Nearly 70% of church plants fail within their first four years. But the reason behind these failures isn’t what most people think.

In this episode, Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer explore why funding, rather than a lack of vision, is the main reason church plants struggle to survive. They dive deep into research from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), break down the financial realities of starting a church, and share strategies to help church planters secure the resources they need for long-term success.

In this Episode:

• What the research says about funding and church plant survival
• Breaking down real church planting costs—what’s essential and what’s surprising
• The funding sources church planters rely on and why diversification matters