Return to flip book view

Stadia Annual Report 2024

Page 1

Message 2024

Page 2

02040607081214162023242527WE HELP YOU START THRIVING, GROWING, MULTIPLYING CHURCHES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION→ Until every child has a churchLetter from our PresidentMission, Vision, ValuesAbout StadiaWhy Church PlantingOur Services2024 ImpactAll Time ImpactMultiplication: MilwaukeeLaunch Story: BlueprintFinancial ReportUpcoming: ‘25 Vision TripsThank YouOur TeamStoryhill Church — Launched 2024Cover: Portrait Church — Launched 2023

Page 3

Page 4

Dear friends,—GREG NETTLEUNTIL EVERY CHILD HAS A CHURCH,This past year has been a time of growth, but also renement for Stadia. As we look back, we see God’s hand guiding us through both inspiring successes and some necessary adjustments. We remain rmly rooted in our mission—to help you start thriving, growing, multiplying churches for the next generation. While 2024 has pre-sented both opportunities and challenges, I am grateful for a team and community of partners like you who have risen to embrace them. This year, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to provide the world-class services that have made Stadia a trusted partner in church planting since 2003. In fact, 2024 marked our largest and most diverse Discovery events in Stadia’s 21-year history, where church leaders from all backgrounds gathered to explore, discern, and discover their readiness and next steps for church planting. Discovery, along with our other core services, Startup Coaching and Post-Launch, ensure that every church planter we work with receives the guidance and resources they need to thrive—not only at the start of their church planting journey—but every step of the way. We invite you to take a few moments to read through this year’s annual report. As you do, you’ll see the numbers and pictures that represent far more than statistics—they tell stories of lives changed, families restored, and communities transformed by the presence of a new local church. These new churches are places of hope and belonging, where people can encounter Jesus, nd support and life-changing relationships, and become equipped to make a difference in their own neighborhoods and communities. We want these stats and stories to serve as a reminder of the impact you’re having, and what God continues to do through your partnership. Thank you for helping to build a world where the next generation has access to thriving new churches.Greg NettlePresident of StadiaBlueprint Church — Launched 20242 3These new churches are places of hope and belonging, where people can encounter Jesus...”

Page 5

Page 6

WE HELP YOU START THRIVING, GROWING, MULTIPLYING CHURCHES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.RelationshipsUrgencyImpactChildrenCelebrationA world where every child has a church.→ Our mission → Our values→ Our visionStadia.org/AboutLocal Point Church — Launched 20244 5

Page 7

Page 8

About StadiaSINCE 2003, Stadia has come alongside churches and planters who want to multiply disciples of Jesus by helping start churches that thrive, grow, and multiply.In scripture, a stadia is a unit ofmeasure used by John in the bookof Revelation to describe THE SIZEOF HEAVEN—the boundaries of aspace that we are told will be lled with “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before thethrone and before the Lamb…”[Revelation 7:9]TODAY, your calling is our mission! We’re here to support you with accessible services tailored to help you launch and lead healthy churches—no matter your model or where you are in the journey... So that Heaven will be full and every child will have a church.200320052011201720202023Stadia founded as a regional church planting organizationBecame a national church planting organizationBegan helping start newchurches globallyStarted serving 100+ new churches annuallyLaunched new ways to serve different models of churchCelebrated 20 years of serving planters & helping start new churchesWHY CHURCH PLANTING? ?WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO KNOW JESUS, and new churches are the most effective way to make that happen. They reach the unreached, transform communities and change lives all while fulfilling the Great Commission. Stadia.org/WhyWith a growing global population and an increasing demand for spiritual connection, new churches offer accessible spaces for community, worship, and faith exploration. Every child and every generation needs a healthy church to call their own.“The single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches”—PETER WAGNER6 7

