AMiA Church Planting Initiative Launched

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37, NIV

Dallas — Plans for an expansive, strategic church planting initiative were launched January 25, 2008 during the Anglican Mission in the Americas’ annual Winter Conference in Dallas, Texas. The Anglican Initiative for Mission (AIM) is a clear and comprehensive program with three distinct phases. Inspired by the Great Commission and challenged by the Anglican Mission’s vision, AIM’s mission is to:

Inspire and Call

Potential church planters will undergo a screening process to help assess their gifts and ability to implement an Anglican model of church leadership. The AIM team hosted a pre-Winter Conference 2008 workshop on “Essentials in Church Planting.”

Train and Equip

Individuals approved for the process will participate in an intensive eight-day training retreat at Christ Church Plano where they will learn best practices for fulfilling their mission.

The retreat will highlight key components for healthy, biblically-driven congregations: Worship, External focus, Discipleship Communications (branding, marketing, informing) Administration (buildings, grounds, vestry, and finance) Pastoral Care (provision and connecting relationally). In addition, participants will develop a mission plan.

Send and Support

Following the retreat, most candidates will be deployed to a residency internship program for one year to 18 months at an Anglican Mission congregation.

The Anglican Initiative for Mission was developed by three Anglican Mission clergymen in Texas who share a call and vision for facilitating exponential growth in the Austin-Dallas-Houston “triangle,” an area expected to boast a population of 22 million by the year 2020. The Rev. Matt Kessler, MESA Community Church, Austin; the Rev. Clark Lowenfield, HopePointe Church, The Woodlands; and the Rev. Canon David Roseberry, Christ Church Plano, form the board and will oversee the initiative. The Rev. Nancy Scammacca, MESA Community Church, serves as Acting Director of the Anglican Initiative for Mission.

“Some 23 years ago, I sensed a call to plant a church, but had no idea what that meant or how to get started,” said Canon Roseberry, now senior rector of the largest Anglican Mission congregation in the United States. “This initiative has been started in response to God’s call for us to reach the 130 million unchurched Americans and to provide a way to help young church planters learn the skills they need to successfully reach out to God’s harvest field.”

“The Anglican Mission has grown from a handful of churches in 2000 to 133 churches today with 62 more in process,” said the Rev. Canon Ellis E. Brust, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Anglican Mission. “As we follow the vision God has given us, the Anglican Initiative for Mission will help equip those who are called to plant churches to do so with excellence for His glory.”

AIM will be funded through Anglican Mission grants, residency support from sponsoring congregations and money raised by each potential church planter.

View the AIM video presentation to Winter Conference:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZTg_ireLsxg

About the Anglican Mission

Established in 2000, the Anglican Mission is a missionary outreach of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda charged with building an alliance of congregations committed to gathering, planting and serving dynamic Anglican churches in North America. Rooted in the history and tradition of East Africa’s revival, the Anglican Mission understands its mission field to be the 130 million unchurched in the U.S. On average, the Anglican Mission has added one new church every three weeks since its formation and has 133 congregations to date as well as some 62 new works in process.

For more information on the Anglican Mission or Winter Conference 2008, visit the website at www.theamia.org. For more information about the Anglican Initiative for Mission, visit the website at www.theanglicaninitiative.org.