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So You Want to Start a Church?

Church planting is a vital and exciting area of ministry and the Southeast Conference is a leaders in our denomination for developing church planting tools and resources.

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Resources for SEC Church Planting:

• SEC New Church Development Start Up Kit (large file)
• Overview of the SEC Church Development System
• Steps for Assessment
• Written Interview and Assessment
• Overview of SEC Comma Connections

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Steps to Planting A Church

1. Contact the Southeast Conference office by clicking here.
2. Study our UCC Constitution and bylaws to discern if the UCC is the denomination of your heart.
3. Order the Church Planting Start Up Kit from the Conference.
4. Meet with SEC Conference staff to begin the process.

We understand after many years of doing this work that there is no "one way" to start a church. Within our conference, we have tried and tested any number of models and have learned an enormous amount about this work in the process. We look forward to consulting with you.

Steps to Seeking an Association with the United Church of Christ

Over the past few years, we have been truly blessed by a number of congregations who were either nondenominational or affiliated with other denominations associating with the United Church of Christ in the Southeast Conference. After a period of discernment, many of these congregations decided to join the UCC.

After contacting the SEC Conference Minister, there are two critical "first steps" that should occur as close to simultaneously as possible, mirroring those recommended by Parish Life and Leadership when working on pastors entering the privilege of call process.

1. The Conference minister will contact the judicatory leader from the congregation's origin to alert them to the request.
2. The Conference staff will explore with the congregation their reasons for disaffiliation from their current denomination and why they wish to affiliate with the United Church of Christ.

Throughout the discernment process, it is critical that both parties be as honest and transparent as possible. It is important to us to honor both the complexities of disassociation and the expectations of the UCC.