Are you considering planting a church? Are you ready? The Acts 29 Boot Camp can help make the difference between success and casualty.

2 teams of relief workers arrived on site in a famine-stricken third-world area. Both teams were immediately pressed by crowds as they got off the plane. The first team, seeing the need, started handing out food and serving the people immediately. The second team pushed through the crowd to where the would make their camp and established a barbed wire perimeter. After a day or two of setting up their own camp, they began passing out food and helping people.

It may seem that the second team was calloused and selfish until you ask the question, “Which team was still serving the people after a month?” You can imagine that the first team would have burned out and returned home.

Planters, you need to be intentional, even religious, about setting aside time for soul care. Besides the one day a week that you already turn off your computer and cell phone and spend with your family (grin), you need to find a rhythm of taking prayer retreat days and a spiritual retreat week. Wouldn’t it be sad if you stopped hearing from God because you couldn’t find the time, and then ended up building the church in your own strength?

“What does it profit a [planter] to gain [a new church] but lose his soul?”

featured on newchurches.com

newchurches news

newchurches news

Over the past eight years I’ve been able to participate in the assessment process on multiple levels: errand boy, potential planter, assessor. Next week I’ll be participating at the Church Planting Assessment Center in Johnson City, TN. The core assessors: Brent Foulke, Paige Mathews and Tom Jones could be viewed as the church planting world’s Randy, Paula and Simon. I’ll let you decide who Paula is.

Assessment is the single best way to confirm a calling to church planting. The number one reason church plants fail is because the wrong leader was selected. Many planters sense the calling, but unfortunately few take the step of formal assessment to get feedback from other experienced church planters. Assessment is designed to help you discern your calling to church planting by affirming your strengths and identifying your weaknesses. Most planters walk away from the demanding experience pumped up and affirmed that God is calling them to begin the amazing journey of planting a church.

Bottom Line: If you’re thinking about planting, go to assessment.

Featured on www.newchurches.com

Our director, Todd Wilson and myself have participated in Church Coaching Solutions (CCS), Nexus, Global Church Advancement , Church Multiplication Training Center and Acts 29 boot camps. They are all excellent and we can recommend all of them.

In addition to gaining practical church planting knowledge, planters often experience significant “ah ha” moments. They often connect the dots between what they have always thought church should be to reach the lost and the practicalities day to day ministry.

One thing I liked about the CCS and Nexus boot camps is how they integrate our Converge project management software right into the training. The goal is to prepare the church planter for action. Through the week planters have the opportunity to actually develop the core of their launch plan.

featured on newchurches.com

Good assessments look at the church planting candidate in various ways including:

• Written expressions, in the form of an extensive questionnaire, a professional resume, exercises, and projects, are evaluated by the assessment staff.
• Psychological instruments are employed to identify any potential issues which impact individual wholeness, marital adjustment, and professional interaction.
• Experienced practitioners and peers observe candidates in simulation modules, team activities and personal interviews to provide real-life perspective for potential church planting scenarios.

There are many good church planter assessment centers.

• Church Planting Assessment Center (CPAC)
• Dynamic Church Planting International
• Global Church Advancement
• New Church Initiatives
• Praxis Center for Church Development
• Many networks and denominations have excellent internal assessment centers including EFCA, NAMB, Stadia New Church Strategies, Acts 29, PCA, and the Assemblies of God

featured on newchurches.com

It is crucial for the church planter to understand their strengths and weaknesses based on these factors.
Assessment is often broken down into a pre-assessment (self-assessment) and a formal assessment (assessment by an independent group or organization).

Pre-assessments are often available for download or completion online. Before paying for a formal assessment, the church planter should perform at least a couple pre-assessments. Here are a few of the better ones:

• The Evangelical Free Church of America and the North American Mission Board have two of the best quick pre-assessment tools available.
• The Emerging Leadership Initiative has a great preassessment survey (it takes several hours to complete but is worth the wait)
• Global Church Advancement has a good set of questions for self-reflection
• Starter Survey from the Reformed Church in America (request the survey from sketcham@rca.org)

Additional widely available tools useful for pre-assessment: Keirsey Temperament Sorter (Myers Briggs type), DISC Profile, Emotional Intelligence Survey, and Spiritual Gifts Inventories.

featured on newchurches.com