Sending Lab fuels church planting in Arizona

A Sending Lab workshop provided fuel to the 30-plus church leaders desiring to plant churches in Arizona.

This one-day event was held at Valley Life Church Tramonto in Phoenix on Feb. 19, and included participants from 10 churches across the state. The workshop was offered jointly by the North American Mission Board and the Arizona Mission Network to help churches identify their current level of involvement in church planting; articulate a vision to plant churches; develop a pathway to discover, develop and deploy a church planter; provide access to Send Network’s resources and help plan their next steps.

Kyle Rosas, church planting catalyst for Send Network Arizona, started the workshop with a talk titled “Why Sending?” Pointing to the church planting model in Acts 13-14, Rosas emphasized that church planting required prayer and fasting, the Holy Spirit’s guidance, a discipleship culture and leadership pipeline.

“Reaching lost people with the gospel should be the number one reason to plant a church,” he said. “Your future church planters are sitting in your church pews.” 

Send Network Arizona is an initiative of the North American Mission Board and Arizona Mission Network to catalyze church planting throughout the state. Rosas is also the lead pastor of King’s Church, a church plant in Anthem.

Kyle Rosas, church planting catalyst for Send Network Arizona, leads a session at Sending Lab held at Valley Life Church Tramonto in Phoenix on February 19.

Rosas pointed out three patterns in the way Paul and the church in Antioch went about church planting:

1. Churches plant churches — not individuals, networks or denominations. The New Testament pattern is churches sending missionaries on mission to plant churches.
2. Engage the city, make disciples, plant the church — Church planters often start a worship service to try to draw a crowd in hopes they can mobilize that crowd to serve the city. Paul did the opposite. He engaged the city with the gospel, made disciples and then started new churches.
3. Long-term partnership — Paul and the Antioch church shared a genuine partnership that amplified their missional impact.

Participants were encouraged to ask these questions to identify potential church planters:

1. Who is intentionally connecting with lost people?
2. Who is leading in the church (e.g., small groups, students, worship, mission trips)?
3. Who is leading in the world (e.g., business leaders, community organizers)?
4. Who do people turn to for answers? Who are the people others respect for their home, business and church practices?
5. Who is serving without a position?
6. Who is trustworthy? Who would you trust with your family?
7. Who is a student of the Word?
8. Who seeks to love their family, church and community?

David Taylor, lead pastor of Common Ground Church in Sahuarita, shares the sending vision he developed at Sending Lab.

Gus Hernandez, director of Sending Churches at NAMB, was the other speaker. He noted that intentionality, sacrifice and hard work are needed if a church needs to develop a sending culture.
Sending Lab was a collaborative experience for the church leaders and potential church planters. Participants used a provided workbook and sheets from self-stick easel pads to brainstorm their next steps for finding, developing and sending church planters.

Mike Stallcup, associational mission strategist for Cochise Baptist Association, said his biggest takeaway from the workshop was to listen to the Holy Spirit in the church planting process. He is looking to plant churches among Spanish speakers in Cochise County.

David Taylor, lead pastor of Common Ground in Sahuarita, participated in the event along with Ben Barfield, Send Network director of assessments and an elder at Common Ground. Taylor said Sending Lab helped Barfield and him to begin thinking through the process of creating environments at Common Ground to send out church planters. He aims to develop a church residency at Common Ground and plant two churches in the next five years.

The main takeaway for Brian Oh (aka Chunkuk Oh), pastor of New Light Korean Baptist Church in Phoenix, was to focus on sharing with lay leaders the importance of church planting.

“I learned that developing a sending vision is very important,” he said. “My church is between a sending church and a multiplying church. My church’s goal is to plant a Korean Baptist church.”

Participants received a copy of Tony Merida’s book Church Planter: Nine Essentials for Being Faithful and Effective.