Ultimately, the call and development of a church planter is the work of the Spirit. However, we follow best practices to nurture a healthy church plant with a healthy church planter. We often cluster them with the acrostic ACTS.
Assessment
Prayer
Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” The effectual, fervent prayer of a body of people is what is necessary to transform Canada. We are asking everyone to set their alarms for 10:02am to pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send workers (Luke 10:2).
Discernment Process
C2C helps planters to discern their calling, vision and capacity to plant a church. We walk with them, as a shepherd, to help them make one of the most important decisions of their lives.
Assessment
C2C collective provides a formal Assessment Centre with many seasoned leaders to measure a candidate’s capacity according to our Ten Dimensions of a Church Planter, and to provide a roadmap to help them move forward faithfully.
Coaching
Gospel Coaching
Every church planter is encouraged to have a gospel coach who will meet with the planter monthly to shepherd and equip in personal, spiritual, and missional aspects of their lives. C2C can provide that coaching if requested.
Training
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships are encouraged prior to launching the new church. This on-ramping allows the planter the time necessary to prepare properly as outlined in the roadmap from Assessment, and to develop a core group.
Training
C2C offers training through a learning community of fellow planters in Incubator, a 16-module church planting school. We also offer regional events like Cadres to encourage planters to get to know each other for fellowship, prayer, and encouragement.
Support
Task Force
C2C works with the planter to establish a temporary external leadership team to give oversight, accountability and support to the planter and church, to allow appropriate time to develop internal leadership.
Coaching
Coaches have demonstrated that they are invaluable to church planters and church-planting systems, and to leaders in general.
Coaching is regularly engaging a planter in an intentional gospel conversation with focused discussions about a planter’s personal, spiritual, relational, and missional life.
Size is a common indicator used to evaluate the health of a new church. Though size is not a complete measure of health, achieving a critical mass is essential for survivability. According to Ed Stetzer, church planters with coaches lead churches that are 12 percent larger during the first year, 13 percent during the second year, 16 percent during the third year, and 25 percent during the fourth year.
A C2C Gospel Coach commits to walk alongside each of the planters in a shepherding posture to help them journey toward their objectives, goals, and ministry health. Our C2C coaches help planters to develop a personalized Gospel Life Plan and commit to three areas of a planter’s development:
Spiritual development
Strategy development
Leadership development
C2C also provides opportunities for peer coaching — increasing survivability by 135%, according to research.
