UPDATE: MS TORNADO RESPONSE
One planting pundit defined church planting as evangelism that results in new churches. While simplistic, it catches the centrality of why church planting must be central to our vision. Or as Brian Vos said in the book, Planting, Watering, Growing: Planting Confessionally Reformed Churches in the 21st Century,
“Church planting is essential because the risen Christ has bound Himself to the assembly of his people on the Lord’s Day.”
As MNA serves the PCA for the expansion of churches that are faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith and obedient to the Great Commission, we long to see new churches developed as well as existing churches flourish. Church planting is foundational to the vitality of our denomination.
Church planters are called to be persons of vision and faith, believing that God can and will work through them as they establish new local churches. They are required to perform various tasks and duties, often working with limited structure and little encouragement.
Assessment is an extensive process whereby the internal sense of call and the external approbation to be a church planter is determined. Assessment does not look to the ministerial qualifications, as that is the responsibility of the presbytery. Assessment examines the character, competence, and compatibility of the planter in relationship to the call and context of a church plant.
The Church Planter Assessment Center is the most common mechanism for this consideration and involves:
The result is not a determination of fitness for ministry but guidance as to what pastoral context best suits the candidate.
Cultivating Kingdom Advancement through the PCA in North America