Local agency helps church planters focus their efforts By ANGELLA DIEHL

Have you ever felt the urge to start a church - one where God's spirit fills the hearts of the congregation? Have you wondered where the journey to planting a church would begin?

The mission of Northwest Church Planting, according to their Website, is “to draw, develop, and deploy Christian leaders to start healthy, reproductive churches.” Working with local churches, seminaries and many denominations, Northwest Church Planting is a growing ministry in the Pacific Northwest. As you scroll through their Website at www.churchplanter.com <http://www.churchplanter.com>, you'll find many different facets of the organization's dedication to their church planting ministry.

The Purpose and Strategy page explains the process of “Draw, Develop and Deploy,” the timeline for developing effective church planters. The first stage (Draw) consists of helping churches to “identify, house and nurture potential church planters.” The second stage (Develop) involves helping potential church planters establish partnerships with local seminaries, churches and denominations, learning ministry skills, leading a ministry and launching a new ministry.

The third stage (Deploy), takes church planters through an assessment to determine if they are ready to become a church planter. After the assessment, potential leaders are assisted in developing a church planting team, relocation to the new church plant’s community and the beginning stages of developing the new church.

In conjunction with Multnomah Biblical Seminary (www.multnomah.edu <http://www.multnomah.edu>), Northwest Church Planting offers a course designed to provide those interested in church planting with training, internship in a church-planting church and access to local church planters, as well as ongoing training, encouragement and assistance when the time comes to start a new church.

To help the ongoing process of identifying potential church planters, the agency holds the Church Planter’s Forum, “a gathering of church planters and leaders, designed to provide training, encouragement and interaction” among the leaders.

Held the second Wednesday of each quarter, from noon to 3 p.m. at New Heights Church, 8000 N.E. 58th Ave. in Vancouver, Wash., this free forum features speakers and is attended by “pastors and church planters from a variety of backgrounds.” Child care is also provided at no extra cost.

“As a fellow church planter and ministry leader,” writes Northwest Church Planting Director Dave Reynolds, “I know that church planting, while extremely rewarding, can also be very demanding.” To that end, the agency offers a “Church Planter's Retreat.”

“We know you're busy spiritually feeding others and could use some food for you own soul,” says Reynolds. The retreat, scheduled for June 24-26, 2002 at the Canby Grove Conference in Canby, offers a 10 percent discount for registrations received be-fore June 18, 2002.

For those who have been assessed and recommended as potential church planters, the agency offers a one-day conference called “Lead Planter Training.” The seminar, held twice per year at the New Heights Church Leadership Center in Vancouver, offers topics such as spiritual formation, family and finances, and team formation.

Church planting teams will be interested in Northwest Church Planters’ “Team Dream” conference this month. Held at New Heights Church Jan. 18 and 19, this is “designed to help church planters identify the steps that every plant must take, while helping each team discover their unique calling.”

The event’s purpose, according to the Website, is to assist the team in answering four questions: What are we doing (purpose, vision and values); how will we do it (strategy and structure); who will do what (gifts, passions and roles); and when will it happen (church planting time line). The seminar, which will be held at New Heights Church, will include presentations and guided team interaction.

Other events include the “Church Planter's Summit,” a one-day conference for planters and their spouses, team members and other church leaders, and Discover Assessment, NWCP’s four-day event scheduled for Feb. 11-14 at Canby

Grove Conference Center, to help “individuals and couples carefully determine if God has gifted them to start and lead a church plant.” You can download the Northwest Church Planters newsletter, Seeds, at their Website as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about Northwest Church Planting and its mission, visit their Website at www.churchplanter.com <http://www.churchplanter.com>, or call the agency at 360-694-0096.