Page 9

Page 10

Here for the journeyWe focus on helping start new churches that THRIVE, GROW, and MULTIPLY for the next generation. Through our services, planters are supported on every step of the journey, no matter what model of church they are called to start.Our DISCOVERY CENTER, STARTUP COACHING & SERVICES, and POST-LAUNCH SERVICES equip church planters with the guidance and tools they need to launch and lead churches with healthy foundations and futures.POST-LAUNCH SERVICESWe’re here for every step of your church planting journey, even once you’ve launched. Our services include personalized coaching, strategic orientation sessions, practical implementation programs, and essential consulting designed to foster growth and impact. Our tailored solutions can address your church’s unique needs and catalyze your mission.DISCOVERY CENTER Potential church planters explore, discern, and discover their calling, competencies, and readiness to start a church. They find out how God is using their story and experience our three-phase process that supports a variety of church planting models.Stadia’s Discovery Center is uniquely designed for men and women who are ready to dive into the possibility and plans of launching & leading a church.OUR SERVICESSTARTUP SERVICESStadia’s Startup Team provides comprehensive services for church planters in the startup phase, including direct, hands-on support, and access to Stadia’s proven startup process. We equip church planters with personalized coaching and the essential tools and training needed for success. Stadia.org/DiscoveryStadia.org/StartupStadia.org/ServicesStadia.org/PostLaunch→Eden Church — Launched 2024Deeper Church — Launched 2024Branches Humboldt — Launched 20238 9

Page 11

Page 12

HEALTHY LEADERS START HEALTHY CHURCHESOUR APPROACH: Stadia’s Discovery Center, Startup Services, and Post-Launch Services focus on ensuring that church planters are equipped not just for ministry but for long-term personal and spiritual health.THE RESULTS: We’ve helped start over 552 churches in the U.S. Only 0.5% of leaders we served were involved in a situation with moral concerns—a stark contrast to industry data showing nearly 40% of pastors who have had an extramarital affair or moral failure.THE IMPACT: Healthy leadership leads to healthy churches. Stadia’s proactive care and trusted guidance help leaders avoid moral pitfalls, ensuring they can positively impact their communities for years to come.✓PLANTERS SERVED BY STADIA40%0.5%INDUSTRYPASTORSMORAL FAILUREIN U.S. PASTORSOnechurch — Launched 2024We want more people to know Jesus. We believe new churches are the most effective way to make that happen.1011*Industry data gathered from: Peach, T. R. (2022). Burnout, Timeout, and Fallout: A Qualitative Study of Why Pastors Leave Ministry [Doctoral thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. | © 2007 (research from 1989 to 2006) R. J. Krejcir Ph.D. Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development

Page 13

Page 14

*544 TOTAL INQUIRIESCHURCH PLANTERSCHILDREN IMPACTEDCHURCH PLANTERSCHURCH PLANTERSCHURCH PLANTERSSERVED IN 2024NEW CHURCHES179WATCH NOW75POST-LAUNCH SERVICESDISCOVERY CENTERSTARTUP SERVICES2024 IMPACT2024 IMPACTOVERVIEW: Together, we helped start 75 NEW CHURCHES around the world. In these new churches’ first year alone, an estimated 4,993 CHILDREN were impacted! Additionally, thousands more people of all ages found a place to belong, explore their faith, and experience the transformative love of Jesus.WE NEED ALL KINDS OF CHURCHESIN ALL KINDS OF PLACESFOR ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE”Eden church — Launched 2024Local Point Church — Launched 2024SERVICES PROVIDED IN 2024: We were honored to serve and work with 179 CHURCH PLANTERS in 2024 through our Discovery Center, Startup Services, and Post-Launch Services. Each service uniquely met church planters on their journey and provided tools, resources, and guidance so that they could take their next steps with confidence.2024 Impact4,993IN THE FIRST YEAR OF 75 NEW CHURCHES2024 Celebration Video1312

Page 15

Page 16

NEW CHURCHESof Christians make a decision to follow Jesus before the age of 182,23585%IMPACT SINCE 2003IMPACT SINCE 2003WE WON’T STOP UNTIL EVERY CHILD HAS A CHURCH”CHILDREN IMPACTED183,347IN THE FIRST YEAR OF NEW CHURCHESLifepointe Church — 20th CelebrationNuvo Church — Launched 2021Impact since 2003DID YOU KNOW: 25% of the unreached people in the world are children. Conservative estimates are that more than one billion children alive today have no access to Jesus or a local church.LEARN MOREStadia.org/Why14 15

