Church Planting

A Gospel-Centered, Sacramental, Missional Family of Church Planting Churches

Why do we exist

We exist to assess, encourage, train and support church planters in the Rocky Mountain Diocese

Why do we plant churches

We believe that the starting of new congregations is the most effective way to reach our communities with the gospel.

Who we are

We are a Gospel-Centered, Sacramental, Missional family of Church Planting Churches characterized by:

  • Ancient Faith
  • Global Relationships
  • Local Mission

What we believe

We desire to live out the faith that has been received and carried on by the historic Christian Church throughout the centuries in ways that engage people today.  This includes a commitment to the Bible as the Word of God—that it is the truth by which we order our lives. We also hold to the central place of Jesus Christ as the unique Son of God—that salvation is found in His sacrificial death and resurrection alone.  Our beliefs are summed up in:

  • Apostles Creed
  • Nicene Creed
  • 39 Articles
  • Jerusalem Declaration

What does success look like

We will succeed to the extent that it:

  • Recruits church planters dedicated to leading church planting churches
  • Assesses church planters based on Calling, Competency, and Character
  • Develops church planters through strategic oversight, training, and coaching.
  • Deploys church planters with ongoing support and encouragement.

What are our Key Components

A healthy church planting diocese has four components and seven core systems.

  • Conviction- church planting is biblically mandated and an essential, nonnegotiable aspect of our ministry as the Diocese
  • Culture- a church planting culture celebrates planters, values risk, and uses all of its communication platforms to normalize the work of church planting
  • Collaboration- we can do this better together as a Province than we can as lone wolves
  • Constructs- church planting must be intentionally pursued and it needs specific systems to see it happen
    1. Strategic Oversight- someone has to initiate and oversee the rest of the systems and help create the culture of church planting in the Diocese
    2. Leadership Pipeline- raising up new church planters (examples of tools are residency programs and internships)
    3. Assessment- studies have shown that proper assessment process help get the right planters into the field in healthy ways
    4. Training- we need to find ways to equip the planters with the tools they need for their work (bootcamps, etc)
    5. Coaching- coaching is one of the primary indicators of success for church planters
    6. Funding- this includes both Diocesan strategies and individual fundraising training
    7. Ongoing Support- developing systems for the relational, educational, spiritual support planters need throughout their planting work

Want to learn more?

1. Planter Discernment

  1. Pray

  2. Hear God’s Calling

2. Initial Contact

  1. Fill out the contact form here

  2. Once the contact form has been received, the Diocesan leadership will send an email to arrange for an initial phone call.

  3. The initial phone call serves as the first level of discernment. There is no set agenda for this call except to informally hear the person’s story and ask questions about their interest in church planting.

3. Assessment

  1. If it is determined that the applicant should move forward in the process, the applicant will fill out the pre-assessment questions.

  2. Have a phone interview with a Diocesan church planting leader to determine if the candidate is a potential fit for the Diocese.

  3. The Planter/Location fit assessment, Lifeway Church Planters assessment, and reference forms are sent to the the church planting candidate.

  4. The Planter sends the reference form to three people (non-family) who will speak honestly about the candidate. The completed forms are electronically sent to the Canon for Church Planting.

  5. Send a link or an audio file of a sermon that was recently preached.

  6. After the Planter/Location fit assessment, Lifeway Church Planters assessment, and reference forms are completed, a face-to-face assessment interview is scheduled and candidate’s references are contacted.

  7. Face-to-face interview

  8. After the assessment, the applicant will receive feedback and the leadership team’s recommendation.

4. Pre-Launch

  1. Get Connected Locally- Build relationships with other Anglican churches, leadership, and other planters in the area.

  2. Get Training- Get equipped to plant a healthy church.

  3. Find a Coach- Get connected relationally with someone in the diocese for regular calls and mentoring.

  4. Develop a Strategic Ministry Plan (Prospectus)- Put together a strategic plan for the church plant. This includes timeline, finances, ministry plan, demographics, launch team, marketing, and discipleship needed for a healthy church plant.

  5. Build the Infrastructure- Build out the ministry leaders and teams, support systems, and ministries.

5. Current Plants

  1. Launch a church- Execute the strategic plan, build a launch team, conduct a soft-launch season, and launch the church.

  2. Team up and Multiply- Coordinate with other Anglican churches in the area, network, develop of culture of church planting, train others, help plant other churches.

Download DRM Church Planting Manual

The Diocese of the Rocky Mountains Church Planting Manual

 

Office of Church Planting Team

The Rev. Billy Waters
Canon of Church Planting
Colorado

The Rev. Ken Robertson
Colorado

The Rev. Tim Soots
Colorado

The Rev. Aaron Burt
Washington

The Rev. Mark Brians
Hawaii

Contact:

billy@rockymountainanglican.org