“This was right on the mark. I could not have gotten it on my own,” said the Rev. Tom Beers, associate executive minister for Evangelism for the Philadelphia Baptist Association, referring to a church planting event in Houston he attended.

National Ministries’ expertise base and legwork enabled 20 regional and national staff members, along with established pastors and church planters, to learn together for three days in December 2005. During this time, Glenn Smith of New Church Initiatives, based in Sugar Land, Texas, presented a flexible approach of church planting that is readily adaptable to different contexts.

Since the conference, “I’ve been abuzz with the question of adapting this model for our region,” said Beers. He noted that much energy and empowerment came from the peer learning aspect of the event. Over meals and during informal conversations, conference participants talked through how they would give expression to what they were learning. “Our discussions gave shape to new experiences we envisioned in each of our own contexts as we explored the fundamental concepts,” said Beers. Having National Ministries’ staff co-journeying with local church pastors and regional ministers also strengthened the sense of discovery for everyone.

The Rev. Glynis LaBarre, who serves on National Ministries’ Evangelism and New Church Planting team, said national staff were especially seeking flexible and self-sustaining models when they organized the training event. She said, “The old model of top-down funding created the myth that you need ‘beaucoup de bucks’ to start churches. But denominational budgets can’t support that.”

Smith’s model relies on developing leadership instead of pouring money into church planting. “Coaching makes or breaks this model,” said LaBarre, where coaching means helping church planters discern their calling and supporting their sense of direction with human resources. Along those lines, LaBarre observed, “We can teach someone how to finance the operation. The central question is whether someone has the heart for it. God leads them to engage the mission; the rest will come as we foster and nurture the heart of calling.”

Six church planters were in the group of 20, invited to participate by the Rev. Dr. Tom Johnson, coordinator of New Church Planting for National Ministries. Among the 20 also were 12 Asian, African American and Hispanic ministry leaders, leading LaBarre to observe: “It showed the best of our denomination in its diversity.”

America for Christ gifts support regional and national efforts to train to church planters.