The Plant Course
Equipping leaders and their teams as they get ready to church plant
The Plant Course is designed to equip and prepare church planters and their teams in the run-up to their plant.
The course is open to planters from any denomination.
“Church planting can be a voyage into the unknown. The Plant Course helped me and our whole team spend time asking the questions we needed to be asking to prepare for the adventure of proclaiming the gospel in our context.
I’d recommend the course to anyone who’s preparing to plant, you will come away feeling encouraged, strengthened and equipped to see God do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine.”
Description
The Plant Course is a seven-session programme designed to equip church planters and their teams in the 3 to 9 months leading up to their plant. It covers the practical aspects of church planting, such as strategy, finance, funding, communications and self-leadership.
We use material developed in the Diocese of London which has been used to train more than 180 teams, so far. Over the seven-week course, which has approximately 40 contact hours, participants will receive input from experienced practitioners, explore case studies and develop their own strategies through team reflection, coaching, discussion and sharing.
The course will help planters develop a detailed plan for their first 100 days and at the end of the course the church planters present their planting vision, strategic plan, budget, and growth plans to one another and a panel of experienced leaders and experts.
We are looking forward to seeing different traditions and types of churches on the course and our heart is to support each team in their journey of multiplying disciples and congregations. We are convinced that teams that are trained will do a much better job than those who aren’t and we’d love to support you on your journey.
“Church planting is an exhilarating adventure with Jesus, and I couldn’t recommend the Plant Course more enthusiastically for teams navigating the crucial stage of preparing for this journey. Through practical content, inspiring coaching and prayerful encouragement, our team was well equipped and even more excited than before to join God in his mission in Wynyard.”
Roadmap
Session 1 - PLANNING
Session 2 - GROWING
Session 3 - GOING
Session 4 - RESOURCING
Session 5 - LEADING
Session 6 - ESTABLISHING
Session 7 - PRESENTING
Next Course
The next plant course will likely run in early 2023. If you would like more information please contact us.
The course will be lead by Lizzy Woolf (the Rector of St George's Church Leeds) with assistance from Christian Selvaratnam (Director of the St Hild Centre for Church Planting) and other key practitioners.
Apply
You can apply for this course by filling out the application form below. If you would like to discuss your application, please contact planting@sthild.org.
To attend the Plant Course you will need the support of your overseeing body, such as your sending church or bishop. Applications are welcome from any Christian denomination or group.
If the course runs in-person, the costs are £100 for the team leader and £50 for additional team members. This covers the cost of course materials, professional training fees, venue, lunch and refreshments. If the course runs online the costs will be lower. Bursaries are available.
FAQ
+ IS THE PLANT COURSE SUITABLE FOR CHURCH PLANTS THAT HAVE ALREADY STARTED?
The specific nature and format of the training on the course means that the Plant Course is not designed for church plants that have already started, although in some cases it may be suitable for plants in their very first few months. We are happy to discuss this.
+ CAN I PARTICIPATE IN THE COURSE ON MY OWN?
The course is designed for teams. Most of the coaching activities require a minimum of 2 or 3 people.
+ CAN WE DO THE PLANT COURSE BEFORE WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE PLANTING?
The Plant Course is designed to help you develop a plan for your specific plant. You should wait until you know where your plant will be etc. before coming on the course.
+ IS THE COURSE ONLINE?
We aim to run The Plant Course in person as we feel this will provide the best training for teams. If we can not do this we will consider a hybrid or online course. Other online options for The Plant Course may be available at www.ccx.org.uk/plant-course.
