOTAL

$

365.00

TOTAL

$ 1,045.00

BOUNCE HOUSES (FROM GRACE)

0.02 -

IMPACT The potential impact with starting preview services in June would possibly take away from some relationship building within the church. By taking time away from Sunday morning to do the preview service, could take away some potential connections. Connections can still be made during the Wed night services and during the time still on staff at the church.

The positives of starting preview services in June would allow us more time to further develop the launch team along with building our name in the community before the actual launch. The preview services once a month would give us time in between to adjust and recruit new team members from the community.

My conclusion is that the time spent with team building, community activities, and preview services would be a benefit to the launch of the church.

Relevant Church is dedicated to Connecting People with Jesus.