Sovereign Grace Church Planting

Sovereign Grace Ministries has recently developed a page dedicated to sharing their church planting philosophy. Here is how their model shapes up:

Four Cornerstones

Built upon the message of the gospel and methods drawn from Scripture, our model of church planting is represented by the acronym ASLA: Assessment, Specialized Training, Launch Support, and Apostolic Care.

1. Assessment in Sovereign Grace is a relational process that uses biblical standards and pastoral observation to attempt to clarify the call of God on a man’s life.

Our model of church planting begins with identifying men who we believe are called by God to plant churches. In Sovereign Grace, we are committed to serving potential church planters through the evaluation of their gifting and character. This assessment begins in the local church, where a man’s sense of call can be evaluated and nurtured by elders who have worked with the potential church planter and know what is required for ministry.

Early in the assessment process, a body of teaching geared to prospective pastors comes into play, including “Am I Called?” from the Perspectives series, and The Summons audio messages. Particular attention is given to the areas represented in the “calling equation,” a series of biblical criteria that can serve as markers of a call to ministry. The grace of God to serve as a church planter will be seen in:

Character +

Capabilities +

Conduct in the Home +

Confirmation in the Church

Evaluation of these areas, with specific emphasis on the preaching gift and leadership gift, often produces a profile that clarifies the calling on a man’s life. Regardless of the outcome, we have found that men who enter the assessment process are served as they seek to honor God with their lives.

2. Specialized Training for church planters begins with the development of godly character and includes academic study, practical instruction, and supervised ministry opportunities.

Specialized training, the second component of our model, underscores our conviction that church planters emerge from local churches. We believe that training for a church planter begins in the local church, where a man’s pastors can equip him by providing personalized opportunities for growth in godliness and gifting.

As a man proves faithful in his local church, however, there will likely come opportunities for more-concentrated training: attending the Pastors College of Sovereign Grace Ministries and then serving in a one-year church-planting internship at a Sovereign Grace church. These contexts allow men opportunities to grow in doctrine, character, and experience prior to taking on the responsibility of planting a church. The internship also enables the church planter to focus on issues directly related to the specific church plant, including location, strategy, and development of a team.

Throughout the process of specialized training, three things happen. The leadership qualities necessary for church planting become increasingly obvious. The man gains invaluable experience in loving and serving a church effectively. And perhaps most importantly, his values and character are biblically molded—a profound asset for his family, ministry, and personal life, wherever God may take him in the future.

3. Launch Support refers to the wide range of assistance given to Sovereign Grace church planters, including practical resources, team formation, financial support, and ongoing strategic help.

We are committed to supporting our church plants with practical help and resources in the following ways.

Funding—Grants are designed to carry a new church through its inception and first months of operation until it becomes self-sustaining.

Team-Building—Gifted members of existing churches often relocate to serve on church-planting teams, which play a vital role in supporting new churches.

Administration—Our Administrative Manual for Church Planters offers tools, explanations, and a wealth of information on the mechanics of organizing a church.

Evangelizing—Evangelism teams sent from other churches can help reach the lost, attract new members, and serve the new church.

Partnering—Through ongoing counsel, assistance, and training for church planters, we come alongside the new pastor until a plurality of leaders can be formed, so he does not bear the burden alone.

4. Apostolic Care occurs in the context of a relationship, and is provided by men committed to serving local churches through the ongoing guidance and nurture of churches and church planters.

A biblically sound approach to church planting must be fully integrated with apostolic ministry. At Sovereign Grace we’re particularly careful about how we define and apply the term apostle. Present-day apostles do not pen Scripture or act with the authority of Paul, but they do play an essential role in building the church.

Commissioned by the ascended Christ and armed with the gospel, apostles plant and build local churches for the glory of God. They are more than administrators, and more than pastors gifted to care for other leaders. They also act as pioneers to break new ground. These mobile leaders are supported by local churches, partly for the purpose of traveling in order to explore opportunities for church planting. They help build existing local churches primarily by equipping and caring for pastors.

The apostolic team in Sovereign Grace is also referred to as the leadership team. Every church we plant is started with the involvement of a member of this team, who is committed to serving the church planter.

The ongoing work and unceasing commitment of apostolic care is vital to the health and development of our church plants. On a practical level such care is expressed—well before the new church is even begun—through helping the pastor to choose a location, think strategically, and organize his resources.

When a church is in its infancy, apostolic care is at its most active. An important early goal of every church is for the senior pastor to establish a plurality of leaders in the church. During this time, the pastor regularly receives direct care and counsel from a man on the leadership team. As an eldership plurality is achieved within the church, apostolic care becomes less central and more supplemental. Like the father of an adult son, the apostle remains closely related, occasionally present, but always available to assist.

The delights of church planting generally lead quite quickly to the challenges of church care. So God has established apostles to care for churches, both new and old, until the return of Christ.

In the future, you will find more church planting resources for the church planter, the church-planting team, and the church plant. I am excited about learning more about the Sovereign Grace model. in the meantime, you might want to check out the FAQ page.  I have also added a link to the “Church Planting” sidebar. Good stuff.

UPDATE: Several of the excerpts come from the “Perspectives” Series–a collection of four booklets on mission, church, the minister, and the gospel. These books are available for free in an e-book format (PDF). To download these books, go here.

(HT :: Thabiti Anyabwile)