Major Objective I: PREPARATION THROUGH PRAYER
Enlist prayer networks that will commit to pray for each people group/place and for each church planter for at least 2 years.
Task A: RECRUIT PRAYER TEAMS
Recruit 100 people to pray regularly for each proposed church plant and an additional 100 people as
each church plant approaches the implementation stage
Task B: MOBILIZE PRAYER TEAMS
Prayer walking teams will be utilized to confirm the location of new church sites, develop the sites
spiritually and disciple the new church in prayer disciplines.
Task C: COMMUNICATE CHURCH PLANTING PRAYER NEEDS
The prayer teams and partner churches will be notified regularly by e-mail and hard copy. Recruitment
materials and prayer grams will be developed to encourage new participants.
Major Objective II: LOCATE AND CLUTIVATE PLANT SITES
Identify people groups/places for new church plants
Task A: IDENTIFY TARGET GROUPS AND COMMUNITY NEEDS
The CP Network team will write, test and utilize community and plant site surveys to identify where the
Father is at work and identify the needs of the parishioners in those areas.
Task B: IDENTIFY PLANT PLANS OF NON SBC ENTITIES IN PLANT SITES
The CP Network team will be actively involved in the New England church planting community and make
every attempt to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and work in unison with other evangelical church
planting efforts.
Task C: DO TARGET EVANGELISM AND DETERMINE RECEPTIVITY
The CP Network team will conduct regional events for the development of prospect lists and evaluating
receptivity in potential plant sites.
Task D: DETERMINE PLANT SITE RESOURCES
The CP Network team will train mission teams and church planters to evaluate and locate resources
which God has already provided in the plant communities.
Major Objective III: AQUIRE ADEQUATE PARTNERS
We will enlist a local parent church and adequate additional partners for each church plant. These partners will
covenant with the new churches to provide sufficient people, prayers and finances for the establishment and
development of healthy new churches.
Task A: COMMUNICATE CHURCH PLANTING GOALS
Church planting needs and goals will be posted and continually updated on the Southeastern New
England Baptist Association website and pertinent links. These same goals and needs will be relayed to all
partners and participating entities.
Task B: IDENTIFY & ENLIST BOTH PARENT & PARTNER CHURCHES
The CP Network team will work through existing SBC networks to identify potential parent and partner
churches. Materials, training and resources will be provided to assess and equip potential partners to fully
utilize their talents and resources in a church starting venture.
Task C: MAKE PERSONAL CONTACT WITH PARTNERS
The CP Network team will actively participate in the creation of a church environment within the area
churches. Partnership weekends for primary partners and the plant team they are supporting will be
orchestrated to assure total church awareness and involvement in church planting.
Task D: FACILITATE & EXECUTE PARTNERSHIP COVENANTS
Covenant documents will be produced that define the responsibilities of various parties involved in
the church planting effort (i.e. Sponsor churches, partner churches, coaches, mentors, etc.).
Task E: DEVELOP & FACILITATE MULTIPLYING CHURCH NETWORKS
The CP Network team will work through existing networks and organizations (Association groups,
prayer groups, pastor’s meetings, etc.) to organize the existing churches into groups of churches willing
to accept responsibility for and pursue church planting in their region.
Major Objective IV: NETWORK & TO TRAIN CHURCHES, PLANTERS & MENTORS
The CP Network team will equip planters for effective ministry. New England sensitive foundational and developmental training for sponsoring churches and church planters will be developed and provided for each church planting effort. Mentors will be assessed and provided for each church planter who will also have a church planting coach. Each planter will unite with a functioning Church Planter’s Network relative to his area for continued training and peer mentoring.
Task A: PROVIDE CHURCH PLANTER TRAINING
All churches and church planters will be trained to deal will the multi-faceted process of establishing
a lasting new work. The basic concepts of “how to” start a new church will be taught along with other
concepts such as administration, taxes, time management, family life, real estate, leadership,
churchmanship, mentoring, next level training, etc.. Many resources will also be provided to strengthen
their spiritual disciplines and increase their knowledge of the Word.
Task B: ESTABLISH MENTORING AND CHURCH PLANTER NETWORKS
A network of mentors will be trained in order that each church planter have someone who has planted a
church in his context to walk with him though the first 12-18 months of the plant process. Each planter
will be trained to serve as mentor for future planters.
