I came on board as the Church Planter Associate at the end of 2021. Since our 2022 Church Planter Cohort, we have trained 27 brothers. It has been a great joy to watch these men sharpen their theology, develop as pastors, and clarify their vision for church planting. We have witnessed the launch of some of the most successful church plants in the state.
I am also grateful to serve with faithful pastors in our association. For example, Pastor Matthew Harding is using his PhD in historical theology to teach theology lessons. Pastor Brandon McCarroll teaches on pastoral care and counseling. Pastor Justin Jester teaches on evangelism strategies and disciple-making pathways. Pastor Joe Fields teaches on leadership and empowering disciple makers. We have a strong team training the next generation of planters.
As we step into fall, I am entering another recruiting season. I am beginning to speak with pastors about joining our 2026 cohort. This year, we are implementing the finished Send Network 3.0 training. We are also exploring the addition of a prospectus project as the ultimate outcome of the training. Finally, we are working to improve the relationships between our planters and their mentors.
Please share this article on your social media feeds as a way of helping us recruit new planters. Please also pray that the Lord brings another strong group in 2026. Please pray that God will also raise up new sponsoring churches and mentors to help these brothers plant healthy churches.