Today at Movement Church we made a big announcement that I am personally very excited about…
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Movement Church started in 2012 with a vision to be a movement of people finding their way back to God. In our short history we have seen that vision happen in the lives of individuals and families as God has built a new church in Hilliard, Ohio.
One consistent, foundational prayer among our leadership team has been to create a wake of church plants; not a one time event, but rather a continuous rhythm of planting churches that in turn plant others..
From the advent of Movement Church, we have commissioned 5% of our collected funds along with additional, privately raised money for church planting initiatives. We do this not knowing the time, location, or individual but because we feel called to multiply in the pattern shown in the New Testament.
We are not ready to pull the trigger and plant a church this week, but it is time to take steps and prepare our people and our leadership pipeline. We recently extended an offer to Joel and Morgan Trainer to come on pastoral staff in a one-year, self-supporting church planting resident role.
The Trainers are currently on staff at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri, one of the largest and most influential Christian camps in America with 13 campuses and over 20,000 visitors each year. They are both graduates of Indiana Wesleyan University and have ties to Ohio. Morgan grew up on the north side of Columbus and Joel’s parents live in Vermilion.
The Trainers have watched Movement Church from a distance and are close friends with many members of our original launch team. We are confident in their abilities and calling and trust that God is going to use them in great ways to plant a reproducing church in central Ohio.
The vision of this residency is to provide experience in church planting, portable church, local church ministry, teaching, administration, leading teams, casting vision and fund-raising. No program can perfectly equip and prepare an individual for planting a church but our desire is to impart to them everything we have and know.
The goal of this residency is that we (in partnership with Encounter Church) will be able to confidently commission The Trainers and a launch team of church planters on a three-year plan in the greater Columbus area. The Trainers are currently raising funds for their residency with the goal of joining our team September 1st, 2016.
If you have questions or would like to give toward the Church planting resident fund please contact our office or visit movementcolumbus.com.
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MORE ON THE TRAINERS
That was the official press release that we wrote so that we could use common language in many venues, but I want you to hear from me in a way that is not canned. From my heart I want you to know that I believe in the Trainers so much and I am ecstatic to have them in our network and on our team. Joel is a great leader who I think has the perfect mix of leadership, humility, fun, and an entrepreneurial spirit to plant a church. Morgan is the perfect compliment and has a heart for people and the local church that I look up to. I have known them for years and have watched them in many different stages of life and ministry. I think they are the perfect candidates to help us truly become a church planting movement.
I have seen them step in faith toward this calling with wisdom and humility that confirmed they are the ones God has for us. Please be in prayer for them as they transition from their jobs after a busy summer camp season, sell a house, have a baby, and move to Ohio. They are now family and we want to serve and honor them from day one. At a later date I will ask who wants to drive to Missouri and help them move, but for now just pray for the sale of their house and the fundraising process.
MOVEMENT CHURCH(ES)?
When planting a church was just a dream in my heart, I strategically chose the word movement because I wanted to start something that would not just be a one time local event, but something that would multiply exponentially. Movement Church is the first wave of that dream, and this is the second wave. My prayer is that Movement Church will be able to plant 25 churches in my lifetime and that the churches we plant will plant another 25. At the end of my life and ministry career I want to be able to look back and say that God used us to plant 50 life giving churches in Columbus, Ohio and all over America.
I told someone this dream recently and they said “so you don’t want Movement Church to get any bigger?” and I laughed. Growth and multiplication are not mutually exclusive; in fact I think that continually tuning our church’s heart for multiplication will help us be a thriving church with a vacuum for discipleship and mobilization.
I remember years ago having an interest in church planting and not knowing what the avenue was for that call. If you or someone you know has an interest in church planting I want a residency with Movement Church to be on their radar. We are a certain kind of church and I am a certain kind of leader with a certain vision so I don’t want to pretend to be perfect for everyone or that we have unlimited resources, but we are one option that will be a fit for some in God’s timing. We were planted out of Encounter Church and alongside them want to see a network of like-minded reproducing churches emerge so the prayer is that long-term there will be multiple venues to host residents and church personalities to emulate.
If you want to talk about church planting or think you may have an interest in doing a residency at Movement Church lets talk…. today…. or in 5 years.
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