North American Church Planting Seminar This Week

Drew Goodmanson alerted me to what looks like an excellent conference I have never heard of.  It is the North America Church Planting Seminar, and it is taking place week (July 23-27) and is being hosted at Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis, MN) where John Piper is pastor.  David Wayne will also be there blogging the conference.  Here is a summary description of the conference:

The North America Church Planting Seminar is an inter-denominational training event designed to equip church planters, coaches and supervisors to start, grow and multiply healthy, gospel-centered churches that result in the spiritual, social and cultural transformation of entire cities and regions. Christian leaders from more than 30 countries, representing over 100 denominations and mission agencies, have taken this church planter training. Plenary presentations, peer-group discussions, practical workshops and leadership forums will allow participants to formulate their own “culturally contextualized” values, mission, and church planting strategy. The Seven Seasons of Church Planting will be surveyed from pre-birth to reproduction. The North America Conference, this same training plus a fuller offering of Advanced Workshops, is also offered in Orlando, Florida every January.

The conference has both basic and advanced training sessions.  The basic training sessions include:

* Clarifying the church planter’s vision
* Confirming the church planter’s call
* Determining the church ministry focus
* Clarifying the church purpose & mission
* Developing the church values & styles
* Designing the church strategies & structures
* Creating the church ministry models & plans
* Creating & refining a church planting proposal
* Establishing a core group & launch team
* Mentoring church ministry lay leaders & staff
* Developing gospel-centered ministries
* Leading the church to healthy growth
* Managing conflict in the emerging church
* Organizing church finances & administration
* Making the main thing the main thing

Of the 20 Advanced Training Workshops, here are some that caught my attention (and interest), though they all looked good:

Emerging Ministries: Church Planting in the Emerging Culture led by Ed Stetzer, Daniel Montgomery, and Shayne Wheeler

New churches have always been planted on the edge of culture. As culture has changed, so must our missional approaches to church planting. This forum will help you better understand the emerging culture so that you might be more effective in your ministry. Theologically sound and culturally relevant approaches to planting emerging churches will be explored. You will learn ten trends of emerging churches and how they have been effective at reaching people in new churches.

Evangelism (Part 1) – Leading Your Church in Effective Evangelism led by Randy Pope

Evangelism: Leading Your Church in Effective Evangelism

In this workshop you will learn how to be more intentional and effective in developing relationships with non-Christians and how to equip others in your church to do the same. Topics include how to cultivate a kingdom mindset in relationships, how to model the role of pastor as evangelist and how to use the proper “toolset” in evangelism.

Evangelism (Part 2) – Making Room: A Trinitarian Reflection on Evangelism and Cultural Engagement with the Gospel led by Martin Ban

The Gospel compels us to rip our hearts open and make room for very different people in our lives, just as God in Christ has done for us. How do we as church planters do this aggressively without burning out our families or burning bridges with those we lead? By God’s grace, this is can be done well without losing your mind – or your job. The doctrine of the Trinity is the springboard for a lively dialogue in leading the charge to make room for the different “others” in our cities and communities.

Gospel-Centered Preaching—Transformational Communication led by Larry Kirk

Transformational preaching plays a central role in effective church-planting. Gospel-centered preaching is not just evangelistic preaching; it is the application of the gospel to the depths of the heart as both the motivation and means for a transformed life. The importance of Gospel-centered preaching both to grow and shape a healthy church has remained constant in the face of significant changes in today¹s culture. Drawing principles from the best selling book Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chapel and the teaching ministry of Tim Keller (Redeemer Church in NYC), this workshop will help you develop and deliver culturally relevant Christ-centered sermons that communicate the power of the gospel for both believers and non-believers.

Launching: Establishing a Core Group and Launch Team led by Ted Powers

Few aspects of planting a church are more important than the formation of the core group and launch team. It will be decisive in determining the health if not the very success of the plant. In this seminar we will explore what makes for a healthy core group and launch team, the difference between the two, and the key steps involved in forming and developing them up to the point of beginning of public worship services.

Mercy—Developing Ministries of Mercy in the City led by Randy Nabors:

The local church has great potential to bless the poor and should be seen as the engine of mercy ministry in your city. The goal of this workshop is to provide you with practical ways to mobilize your new church for the work of mercy and justice ministries—which are so often tragically neglected by church leaders today. The focus of this workshop will be on equipping you with practical resources to help train your church leaders (including deacons) to oversee and do the practical and necessary works of mercy and justice. This workshop will not attempt to make you feel guilty in order to motivate you. But you will be challenged and reminded that the love of Jesus is meant by God to compel us to action on behalf of the poor.

Message and Media: Communicating the Gospel in Our Post-Christian World led by Drew Goodmanson

Session 1: Communication in Our Post-Christian World
The culture is changing and it requires new methods of communication. This session will help you learn how to effectively minister in a post-Christian context. Come learn the 1) five values of this Post-Christian generation, the 2) ten idols that enslave them and 3) effective ways to communicate the eternal and unchanging gospel message.

Session 2: The Internet & The Sovereignty of God
Pax Romana, the Gutenberg printing press and the internet. God has used major technological and cultural shifts to bring sweeping change. As our culture moves increasingly online, this session will help your church effectively use the internet to be missionaries to unbelievers, gather the unchurched and connect with your community. Come learn how to use this powerful tool to change the community in which you are called to plant a church.

Networks: Developing A Regional Planting Network led by Steve Childers & Tom Wood:

This workshop will focus on the development of certain “essential components” necessary for establishing a regional church planting network that will result in the spiritual, social and cultural renewal of a region. These “New Church Network (NCN) Components” include vision, spiritual dynamics, assessment, coaching, training, resourcing, etc. Essential steps needed for the development of these components will be explored. Practical insights will be drawn from Steve and Tom’s personal experiences in establishing and directing regional church planting networks in Central Florida and North Georgia.

Treasuring Christ Together: A Model for New Churches Developed by Bethlehem Baptist Church led by Kenny StokesThe seminar will provide an overview of the model for new churches that are planted by Bethlehem Baptist. In aiming to plant churches, Bethlehem aims to reproduce churches that gladly embrace a common over-arching mission and a clear doctrinal affirmation for church elders, and aim to live out the mission and doctrine in 10 dimensions of biblical church life that are specific to the new church and its particular context.