So, You Want to Start a Ministry?

You may have seen us advertising our How to Start a Ministry start up event for Nov 2, 2018. 

Start-ups are hot.  Whether in business, non-profit charity, or social enterprise, they are evidence of the ongoing creative and entrepreneurial spirit of people.  People want to start new things.

13% of Canadians are entrepreneurs, 2nd to the U.S. and tied with Australia.  Alberta has the highest number of early-stage entrepreneurs.  We don’t have statistics on social entrepreneurs such as church planters or those who start ministries targeting various sectors of the Canadian population, but those enterprises are necessary for the advance of the Gospel into all corners and sectors of society.  Here at Encompass, 6 of our 10 partners have been around for less than 6 years.  Encompass Partnerships itself has only been operational for a little over 4 years.  We are a community of start-ups!

Starting a ministry is hard tactically, financially, psychologically and spiritually.  Rarely do you end up where you thought you’d go!  Reality is, your initial idea is merely a hypothesis that needs to be tested along the way.  Military strategists and start-ups share a similar perspective:  “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy”.  Plan.  Launch.  Adapt. Repeat. Therefore the start-up ministry experience is not for the faint of heart.  

Something we have learned (along with business start-ups) is that the entrepreneurial effort to start something is not as random or chaotic as it might appear.  There are patterns in a start-up experience that form a journey, that when understood helps you prepare tactically, psychologically and spiritually.   

On Nov 2nd, we will walk participants through a high-level overview of this journey.  Practitioners who have been through the process and successfully started ministries as well as others who are still very much in process will all be contributing.  While we have set up the day to present each stage for your learning, we also have designed the day for you to engage not simply as an observer/listener, but as an interactive participant.  One of a number of ways you can participate is a live interaction with 2 start-ups (Arts Chaplaincy & Little Loaves Farm) who will interact & reflect with the audience after each phase is presented.  

Encompass Partnerships is living this process.  So too are many of our partners. The social enterprises and ministries that will be participating are also in process.  We are all learners and practitioners.  In fact, this event itself is part of a start-up process.  This is V.1.0 of the workshop.  We fully embrace that we will be learning along the way and that there will be ensuing iterations of the concept. 

Our church models are not enough to reach the marginalized and least reached with the Gospel.  Your entrepreneurial idea is needed to expand the Kingdom.  Respond to the promptings of Jesus to develop pathways for the Gospel into the corners of society where Jesus’ promise of abundance is yet to be experienced.  Let us help you develop that seed idea into impact.

For more info and registration please click here.