# Reformed Church Planting



## PhillipJLee (Apr 1, 2014)

Greetings all! I'm not sure if this is the right section for this thread but I am wondering if any church planters would be willing to share their planting experience? If the church was planted through a denomination, what was your experience like and what would you have changed during your process of planting?

SDG


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## jwithnell (Apr 1, 2014)

I'm a little puzzled by: "If the church was planted through a denomination." I had the wonderful experience of being part of the PCA church plant in Statesboro, GA (actually started before it even had a planting pastor) and was thrilled to watch a sister OPC church planted here in Virginia. In each case, the surrounding presbyteries played vital roles until the churches could form their own sessions and be particularized.


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## PhillipJLee (Apr 1, 2014)

jwithnell said:


> I'm a little puzzled by: "If the church was planted through a denomination." I had the wonderful experience of being part of the PCA church plant in Statesboro, GA (actually started before it even had a planting pastor) and was thrilled to watch a sister OPC church planted here in Virginia. In each case, the surrounding presbyteries played vital roles until the churches could form their own sessions and be particularized.



That phrase was added in case some of non-connectional friends planted an independently Reformed church. Good to hear -- could you share any practical steps to working towards preparing for, thinking about, praying about, etc. church planting? What were some things you did that made the process easier and more "effective"? Looking for some practical things to consider


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## Hamalas (Apr 1, 2014)

There are two guys in our Presbytery that are currently planting churches. If you'd like I could get you their contact info, I'm sure they'd be happy to share their experiences.


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## Edward (Apr 1, 2014)

Are you writing a term paper, interested in getting involved in church planting, or just curious? There are probably few folks that know more about church planting than Brad Bradley at MNA.


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## PhillipJLee (Apr 2, 2014)

Hamalas said:


> There are two guys in our Presbytery that are currently planting churches. If you'd like I could get you their contact info, I'm sure they'd be happy to share their experiences.





Edward said:


> Are you writing a term paper, interested in getting involved in church planting, or just curious? There are probably few folks that know more about church planting than Brad Bradley at MNA.



Thanks for the follow up -- the interest is more personal as I have been feeling a call to church plant for some years now; however, I am wondering (a) what is the Reformed Presbyterian versus Baptist view of church planting? And (b) what are some practical steps to take to apply this theology here-and-now as I prepare myself for the possibility of church planting?

Thanks again!


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## JML (Apr 2, 2014)

Even as a Baptist, I do not think it is Biblical to plant a church apart from denominational leadership or in Reformed Baptist circles an association such as ARBCA. Therefore, in my opinion, individuals should not plant churches on their own nor do I think it proper for a single church to plant another church without some sort of denominational or associational oversight. Church planters need to be vetted by a group of established and sound pastors before planting. Could it work out that they might actually plant a sound church in an area that needs one? Sure. But there are many dangers that outweigh this possibility.

So no matter if one is Baptist or Presbyterian, a person who is interested in church planting needs to be examined as to the gifts of eldership & ability to plant a church before doing anything else (not everyone who is elder material is cut out for church planting).


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## Hamalas (Apr 2, 2014)

PhillipJLee said:


> Hamalas said:
> 
> 
> > There are two guys in our Presbytery that are currently planting churches. If you'd like I could get you their contact info, I'm sure they'd be happy to share their experiences.
> ...



If you'd like to contact the guys I mentioned you can go to their websites and get their info there.

The first church is Anchor of Hope PCA (which is the daughter church of Heartland Community Church PCA, the church of which I am a member) and the other is Manhattan Presbyterian Church which is a plant of the Heartland Presbytery.

Anchor of Hope Presbyterian Church - A Presbyterian Church in America
The Manhattan Project |The Manhattan Project


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## Gforce9 (Apr 2, 2014)

John Lanier said:


> Even as a Baptist, I do not think it is Biblical to plant a church apart from denominational leadership or in Reformed Baptist circles an association such as ARBCA. Therefore, in my opinion, individuals should not plant churches on their own nor do I think it proper for a single church to plant another church without some sort of denominational or associational oversight. Church planters need to be vetted by a group of established and sound pastors before planting. Could it work out that they might actually plant a sound church in an area that needs one? Sure. But there are many dangers that outweigh this possibility.
> 
> So no matter if one is Baptist or Presbyterian, a person who is interested in church planting needs to be examined as to the gifts of eldership & ability to plant a church before doing anything else (not everyone who is elder material is cut out for church planting).