Page 17

Page 18

Multiplication in Action:HOW MILWAUKEE PLANTERS STARTED A MULTIPLICATION MOVEMENT IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSINIn 2024, we sat down with Brian Hofmeister of LAKEPOINT CHURCH, [Muskego, Wisconsin] and other leaders spurring on a growing church planting movement in Southeastern Wisconsin. Learn how a single church’s commitment to multiplication has fostered a family tree of thriving churches—each united by a common mission, but with its own unique story.Since starting Lakepoint, a whole “family tree” of churches has been planted from this one church. Could you tell us about the origins of the Lakepoint “church planting family tree?”BRIAN HOFMEISTER: A church planting family tree starts in the soil of a vision for it. For me, it didn’t even start with my vision. It started with the vision of pastors before me, like Ben Davis and River Glen Church. When my church got planted out of the generosity of someone else’s vision, I held on to that. That meant something to me. And so it’s my job, you know, to take some of that vision and get the next church started out of it.What was your initial step towards fulfilling this vision?BRIAN HOFMEISTER: We named a guy as our church planter in residency on day one on our launch Sunday like we were that ambitious. Wrong guy, wrong time, right heart. It just didn’t seem like it was a door that God was opening as quickly as we were trying.How did your first successful church plant come about?BRIAN HOFMEISTER: It happened two years in. All we did was write a check. Then, four years into our church planting journey, Brian McKee came along with a vision to plant City of Light Church in the greater Milwaukee area, and this time it wasn’t just writing the check, but also being a part of the management team.Can you share how Lakepoint’s support impacted your project?BRIAN MCKEE: The doors were open. Whatever it was, they were really open-handed, and that helped us out a ton.Moving forward, how did your approach evolve with new church plants?BRIAN HOFMEISTER: Yeah, it wasn’t until year eight that God brought along Mike and Colleen Francisco. They were ready to start and we were ready to write a check and be a part of the management team, but this time no one else was stepping up to support them. in previous cases where someone else was ready to do the sending church role and take on the church planting resident, no one else is picking up this guy. I thought to myself, “I think it’s our turn.” When [Mike and Colleen] got sent out, it was with a little chunk of our heart and definitely a little chunk of our membership, and people started to see [the vision for multiplying our church]. And then there’s this guy named Ed Cook [who went on to plant Revive Church in Milwaukee]. How did your experience at Lakepoint influence your approach to church planting?ED COOK: You know, in my context and in the urban context where I’m from, if you’re going to plant a church, you get five of your best friends and have a Bible study in your living room and hope they invite somebody--hope they come back number one--and then hope they invite somebody. And then, if it grows, great! But what I started to learn at Lakepoint was the planning side, the organized side, the side beyond what you see on a Sunday morning. What does this “family tree” of church plants mean for your church and community now?BRIAN HOFMEISTER: Ed’s launch month, two of the more invested members of our church pulled me aside and asked, “When’s the next church plant?” And I was like, this is a church that’s now a church planting church. MIKE FRANCISCO: We’re all together in this mission to start more churches and to see people far from God step into these churches and become close to God. BRIAN MCKEE: It’s our heart to help plant more churches that are going to reach our area. This Southeastern Wisconsin area and the leaders that are here. I believe that they genuinely want to see more life giving churches be planted throughout our area and, and beyondED COOK: It’s vital that we get as many spaces and places open for people who have the heart for kingdom, not castles. IT’S VITAL THAT WE GET AS MANY SPACES AND PLACES OPEN FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE HEART FOR KINGDOM, NOT CASTLES. —ED COOK”INSPIRED BY LAKEPOINT’S STORY?Scan to watch the full story, or learn more about how to help start multiplying churchesStadia.org/Start16 17BRIAN HOFMEISTERBRIAN MCKEEED COOKCOLLEEN & MIKE FRANCISCO

