Chapter 16: every tradition · Christianity
Association of Related Churches
A church planted through the Association of Related Churches (ARC), the network founded in 2000 by Billy Hornsby, Greg Surratt, Chris Hodges, Rick Bezet, and others, with roots in the Pentecostal Bethany World Prayer Center. ARC is not a denomination: its churches are legally autonomous, and it says it has no authority over them. A couple is assessed together, trained, and coached, and ARC matches the first $50,000 they raise. They launch big, on a January or fall Sunday, in a rented school or theatre (293 people on average on launch day in 2019). The plant then gives back: in the agreements reported in 2022, 10% of its tithes and offerings until the launch money is repaid, and after that 2% of its income toward the next plants, which ARC says is voluntary. The church is led by its lead pastor, usually the founding couple, with staff elders, trustees who see to money and buildings, and outside overseers (pastors of other churches) who hold the pastor to account. Members don't vote. Worship is band-led, production-heavy, and often multisite, with a weekly invitation to respond. Believers are baptized by immersion, and each year begins with 21 days of prayer and fasting. ARC counts more than 1,100 churches planted (its own figure). How many remain connected, and its finances, aren't public: it files no Form 990.
All 80 traditions · its profile in Faiths and traditions, with how to play it; How people feel, what every factor is.
At a glance
| Faith | Christianity |
|---|---|
| Its words | church, campus, auditorium; the lead pastor leads the service; the message; Sunday; the Bible |
| Worship | word focus, responsive, minimal formality (0.00 of 1); seated on chairs |
| Music | organ discouraged; gospel organ discouraged; choir discouraged; band expected; brass discouraged; handbells discouraged; chant discouraged |
| The room's sound | likes a dry room (the band) |
| Its year | western; minimal observance; fasts none |
| Leans | conservative on moral questions, conservative on economic ones |
| Polity | independent; leaders come by call; property local |
| Leaders | one leader, full time, trained by in house; marriage expected |
| Belonging | moderate commitment, pastoral discipline, admitted by clergy |
| Giving | tithing expected; collected by online, plate |
| Way of life | alcohol moderation, dress casual, sabbath relaxed |
The week's services
| Day | Time | Service | Led by | People look for it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 9:00 am | Praise and worship | the lead pastor | expected |
| Sunday | 11:00 am | Praise and worship | the lead pastor | expected |
- Leader: a lead pastor. With none (a vacancy, or no one hired), the services are still held, but each costs everyone at it 0.10; on sabbatical a supply lead pastor stands in ($800 a month) for a little less.
- Communion (monthly), served at stations: it needs an altar, communion table, rail, or communion station with clear floor in front of it, or communion can't be given that week. People receive from age 7; anyone younger who comes forward is blessed instead.
- Baptism: needs a baptistry or an immersion font, built and installed; until there is one, those wanting baptism wait.
- Lay helpers at each service: Required: 2 elders (at communion).
Rites
- Child Dedication (per birth, +0.02 to those there): Parents bring their baby to the front, promise to raise the child in the faith, and the lead pastor prays a blessing over the family while the congregation promises to support them.
- Baptism Celebration (monthly, +0.03 to those there): A service built around baptisms: one after another, people share their stories and are baptized before the cheering congregation.
- Worship Night (monthly, +0.02 to those there): An evening given over to extended praise and worship led by the worship team, with prayer between the songs.
- 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting (yearly, +0.025 to those there): The church starts the year with three weeks of prayer and fasting. Each person chooses their own fast (a meal a day, plain food, or something given up), and the church gathers to pray together. The first two ARC churches began this way, and planters lead their launch teams through it before a January launch Sunday.
Baptism, confirmation, and joining
- Baptized elsewhere: it recognizes a believer's baptism in the name of the Trinity (not one given as a baby). Someone so baptized is received at a service after about 3 weeks (a week from another of its churches).
- Not baptized (or baptized where it doesn't recognize it): a candidate who is baptized and received at the same service.
- Joining age: 16.
- The church's children are baptized as believers at about 10, most within a year or two of it.
