Between now and 2030, Denton County’s population is projected to surpass one million people. It is predicted that at least 260,000 new people will call our county home. These new residents will be buying houses that have yet to be built.  They will be a part of communities that have yet to be developed. They will be reached by new churches that have yet to be started.

It has become apparent to me that if all of our churches grew significantly, we would still not be able to meet the demand of this influx of growth. This will require more churches to be planted by our existing churches.  In an attempt to be proactive in addressing this need, I attended a church planter training hosted by the North American Mission Board (the SEND Network) in August of 2016.  I became a certified trainer of “Multiply Planter Training.”

The Multiply curriculum was developed to address at least three issues that seem to plague planters:

1. Sense of Isolation – Planters tend to suffer from a sense of isolation due to the fact that many of them have been on previous church staffs and now they are the only staff person. The training confronts this issue by creating a natural cohort where the participants can get to know each other, share their struggles and coach each other.
2. Inadequate Training – Many planters begin planting with little or no training in how to start a church. This material enables us as an association to provide practical information and experience that prepares the planter for greater success.
3. Church Multiplication – The material offers a challenge for the planter in the future. Each new church will be encouraged to start churches. As a church develops this value, they will be driven to continue the cycle of planting so that it moves them into a multiplication strategy.

As I looked at the curriculum more closely, I realized that I needed to test drive it in our association before implementing it into our overall strategy.  In May of this year I recruited three planters to participate in our first group training.  They were: Matthew Burk, church planter of Harvest Baptist Mission, Aubrey Tracy and Debbie Collom, church planting team for Life Ministries at Lakeside;  Trey Teel, church planter at Renovate Church, Saginaw.  Each of these people were willing to spend six to eight hours in outside preparation and then attend a five-hour biweekly training. Charles Kiser, Director of Training for Mission Alive, hosted this training with me.  We met together for eleven sessions and completed the training on October 13.  Here are a few comments from the training:

The Multiply Training was fantastic! Not only were we exposed to excellent training material, but we also developed a bond within our cohort of support and prayer that I’ll carry with me far beyond the training.  –  Charles Kiser

Multiply provided a great framework and foundation for starting a church in any context.  It was a tool that God used to speak to me as I received affirmation and clarification from Him.  I also really enjoyed the small group atmosphere and personal attention, the wisdom I received from the coaches,  and the relationships built throughout the training.   –  Trey Teel

As you can see both the participant and the leader benefited from the experience.  It is my goal that we would institute this training as a regular part of the planter process. By providing this training, we will be preparing the planter for greater success. As more churches are planted, we will be better positioned and prepared to reach those that God is bringing to our area.

This effort will require planters and planting churches to reach this ever growing population. If you are interested in planting a church either as a planter or a sponsoring church, please fill out the Church Planting Application  or contact the DBA office: 940-498-5200.