Vision and Plan
To see 140 new churches launched by 2030 (roughly one per presbytery per year) bringing our total to near 400. These churches will provide critical mass, - the foundation, catalyst, and resource - for long-term, effective church planting.
To see our churches and presbyteries equipped and mobilized for effective outreach and church planting as well as increasingly reflecting the dynamics of a healthy ecosystem that will, by God’s grace, enable us to not only plant these churches in the next 10 years but to see a growing and sustainable momentum of church planting, maybe even becoming a movement of church planting.
To help many existing churches experience renewal and to once again embrace a Great Commission vision.
To see our churches and presbyteries function as a “Midwest Alliance” where we are committed to working together towards this vision, contributing resources to one another, praying for one another, fostering cooperation, and coordinating our efforts with one another.
Core Values
Kingdom Prayer – To see churches and presbyteries mobilized to pray for Kingdom extension in their communities and the Midwest Region as a whole. For this to happen people need to be kept informed of needs andsuccesses and have opportunities provided to gather together in prayer.
Intentional Evangelism – To see every leader committed to being intentional in outreach and evangelism and to equipping and mobilizing their congregations accordingly believing that any person’s greatest need is reconciliation with God and that the gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation.
Community Engagement – To see our churches not only as citadels of Biblical truth but as salt and light in their communities; finding appropriate ways to love and serve their communities, to be a blessing to their communities, to pursue mercy and justice in their communities.
Inclusive Diversity – To see our churches and presbyteries increasingly reflect the beautiful mosaic of cultures found in our diverse communities. This means more than just welcoming people different from us but valuing and benefitting from appropriate cultural distinctives and perspectives. A key tool for this is the Intercultural Development Inventory and the coaching and training that goes with it.
Leadership Development – To see our churches and presbyteries praying for, identifying, and investing in new leadership. Nothing is more strategic to a Kingdom movement, or a movement of any kind, than the developing of leaders and must, therefore, be a high priority of our pastors and churches, not only through formal training but providing opportunities for practical experience and development of gifts.
Ecosystem Dynamics
Ecosystem dynamics are defined as an organism, vs institutional, system where all the parts work together to sustain and reproduce itself. These dynamics have been articulated by MNA denominational leadership and will keep us working in sync with the larger body:
Develop and recruit church planters and church planting teams.
Assess church planter candidates in stages:
Early Assessment – Does a person show potential for being a church planter and thus is someone to be invested in and developed to that end?
Readiness Seminar – Primarily for those who are currently in active ministry and/or being trained in seminary to assess their level of readiness for church planting and to identify areas where development is still needed as they explore the possibility of being a church planter.
Church Planter Assessment – A more definitive assessment of someone’s readiness for church planting and what situations that person would be best suited for.
Train through conferences, cohorts, online seminars, etc providing:
An overview of the church planting process and key dynamics as well as the nuts and bolts of planting a church.
Practical steps in pursuing or fleshing out the core values.
Key processes and dynamics of church renewal.
Any issues facing our churches today that will enable us to more effectively minister the gospel to our congregations and communities.
College and seminary-level education.
NXTGEN ministries for developing the “soft skills” that are essential for effective leadership in the local church.
Fund through assistance provided by churches, presbyteries, networks, and monies raised by the planter himself. In addition, we must explore bi-vocational ministry, capital campaigns, and cooperative funding strategies. We will never see a movement develop if we have to raise lots of money for every plant.
Coach and Mentor the planter. A coach will help the planter to regularly process everything related to church planting while a mentor will help them navigate life, continue to stay focused on the gospel, and grow as a disciple of Christ. Sometimes the same person can fulfill both roles. - This coaching is not only critical for pastors and planters but for their wives and other women in leadership roles. Parakaleo provides the kind of gospel-centered training and coaching that are essential for healthy and fruitful ministry.
Cast vision and communicate in Midwest churches and presbyteries. People need to understand that church planting and renewal is a key value of our churches and presbyteries, to be informed of and praying for locations targeted for a church plant, and to be kept informed of and celebrate what is happening in our cities and region.
Build teams to take on the various responsibilities whether that be the core elements of an ecosystem, oversight commissions/Sessions for every church plant, a church planting team, a presbytery missions committee, or a leadership team for the Midwest itself.