- Kinds of belonging: members (may hold office); regular attenders; received by the lead pastor.
- What it means: being baptized, confirmed, or received is worth +0.1 to the person, +0.05 to family there, and +0.03 to everyone else at the service. It roots them: a rooted household drifts away only 0.6 times as often, and if it does fall away, it has a 25% chance of coming home each Christmas Eve and Easter for ten years.
Giving, and what goes up
How its people give and what else comes in, as Money explains it for every faith.
- How it's given: the giving, by giving online, and a plate passed at each main service. A visiting household puts $5 to $25 in the plate. Those who give online give whether or not they come (8% more a month).
- Tithing is expected: people give 15% more.
- Fundraisers: only the modest ones (below).
- Owed above: Church planting giving, 2% of what it takes in, to the Association of Related Churches (voluntary).
The lead pastor, the staff, and who decides
- How the lead pastor comes: advertised and called: the elders votes, consulting the lead pastor.
- Paid: full time.
- Candidates: three apply; trained in-house (they ask 90%); women among them where the congregation ordains them; nearly all married; always a couple, who care for 75 more together; a spouse who leads alongside cares for 75 more.
- Tenure: settled for about 20 years, then may be called elsewhere; a son or daughter succeeds at once.
- Staff it can hire or name (see Staff and volunteers):
- Bivocational lead pastor ($22,000–$38,000; cares for 75)
- Lead pastor ($55,000–$85,000 + $18,000 benefits, full time; cares for 150)
- Associate lead pastor ($42,000–$62,000 + $15,000 benefits, full time; cares for 100 more)
- Choir director / organist / pianist ($15,000–$35,000; leads the music (up to +0.06))
- Caretaker ($18,000–$30,000; slows the building's wear)
- Church secretary ($20,000–$35,000; runs the office (+50 to the leader's reach, once))
- Youth director ($20,000–$40,000; up to +0.08 for households with young people)
- Its boards: the elders (deciding, over calls and the spiritual life); the trustees (deciding, over the building).
- Renovations: The lead pastor decides, advised by the trustees.
- New construction: The trustees votes, consulting the lead pastor.
- Calling a leader: The elders votes, consulting the lead pastor.
- Who votes: no kind of belonging votes, so what would go to the members goes to the board.
Life together
What its Community screen offers it, with the dilemmas only its own faith or family meets; see The congregation in its community.
- Ministries of its own: Choir.
- Ministries every tradition can run that it's offered: Blood drive, Food pantry, Health clinic, Preschool, Youth group.
- Fundraisers of its own: Soup supper.
- Shared fundraisers it may hold (only the modest ones): Bake sale, Car wash, Raffle, Rummage sale.
- Tenants it can take: A Masonic lodge, A scout troop, A twelve-step group, Another congregation, Dance classes, Parties and receptions, Polling place and forums.
- Outreach: invitation Sunday, planting a new church (Community → Evangelism).
- Dilemmas of its own faith (besides those every congregation meets): A petition for cushions, The bells, again.
- Dilemmas its code of life brings: A candidates' forum, A raffle for the roof, A recruiter asks for the hall, Champagne at the reception.
What the building needs
- required BaptistryBeliever's baptism by immersion needs a baptistry: a tank large enough for an adult, with plumbing to fill and drain it.
- required Communion tableThe Lord's Supper is served from a communion table, recalling the table of the Last Supper.
- required PulpitPreaching is the center of worship, so the pulpit stands at the center of the platform.
- expected Drum kitWorship is led by a band.
- expected Sound systemA band needs a sound system to be heard.
- discouraged Brass band standsBrass doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
- discouraged Choir stallsThis tradition's worship has no choir.
- discouraged CrucifixThis tradition uses an empty cross, proclaiming the risen Christ, rather than a crucifix.
- discouraged Flag of the churchThis tradition doesn't fly a flag in worship.
- discouraged Flaming chaliceThe flaming chalice is another tradition's symbol.
- discouraged Hammond organA gospel organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
- discouraged IconIcons are not part of this tradition's worship.
