Finding the Straightest Path to Church Planting

by Randy Knutson

Chasing a dream to plant a church can feel like opening one of those Russian nest dolls that fit one inside the other. Each time you ask yourself further question you find another question begging to be answered when it comes to church planting. It involves diverse skills such as: selecting the area, creating a ministry proposal, gathering a core group, selecting a facility, raising support, developing evangelistic strategies, creating promotional material, guiding worship, children, youth, and small groups.

Going public is hard work -- even if you are "entrepreneurial." That's why we believe this process should not be done alone. So we have developed an assessment and placement process to help clear a path in front of our rising leaders. Our goals was to shift our people's thinking off of obstacles in planting to the possibilities of what God is leading them to by connecting them with a church planting coach.

In the past two years, we have trained some 200 pastors in assessing and interview skills for church planters. This new mentoring process addresses the paralyzing assumptions many of us bring into ministry and it looks for how to minister planters by finding what mentoring issues they need presently. Here are some of the responses we're receiving back from the field: 

"Assessment takes all that God had done in your life - your dreams & visions, your passions & interests, your experiences - both good and bad, your relationships -and it translates those things into a unified understanding of who you are and what you are supposed to give your life to. Everyone I know who has gone through assessment has felt that God really spoke to them through the process. " Brad Swope - Church Planter Roseville, CA.

"As a CPC and a coach, the assessment allows me to hit at both the passion side of a person's gifting (The Joy Quotient) and the effectiveness side of a person's gifting (The Fruitfulness Quotient). In other words it allows me tofeedback to the potential church planter where the quotient is off or not yet in sync. And what is most important is that this brings integrity to both the assessment and the ongoing relationship between planter and coach." Gary Goodell- San Diego

"It was very helpful. The interaction with people whove been there and are objective was invaluable. It could save someone's life! We received an evangelism tool and implemented it right away. " Brian White - Church Planter Fremont, CA.

"It was very valuable and very safe. We were understood and affirmed. The assessment reminded me that there's nothing wrong with being in process. Assessment is the very essence of being coached" Lisa White - Wife Church Planter

"As a CPC, the assessment has better equipped me to get to core issues in people's life. As an examination of not only someone's passion, but also their past behavior, I am able to come along side them and help bring integrity between what they've done, and what they want to do. It allows me to affirm Jesus in them, while giving them mentoring assignments for future growth and development. The elements we're lookingfor in a church planter give us something objective to qualify a potential planter. I use a smaller version in my own church. The skills I've developed have helped me raise up and release leaders in our local church while keeping us centered on the vision. " Church Planting Coordinator - Charlie Brown

"The assessment process is the newly installed windshield wipers on my car after driving in the rain 15 years. " Tom Dunn - CPC