How to Start a Church

Starting an Armenian Church

Thinking about opening an Armenian church? We cover all the basic steps you need to know before you open an Armenian church.

We've gathered our pragmatic ideas on what it takes to open an Armenian church.

The Armenian Church of America

The Armenian Church (a.k.a. the Armenian Apostolic Church) is an ancient, orthodox denomination within Christianity. In the fourth century, the kingdom of Armenia became the first nation-state to adopt Christianity as its official religion, laying the foundation for the Armenian church. Although the "Mother See" of the Armenian church is located in Armenia, today the denomination has more than 9 million followers throughout the world, including the Armenian Church of America.

Rooted firmly in the orthodox tradition, the Armenian is rigidly hierarchical. The global Armenian church is led by a Catholicos (supreme patriarch), followed by primates, archbishops, bishops and clergy. Even though it is impossible for individuals outside of the hierarchy to plant a new Armenian church on their own, involved laity may have opportunities to work with the hierarchy to launch new churches in under-served areas and communities.

Becoming a Religious Entrepreneur

A successful Armenian church plant needs a champion. Even though you may never have thought of yourself as someone who would be involved in starting a new church, you have suddenly found yourself in the role of a religious entrepreneur. But what does that really mean?

A religious entrepreneur is someone who sees a spiritual need and is willing to help start a church or ministry to meet it. Although they aren't motivated by profits, they have many of the same characteristics as other new entrepreneurs. Religious entrepreneurs are driven by their faith and a desire to help their new church get on its feet and make a long-term impact in the community.

If you're unfamiliar with the entrepreneurial mindset, it may be worthwhile to explore resources that discuss what it takes to be an entrepreneur and incorporate your learnings into the your Armenian church startup plan.

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