When to Begin Meeting?

As a church planter, I find it difficult to gauge people, especially in regard to strategic timing.  The question I get over and over again these days is, "When and where does your church meet?"  This is a difficult question, because new churches can't really begin meeting until... well, until they have people that actually buy in to the vision and WANT to begin meeting.  We are in the stage that occurs right before that begins to happen... the stage where we are trying to explain our vision and our philosophy, and building relationships with people who have expressed interest in being a part of our core team of people.

Because we plan to launch ethos church in the fall of 2010, replete with worship leaders, childcare, and a building, we must do the groundwork that occurs right before that happens... and that is to gather a core group.  In order to gather a core group, there must be evangelism being done, because let's face it-- the last thing we want to do is to draw people away from their churches and build a new church full of church-goers!  What we want to do instead is to introduce non-church-goers to the person and work of Jesus, and we want to begin a new church full of unchurched and de-churched people who don't have pre-conceived ideas of what church is and what church should be. 

Now, does that mean that we don't want mature, church-attending people in our church?  Of course we want them, because if we are going to be a disciple-making church, then how else are the de-churched and un-churched people going to grow in their faith if a mature believer doesn't disciple them?  We need mature folks to disciple people in our church!

Which category do you fall into?  Do you need to re-connect with a church?  Are you a mature believer who is interested in our mission?  If so, we want to invite you to join our vision for this city.  It's gonna be a fun ride.