Procedures and Protocols
Church Planting Team
Purpose and Function: The Church Planting Team will give leadership to a unified strategy for establishing new congregations locally. They will develop and maintain procedures and protocols to enlist and support sponsoring churches and strengthen existing church planting partnerships.
Any member of a TMABC church may participate in meetings of this team with the teams published protocols serving as the basis for decision making. Team members are expected to remain well informed on local needs, growth trends, and best practices of church planting.
The Annual Financial Plan of the Association will allocate funds for Church Planting. Other resources will also be developed to support church planting. This team is fully authorized to use these funds to resource the vision of affiliated churches in support of church planting.
- Requests for funds will be accepted only from a TMABC “Primary Partnering church.”
- At least one partnering church must be a financial partner for TMABC to grant funding for their work. TMABC will facilitate this financial partnership among all parties.
- All requests require a realistic strategy to show the new congregation progressing from conception to self-support in a format understandable by the team.
- The funding provided by the Church Planting Team for the new congregation will be based on the need determined by the strategy and available funds.
- A prospective Church Planter must receive a favorable assessment of his potential as a church planter. This assessment will be conducted by a qualified assessor trained by NAMB.
- Training for church planters must be completed within one year before funding will be renewed. The training process must be approved by the Church Planting Team.
- The new congregation must submit a missions giving plan for approval by the Church Planting Team that will include gifts to missions of at least 10% of their undesignated receipts as part of their financial plan. This total will include gifts to the Cooperative Program, TMABC and support for local church planting.
- Covenant Agreements must be in place and signed by all partners before funds are dispersed. A Church Planting Team member will be a party to the covenant.
- A monthly report must be received by the TMABC staff before any funds are dispersed. These reports will be available to the Church Planting Team at their regular meetings.
- Funds given to the Loan Guarantee Fund will be managed and dispersed by the Church Planting Team as each strategy dictates. These endowment funds on deposit for the express purpose of supporting new work in the Tulsa Metro area shall not be available to any congregation. Interest on these funds may be used by the Church Planting Team to resource a new congregation.
- The Church Planting Team shall submit a proposed budget to the Association each year. Once the budget is approved, the Church Planting Team has the authority to disperse the funds as they deem necessary.
- New Work Funding will be evaluated annually and will correspond to the Association budget cycle.
- Meetings of the Church Planting Team shall be held monthly or as needed. Currently, the normal meeting is the last Thursday of each month.
Procedures and Protocols
Church Strengthening Team
The Church Strengthening Team will give leadership to a unified strategy for strengthening existing congregations that are members of this association. They will develop and maintain procedures and protocols to strengthen churches and make the most of possible redeployment opportunities.
Any Member of a TMABC church may participate in meetings of this team with the team’s published protocols serving as the basis for decision making. They are expected to remain well informed on local needs, growth trends, and best practices.
The Annual Financial Plan of the Association will allocate funds for Church Strengthening. This team is fully authorized to use these funds to resource the vision of affiliated churches.
- All requests for funds require a realistic strategy demonstrating how this project will assist the church in moving forward with their vision in a format understandable by the team.
- The funding the Church Strengthening Team grants to a church will be based on the need determined by the strategy, budget for the project and available funds.
- The local congregation requesting support must be a financial partner for TMABC to grant funding for their work.
- Normally, funding provided through the Church Strengthening Team will not exceed the funding commitment made to the project by the church requesting assistance.
- Under certain circumstances, as determined by the team, Covenant Agreements must be in place and signed by all partners before any funds are dispersed. A monthly report must then be received by the TMABC staff before any additional recurring funds are dispersed. These reports will be available to the Church Strengthening Team at their regular meetings for reviewing the ongoing request.
- Funds on deposit for the express purpose of supporting church strengthening in the Tulsa Metro area shall not be available to any congregation. Interest on these funds may be used by the Church Strengthening Priority Team to resource a church strategy.
- The Church Strengthening Team shall submit a proposed budget to the Association each year. Once the budget is approved, the Church Strengthening Team has the authority to disperse the funds as they deem necessary
- Meetings of the Church Strengthening Team shall be held bi-monthly or as needed. Currently, the normal meeting is the last Thursday of the month.
Procedures and Protocol
Leader Development Team
The Leader Development Team will give leadership to a unified strategy for developing individual leaders and leadership teams in the association and in churches within the association. They will develop and maintain procedures and protocols to identify equip and train, both staff and laity to produce leaders, focusing on people of influence within each church.
Any Member of a TMABC church may participate in meetings of this team with the team’s published protocols serving as the basis for decision making. They are expected to remain well informed on local needs, growth trends, and best practices.
The Annual Financial Plan of the Association will allocate funds for Leadership Development. This team is fully authorized to use these funds to resource the vision of affiliated churches.
- Requests for funds should be specific and made in writing to the Leader Development Team.
- Churches must demonstrate how this training or activity will assist them in moving forward with their God given vision.
- The local congregation asking for help must be a financial partner of TMABC for funding to be granted.
- The funding the Leader Development Team grants to a church will be based on the need determined by the strategy, budget for the project and available funds.
- Funding of scholarships will not exceed the matching funds of the requesting church.
- The Leader Development Team shall submit a proposed budget to the Association each year. Once the budget is approved, the Leader Development Team has the authority to disperse the funds as they deem necessary
- Meetings of the Leader Development Team shall be held monthly or as needed. Currently, the normal meeting is the last Thursday of the month.
Procedures and Protocol
Church Staff Support Team
The Church Staff Support Team will give leadership to a unified strategy for supporting ministers and restoring them when in crisis. They will develop and maintain procedures and protocols to assist ministers currently or previously serving affiliated congregations.
Any Member of a TMABC church may participate in meetings of this team with the team’s published protocols serving as the basis for decision making. They are expected to remain well informed on local needs, growth trends, and best practices.
The Annual Financial Plan of the Association will allocate funds for Church Staff Support. This team is fully authorized to use these funds to resource the vision of affiliated churches.
- It is the intent of this team to assist ministers (including their families) with anything that could sabotage their ministry (i.e. anything that would threaten a minister in continued service to the Lord).
- Assistance may be offered with counseling, finances, accountability, crisis prevention and/or intervention as well as general support.
- We promote healthy staff and desire to come alongside ministers in need of restoration and rejuvenation for their service to the Lord.
- Support may include financial supplements for education, missions and conferences for staff members within the Tulsa Metro Association of Baptist Churches.
- Normal requests for funds should be specific and made in writing to the Church Staff Support Team.
- To guard confidentiality, emergency funding may be granted by the Director of Missions without the requirement of a printed funding request. The special circumstances will be explained and an appropriate accounting will be provided at the next team meeting.
- A local congregation asking for help must be a financial partner of TMABC for funding to be granted.
- Funding of scholarships will not exceed the matching funds of the requesting church.
- The Church Staff Support Team shall submit a proposed budget to the Association each year. Once the budget is approved, the Church Staff Support Team has the authority to disperse the funds as they deem necessary
- Meetings of the Church Staff Support Team shall be held monthly or as needed. Currently, the normal meeting is the fourth Thursday of the month.
Funding Request Form
Download and print this form. You can then fax the completed document to (918) 622-1862, email to pamela@tulsabaptist.org or mail to:
Tulsa Metro Association of Baptist Churches
PO Box 2709
Tulsa, OK 74101