en:trust church plants
Please read the following on ‘en:trust partnered church plants’. Many people have asked us what it would mean to be in partnership with en:trust in planting a church. We have tried to answer that question below. If you are applying for coaching in 2010, it would help us if you could give some thought to how open you might be to being backed by the RICE movement in your church planting plans as an ‘en:trust partnered church plant’.
Will church planters accepted for coaching in 2010 be part of a structured organization of church planters and church plants that are resourced, funded and supported by the Rice movement (similar to Acts29 in the US)?
As en:trust starts taking shape we envisage that there will be some church planters who will want to plant in partnership as part of the en:trust church planting network, who will be coached, resourced, funded and supported under the RICE movement whether denominational or independent. Others might choose not to, and church plant with other networks. Whatever a church planter decides to do we believe there is room for a church planter to benefit from the coaching en:trust currently offers, as our shared vision around the gospel is to see the raising and equipping of thousands of church planters who will plant church planting churches in our city, across our nation and internationally. However, we are hoping that most church planters we coach will consider being backed by the RICE movement and planting in partnership with the en:trust church planting network as they get off the ground.
What are the benefits for a church planter choosing to church plant in partnership as part of the en:trust church planting network?
en:trust is part of a wider movement within RICE that is not only a reformed and evangelical, but is seeking to see our city and nation transformed by the gospel. Choosing to church plant in partnership as part of the en:trust church planting network means that a church planter will benefit from
i) ongoing coaching from experienced church planters, theologians and missiologists,
ii) the formation of a core church planting team backed by the RICE movement,
iii) fellowship with others in the network who share the same vision,
iv) exposure at all RICE events as lead pastor of the church plant, and
v) the possibility of some financial help.
As many in the RICE movement move through different phases of church going life and maturity, and as they look for new churches we are hoping they will be excited in sharing this vision of seeing our city and nation transformed, by serving in their closest ‘en:trust partnered’ church whether as core church planting team members or as members looking to serve the mission of Jesus through new churches.
