SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Church planting is the most effective form of evangelism, according to the Assemblies of God (A/G), which has rolled out a special training program to boost church plant efforts.
BootCamps -- three-day church planting seminars offered through the denomination's Church Planting Department -- equip, train and coach leaders to help new congregations, according to the A/G News Service.
Congregations started by using a proven, intentional system have a 90 percent survival rate after five years, according to church planting director Paul Drost. Those churches without such systems have less than a 50 percent survival rate, he said.
Thirteen workshops are offered at BootCamps, including defining a mission statement, designing a ministry map, mobilizing people to pray, launching public services, improving first impressions and sharing vision.
As the denomination's National Church Planting Day approaches on Feb. 9, Drost is encouraging those interested in planting churches to gather more information online at http://homemissions.ag.org/churchplanting/index.cfm.
