Church Planting Support Systems

The Midwest District and the EFCA are developing seven basic support systems for church planters and their churches:

  1. Launching

    We envision using the first annual church planting strategy summit in the fall of 2001 as catalytic launching and training event to help mobilize our Midwest District churches into a church planting movement.

    Strategic Benchmark: 10% reproduction rate in existing churches or approximately 10 churches in the process of parenting a new church.

  2. Recruiting

    We envision a recruiting system that will aggressively discover church planters and a farming system that will develop church planters.

    Strategic Benchmark: An annual recruiting rate of 3-5 new planters/church planting teams per year through 2003, then increasing to 5-10 new planters/planting teams per year through 2008.

  3. Assessing

    We envision a district assessment system involving three trained assessment teams that will help a leader objectively evaluate his potential as a church planter.

    Strategic Benchmark: 3 regional assessment teams conducting regular assessments for potential church planting candidates.

  4. Coaching

    We envision experienced pastors and church leaders who will tithe their time to equip, empower, and encourage our district church planters.

    Strategic Benchmark: No planter left alone.

  5. Training

    We envision full participation in an EFCA church planter training system that will produce well-trained planters starting and multiplying healthy new EFCA churches in the Midwest District.

    Strategic Benchmark: Every church planter trained through a Bootcamp system, and every new church in the Midwest District a healthy church as defined by the EFCA "Ten Leading Indicators of Church Health."

  6. Supporting

    We envision developing the necessary financial resources that will sustain a reproducing church planting movement in the district.

    Strategic Benchmark: A growing church planting fund of $100,000 and more from district church and individual sources supplying "seed" money for partial support of new churches.

  7. Reproducing

    We envision a district church planting movement where our healthy churches will naturally reproduce new daughter churches.

    Strategic Benchmark: Every church able to parent will have a reproduction cycle of every 2-5 years, and all other churches actively partnering with area churches to plant a new church. "God willing!"