Task C: PROVIDE CONTINUING PASTORAL EDUCATION
Partnering churches and church planters will benefit from the resources and ongoing training events
provided them through the Church Planting Network.
Task D: PROVIDE TRAINING / RESOURCES FOR CONTEXTUAL EVANGELISM, OUTREACH & PRAYER
These things will be accomplished through training events and mentoring programs.
Task E: PROVIDE TRAINING/RESOURCES FOR SMALL GROUP IMPLEMENTATION
Each plant team will be trained to establish and lead small group Bible studies and / or small affinity
groups pertinent to community needs. Plant teams will also be provided with resources for six small group
studies to utilize during the hectic first months of the plant.
Major Objective V: Transplant New Churches
The Church Planting Network will place God called planters in church planting fields. These planters will lead the effort to establish churches that intend to consistently reproduce themselves until each community
in Southeastern New England in need of a healthy evangelical church has one. The CP team will locate, assess,
resource and deploy planters with regard to their calling, talents and abilities. Each planter will be assisted in
the development of a complete plant plan which will include a summary of the communities need, a plant model
and methodology, an evaluation of the community systems, a budget, a growth plan, a plant summary,
etc... Field preparation by the CP team and its partners coupled with planter training will enable the planters to enter the plant process at full speed.
Task A: IDENTIFY, ASSESS AND APPOINT CHURCH PLANTERS
The CP Network team will develop a recruiting and enlistment process for church planters which will
inform them of priorities, process and requirements for church planting. New England sensitive
assessments and interview processes will be used to identify the church planting skills and experience of
the candidates. Background and reference checks will be employed to ascertain any chinks in their
spiritual armor. Intern and mentoring programs will be established for planters needing experience and
development.
Task B: APPOINT TEAMS TO SITES
Location, leading and leadership are critical issues in the church planting process. A gifted church planter
must be led of the Holy Spirit to the intended site for a new church if the plant is to succeed. The
potential plant sites will be assessed by the CP Network team and its partners. Approved plant teams will
visit the area and prayerfully discern exactly where they should start a new church.
Task C: RESOURCE THE PLANT TEAMS
Assistance and resources will be provided to enable each plant team to produce an adequate plant
strategy and implementation plan. Partnerships will be developed to provide prayer, people and provision
for the new church. The plant team will raise a portion of its resources and the CP Network will assist in
procuring the balance of its needs.
Task D: START NEW CHURCHES / CHURCH PLANTING CENTERS
The Southeastern New England Planting Network will serve the church planters called to the area by
providing assistance with the application and implementation of the SNEBA Church Planting
Strategy. Covenants will be developed for each plant and adequate training will be provided to each
plant team. Each plant team will be networked into the area church planting effort. Each of these tasks
will lend to the development of a church planting process for the Southeastern New England area that
has the potential to become a church planting movement capable of meeting the need of new churches
throughout the region. Each church plant will have nuances unique to itself but the following basic
process will serve as a guideline for involvement in starting healthy reproducing new churches: 1. Identify
the need – plant sites; 2. Identify the planter; 3. Assess the site and the planter; 4. Prayerfully affirm
the leadership, location and leading; 5. Assist the plant team with strategy development – models,
prospectus, plant plan, etc.; 6. Network the plant team with a mentor, coach and Church Planting
Network; 7. Train the plant team; 8. Resource the plant team with required materials and information; 9.
Assist the plant team with fund raising; 10. Assist with relocation and start-up events; 11. Provide Basic
Training II type event in year two (to establish the state of the church and reset mileposts to
accomplish vision); 12. Assist the new church in starting a new church each year; and 13. Evaluate
progress regularly.
Possible Actions for Task D:
1. Plant five new churches as pilot projects
2. Traditional Plants: one community, plant team, two year self sustaining – self governing – self-propagating goal
3. Planting Centers: responsible for planting a region – plant team – church planting director – up
to five interns @ all times – new interns added as existing split off to launch - self governing,
sustaining, propagating in one year
4. College Plants: responsible for campuses in designated area – plant team – leadership journey
interns - self governing, sustaining, propagating in three years
5. Key Influence Plants – area plant for specific focus group/societal scale – plant team – self
governing, sustaining, propagating TBD by focus group potential
6. Innovative Plants (i.e. Cell Churches): a God-given untraditional approach to starting churches predicated by: the attributes of the plant team; the uniqueness of the location; and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
7. Develop five existing churches into planting centers.
