Church Planting Assessment Center

Recently, the Converge Church Planter Assessment Center took place in Converge North Central, hosted by Renovation Church in Blaine, MN. Nine couples from all over the U.S. (including four from CNC) came together for a jam-packed four-day event with trained assessors. During this time, they got to preach, share their visions, work in team settings, and meet with counselors and assessors. This assessment gives a personalized and thorough look at a candidate's readiness to plant a church successfully.

Every church planter in Converge North Central goes through this process, which is based on research by Dr. Charles Ridley, a leading pioneer in church planting assessments. The whole assessment revolves around Ridley’s 13 Church Planter Building Blocks:

1. Visioning capacity
2. Intrinsically motivated
3. Creates ownership of ministry
4. Relates to the unchurched
5. Spousal cooperation
6. Effectively builds relationships
7. Committed to church growth
8. Responsive to community
9. Utilizes the giftedness of others
10. Flexible and adaptable
11. Builds group cohesiveness
12. Resilience
13. Exercises faith

Key to the assessment is that it’s all about looking at real behavior, not just what you say you believe.

If you ask someone if evangelism is essential in a pastoral role, they'll likely say yes. If you ask if they value discipleship in their ministry philosophy, they’ll probably agree. And when asked about the importance of developing leaders within the church, they’d rate it highly.

But the assessment center wants to see this in action. How many spiritual conversations have they had in the past three months? Who have they led to faith in Christ over the past year? Can they give an example of a discipleship ministry they’ve been involved in? Who are they discipling, and who’s discipling them? How have they spotted and developed potential leaders?

Take a moment to pray for these nine couples and the churches or regions that sent them. They've received their outcomes, and some might be facing disappointment, while others are feeling encouraged and affirmed on their church planting journey. No matter what, they’re all seeking God’s guidance and reassurance for their next steps.

Maybe you're interested in church planting or just curious about it. Maybe it’s been on your mind for a while. Or maybe you’re a lead pastor whose church is interested in planting a new one, and you have someone on your team who could be a fantastic church planter. If that sounds like you, reach out to Joel Nelson. He’d be happy to chat about what it takes and the systems, processes, and resources CNC has for planters and parent churches.