I couldn't agree more with what John has expressed. I would add, that as a Presbyerian, having Session/Presbytery/proper Mission group oversight is not negotiable.


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## PhillipJLee (Apr 2, 2014)

John Lanier said:


> Even as a Baptist, I do not think it is Biblical to plant a church apart from denominational leadership or in Reformed Baptist circles an association such as ARBCA. Therefore, in my opinion, individuals should not plant churches on their own nor do I think it proper for a single church to plant another church without some sort of denominational or associational oversight. Church planters need to be vetted by a group of established and sound pastors before planting. Could it work out that they might actually plant a sound church in an area that needs one? Sure. But there are many dangers that outweigh this possibility.
> 
> So no matter if one is Baptist or Presbyterian, a person who is interested in church planting needs to be examined as to the gifts of eldership & ability to plant a church before doing anything else (not everyone who is elder material is cut out for church planting).



Hm, very interesting -- thank you for the insight! Didn't know ARBCA helped with church planting, that's really awesome!



Hamalas said:


> If you'd like to contact the guys I mentioned you can go to their websites and get their info there.
> 
> The first church is Anchor of Hope PCA (which is the daughter church of Heartland Community Church PCA, the church of which I am a member) and the other is Manhattan Presbyterian Church which is a plant of the Heartland Presbytery.
> 
> ...



Thanks for sharing -- I'll shoot them an e-mail! Both responses are much appreciated!


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## JML (Apr 2, 2014)

PhillipJLee said:


> Hm, very interesting -- thank you for the insight! Didn't know ARBCA helped with church planting, that's really awesome!



Yes, here is more info on ARBCA church planting. I see that you are a Presbyterian and I am not trying to convert you but just as an FYI:

Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America > Home Missions


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## PhillipJLee (Apr 2, 2014)

John Lanier said:


> PhillipJLee said:
> 
> 
> > Hm, very interesting -- thank you for the insight! Didn't know ARBCA helped with church planting, that's really awesome!
> ...



Haha no not at all -- thanks for sharing! I will definitely check it out!


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## Jake (Apr 2, 2014)

I found this article from an OP minister regarding RP church planting in Indiana interesting:

Discipleship and Planting Churches - Reformation21

Edit: It interviews two OP pastors, whom I was thinking of, but the article itself is by an ARP minister.


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## Hamalas (Apr 2, 2014)

Jake said:


> I found this article from an OP minister regarding RP church planting in Indiana interesting:
> 
> Discipleship and Planting Churches - Reformation21



What an awesome article. Thanks for posting! (Also, Dr. VanDoodewaard used to be my history professor in college!)


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## Edward (Apr 2, 2014)

While some individual PCA churches have different models, many of the presbyteries are going to want the candidate to go through the denominational assessment center and training. If you haven't done so, you should read through the relevant materials on the Resources tab here: Church Planting | PCA MNA


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## Hamalas (Apr 2, 2014)

Also, the OPC manual on church planting is _essential_ reading on this topic: Orthodox Presbyterian Church


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## PhillipJLee (Apr 8, 2014)

Jake said:


> I found this article from an OP minister regarding RP church planting in Indiana interesting:
> 
> Discipleship and Planting Churches - Reformation21
> 
> Edit: It interviews two OP pastors, whom I was thinking of, but the article itself is by an ARP minister.





Hamalas said:


> Jake said:
> 
> 
> > I found this article from an OP minister regarding RP church planting in Indiana interesting:
> ...





Edward said:


> While some individual PCA churches have different models, many of the presbyteries are going to want the candidate to go through the denominational assessment center and training. If you haven't done so, you should read through the relevant materials on the Resources tab here: Church Planting | PCA MNA





Hamalas said:


> Also, the OPC manual on church planting is _essential_ reading on this topic: Orthodox Presbyterian Church



Thank you all for the excellent feedback! I will be looking into each of these resources carefully! Thank you again as you've provided precisely what I was hoping to find!


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