Page 19

Page 20

Making a difference together18 19Through partnerships, our collective impact is powerful. Our services for church planters are now being utilized to train and mobilize more church planters around the world! Stadia.org/PartnersSOME NETWORKS & ORGANIZATIONS UTILIZING STADIA’S SERVICES AND DISCOVERY PROCESS:

Page 21

Page 22

Blueprint for BelongingTHE STORY OF A NEW CHURCH IN HOUSTONIn January of 2024, Matthew and Falyn Davis launched Blueprint Church in Houston, Texas. In this interview, they shared insights into their calling, preparation, and experience leading a new church plant that’s quickly making an impact in the community!What’s the mission and vision behind Blueprint Church?MATTTHEW: Our mission is that we exist to help people discover God’s design for their life, so it goes with the name “Blueprint.” We have what we call “B3,” a very simple culture code: belong, become, build. We want everybody to know that they belong here. The moment that you find a place where you belong, you’ll become; become more like Christ. And after you become, we’ll build a big life that echoes in eternity and we’ll build the kingdom.How did you feel called to start a church?FALYN: Well, it took some years before Matthew was like, “All right, I’m gonna do it. I’m ready.”MATTTHEW: Yeah, I was a former athlete. I always joke that I was going to go to a league, make a lot of money, and marry a beautiful woman. So I definitely did the last part. I battled injuries and different things like that. Started ministries in college on accident, never something I wanted to do. And as I grew in my relationship with God and as trials came and, to make a very long story less long, I just remember that I was going through the most difficult part of my life. Falyn had told me multiple times that she thought I was called to pastor. I hated that idea, wanted nothing to do with it. And I just never forget walking through my dad’s neighborhood. I was thousands of dollars in debt, my body was hurting. I got cut from another team. And I was just in a deep depression and I was praying and I was crying and I was mad at God. And he said, “You’ll fail at everything you do until you do what I told you.” And that was my “glass-breaking moment.” It was like for years I was staring at an aquarium wall and through different situations and trials, like it was like a hammer was hitting, like cracking and cracking. And the moment God said that I was like, “Okay, God, I’ll do it.” And I just felt like the glass finally cracked and then just, everything flowed out. I just got this vision. I called Falyn and told her. We spoke about it, but we were serving at another (Matthew Continued...) and it wasn’t time. So we knew we were called, but we also knew that we weren’t ready. So for the next four or five years, we just were leading in differ-ent roles in the church. And then, when it was time, Holy Spirit spoke to us. We prayed about it. We went to speak to some mentors, and we felt like God was calling us to plant a church. We took about two years before we launched. Once you knew you were called, what did those next few years look like?MATTTHEW: “For the first year, nothing. We knew what God wanted to do, we didn’t know how. We kept asking how. It was a lot of discovery for us. We took all of that 2022 to fig-ure out how, who, when. We spent a year with six of us. We rented out a conference room and met weekly. FALYN: And then in 2023, we began holding online Bible studies, “Blueprint Thursdays.” We started off with like 40 people and then it grew to over a hundred. From there, we hosted events and ‘Vision Parties,’ inviting people to hear about who we are and the vision for who we are as a church, and we got hundreds of people coming out to hear this vision God had given us. And we would say, if you believe in what we’re doing, then join us. Join our “dream team.”So you’re building momentum and then you officially launched as a church on January 28, 2024. What did Launch Sunday look like?MATTTHEW: Beautiful chaos! Our daughter didn’t sleep through the night. We wake up in the morning, I’m feel-ing like I’m gonna have a panic attack. We had never had a service before so we didn’t know what to expect. We did a run through but we just didn’t know what to expect. We get to the venue, everyone was running around. We hadn’t even had a sound check yet, and it was an hour before the start of the service.FALYN: It was the craziest thing! Matthew came in, prayed over everyone and reminded people of our why and that it’s bigger than us. It truly calmed the room. Matthew, what do you tell the team in that moment?MATTTHEW: When I walked in there was this frantic spirit. I just remember getting on the mic and saying, “I don’t care what happened. In 57 minutes people will walk through the door. In 57 minutes the music is gonna play. In 57 minutes people will have gotten up and gotten their kids ready and are coming here expecting a genuine encounter with God.” I was an athlete. I just remember coach would say, “Kickoff is at 2 pm wheth-er you’re ready or not.” Excellence is not just how you prepare but also how you respond. We can respond in excellence. And God did it. We saw nearly 2,000 people come. Over 100 people committed their lives to Jesus. I don’t even know how to explain it. It was unreal. So you have this incredible launch Sunday, and you’re more than a few months in now, what’s the journey been like?MATTTHEW: It’s been a blur. We’ve seen 949 people [to date, at the time of this interview] give their life to Jesus. Our last baptism Sunday we had 150 baptisms. Our team is growing. People want to serve. Seeing people willingly want to be a part of church, a part of a culture, and saying Sunday is their favorite day of the week. It’s just really cool to get to experience that.Why church planting? Why do we need new churches? FALYN: “There are millions of people on this earth. We shouldn’t stop until they all have heard about Jesus. At the end of the day, Matthew and I can only reach the people that God have called us to reach. But there is somebody that maybe you know, in another state, in another country, down the street that they need your church. They need your voice, right? And so I believe that God has called all of us. Until all have heard. And so until all have heard, we need to keep planting churches. And so that’s why organizations like Stadia is just so important to the body of Christ, because that’s y’all’s biggest mission. INSPIRED BY BLUEPRINT’S STORY?Learn more about how to start your church planting journey at STADIA.ORGHow has Stadia helped you in this church planting journey?MATTTHEW: Stadia is a great relationship that we have. When we were just new to the whole idea of church planting, we had no idea of what church planting was. We saw not only a love for church planting, but a love for us. There’s a lot of wisdom and resources that came through. And I even say the greatest resource is the relationships we’ve made, you know the people that we’ve now become family with, it’s been really good. So yeah, of course there are a lot of resources, there’s help and there’s encour-agement and there’s project management—there are all those things—but the greatest thing that we got was relationship with people. And I think that in this journey there’s not a greater currency than that.Blueprint Church20 21

