Send Network’s leaders are pastors, planters, and practitioners with a passion to see God’s kingdom expanded as cities are engaged, disciples are made, and churches are born.
We partner with sending churches to equip church planters by developing planters in nine essential qualities for faithful and effective ministry.
One of these essentials considers a church planter’s leadership: does he have the practical leadership skills needed to plant a church in his desired location?
This refers to him stewarding God’s gifts wisely and diligently.
He must implement best practices in the work of church planting carefully, to see ministry effectiveness and God-glorifying outcomes.
So how does a church planter demonstrate practical leadership?
- He is a good cultural fit in his city.
- He can cast vision and attract others to the mission.
- He has the ability to start new initiatives.
- He has a proven record of leading in other settings.
- He understands finances and is comfortable raising funds.
- He is motivated by Christ and His kingdom, not by selfish ambition, desire for praise, or other wrong motives.
I’d like to tell you about a young man who portrays great leadership in ministry.
- Dakota first attended WRC his sophomore year of high school, in 2012.
- He accepted Christ his freshman year of HS.
- As a football player, he shared the gospel with his teammates, led the team prayer and invited them to ministry events.
- He got a football scholarship in. After the first play of his first college game, he felt empty. God revealed to him that he was pursuing the wrong thing. Eventually God led him to Bible college in Dallas. He married Maggie during this time and was called into full time ministry.
- He became a church planting resident at WRC July 2020 to July 2022.
- His community group at WRC grew to 40 young adults, and he multiplied that into two groups before leaving for Texas.
- He also led a D Group of 5 guys.
- Heirloom Church launched September of 2024, in Kyle, Texas. It’s a new Jesus-centered church in one of the fastest growing communities in the country.
It is good and right to emphasize theological fidelity and personal faithfulness in church planting, but we should also give due consideration to ministry effectiveness.
We need planters who know how to get gospel work done well.
Church planting requires good practical leadership skills and not everyone has them.
Let it be said of all Send Network planters that they are faithful stewards of all God has given them, and they make the most of the opportunities before them.