- discouraged Pipe organAn organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
- discouraged StatueStatues are not part of this tradition's worship space.
What people here feel
- Architectural style: Colonial brick +0.012; Modern synagogue -0.006; Gurdwara -0.012; Japanese temple -0.024; Islamic -0.03; Shinto shrine -0.03; Chinese temple -0.036; Dravidian temple -0.042; Nagara temple -0.042; Thai temple -0.042; Jain marble -0.048; Gothic -0.054.
- Building fit: up to ±0.15 for everyone, the average fit of the characterful items in its worship rooms (the table below).
- Acoustics: it wants a dry room, about 0.9 seconds of reverberation: carpet, padded seats, a low ceiling. Up to ±0.05.
- Seasonal decor: it keeps the church year: paraments and the season's decor are worth up to ±0.000.
- The message lands by its topic and the tradition's leaning (below); the lead pastor's preaching adds or costs up to 0.08 more.
- Communion: each communion service runs longer; a slow one costs 0.05 for every 10 minutes the service runs over (0.2 at most).
How each message lands
The topics its leader can choose from (some are only for one faith or family), and what each is worth.
- Fire & Brimstone+0.08
- Marriage as God Designed+0.06
- Sanctity of Life+0.06
- The Last Days+0.06
- Faith & Family+0.04
- Faith of Our Fathers+0.04
- Obedience & Discipline+0.04
- Personal Holiness+0.04
- Resisting Temptation+0.04
- Spiritual Warfare+0.04
- The Authority of Scripture+0.04
- The Great Commission+0.04
- Biblical Stories+0.015
- Blessed Are the Peacemakers+0.015
- Called by Name+0.015
- Doubt & Faith+0.015
- Eternal Life & Resurrection+0.015
- Grace & Forgiveness+0.015
- Gratitude+0.015
- Hope & Comfort+0.015
- Joy in All Things+0.015
- Love One Another+0.015
- Sabbath Rest+0.015
- Saints & Witnesses+0.015
- Servant Leadership+0.015
- Songs of the Psalms+0.015
- Stewardship & Generosity+0.015
- The Church Year+0.015
- The Life of Prayer+0.015
- The Parables of Jesus+0.015
- Care for Creation-0.05
- Healing for All-0.05
- Interfaith Understanding-0.05
- Reading Scripture in Context-0.05
- Swords into Ploughshares-0.05
- The Prophets' Call-0.05
- Wealth & Poverty-0.05
- Welcome the Stranger-0.05
- Women Who Led-0.05
- Racial Justice & Reconciliation-0.075
- Radical Inclusion-0.075
- Social Justice Call-0.075
Every item, for this tradition
Fit runs from −1 (jars) to +1 (just right); the building fit is the average over the characterful items in the worship rooms. An item with no character (a table, a toilet) has no fit. A rule applies wherever the item is.
| Item | Fit | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Seating | ||
| Box pew | -1 | |
| Choir stalls | -1 | discouraged This tradition's worship has no choir. |
| Meeting bench | no fit | |
| Oak pew | no fit | |
| Row of chairs | +1 | |
| Liturgical furniture | ||
| Altar | -1 | |
| Baptismal font | -1 | |
| Baptistry | no fit | required Believer's baptism by immersion needs a baptistry: a tank large enough for an adult, with plumbing to fill and drain it. |
| Bishop's chair | -1 | |
| Brass eagle lectern | -1 | |
| Columbarium niches | -1 | |
| Communion rail | -1 | |
| Communion station | no fit | |
| Communion table | no fit | required The Lord's Supper is served from a communion table, recalling the table of the Last Supper. |
| Communion trays | no fit | |
| Confessional screen | no fit | |
| Coptic cross | 0 | |
| Epitaphios | -1 | |
| Flaming chalice | -1 | discouraged The flaming chalice is another tradition's symbol. |
| Foot-washing basins | no fit | |
| Haikal screen | -1 | |
| Iconostasis | -1 | |
