Tag: church planting networks

In the News: Austin Church Planting and City Renewal

Posted on December 14, 2008

The Austin Statesman ran a piece on downtown churches that are committed to renewing the city. The cool thing is that Eileen connected it to other church planting efforts in our local network PlantR.org. Here’s an excerpt:

Some are part of a local church planting network that includes about 40 leaders who aim to spread the message of Jesus throughout the city — not just within the walls of already established churches — and to be a renewing presence both socially and spiritually. These churches are cropping up all over the Austin area, but for some leaders, downtown venues hold a particular appeal.

Similar efforts are happening in cities such as Minneapolis and Seattle where church leaders have established sanctuaries in downtown bars, coffeehouses and warehouses.

Jonathan Dodson, pastor of Austin City Life, said his congregation chooses to worship on “common cultural ground,” the idea being “the church goes to the city. The city does not go to the church.”

Oh, and Austin City Life is covered in about a third of the article. Read the rest here.

Austin PlantR Network

Posted on November 17, 2008

plantrcard

This is a promotional card for the Austin Area Church PlantR Network. PlantR for short! The PlantR Network exists to catalyze a Christ-centered, context-sensitive church planting movement for social and spiritual renewal of Austin and beyond.

PlantR is a trans-denominational network committed to helping church planters plant and reproduce healthy missional churches. In 2009, we will be implementing more of the vision as we seek to catalyze a Christ-centered movement in three primary ways: networking, resourcing, and encouraging planters among all peoples in the greater Austin area.

Network: We are committed to networking planters through monthly meetings, online forums, and annual conferences in order to promote shared learning, resources, encouragement, and the mission of Christ.

Resource: We are committed to resourcing planters through up-to-date demographics, missiology, best practices, monthly speakers and resource swapping.

Encourage: We are committed to encouraging planters by facilitating a community of planters that care for one another through regular prayer and encouragement.

plantr-card_page_2

Keep an eye on our website as we increase the content and morph the site in the weeks and months to come.

PS: Design by Ben Hansen and photography by Jen Cota

City-wide Church Planting Networks

Posted on March 20, 2008

We are in the foundational stages of establishing the Austin Area Church Planters Network. The network has grown out of a group of cross-denominational planters intent on learning from one another and catalyzing a church planting movement in the Austin area. After eight months as a grassroots movement, the AACPN is now formalizing in order to strategically facilitate a Christ-centered, context-sensitive church planting movement for social and spiritual renewal of Austin and beyond. The purpose of this emerging network is to inspire, network, and resource church planters.

The potential of this organization is inestimable. There is an incredible level of kingdom-mindedness among evangelicals in Austin. Our board is comprised of a diverse group, four church leaders and four planters, including representatives from Hill Country Bible, ABBA, First Evangelical Free, & ABA. Here are some of the benefits for developing a network like this in your city:

 

Benefits of a Network

· Offering City-wide Planter Assessment

· Networking with other planters

· Shared cultural, demographic knowledge of the city

· Shared Best practices

· Learning the church planting landscape in the city

· Kingdom Cooperation

  • Developing strong pastoral relationships and accountability

· Connecting established missional leaders with new planters

· Directing visitors who don’t fit your church to other church plants

· Catalyzing a cross-denominational church planting movement

If any readers are aware of similar networks in other cities, please feel free to leave a link in the comments section. We are eager to learn from others who are doing similar things.

Austin Church Planters Network

Posted on October 18, 2007

I am very encouraged by the grassroots formation of an Austin Church Planters Network. Ben Overby recently compiled a directory and asked me to write an introductory blurb (below). If planters in all cities could come together across denominational lines to seek the good of the city and the glory of God, Christ-centered movements of social and spiritual renewal could spread quickly!

Church planters are often their own best resource. Just as anecdotal information is critical in our attempts to understand culture, so also shared Austin church planting stories can serve to strengthen and refine our church plants. This community of church planters has formed and is forming with a common understanding that we need each other, not only for our individual ministries but also to catalyze a citywide movement of churches planting churches. Though far from formalized, the Austin Area Church Planters Network is attempting to network, resource, and encourage church planters in the Austin area in order to facilitate a Christ-centered, context sensitive church planting movement for social and spiritual renewal of Austin and beyond.