Church planting isn’t just for pastors

Rev. Julie Collins has learned that, as a church planter, she just can’t do it all.

The 2005 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University is pastor of The Grove, a church plant in trendy and active Fort Collins, Colorado, a city that boasts a “green” mentality and large young adult population. The Grove held its launch service on July 31, 2011.

Julie (pictured), an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church, never envisioned being a church planter and even “ran” from God for a time, telling Him that she couldn’t do it as a single, young woman. But God persisted, and she is leading her church to “live” its mission: “love God, love people, live out.”

But it hasn’t been easy. The amount of help needed to get a new church plant off the ground often outweighs the number of church volunteers willing and available to do that work.

“As a church planter, I’ve had to do everything,” says Julie. Whether building websites, cleaning toilets, or constructing church communication pieces, all have been part of Julie’s early church planter job description.

The former youth pastor spoke in Indiana Wesleyan University chapel services during the last week of January as part of the university’s emphasis on church planting. Pastor Julie passionately encouraged students to get involved in a church plant no matter one’s profession. She stressed that church plants aren’t just for pastors, and even challenged students to move to cities where church plants existed and get involved–even before securing a job. She also noted how God is actively changing lives of those who are attending The Grove, even at the church’s young age.

The church planter’s time in chapel was part of the initiative originally envisioned by a few in the IWU community: a vision to see IWU students get involved in church plants across the globe.

Four years ago when Dr. Jim Lo became the university’s dean of the chapel, he approached the division chair of the religion department and began planning a week that would focus on church planting. A former church planting missionary in Africa, Dr. Lo knows the impact this endeavor has in people placing their faith in Christ.

Soon after, God began speaking to Dr. David Wright, provost and chief academic officer, about the importance of church planting. And Gabe Melian, an IWU senior began to hear the same message from the Lord.

The trio gathered their joint vision and ideas and constructed what they believed was a God-given plan to passionately encourage IWU students to be involved in church planting.

“God has a way of doing this–speaking to different hearts and then pulling them together,” says Dr. Lo.

While similar to Dr. Lo’s vision, