Considering church planting? Wondering what it might take to get started? Hopefully this checklist will give you an idea of what it takes not only to get started, but to walk through the process of church planting in the Pacific Region of Open Bible churches. It is important to understand that it is not unusual for the planting process prior to public opening to take 12-24 months. Below you will find a diagram(click it to enlarge) followed by a description of the timeline.

• Pre-Assessment
  • Conversation – Make a call to the Regional Office – 541.343.4021 - and speak with the church planting commission director about your desire to plant in the Pacific Region.
  • Application – You will be asked to fill out an “Application for Church Planting Candidacy”, or you may find it in on the Regional Web Site at www.pacificopenbible.com .
  • References – These are a part of the above application.
  • Parent Church/Pastor Recommendation – If you intend to plant out of a parent church, we will ask for a written recommendation from the Pastor of that church.
  • Credential Status – This will be checked as a part of the above referenced application.
  • After the Application has been received and evaluated, a decision will be made whether to recommend you to the next step, or suggest other avenues of ministry.
• Assessment
  Once the application is received and reviewed, and it is mutually determined that we should pursue planting, you (and your spouse, if applicable) will be scheduled for an assessment by trained assessors. Depending on the situation, the assessment may be 1-3 days in length. The assessment is designed for the following reasons:
  • To determine if an applicant has the skill set and gifting to be a planter. Not everyone is designed to plant and not everyone is designed to pastor. Some people can do both, while others can do either one or the other.
  • To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the potential planter. This will help to determine what needs to be worked on, what can be maximized, and what team members may be needed for the effectiveness of the church plant.
    The Region will cover the cost of the assessment, and the planter will be asked to pay for the travel expenses to and from the assessment.
• Decision
  At this point the assessment team will recommend one of three options:
  • The region enters into an agreement with you to pursue a new church plant
  • The region agrees to move forward towards a plant once prescribed additional criteria are met.
  • The region recommends other avenues of ministry besides planting.
• Define Ministry Focus Group (preliminary target)
  At this stage there are many questions to be answered (some of which you will have already answered in the Application for Church Planting Candidacy):
  • Where is it that you feel called to plant?
  • Who is it that God has given you a burden to reach?
  • What is your connection to this community?
  • What are the demographics of this community?
  • What resources (networks, partner ministries, friends, family, etc.) are presently available to you in this Ministry Focus group?
  • Who needs to be contacted? Contact the following to let them know your intentions, to build good will and to keep lines of communication open.
  • District Superintendent for the district in which the church will be planted, after they have been contacted by a representative of the Pacific Region.
  • Other Open Bible Pastors in the target community (within 15 miles), after they have been contacted by a representative of the Pacific Region.
  • Other pastors in the area with whom you have relationship
• Coach Enlisted
  After you have been assessed and it is determined to move forward with church planting, you will be enlist a trained church planting coach through the Church Planting Commission. You will enter into a contractual agreement which will set parameters for your coaching relationship. The coaches’ role is to help you work through the challenges and excitement of planting throughout your planting process. They will provide support, resources and accountability. Each coach comes to a planter with an assumption that God has given the planter all they need to be effective, and the coach just works to draw that out through good questions and conversation. The coach will be available to the planter approximately twice a month for up to two years, depending on the need.
• Spiritual/Character Support
  The planting process propels a potential planter (and his family) into a whole new dimension of spiritual battle. Recognizing this, at the beginning and throughout the planting process the planter will be encouraged, supported and held accountable for the health of their spiritual lives and their ongoing character development. This may include a spiritual disciplines assessment, as well as support for personal financial management, time management, and marriage and family development. The planter will be asked to identify an agreed-upon individual with whom they can work for their ongoing personal development.
• Planter’s Training
  Each planter (and spouse) will participate in an intensive and ongoing planter’s training with a coach. This is a highly interactive training which may include assigned reading and video modules and which will address key areas such as church planting philosophy, establishment of vision, values, mission, strategy and finances. Out of this training you should be able to know how to draft a church planting proposal which will be submitted to the Pacific Region Church Planting Commission. This training may be an Open Bible event, or depending on the need and timing, we may partner with another like-minded organization. The Region will cover the costs associated with this agreed-upon training.
• Planting Proposal Submitted
  The church planting proposal outlines the proposed DNA of the new church, a projected timeline and benchmarks to be met. In this proposal the planter submits requests to the Church Planting Commission for financial support based on benchmarks that are met. These benchmarks may include things like incorporation and charter, core team development, connections with the unchurched, finances raised by the plant, attendance, etc. The Church Planting Commission provides financial support on a “matching funds” basis, up to certain limits depending on a number of factors including need, type of plant proposed, availability of funds, etc..
  
• Field Launch
  In this stage the planter moves to the community and begins the following:
  • Finds employment – providing both needed income and connection to the community.
  • Evangelism & Core Group Development in the Community
  • Multiplication of Leaders and Ministry
  • Critical Systems Development - these may include:
    • Articles of Incorporation (contact the regional office for help with this)
    • By-laws & Charter: for info, click here
    • Discipleship
    • Assimilation
    • Worship
    • Children’s ministry
    • Small groups
    • Leadership structure
    • Meeting place
    • Financial management
• Public Opening
  • Grand Opening (optional)
    Not all churches will necessarily have a “grand opening” – they will simply continue to evangelize, connect with the community and gather.
  • Affirmation of Existence as a Church
• Preparation for Parenting
  We want to see all of our church plants have “mothering a new church within five years” in their church’s vision. In order for this to happen, the new church must have adequate vision and opportunities in place for ongoing outreach and evangelism, and new leadership identification and development. They must also seek to strengthen the critical systems of the church to prepare them for the eventuality of launching a daughter church.
  
  Your coach and the Church Planting Commission will walk with you for up to two years after they have been enlisted. At that point, we believe it is important to continue to seek support. One of the great means of that support is through connecting with the Church Health Commission and becoming a part of the Church Consultation Initiative. This provides ongoing evaluation and support as you navigate the waters of pastoring a growing church.

We look forward to hearing from you!

A SHORT LIST OF RESOURCES TO CHECK OUT:
Web Based:
www.churchplanting4me.com – a wealth of free online planting resources

www.convergeusa.org – links to a broad scope of planting resources

www.ghcnetwork.org - Growing Healthy Churches Planting website

www.griffithcoaching.com - Jim Griffith coaching resources

www.exponentialconference.org - biggest and best planting conference around with a broad diversity of church planting gurus 

www.missionalchurchnetwork.com - missional church planting blogs and resources

www.missio.us - hugh halter & matt smay host this site that helps planters to think about planting incarnational communities and learning to think like a missionary to your culture.

www.acts29network.org - founded by Mark Driscoll, Acts 29 is advancing the mission of Jesus through obediently planting church-planting churches.

www.squidoo.com/churchplanter - resource clearinghouse for a variety of church planting tools

www.newchurches.com/tools--resources/free-resources - Great timeline tool for church planting

Books:
Planting Missional Churches Ed Stetzer. B & H Publishing Group. 2006.

Launch Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas. Regal Books. 2006

Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century: A Comprehensive Guide for New Churches and Those Desiring Renewal Aubrey Malphurs. Baker Books. 2004

And- The Gathered and Scattered Church Hugh Halter & Matt Smay. Exponential Series – 2010

Doing Church as a Team Wayne Cordeiro. Regal Books. 2004

Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts Jim Griffith & Bill Easum. Chalice Press. 2008