Church planters are expected by their partners – prayer, funding, denominational – to be fruitful. This course examines the basis, the philosophies, the methods, and the dynamics of planter supervision. The student obtains tools, resources, and strategies for positive and healthy planter supervision and accountability.
One of the primary reasons for church planting failures lies in the church planter himself/herself. He/She may be overworked or lazy; they may have neglected their family and fallen to temptation; they may have the wrong strategy and are not teachable; they may have experienced conflict and is simply discouraged and ready to quit. If these kinds of issues are not identified and quickly addressed by an astute and compassionate supervisor, the planter and the plant will suffer. The goal of this course is for the student to be aware of and prepared for:
There is the occasional church planter who prefers to be a "Lone Ranger.” Most planters need and appreciate positive, truthful, and healthy supervision. The supervisory challenge is to have the understanding and the tools to adapt to the personality and the context of the planter, the precise focus of this course.
This course is driven by the parable of the talents; that is, the assumption that the person called by God is accountable, ultimately to God and pen-ultimately to the church that has recognized, commissioned, and supported him.
The goal of healthy accountability and supervision is that the planter, their family, and the new church grow. When this happens, the church’s multiplication DNA has a greater chance of flourishing in the making of new disciples and the planting of new churches.
Healthy supervision will also be appropriate supervision, taking into account the context in which the new plant exists. That is, expectations must match the context in order to supervision to work.
Similarly, a supervisor must be aware of cultural differences in planters. That is, one supervision style will not fit everyone. This is true for different personalities, but is especially true in different cultural contexts.
The course focuses on the specific applications of principles and tools for supervision.
The student is able to either improve their current supervision practices or begin supervision with a healthy model.
