Strategies in Church Planting
Church planting has been a part of the American fabric from the beginning of our nation. One of the first things settlers would do in a new land was to establish a place to worship and give thanks to the Lord. As cities and towns started forming all over the eastern landscape, church buildings symbolized establishment, endurance, and stability. And as people began to head west, stake a claim, and homestead, formations of churches followed suit. Even today, some land developers will designate areas in their plans to include spaces for church buildings. Community development and church planting go hand-in-hand.
We know that people are more open to the Gospel and to attending a new church when they have experienced a life change. These changes range from a new job, a new place in life, the death of a loved one, and moving to a new location. At Converge Heartland, we see the development of new neighborhoods, the revitalization of cities, and the growing edges of communities as fertile soil to start churches. These areas are all experiencing a life change at the same time!
Our strategy is to focus our energies on planting churches in the developing and revitalizing areas of cities. Further, we have broken up these cities into two categories: Metropolitan and Micropolitan.
Metropolitan areas are nationally well-known cities in our district. They are larger and have under-churched populations. These populations can be in city centers or suburban contexts. Some metropolitan areas include Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Omaha, and Wichita. While we do have churches in some of these areas already, there is still a need for more.
Micropolitan communities are often less well known nationally but have a significant draw within their region. Micropolitan communities are the resourcing centers of a particular area and are growing quickly. These cities include Fargo, Bismarck, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Rapid City, Grand Island, Manhattan (Kansas), and Stillwater (Oklahoma), just to name a few.
Sioux Falls, SD
By identifying and focusing on these areas, we hope to plant vibrant churches throughout the district. Would you join me in prayer as we look to our metropolitan and micropolitan cities in the Heartland? Would you be willing to partner in this effort to reach more people for Christ in the most rapidly changing parts of our district? I believe that we have the opportunity to make a significant Kingdom impact as we look to strategically start churches together.
If you would like to start a conversation about church planting strategies and opportunities, email Steve Krier at steve@convergeheartland.org