Fruitful church planting depends on properly selected church planters. This course surveys and critiques existing policies and programs which assess and evaluate church planting candidates. The student learns to understand the role of calling, character, personality, and competencies in the selection of church planters.
Church planting is ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, God works through called and prepared planters. Church planting partners such as local churches, missions agencies, associations, and denominations have the responsibility to ensure, as much as humanly possible, that their church planting candidate is the right person at the right time in the right place with the right plan. Those who are charged by these partners to discover and assess church planters must be capable of adopting, adapting, or developing a church planter candidate process that adequately addresses calling, character, personality, spiritual gifting, and various talents, abilities, and competencies. The goal of the course is for the church planting leader to have an understanding of the tools and processes available for the assessment task.
Research has shown that going through an assessment (of any kind) significantly improves a church planter’s chances of success. Having an assessment process, therefore, is a non-negotiable for those engaged in planter deployment. Improving what they have only increases fruitfulness and protects the planter and his/her family.
The course is driven by the Great Commission command to make disciples of all nations and by the belief that God has called and equipped specific individuals to lead out in the planting of new congregations. This course assumes: 1) The divine call involves spiritual gifting/empowerment and human preparation/experience; 2) Pastoral leadership is a calling to be taken seriously, and more so in a new church plant; 3) A healthy planter and family increases the chances of a healthy church and ministry.
Church plants are expected to reproduce and plant other new churches. That multiplication DNA will only be a reality if it is in the church planter. A good assessment process helps planting leaders discover the critical motivations and competencies of a church planting candidate, in order that multiplication takes place.
A critical aspect of a good assessment is the context in which the planter begins a new church. Proper assessment assists the planter in developing his plan, and guides planting leaders in determining appropriate training, coaching, and accountability.
Many church planters start churches in cross-cultural situations, whether racial, ethnic, socio-economic, or others. An effective assessment process helps the planter identify both cultural blind spots and cross-cultural abilities.
The student leaves this course with options for correcting a current assessment process or developing and implementing a new one.
The student is able to evaluate a variety of assessment processes and has the tools and resources to develop and implement new tools and processes for planter assessment.
