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Sovereign Grace Ministries

How
We
Help
Church
Planters.

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The Process

1 Assessment

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Our church-planting process is
designed to set church planters up for
success. We try to think about that
success not in terms of five-year plans,
but in terms of 50 years. We want to have
something meaningful to hand over to the
next generation. Gospel success means
gospel transferthat the good news of
Jesus Christ would be shared with the
members and neighbors of every church
plant, and with the generations to come.

Thats why our church-planting
process takes time. Heres an overview.
It wont look the same for everyone, but
every church planter goes through these
essential stages in some way.

Our first step is to lead a potential
church planter through a biblical
assessment of his gifting, character, and
calling.

Within Sovereign Grace Ministries,
elders in local churches identify and
evaluate men who may be called to
church planting. The elders give particular
attention to a series of biblical criteria
that can be markers of a call to ministry,
with a specific emphasis on preaching
and leadership gifts.

If youre not part of a Sovereign Grace
church, you can begin the assessment
process by filling out a personal profile at
our website. This will connect you with
our Church Planting Group and
with a Sovereign Grace regional leader
for ongoing assessment.

1 Assessment of gifting, character, and

calling, guided by the qualifications

Scripture provides for elders
2 Training through our ten-month

Pastors College program and church
planting residencies
3 Launch support, both from nearby

Sovereign Grace churches and from

our Church Planting Group
4 Care for the church planter as he

leads the church

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2 Training

3 Launch

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Men identified as church-planting
candidates enter a leadership
development track in preparation for
attending our Pastors College. If youre
a member of a Sovereign Grace church,
this usually involves ministry leadership
under the evaluation of a pastor. If youre
not a Sovereign Grace church member, it
is more likely to take the form of a formal,
funded church-planting internship at one
of our regional base churches.

Church-planting candidates then
apply to attend our Pastors College for
ten months of strategic training. This
includes not only theological curriculum,
but also a dedicated church-planting
track. In addition, students assist
with and observe ministry at a nearby
Sovereign Grace church for the duration
of their enrollment.

During these months the leadership
qualities and preaching gift necessary
for church planting become increasingly
obvious. You gain invaluable experience
in loving and serving a church effectively.
And perhaps most important, your values
and character are biblically moldeda
profound asset for your family, ministry,
and personal life, wherever God may take
you in the future.

After graduating from the Pastors
College, church-planting candidates
enter a residence program at a Sovereign
Grace church. In addition to other
ministry responsibilities, residents
continue their preparation through
our Church Planting Groups training
program, completion of a church-planting
plan, and use of our church-planting
guide. You may also attend a regional
church-planting training program.

During this time youll also work
with Sovereign Grace leaders to build a
team, research locations, work on your
initial budget, and complete other critical
preparation.

When all this is complete, you and
your church-planting team begin public
meetings and local outreach.

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4 Care

Your Next Step

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Every new church planter receives
care, guidance, and support from
Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Early support may take various forms:

Interested in planting a church
with Sovereign Grace Ministries? Visit
SovereignGraceMinistries.org/
church-planting to see our Statement
of Faith, learn about our church practices,
and fill out a personal profile.

Financial grants designed to carry a

new church through its inception

and first months of operation
Gifted members of existing

churches relocating to help

establish the new church
Administrative tools and training to

ease the paperwork burden
Evangelism teams from nearby

churches helping in local outreach

efforts
Ongoing counsel, assistance, and

training for the pastor from

Sovereign Graces regional leaders

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7505 Muncaster Mill Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20877
800 736 2202
SovereignGraceMinistries.org

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