Planting Churches in the Old Brethren Tradition
The New Church Development Board focuses on church planters as the model for our work. A church planter begins churches as a tent making founder. TRaining In Ministry (TRIM) can supply many of the ordained church planters. Church planters will support themselves through non-church employment or other local sources of income. The New Church Development Board will provide training, coaching, and regular visitation. The Board can provide assistance in choosing and understanding the community in which the church is to be planted.
Some believe that only highly trained and experienced persons are needed to establish new churches. Training and experience always help but oversight by the New Church Development Board and commitment to our Statement of Core Values play just as important a role. The crucial characteristic is a transformed life. The person transformed by God can go out into the highways and byways and gather in the people for a new church.
Work progresses. We signed with an organization called Percept, which provides demographic information on line. Access to Percept will be available to churches and District leadership as well as church planters. We joined Coachnet, a training and support organization for coaches of church planters. Coachnet can be used to train and support deacons, moderators, and other church leadership people. Training opportunities for potential church planters has been available in denominational conferences and additional training opportunities are planned in our District. We plan to introduce some of our planters to you at District Conference.
Churches of the District can be involved in new church development in many ways. District Churches can partner with new church starts by providing prayer support, personnel, and financial grants. District Churches can organize prayer cells to pray for evangelism and the start of new churches. They can also begin to call church planters who will start the new churches. Become active with Coachnet, and use the resources available through Percept. Come to the training events which The Development Board will be holding in the District. All of these strengthen your own church and reveal new horizons for church planting. Consider the New Church Development Board in your self allocation and budgeting process this fall.
We look forward to seeing you at District Conference.
Dennis Metzger, Chair, New Church Development Board
Some believe that only highly trained and experienced persons are needed to establish new churches. Training and experience always help but oversight by the New Church Development Board and commitment to our Statement of Core Values play just as important a role. The crucial characteristic is a transformed life. The person transformed by God can go out into the highways and byways and gather in the people for a new church.
Work progresses. We signed with an organization called Percept, which provides demographic information on line. Access to Percept will be available to churches and District leadership as well as church planters. We joined Coachnet, a training and support organization for coaches of church planters. Coachnet can be used to train and support deacons, moderators, and other church leadership people. Training opportunities for potential church planters has been available in denominational conferences and additional training opportunities are planned in our District. We plan to introduce some of our planters to you at District Conference.
Churches of the District can be involved in new church development in many ways. District Churches can partner with new church starts by providing prayer support, personnel, and financial grants. District Churches can organize prayer cells to pray for evangelism and the start of new churches. They can also begin to call church planters who will start the new churches. Become active with Coachnet, and use the resources available through Percept. Come to the training events which The Development Board will be holding in the District. All of these strengthen your own church and reveal new horizons for church planting. Consider the New Church Development Board in your self allocation and budgeting process this fall.
We look forward to seeing you at District Conference.
Dennis Metzger, Chair, New Church Development Board
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