Exponential 2009

Enjoyed Exponential 2009 -- Erwin and Groeschel were tops.  Met a ton of new people, found some new planters interested in coming to Austin. Bonus round:  Cirque de Soliel with my sweetie was the actual highlight of the whole darn thing!  Still looking for more planters that want to partner with us to reach the Most Creative City in America.

Comments

[Kelly]

What are you looking for in a church planter? How do I get information? What do you mean by partnering?

[John Herrington]

Often people think of church planters along a sliding scale of pastors: The thinking goes that if a megachurch pastor is a Saint Bernard, then a church planter is a Chihuahua. Actually a church planter is more like...a toaster! The skill set that makes a great church planter is not THAT dramatically different, but it makes the point: Being a great speaker or megachurch pastor does not make you a great planter. Many of the skills that make great pastors mitigate against the skills of a planter.

Glenn Smith of New Church Initiatives has unpacked a modernized version of Ridley's original Thirteen Characteristics identified as the common threads of successful planters. They include: Spiritual Vitality, Personal Mastery (Self-awareness and emotional maturity), Family Readiness, Clarity of Calling, Relationship Building, Personal Evangelism, Contextualization Skills, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Resilience, Disciple-making, Leadership Development, and Futuring Skills.

To measure these characteristics, we require an online assessment (see churchplanterprofiles.com) as well as an intensive three-day assessment which creates an environment to observe the candidate in a variety of situations that are designed to reveal his competencies in the thirteen characteristics.

Once we have assessed the candidates, we invite them into a one-year, fully paid residency where they are developed and prepared to launch a church and become a partner in the gospel in Austin.

[KellyKlein]

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