Church Planting

Young pastors and seminary students who are curious about church planting. Biblical Basis of Church Planting: What is the biblical and theological foundation for church planting? This module sets the table for future considerations about starting new churches. Stages in Church Planting: Knowing those stages helps plan for the future and respond to events as they unfold in a new work. What is a Church Planter? What makes a church planter? A range of gifts and skills are often found in those who start new works. Who Should Plant a Church? This section looks more specifically at how to discern whether one should plant a church. Self-knowledge is critical as one discerns whether to pursue church planting. What is the Church Planter Assessment? External approbation is an essential element when pursuing a call. Assessment is a vital part of that process. In this module, you will learn what Assessment is…and what it isn’t. The Healthy Church Planter: Geneva Benefits Group will discuss what does pastoral health look like for a church planter. Next Steps in Discerning about Church Planting: If Church Planting interests you, what are the next steps to determine whether you should be a church planter? What might you read? Who should you speak with? Your Church as a Business: the What, Why, and How: Auxilio Partners, who provides back office support for churches, will cover all the aspects of church planting that are vital to its growth.

Those that have taken the church planting assessment, are in the process of an apprenticeship to prepare for planting, or have received an assignment. Models of Church Planting:This module considers the various options and guides which one might work best for you and in your context. Vision, Values, and Mission:Determining the vision, values, and mission of a church plant is critical. Having clarity on the front end makes a world of difference. Developing a Strategic Plan: A strategic plan describes how your vision, value, and mission will be accomplished. These steps are vital for a church plant to move forward. Ministry Partner Development: Often the biggest fear of any church planter is how the plant can be funded. Creating a support plan and carrying it out makes a big difference in a church plant’s life. MNA Church Planting Services: MNA offers a variety of services to PCA planters. This hour will show the various ways the planter can be supported. The Role of Coaching and Mentoring in Church Planting: Ongoing support is important for a planter. Having a coach has been shown to make the difference between plants making it or not. How and Why of a Budget:Auxilio Partners covers the necessary processes for developing a church budget Preparing Your Family for Planting: Ministerial health applies not just to the pastor but the pastor’s family. Geneva Benefits will discuss what issues the planter and spouse should be aware of.

Planters who have just arrived and are getting to know their community, laying the foundation and looking to form a team and gather in unbelievers and believers. Building a Team: No one plants alone. How might a planter build a team and what tools can assist in that effort Know Your Community / Cultural Accessibility:Knowing the community where a church is to be planted is essential. This module will consider how to know the people you are seeking to reach. Reaching Your Community:Once a planter knows the community, it is then important to have strategies to reach people in the community. Making Prayer the Foundation of your Church Life: While prayer must undergird all the aspects covered through Church Planter Training, this module will offer a number of ways in which to have prayer be woven into the life of the church. The relationship between the planter and his oversight: Most church plants are overseen by some form of a temporary session. That oversight is often done at a distance, which may create tensions. MNA Church Planting Services: MNA offers a variety of services to PCA planters. This hour will show the various ways the planter can be supported. Fears, Anxieties, and Nightmares Before Worship: As you gather people there is pressure to gather for worship. Anxiety begins to mount as you start thinking about that first worship service. Business End of Church Planting: Auxilio will get into more detail in this track on what you need to know to keep your plant on the right track and you out of trouble. Support Systems for Planting Teams: Geneva and Parakaleo will team lead this section on how to have the systems in place to keep your planting team healthy.

Planters who have begun gathering their congregation at their assignment. Building Contacts and Creating Meetings to Lead to Evangelism: Talking about sharing the gospel necessitates have people to share it with. If evangelism is to be at core of your church, finding people is critical. Maintaining Good Fiscal Health: As a church plant moves forward, having the right financial system in place necessitates further refinement. This session will be led by Auxilio. Building a Launch Team:Warm bodies are not enough. You need to build a team that can launch a church. What and who should you look for? What should you be on the guard against? Small Groups – Shepherding the Gathered:As you gather people for a new church, shepherding demands begin to mount. How do you keep the edge of a gatherer and shepherd those you’ve gathered? Leadership Agility: Knowing who you are, where you are, and who God gave you: Being firm in your vision and flexible in your leadership styles takes forethought. Pathway to Corporate Worship: Building Teams for Your Launch: What does it take to find the right leaders for your worship service? Preparing for Your First Sunday: Location, Hardware, and Getting the Word Out: What do you need for the first worship beyond leaders and people in seats? Pastoral Wellbeing in the Midst of Chaos: As a plant moves to its first worship service, pastoral care may easily be ignored. Geneva Benefits will lead this section. What’s Next? Your Church Culture and Your Community’s Culture: Do you know yourself and your launch team’s culture? How well does it reflect the culture you are seeking to reach?

Planters who are defining roles and establishing structures and processes at their young church. Wellbeing for Elders and Deacons: It is not enough to be concerned with one’s own wellbeing. Part of training officers and staff is to provide for their flourishing, too. This session will be led by Geneva Benefits. Engaging Women in Ministry: What does it mean to raise up men and women who are leaders in your church? Too often pastors focus on ordained leaders, neglecting half of their congregation. Officer Training: The what and how of preparing for your first group of officers. Strategic Planning:Preparing to Reproduce: Particularization is not an end in itself but a step to ongoing reproduction. This entails planning on raising up future leaders. Getting the Right Mix: Compatibility along with Competency and Character: As the church moves forward with officers and perhaps staff, ensuring the right mix is critical. Setting Up Finance Team:Pastors are often uncomfortable talking about money. Auxilio will provide tools to discuss generosity and how to set up a healthy finance team. MNA and BCO Requirements – Know the Steps: As one moves toward particularization, one should have a checklist of what must be done. Celebrating Milestones: Stories of God’s Faithfulness: Sharing with one another the times in which God’s gracious presence made all the difference in your church plant.

A formal, organized, growing church that is now looking to continue church planting or assist in planting new churches. From Entrepreneur to Manager: Too often, planters find the transition from planting to shepherding a challenge. Know what it takes from creating a new work to overseeing an established one. Sharing Leadership / Second Session: Planters who remain on with their church, as many do, often find it is when they add more elders to the first group that they face a challenge in leading. Assisting Your Leaders to See the Big Picture: On Becoming a Grown-up Church: Once a church particularizes, the need to see their larger role in the kingdom does not stop but often is more pronounced. Auxilio can help in that process. Planting the daughter: How do you know when you should plant a daughter? What are the steps to ensure health for mother and daughter in the process? Setting up Your Daughter for Fiscal Health: As a church considers planting a daughter, getting that new plant better prepared for their future is important. Auxilio will offer some important insights to help with that transition. Staying Healthy for the Long Haul: Pastoral well-being is not a once-and- done task. Geneva Benefits exists to see those in ministry flourish for years to come. Models and Expectations for Church Planting: You are an established church thinking about planting. What are the options? What’s Next? Being a Church that Multiplies:Planting a daughter church is an excellent first step. Being a church that multiplies should be your destination.