CHURCH PLANTING PRIMER

Course Overview

So you want to plant a church?

To some, church planting can seem like the varsity, “A-Team” of Christian ministry. For others, the term feels so daunting you’d never consider it. Perhaps you feel a stirring from God, or have been asked to join a planting team. Or perhaps you just want to learn a little more about the concept of planting. 

Over the 11 sessions, Ben Connelly (Founder of The Equipping Group) helps us consider some of the key starting points for considering planting a church. Ben has planted four churches and trained dozens of planters in various contexts, having led church planting residencies for various organizations across North America. He’s learned a lot (often the hard way!) and in this course, he helps answer some of the biggest questions potential church planters need to ask.

Each session involves a brief training video, as well as follow-up work to make the content personal and tangible. Certainly a course like this cannot plumb the depths of church planter training, but The Equipping Group’s hope is that it serves you well, as a first step overview — a true “primer” — for the idea of church planting.

We believe in groups of people being equipped together — that’s even inherent in our organization’s name! When you purchase this course, we hope you’ll engage it with others: a spouse, potential church planting teammates, a sending church, and/or staff.

And we never want finances to prohibit you from being equipped. Our “pay-what-you-can” policy invites you to apply for a scholarship if you can’t afford the price of the course. It’s our honor to serve you as you consider the realities of planting a church.

Sessions

You can check out Session 1 below to give you a feel for the course.

  1. WHAT MAKES A CHURCH, A CHURCH? (Sample for free below)

  2. CHURCH PLANTING FOR GOD’S MISSION (Purchase the course to complete all sessions)

  3. WHO IS CALLED TO PLANT A CHURCH?

  4. THIS CHURCH, FOR THIS MISSION FIELD

  5. YOUR CHURCH PLANT’S CORE CONVICTIONS

  6. PLANTING AND LEADING AS A TEAM

  7. VISION AND CULTURE FOR A CHURCH ON MISSION

  8. EQUIPPING THE SAINTS

  9. CHILDREN, TEENS, AND OTHER PROGRAMS

  10. GATHERING A CORE TEAM

  11. A HEALTHY SENDING CHURCH

SESSION ONE

What make a church a church?

What comes to mind when you think of a “church”? Before we discuss planting, we need some idea of what it is we hope to plant! This foundational session considers common types of church in Western Christianity, and defines both an essential ecclesiology and a church’s basic activity.

 

In this session:

  • Read: Acts 2:42-47

  • Watch 20 minute video

  • Reflect

  • Assignment

 

Read: Acts 2:42-47

Watch

Reflect

 

Assignment

Define your own basic minimum ecclesiology based on your biblical convictions, ministry philosophy, and theological vision. This will serve as a solid foundation for whatever church you might plant. (As an example, Ben’s is shared on Saturate’s site here)

Was this session helpful? Purchase the full course here!

COURSE PRICE: $49.99 (VALUED AT $1430)

  • Ongoing access to all session content, for you and a spouse, potential church planting teammates, a sending church, and/or staff.

  • Specific exercises/assignments for each session

  • A follow-up call with Ben, scheduled by you around whatever topic would serve you best

And we never want finances to prohibit you from being equipped. Our “pay-what-you-can” policy invites you to apply for a scholarship if you can’t afford the price of the course. It’s our honor to serve you as you consider the realities of planting a church.