This is the first article in the series Church Plant Tech series.
Before we dive in, I wanted to coin a new term. I got real tired saying “church plant tech” as I started writing this article. From now on, us church plant techies shall be dubbed “Plant Techies”. Boss right?
Our editor, Jeremy, and I are as good friends as the internet can make two people. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well over the past 6+ months. Hangouts, phone calls, texts. We keep in touch. Normally, he doesn’t interfere with our creative process as editors, but recently he asked if I could write on what it’s like to head up a plant tech team. Since it was actually a good idea, I obliged. I love my church, and I love my role in it. I can’t wait to tell you how we do it, about the challenges we face, and how other plant tech teams can do it too.
Humble Beginnings
We started Missio Dei church in November of 2012 with about 25 people and little sense of direction. We knew Jesus was calling us to plant a church in the town of Glassboro, NJ. Glassboro is a mixed bag of a town. It’s home to Rowan University, and it feels like a college town. With so many college kids are crawling around during the school year, it’s easy to miss the rest of the people who reside in Glassboro. It’s home to almost 19,000 people with a mean income of $23,000. We were drawn to the hustle and bustle, and saw it as a key place to start spreading the Gospel.
We knew from the beginning that we would need to invest in technology as much as we could. We were going to be reaching a people group that were immersed in high quality tech and products, so we needed our “A” game.
Humble Tech Beginnings
Right off the bat we were on every social media site I could possibly manage alone (Facebook, Twitter, and Google+). One of our guys donated a flatscreen TV and we ran Proclaim off my 4 year old laptop (it’s still limping around to this day). We were meeting in a congregant’s house. We set up and tore down about 30 chairs, barebones sound equipment, TV, and cables each week.
With no official sending church, and our nonprofit paperwork incomplete, we had $0 income for the first several months. We still have no paid staff, just a ton of volunteers who love and serve Jesus.
Once we started outgrowing the home we met in, we were able to start collecting funds, and we started renting the building we’re in now. We meet on the second floor of a dance studio each week.
Where We’re Going
So, as you can see, this topic is near and dear to my heart. I’m now an elder at MD and am actively involved in shaping the tech culture of our church, and have been dubbed the “elder of communication”. I’ll list below where this series will take us. If you’re a church plant, or are thinking of starting one and have questions about anything specific, hit me up on Hangouts or drop a comment below and I’ll add it to the queue.
- Right Off the Bat: Baby Steps to Church Tech
- Getting Creative: Using What You’ve Got
- Some Helpful Android Apps for Planters
- I Don’t Get It! – Plant Tech Vent Session
- Tech Goals for Your Church Plant
Jesse Gruber says
If anyone has any question feel free to reply here or hit me up on social media
Rebecca says
Do you have a link to the series?
Jesse Gruber says
Rebecca, I apologize for the delay. I thought I replied to you a while ago, but oh guess it never posted! Here’s the link to the table of contents. Enjoy! https://churchm.ag/church-plant-tech-introduction/