Last August, the Assemblies of God started a “ripple” that is slowly but steadily growing into a “wave.” The Assemblies of God Church Multiplication Network Matching Fund invested in 7 new church starts by giving them $30,000 each to assist with their start-up expenses. Those original seven have now been joined by 12 other new church starts that have taken the required actions to qualify for the funding. Here are the most up to date statistics on the progress of our matching fund churches….

• Number of churches funded so far: 19
• Funded church starts that have publicly launched: 11
• Districts represented: 9
• Number of personal contacts with lost people through face to face connections and events: 4741
• Individuals who have been baptized in water: 54
• Recorded confessions of faith: 263
• Amount of money invested by these new churches into missions: $64,055.98
• Missionaries or missionary projects invested in: 76
• Amount of money re-invested into the matching fund by these new churches: $25,648.72
• Kingdom Impact: Eternally priceless!

Keep in mind…the oldest of these churches is 8 months old. Most of them are much younger. According to Ed Stetzers research on AG church plants from 2002-2006, the average AG church plant averages 51 on their first anniversary. The 11 churches that have already launched have a cumulative average of 69 each week and have not yet reached their first anniversary! The “early returns” are very encouraging!

We have deliberately under-publicized the matching fund because we wanted to make sure it added value to the ministry effectiveness of the recipients. So far, that appears to be the case. In the coming months, we hope to significantly increase the number of churches we are partnering with through the matching fund process. If you’d like to know more, please visit the Church Multiplication Network Matching Fund page. Then give us a call with any questions you have!