Supporting a Church Plant
At any time, there are church planters in Montana that you and/or your church can support in a number of ways. Through supporting, every church can have a part in planting new churches. The level to which your church becomes involved is up to you. There are three basic levels of involvement, and all are extremely important.
3 Support Levels
Supporting Church
A Supporting Church partners with a church plant through praying, participating and/or providing (explained more below). Often there will be multiple supporting churches partnering with a particular plant, helping to meet a variety of needs.
Sending Church
A Sending Church is responsible for a new church plant until the plant is self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-propagating. A church planter “sent” out of his local congregation benefits from the support of his church recognizing the call on his life to plant a church, invests time and resources to help him prepare to enter a field of ministry, and continues the support during the planting process. There is a personal relationship and a recognized responsibility for the planter by the church that sends him out.
Multiplying Church
A Multiplying Church is committed to an intentional process for discovering, developing, and deploying missionary leaders for North America and the world. A multiplying church has a vision to reach other communities through evangelism and church planting. There is an intentional process to equip members to discover their gifts, calling, and potential roles in ministry, one of which may be to plant a new church.
How To Support a Church Plant
Praying
A Praying Church commits to praying specifically for a planter, city and region.
Participating
A Participating Church participates in church planting by involving its members personally in ministry with the church planter. For example, your church may want to send mission teams to assist church plants or seek to mobilize individuals within your church to be sent as short-term or long-term missionaries as a part of the planting team.
Providing
As a church develops a closer relationship with a church planter, some find that there are other tangible needs for which they can provide. If your church is able to participate in this way you could have the opportunity to provide for some of the specific needs many church plants have during their critical first years. This may be through financial support for the planter and his family, ministry expenses for the new plant, helping to acquire materials for Bible studies or worship services, or outreach events, etc.
Your Next Step to Support a Church Plant
To get started, go to the https://mtsbc.org/plant-church/ website and read about church planters in Montana. Contact a planter and talk about possible supporting opportunities and how your church can partner with a new church. You can also begin praying for a listed “Potential Plant,” which is a community that would benefit and be blessed by the start of a new church in that area.
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