Earlier this year, Mission to North America unveiled its plan to increase the number of churches in the PCA from 1,900 to over 3,000 in the next 10 years. One of the events designed to further this goal is the upcoming Church Planting Summit, which will be held Jan. 22-24 on the Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte campus. The summit will focus on pipeline development: strategies for church leaders to increase church planting efforts in their own contexts.
MNA defines a ‘pipeline’ as “an intentional system to identify, disciple, and send out leaders in our churches in such a way as to maximize their giftedness.”
“What we’re doing is not a conference,” says Chris Vogel, MNA’s church planting and vitality coordinator. “There aren’t lectures because, at the summit, everyone who is there is, to some degree, an expert in their field.”
While events like MNA church planting assessment are designed for prospective church planters, the summit is intended for church leaders who are looking to bring new strategies into their local church, presbytery, or church planting network. There will be a presentation on creative pipeline development at each level, and attendees will break into discussion groups to workshop ideas with one another.
Church: Summit 2024 will feature the work of University Reformed Church in Michigan, which has a strong emphasis on raising up future pastors from within the congregation and providing residency opportunities for pastoral candidates. Vogel says that a number of churches that are sending attendees to the summit want to implement the same kind of residency programs.
Presbytery: The summit will examine the success of the PCA’s Wisconsin Presbytery, which has had both numerical church growth and an increase of ministry candidates in recent years. Wisconsin has seen a fourfold increase of their churches, growing from 6 churches to 24 in 12 years. Vogel, who is also the On Wisconsin network director, says that in six years Wisconsin churches have gone from having no men in the pipeline preparing for ministry in 2017 to now having 45.
Network: The Florida Church Planting Network will be the case study for church planting at the organizational level. A network that spans multiple presbyteries is helpful, especially in cases where a presbytery’s MNA committee is struggling to gather momentum for church planting. “Presbyteries can often benefit greatly from the collaborative effort that a network can provide,” says Vogel. Network members Drew Bennett, Lyle Caswell, and Tim Rice will showcase the help they’ve been able to provide Florida presbyteries and their church planting work.
The summit’s focus on developing pipelines is one part of a larger vision to better prepare the PCA for the work of the church that lies ahead. Vogel pointed to several prongs in MNA’s approach to reaching its church planting goals.
— Population growth: In the coming years, the United States population is expected to grow by 50% (from 300 million to 450 million by 2070), and the majority of the new population will be immigrants and their children. MNA has a refugee and immigrant ministry, but is seeking to train and equip ministers who can serve immigrant populations, including pastors who may not have English as a first language.
— Ministry Contexts: Part of MNA’s strategic plan is finding and equipping church planters for the contexts they are well suited to. For example, a pastor who has lots of experience in a rural setting will be well equipped to handle a church plant in a rural area.
— Denominational outreach: There are opportunities for the PCA to reach out to churches who do not have a strong emphasis on Christ-centered preaching and leadership, and offer the benefits of the foundation we have on a Christ-centered gospel.
— Church plant funding: A common setback among church planters has to do with the model of church planting they’re operating under. Presbyteries supporting church plants are generally prepared for a three-year budget, but this conventional wisdom no longer works. Presbyteries and church planters need to be prepared for longer and larger fundraising goals.
— RUF: MNA also seeks to help RUF ministers transition smoothly from an RUF context and bring their skills into a multigenerational, long-term ministry setting.
Despite new challenges the PCA will be facing in the future, Vogel is optimistic about MNA’s bold goals. “To see a 50% increase is wonderfully audacious, and we have to recognize that in order for that to happen we have to see new churches started.” says Vogel. “We can only have success by the work of the Spirit, but we must also have intentionality and a plan behind what we do…we have to be asking who we are and where we are.”
To register for the Church Planting Summit, visit pcamna.org/events/church-planting-summit-2024/, or for more information, contact Chris Vogel at cvogel@pcanet.org.