Church Planting Resources
Arizona Southern Baptist Convention Church Planting Resources in Cooperation with the North American Mission Board
The primary purpose of Church Planting in the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention is to work with our partners to plant healthy, reproducing Southern Baptist churches with evangelistic passion as part of a New Testament church planting movement among all people groups in Arizona.
CONSULTING
Church Planting Consulting: assist in development of strategies and partnerships and linking to other resources.
RESEARCH TOOLS
Demographics: Consultation on Demographic information
Demographic mission context research tool: A do it yourself online software tool available to Associations and Churches. See website for MissionInSite link.
Church Planting Probe (and Laser): Church Planting Probe is an “in the field” tool for assisting church planting leaders in Associations and churches to identify un-reached and under-reached people groups and population segments where they are living for the purpose of starting new churches among them.
FUNDING
Cooperative Agreement funds: personnel, rent, start-up assistance
Cooperative Agreement funds: assistance for training and conferencing for church planters and enlisting sponsors
Site Grant Fund: grants for assisting in the purchase of a site (land)
Accelerated Church Planting Model Loan Guarantee fund: assist with monthly debt retirement payments for the Accelerated Church Planting model
Alternative Church Planting Fund: start up, rent, remodeling, site purchase
Fundraising Assistance Fund for Church Planting: Assistance with travel expenses incurred on a trip by a church planter approved by their Associational Director of Missions for the purpose of raising support for a new church.
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Assessmentof potential Church Planters –NAMB 4-hour behavioral model interview resulting in a written report; (Discovery Tool and P.L.A.C.E.: This self-assessment booklet provides insights into how God may be preparing you for a church planting ministry. This material will help you explore the following areas: call, spiritual gifts, passion, ministry preference, and past behaviors. Available on website.)
TRAINING FOR CHURCH PLANTERS AND MENTORS
Mentor Training for those who mentor Church Planters– 9 hours, day before Church Planter Basic Training
Basic Training for Church Planters – (19 hours), The Basic Training is designed to assist a church planting team (the planter, spouse, and mentor) in developing plans for a new church in a particular targeted area.
CHURCH BUILDING CONSULTATION AND HELPS
Church Architecture consulting - Networking possible resources – financing, Architects, Contractors, volunteers, site reviews, plan reviews, orientation of building committees
Arizona Southern Baptist Builders - ASBB’s primary purpose is to assist new Southern Baptist congregations and, as resources are available, older congregations in building economical facilities.
CHURCH PLANTING GROUP RESOURCES THROUGH NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD
Resources from NAMB in cooperation with the ASBC available to Associations, Churches, and Church Planters covering the Church Planting Process, Readiness, Enlistment, Equipping, Multiplication, Internet, People Groups, and Evangelism. (Please contact ASBC Church Planting for a complete booklet describing these resources.)
Arizona Southern Baptist Convention’s definition of a church:
A church is a local body of believers called out upon a clear confession of faith in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the practice of the ordinances, worship, discipleship, mutual accountability, ministry, evangelism, and extending the kingdom of God throughout the world.
BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES
Authority – The Bible is the only authority for Christian belief and practice. Both individually and corporately, the Christian experience is the interpretation and application of the Bible by the Holy Spirit. This experience never contradicts the Bible.
Regenerate Membership – Local church membership is available only to those who, by profession and lifestyle, proclaim that they have personally accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Baptism – Baptism is the ordinance by which regenerate persons, in the first act of obedience to the command of Christ, show publicly by immersion both the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and their own death to sin, burial in Christ and resurrection to walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to local church membership.
Polity – Under the Lordship of Christ, all members of each local church as a body are vested with the responsibility to discern and obey God’s will.
Soul Competency – Every individual believer has the privilege and responsibility to communicate directly with God both in prayer and meditation (listening). Each person must choose to obey or reject the commands of God, knowing that both personal calling and Biblical command are never contradictory.
Religious Liberty – No person or organization has the right to demand command or force the acceptance or practice of any religious tenant or activity upon any other person or organization. Each person and organization is responsible solely to God who judges both those alive and those who have left this life.
Cooperation – As independent and autonomous churches, we choose to serve in a covenant relationship together by supporting our local association, state convention and national convention. We choose to support these Baptist bodies with our agreement as to their purpose and mission, participation and stewardship of finances.
Contact the Church Planting Facilitator for the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention:
Ken Belflower (602) 810-3525,
Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, 2240 N. Hayden Road, Suite 100, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85257
480-945-5355 800-687-2431
Revised 9/16/2008Arizona Southern Baptist Convention