Converge
Converge Online User Community is a revolutionary step forward in church planting support. An entire church planting management system, intuitive, easy to use and right at your finger tips. Get more accomplished in less time. The result: you spend more time with people and less on administration.
"I wholeheartedly recommend this tool!"
Ed Stetzer
Three options...
1. Converge Lite - The basic Converge project management system available for free exclusively via the NewChurches.com web site. The Lite version allows any planter to create and manage their own launch plan via their own online account. Planter's can upgrade to the Pro version to receive premium content.
2. Converge Pro - The full Converge system including premium content for the Learn, Create and Manage functions. Premium content includes training materials, a comprehensive library of over 800 launch plan actions with detailed descriptions, templates, and other supporting resources. The Pro version is available through the NewChurches.com Converge Online User Community.
3. Converge Online Communities - All the benefits of Converge Lite or Pro except in a relational user community with other planters. Share ideas, practices and questions with others. Learn from one another. Stay abreast of the latest trends and happenings.
Note: Converge Lite is free and includes the basic project management features enabling any planter to develop and manage a custom launch plan. Converge Pro adds fee-based premium content such as training materials, actions descriptions, templates, etc. Converge Lite and Pro are available through the NewChurches.com Converge Online User Community.
Frequently Asked Questions about Converge
What is Converge? Most planters are visionaries who struggle with the seemingly endless tasks associated with starting a new church. Converge simplifies things and helps the planter systematically identify the most important things needing attention.
The Converge system is three powerful applications in one. Church Planters learn about planting through a growing library of training resources, they create custom launch plans drawing from a comprehensive library of actions, and they manage their plans using a simple online task management application.
Converge is a combined training, management and accountability system designed specifically for the unique challenge of launching healthy, new churches. The system is:
- PC based. Converge is maintained online and is accessible by unique username and password from any computer with internet access. If you can use a typical Microsoft Windows program (such as Word or Excel), you can use this online system
- Each new church has a dedicated online web page
- Simple to use. No special training required. Instantly start using the system.
Click here to read more about learn, create and manage functions built into Converge.
Church planting requires most leaders to stretch beyond their current skill set and competency while at the same time facing intense spiritual attacks. Consider this analogy. The average new home in America now costs around $200,000, takes 9 to 12 months to construct from conception to occupancy, requires over 500 different tasks many integrating in a specific order, and requires the unique skills of many different specialists including plumbers, electricians, architects, roofers, drywall installers, and landscapers. The scope is overwhelming for most of us. That's why God created general contractors.
Can you imagine hiring a general contractor with no prior experience to build your dream home? Foolishness at best (many would argue insanity). Yet in God's perfect wisdom, He calls those with no prior experience to step outside their area of giftedness to spend 9 to12 months managing thousands of dollars (often over $200,000), hundreds of individual tasks, and the efforts of many specialists. Starting a new church is equal in complexity to building the average new home and the church planter is the general contractor...the Project Manager.
Converge is designed for the average church planter with no significant experience in planning and project management. Converge provides the benefits of Project Management for church planters without any prerequisites or special training! Converge serves the following key functions:
- Vision Refinement - Converge helps sharpen your vision. The process of putting vision into words helps you understand things better.
- Budgeting tool - Converge facilitates the development of budgets.
- Scheduling tool - Converge helps planters stay know what needs to be done and when.
- Priority setting tool - Converge identifies the highest priority actions to planters can stay focused on the most important things at any given time.
- Delegation tool - Converge helps planters be more organized which in turn helps them identify actions that can be delegated to others for accomplishment
- Accountability tool - provides measurable plan and expectations to hold yourself accountable to. Your sponsors and contributors will be more likely to contribute financially with solid accountability in place
- Vision communication tool - Converge is a useful tool for communicating vision to core team members and potential contributors
- Fundraising tool - Converge is a useful tool for demonstrating to potential contributors that you have a solid plan with built in accountability. Contributors can see real time status from any computer with internet access
You will be more organized and will get more done in less time. The result: more time with people.
Click here to learn more about launch plans.
Get Converge - Converge is available in one of three forms:
- Sign-up for a FREE Converge Lite account through NewChurches.com. The Lite account allows you to create and manage your custom launch plan. Click here to register.
- Upgrade your FREE Converge Lite account to a Pro account. The Pro account gives you full access to all premium content for just $99. Click here to get started.
- Coming Soon - Implement a Converge Community in your Organization. The process is simple and gives your organization the ability to control its own users and content. Contact Passion for Planting at 800.957.3578 (toll-free) to learn more. Check to see if your organization is joining the increasing number of other groups using Converge Online Communities. If not, your Converge Lite or Converge Pro accounts obtained through NewChurches.com will be part of the NewChurches.com Converge Online User Community when it initiates (coming soon).
Click here for a FREE online demonstration. Enter sample as the username and sample as the password to enter the demonstration. The online demonstration includes action descriptions for the first milestone (action descriptions are a Pro feature). When you signup for Converge Pro, all actions will have detailed descriptions. The Lite version simply gives you the title of actions and allows the user to add and delete actions. Audio and video training are also part of the Pro features.
