Saddleback’s goal is to start at least 100 new churches a year by the end of Decade of Destiny. If this sounds ambitious, it should! “Currently no other church in the country is planting new churches at this rate,” said David Alford, director of Saddleback’s soon to be initiated school for training church planters. David and other Saddleback leaders have been traveling the country for the past few months to glean from the expertise of other churches, networks, denominations, and individual church planters.
“We were seeking ‘best practices’ to learn what’s working successfully.” David said. “The most pressing issue we uncovered was the need for trained leaders.” Not just a few, but a profusion of leaders: talented and gifted people called by God to be church planters.
“They are here!” David said. “We know that because when God wants to do something, he calls leaders. Sometimes he calls those leaders from unexpected places. We think this may be one of those times. We need to provide a way for people to consider the possibility that God may be calling them into this form of ministry.”
David and the team anticipate that gifted leaders who have never before thought of themselves as church planters will to begin to consider the possibility. “Church planting is one of the most challenging and significant things that someone can do with their life. Our job will be to raise awareness of the opportunity and provide ways for people to explore the possibility. We’re eager to see what God will do.”
Potential church planters will be strong entrepreneurial leaders with a passion for reaching people for Christ. They may come from different backgrounds, different age groups, and different levels of experience. The critical factor is a clear call from God to lead a church. Beyond that we want to remove the obstacles to church planting by providing opportunities for people to explore and test their call,” David said.
To do that, the school will likely offer one part-time program designed to allow people to explore church planting without having to leave their current job. The program will include a combination of training and supervised ministry activity. The program will not be limited to Orange County. For people outside the area who want to explore church planting, the program will be offered through short intensive training sessions every few months, and supervised ministry activity at their church. “God might be drawing someone from, say, Texas, who has a burden for their community. We want to help them confirm their call wherever they are,” he added.
Who are all these people? “We don’t know who they are yet, but we know they are here.” Starting 100 new churches a year is more than ambitious, it is achievable!
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