Seasons

7 Seasons of Church Planting

Just as plants grow through many seasons, requiring care such as watering, pruning, and the like, there are many seasons in the life of a new church. One of the foundational strategic documents of Path 1 describes these 7 Seasons and offers some biblical foundations for exploring and preparing for them:

To find resources for a particular season, click on the relevant season name below.

Discerning: The discernment process begins when a prospective planter (or potential partner congregation) senses God’s calling to plant a new church.

Visioning: A vision for starting a new church may arise from a need to reach a geographical area, cultural group or specific community of people.

Gathering: Church planting is never solo work. The planting team’s first and most important task is to connect people to Christ, to the planter, to the vision, to each other, and to opportunities to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Discipling: A Wesleyan model of church planting intentionally incorporates small groups for mentoring and multiplication. Spiritual growth and leadership development are the building blocks of a healthy faith community.

Worshiping: We were created to be in relationship with God and one another. As human beings we have worship embedded in our very nature. How we begin a church’s public expression of worship requires careful planning and timing.

Maturing: As a congregation continues to develop and grow it becomes viable, sustainable and poised for multiplication. Growing people and developing healthy systems (leadership development, financial, structure, and discipleship) will help the church grow spiritually, multiply its mission and ministries and prepare itself for inevitable leadership transitions.

Multiplying: Healthy churches multiply disciples, leaders, ministries and congregations. Reproduction begins from day one and manifests itself throughout the various aspects and stages of church life. With multiplication in the DNA of a new church, reproduction happens more naturally.

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