| Immersion font | -1 | |
| Lectern | no fit | |
| Litany desk | -1 | |
| Mercy seat | no fit | |
| Octagonal stone font | -1 | |
| Paraments | no fit | |
| Pulpit | no fit | required Preaching is the center of worship, so the pulpit stands at the center of the platform. |
| Readers' desks | no fit | |
| Rood screen | -1 | |
| Sanctuary lamp | -1 | |
| Tabernacle | -1 | |
| Three-bar cross | 0 | |
| Thurible and stand | no fit | |
| Music | ||
| Brass band stands | -1 | discouraged Brass doesn't suit this tradition's worship. |
| Chanter's stand | -1 | |
| Drum kit | +1 | expected Worship is led by a band. |
| Electronic organ | -1 | |
| Grand piano | 0 | |
| Hammond organ | -1 | discouraged A gospel organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship. |
| Handbell table | -1 | |
| Pipe organ | -1 | discouraged An organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship. |
| Sound system | +1 | expected A band needs a sound system to be heard. |
| Upright piano | 0 | |
| Decor | ||
| Advent wreath | no fit | |
| Banner | 0 | |
| Christmas Eve candles | no fit | |
| Cross | 0 | |
| Crucifix | -1 | discouraged This tradition uses an empty cross, proclaiming the risen Christ, rather than a crucifix. |
| Easter lilies | no fit | |
| Eternal flame | no fit | |
| Flag of the church | -1 | discouraged This tradition doesn't fly a flag in worship. |
| Great dome | -1 | |
| Icon | -1 | discouraged Icons are not part of this tradition's worship. |
| Memorial plaque | no fit | |
| National flag | 0 | |
| Painting of Christ | 0 | |
| Paschal candle | no fit | |
| Plain spire | no fit | |
| Small dome | no fit | |
| Stained glass window | -1 | |
| Statue | -1 | discouraged Statues are not part of this tradition's worship space. |
| Steeple and bells | -1 | |
| Votive candle stand | no fit | |
| Furnishings | ||
| Alms box | no fit | |
| Coffee pot | no fit | |
| Commercial coffee pot | no fit | |
| Computer | no fit | |
| Crib | no fit | |
| Desk | no fit | |
| Desk chair | no fit | |
| Folding table | no fit | |
| Full-length mirror | no fit | |
| Pillar | -1 | |
| Prie-dieu | -1 | |
| Projection screen | +1 | |
| Vestment cabinet | -1 | |
| Wooden table | no fit | |
| Utility | ||
| A/V rack | no fit | |
| Camera | no fit | |
| Cast-iron boiler | no fit | |
| Central air conditioner | no fit | |
| Commercial HVAC plant | no fit | |
| Commercial stove | no fit | |
| Congregation van | no fit | |
| Ductless heat pump | no fit | |
| Electric wall heater | no fit | |
| Gas furnace | no fit | |
| Hearing loop | no fit | |
| Lift | no fit | |
| Packaged heat pump | no fit | |
| Plumbing stack | no fit | |
| Ramp | no fit | |
| Shuttle bus | no fit | |
| Sink | no fit | |
| Solar panels | no fit | |
| Stairs | no fit | |
| Toilet | no fit | |
| Used school bus | no fit | |
| Wall camera | no fit | |
| Window air conditioner | no fit | |
| Grounds | ||
| Evergreen tree | no fit | |
| Flower bed | no fit | |
| Fountain | no fit | |
| Garden bench | no fit | |
| Hedge | no fit | |
| Lychgate | -1 | |
| Playground | no fit | |
| Shade tree | no fit | |
| Standing cross | no fit | |
Sources
- ARC, Our Structure (link)
- ARC, Launch: Get Started (link)
- ARC, Statement of Faith (link)
- Christianity Today, Church planting's 'launch large' model (2019) (link)
- The Roys Report, ARC group under fire for claiming payments from churches are voluntary (2022) (link)
- Church of the Highlands, Leadership (link)
- Encyclopedia of Alabama, Church of the Highlands (link)
- Josh Roberie, Creating a Culture of Prayer (ARC, 2021) (link)
- Candid (GuideStar), Association of Related Churches (link)