Page 23

Page 24

85%OF EXPENSES GO DIRECTLY TO CHURCH PLANTING.22Nuvo Church — Launched 2021Financial ReportREVENUEDonationsPartnershipsService FeeEvent and SponsorshipsOther IncomeTotal RevenueEXPENSESProgram Church PlantingSupport Services Mgmt and General FundraisingTotal ExpensesEXPENSES85% PROGRAM6% MGMT & GENERAL9% FUNDRAISING$3,486,769$504,537$352,166$27,667$23,049$4,394,098$4,495,631$302,370$497,762$5,295,763July 2023-June 202423In 2024, $4,495,631 of Stadia’s expenses went directly to church planting. In addition to these funds, we helped facilitate an additional $6,587,145 for a total of $11,082,776 mobilized for church planting.$11MMOBILIZED FOR CHURCH PLANTING

Page 25

Page 26

Vision TripATTEND A 2025Experience U.S. Church Planting with Stadia and provide your team with the space and time to learn, reect, and cast vision for your own church multiplication strategies.LEARN MORE & REGISTERStadia.org/VisionTrips24Let’s ConnectWe’re so grateful to partner with generous people and churches like you to start new thriving, growing, multiplying churches for the next generation!THANK YOU25

Page 27

Page 28

LISTEN NOW @ STADIA.ORG/PODCASTSContent designed for the church planting journey.26Our TeamBOARD OF DIRECTORS ADVISORY TEAMGreg Nettle PresidentCourtney Wright Board ChairBen Cachiaras Board Secretary & TreasurerGlobal Ministry Leader* Board MemberMike Tooley Board Member Daniel Escobar Larrie Fraley Brandon Grant Valarie Grimes Dave Jane Hoon Kim Jason Lantz Ethan Magness Chuck Mingo Nanci Ricks Bart Stone Daniel Yang27MEET OUR ENTIRE TEAM ATStadia.org/Team*Name omitted due to security reasons

Page 29

Page 30

3465 S ARLINGTON RDUNIT E #311AKRON, OH 44312 STADIA.ORG