The first Evangel Dean School was held last week. All of us at the training felt the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our midst. His power and presence was evident in bringing unity, clarity, and vision to the five teams assembled from cities across the United States. Each of the five teams developed a vision statement for their city or region and described the number of Evangel Church Plant schools they plan to host in the next three years. All together these five teams plan to host some 24 Evangel Schools in the next three years and through them train and commission some 120 church plant teams. These schools will be used to assess, train, and ultimately coach more than 30 church plant teams this year.
At the conference, the deans were trained and provided with resources on the ABC’s of church planting. One of these resources is the textbook used at Evangel Schools called Ripe for the Harvest: A Guidebook for Planting Healthy Churches in the City. The ABCs emphasized at the conference stand for:
- A = Assessment. Identifying leaders and teams who possess the character, calling, and competence necessary to plant a church among the urban poor.
- B = Boot Camp and Training. Providing the opportunity for strategic planning and on-the-job training for new church planters.
- C= Chartering and Coaching. Ensuring that teams are operating with proper checks and balances as well as continuing to receive support from experienced church planters during their first three years.
These leaders will need our continued intercession in the years to come, but for now we can thank God for the vision he has imparted for new neighborhoods that will soon be filled with the light, life and love of the Kingdom of God. In the months ahead, there are two specific ways we can pray for the Evangel Church Plant Schools taking place across the country. First, please pray for the Dean Teams currently working to plan the Evangel Schools in cities across the country. Pray for wisdom, resources, and courage as they assess, train, and coach new church plant teams. Secondly, pray that the Lord will raise workers called to church planting in the city. Pray that these leaders will be able to take advantage of the Evangel schools and that many new urban communities will be transformed by the new churches that are planted.
“I would absolutely recommend this training. I believe this is the season of preparation for a great move of God in our cities. I pray regularly that God will send and/or raise up new pastors in Fort Worth. What a joy to know that I could send them to this kind of training.”
– Church Planter in Fort Worth, TX
“I would recommend the Evangel Dean School to any of my peers that are serious about raising up leaders. This will inform, equip and train the next generation of leaders and church planters.”
– Church Planter from Oakland, CA
Rev. Dr. Hank Voss is World Impact's National Director of Church Planting.