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Abstract
Famous five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. In war, your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened” These same sentiments are to be echoed to every soul that dare to embark on the mission field of church planting haphazardly.
New church planters are called to enter the battlefield to fight the good fight of faith against the wiles of the enemy. Therefore, training should resemble the kind of preparation required for any soldier called into battle. Unfortunately, today most pastoral training for new church planners concentrates on propagating popular biblical messages solely to stimulate silo growth or to create outreach/in-reach programs that promote personality-centered churches. This kind of preparation is oftentimes heavy on slogans and secular fads, but weak on strategic planning that includes successfully maintaining daily operations of a new church plant. In this project, I will address practical training for new church planters; emphasizing the need to not only be proficient in delivery of weekly proclamations, but also competent in the daily operations of the new church.
The methodology employed in this study was an “experiential learning model” in which six experienced practitioners, all of whom were experienced in ministry (i.e. senior pastor, CPA, business entrepreneur, marketing director, human resources professional, municipal employee, chaplain, and health and nutrition professional) participated in a comprehensive series of educational symposiums geared to new pastors called to plant new churches in the Tidewater area. Each symposium was designed to educate participants in areas identified as competencies essential for the daily operation for pastoral efficiency and community effectiveness of a new church plant.
