What does it cost to plant a church?

We’ve set a goal of seeing 300 new churches planted by 2030. That’s because new churches reach new people with the gospel. But every church plant requires prayer, people, training and financial support.

Starting a church in Australia costs around $200,000 in the first year. Derek Hanna (Director of Church Planting) explains where that money comes from, what it pays for, and why Christians continue to invest in planting new churches across Australia.

Roughly speaking, what does it cost to start a church in Australia today?

For most church plants, we’d estimate around $180,000–$200,000 for the first year.

That figure covers the period leading up to launch and the first year. It varies depending on the model, but if you’ve got a full-time church planter and some setup costs, that’s generally the ballpark.

The budget doesn’t usually increase dramatically after that. You might have some one-off expenses in the first year, like audio equipment, but generally the first three years sit in a fairly similar range.

What does that money actually pay for?

The biggest cost is people. Just like an established church, staffing is usually the largest line in the budget. That includes the church planter and sometimes ministry apprentices or other ministry staff.

The second major cost is the venue. That can vary enormously. Some church plants meet in church buildings and pay very little. Others meet in cinemas or commercial venues, which can be expensive. Community centres often sit somewhere in between.

After that, you’re talking about the normal costs of ministry – kids programs, administration, equipment and all the practical things required to run a church.

Where does the money usually come from?

A common rule of thumb is a third from a sending church, a third from external supporters and seed funding, and a third from within the launch team itself. It never works out exactly like that, but it gives you a sense of the mix.

The sending church often provides significant support in the early years. There are also generous donors, churches and foundations around Australia who want to see new churches planted. Then the launch team gives sacrificially as they establish the new church.

Over time, you hope the church becomes increasingly supported by the people who are part of it.

How long does it take for a church plant to become financially sustainable?

For most church plants, somewhere between three and five years.

There are some church plants serving marginalised communities where they may never be fully self-sustaining financially, and that’s okay.

The question isn’t whether every church can pay all of its own bills. The question is whether we’re reaching people with the gospel.

If we’re serious about reaching Australia, there will be churches and ministries that need ongoing partnership from the wider Christian community. We need to work out how we support churches for the long haul because they’re doing exactly what they were planted to do: reaching people who need to hear about Jesus.

You’ve seen more than 170 church plants. What makes people want to partner financially?

One of the things that surprises people is that we’ve never had a church plant in our network launch because it couldn’t raise enough support. Church plants have a clarity of vision about who they’re trying to reach … and people want to partner with that clarity.

Church planters can point to a suburb, a community or a group of people and say, “There isn’t a church reaching these people with the gospel. We’d like that to change.” That’s a compelling invitation.

You’re not just funding a ministry, you’re partnering with a new church being born to reach new people.

I’ve found that finances often follow vision. When people can clearly see the opportunity and the gospel need, they want to be part of it.

Why do church plant supporters get so excited?

One of the great privileges is that you get a front-row seat to seeing God at work.

For many, they might feel like the narrative in Australia is that the church is dying, no-one is interested in Jesus, and it’s all a bit too hard.

But in new churches there is that reminder that God is absolutely working. Where there wasn’t a church before, there now is. And you start hearing stories of new life, new faith, new growth … and you’re reminded that God is absolutely at work in drawing people back to Jesus.

You see a church grow from a launch team into a real gospel community. You hear names and stories, you see photos. You realise again that the soil may be hard, but God is much more powerful than the soil.

That’s why supporting a church plant is more than a financial partnership. It becomes spiritually encouraging for the people who give as well.

What’s the biggest financial challenge facing church plants today?

For many church plants, raising the initial funding isn’t the main challenge, it’s finding a long-term home.

Most churches begin in community halls, schools, cinemas or other hired venues. The challenge is that those spaces are rarely designed for growing churches. They might not have enough room for children, enough flexibility for ministry during the week, or enough certainty that you’ll still be there next month.

Take Vine Church in Yarrabilba, Queensland as an example. They launched in August last year into a great community hall. Less than a year later, they’re already approaching the limits of what that space can accommodate.

It’s an encouraging sign of growth. But it also highlights how difficult it can be to find venues that are affordable, family-friendly and capable of supporting a growing church over the long term.

For many church plants, finding that kind of home is one of the biggest challenges they’ll face.

What are your hopes for the next 10 years of church planting in Australia?

I think we’re only on the cusp of what’s possible over the next 10 to 15 years.

There was a time when planting a church might have been a once-in-a-generation event. A church planted in the 1990s and everyone was still talking about it 30 years later.

Now we’re seeing more churches ask, “What would it look like to plant every ten years?” or “How can we make church planting part of our long-term vision?”

Church planting is moving from being something a few churches do to something more churches see as part of how they reach their region.

We’re not just asking how they can reach the lost in their own immediate area. We’re asking how they can reach people in their whole region, and partner with people who are doing it right across Australia. We’re asking how we can reach more people, more communities and more suburbs with the gospel.

If that continues over the next decade, I pray God will see more churches planted, more people reached with the good news of Jesus, and stronger partnerships between churches as they work together to reach Australia.