Oldtown Bible Church
Black-and-white photo of a plowed road between snowbanks and evergreens, 1961

Partner

Stand with us

Snowy road near Boundary Dam, Pend Oreille County, 1961 · Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives, CC BY 2.0

The plan

Four phases, one step at a time

We will start small and grow at the pace of real relationships. Time frames are approximate; each phase begins when the milestones of the last are met.

  1. First ~6 months

    Gather

    • Gather a core group in our shop: Scripture, prayer, meals
    • Legal setup: Idaho nonprofit articles, IRS EIN, church bank account
    • Counseling available to friends and neighbors
    • Seek a sending church and network assessment

  2. ~Months 6–12

    Winter & grow

    • Rent heated space for winter Sundays
    • Regular Sunday preaching and shared meal
    • Begin training core members in one-another care
    • First open community meals

  3. ~Year 2

    Public launch

    • Consistent heated Sunday space year-round
    • Public worship gathering and membership
    • Midweek household gatherings
    • Identify and train future leaders

  4. Year 3 and beyond

    Root & multiply

    • Recognize qualified elders; self-supporting church
    • Church-based biblical counseling and training center
    • Help start another gathering in the region

Where we will meet

We plan to begin in our shop, with about 20×40 feet of usable space. Winter is the challenge. As we need heat and room, nearby options include:

  • Priest River Event Center
  • West Bonner Library meeting room (Priest River)
  • A VFW or American Legion hall
  • CREATE Arts Center in Newport
  • West Bonner County School District facilities, which allow church use under the district’s fee schedule
The narrows of Sacheen Lake between wooded shores
Sacheen Lake, Pend Oreille County · Photo: hovelkev000, CC BY 3.0

For scale: in 2025 the school district leased the Priest River Junior High auditorium to a local church for $200 per day of use (Bonner County Daily Bee). We use that figure as a planning benchmark.

Milestones we will share with partners

  1. Legal entity Articles, EIN, bank account
  2. First gathering Core group meeting weekly
  3. First winter Sundays in a heated space
  4. Public launch Open worship and membership
  5. Elders Qualified local leadership

Budget

A lean, honest first two years

We plan to begin in our own shop, and our family income covers our household, so early costs are low. Outside support makes it possible to heat a room in winter, equip the counseling ministry, feed people well, and, over time, free Dave’s hours for preaching, counseling, and shepherding.

Year 1 Estimate

$35,800

Shop setup and winterizing, about 20 heated winter Sundays, counseling materials, meals, and a part-time planter stipend.

Year 2 Estimate

$50,200

About 40 heated Sundays, a growing table and counseling ministry, and a larger part-time stipend.

Two years Estimate

$86,000

All figures are proposed planning estimates, not quotes or commitments.

See the line-by-line sample budget
Sample budget (estimate)Year 1Year 2
Legal setup and administrationState filing, bookkeeping, giving platform, bank fees$800$600
Liability insurance$1,500$1,600
Shop setup and winterizingHeaters, lighting, chairs, tables$4,000$1,000
Heated rental spaceYr 1: ~20 winter Sundays; Yr 2: ~40 Sundays (benchmark ~$200/day)$4,000$8,000
Counseling ministryBooks, materials, certification renewals, training$2,500$3,000
Shared meals and hospitality$3,000$4,000
Teaching and worship resourcesBibles to give away, simple sound, children’s materials$2,000$1,500
Community outreachSimple website, printing, community meals and events$2,000$2,500
Planter assessment, training and network travel$2,500$1,500
Mutual care and benevolence fund$1,500$2,500
Planter stipend, part-timeFrees hours for preaching, counseling, and pastoral care$12,000$24,000
Total (proposed)$35,800$50,200

Year 1 funding goal: one possible mix Estimate

  • Sending church$12,000
  • Partner churches$9,600
  • Monthly partners$12,000
  • One-time gifts$2,200

Illustration: one sending church at $1,000/mo; four partner churches at $200/mo; twenty individuals averaging $50/mo. Our family’s tithe and core-group giving come on top of this.

For perspective

A 2022 ECFA survey of more than 2,700 North American church planters and multisite pastors found that plants with fewer than 100 in attendance averaged about $10,000 in startup costs and $60,000 in first-year costs. Our proposed first year is well below that because we start in our own building and draw no full salary.

How to help

Pray, give, go, or send

  1. Pray

    Ask God for a core group, open doors with neighbors, and wisdom for counseling.

  2. Give

    Become a monthly partner, partner as a church, or give once toward a specific need.

    Giving details

  3. Go

    Move to the area or join the core team. We especially welcome mature believers and families.

  4. Send

    Send a short-term team for a work day, a community meal, or a counseling training weekend.

Individual monthly partners Proposed tiers

Church partnerships

Sending church. Provides pastoral oversight and accountability for Dave and the counseling ministry, plus primary financial support (suggested $500–$1,500/mo).

Partner church. Prays, gives ($100–$500/mo suggested), and may send short-term help.

Praying church. Adopts the plant in its prayer life and hears from us regularly.

One-time gifts Estimates

  • One heated Sunday in a rented hall$200
  • A month of shared meals$250
  • Simple sound system$800
  • Counseling library and materials$1,000
  • Chairs and tables for the shop$1,500
  • Shop heater and insulation$2,500
Two old pilings in a snow-covered frozen lake, with mountains under a cloudy sky
Priest Lake in winter · Photo: S. Hammarlund, Public domain

What partners can expect Proposed

  • Regular prayer and ministry updates, honest about both joys and struggles
  • An annual financial summary showing how gifts were used
  • A standing invitation to visit, see the work, and meet the people
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