Planting Resources
Essentials including Steps to Start, Demographics and Funding Models
Steps to Planting Using Texas Returnable Funding-Summary Page
This document provides a succinct overview of the general steps that are needed when a congregation intends to partner with the Texas District in planting a church.
Steps to Planting Using Texas Returnable Funding-Detailed Page
This document and the appendices included are both descriptive and prescriptive of the steps which should be followed by congregations or networks desiring to enter into a partnership with the Texas District Board of Mission Administration in planting new churches.Steps to Planting Using Local Resources-Summary Page
This document offers suggested steps that have been gathered from the experience of congregations that do not want to request funding resources from the district but rather fully fund their own church plant.Frequently Asked Questions-FAQ
There are many questions that are asked about how a congregation may proceed when planting a church. This document addresses many of those questions as well as anticipates additional concerns that may surface in the development of a church plant.MissionInsite Demographic Tool-Summary Page and Registration Site
The Texas District provides a membership to MissionInsite for every district “agency” (incorporated) congregation. With this membership you are able to study the community context of your mission. To sample this tool open the Executive or Impressions report below.Sample Executive Insite (Sample)
The purpose of this report is to provide a demographic story of the defined geographic study area.Sample Impressions (Sample)
This report will measure 10 community mood and values indicators as well as 10 community inclination indicators of the determined study area.Mosaic Group and Segment Descriptions
This study, offered by Experian Marketing Systems through MissionInsite, is a very powerful tool available in detail to incorporated congregations of the Texas District.
Exegeting Your Community-Summary Page
In order to be in mission in our communities, it is helpful to learn how to exegete our culture in order speak the Gospel into it.
Mission Deck
Open your next meeting with the mission in mind. These are ideas to help you starting meeting with a missional mindset.
Glocal Mission
Resources from Glocal Mission to seek the lost and disciple the found.
Chartering Resources
Essentials to Incorporate and Charter an LCMS Congregation
- Incorporating in Texas. Make a copy of this completed form for your records and for obtaining a bank account; submit the completed form to the Secretary of State in order to incorporate.
- Getting your Federal Tax ID number. This is a recommended step for every church plant.
- LCMS Treasurer’s Manual to find complete information about accounting and legal matters related to your church start.
- Steps to take in order to achieve 501(c)3 Status.
- Group Tax Exempt Ruling (letter) for LCMS congregations.
- Steps to Chartering a Congregation in the LCMS-Summary Page From the LCMS Handbook: This is information concerning Membership and Eligibility and Admission of Congregations into the Synod.
- Congregation Constitution & Bylaws Checklist and information about submitting it for approval.
Planning Material
Project Management Tools and Checklists for Church Planters
- Stadia Free Resources includes planting timelines, budget worksheets, brochure templates, and more.
- Converge an online user community, has free project management software for church planters with a basic timeline or pay a small fee for a more detailed timeline.
- Nuts and Bolts has sample plant plans for reference from congregations outside the LCMS.
- Church Planting Net offers free project management software for church planter and free downloads on a variety of topics relevant to church planters.
Model Documentation
A Few Samples of Church Plant Development
Community of Hope
We live to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God
The Vine
The map to cultivating new Life
The Edge Communities
Build Relationships – Make Disciples – Teach His PeopleSoulThirst Church
“An Adventure in Jesus!”
Foundational SoulThirst documents:
Water’s Edge Allen
Roadmap to Launch
Oikos Church Plant
How Oikos Started
For all but one year of twenty-seven in congregational ministry, Steven Misch has served as pastor in the Texas District. Growing up in Northern Minnesota, Steven did his undergraduate work at Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. After completing graduate work at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, he began his ministry on the Navajo Indian Reservation with Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission (NELM). In 1983, Steven was called to serve at Grace, Del Rio, Texas. After five years he accepted a call to St. Mark, Lake Jackson, Texas where he served for eight years. In 1996 Steven moved to Houston to serve as an associate pastor at St. Mark, Houston. From there he accepted a call to serve at Good Shepherd in Borger, Texas. Now serving as Mission and Ministry Facilitator of the Texas District, Steven considers it an honor to be a resource and an encourager for the pastors and the congregations of Area A as they move ahead in the mission. Steve is married to Lynn, and they have two boys, both of whom are serving as pastors in the LCMS. 
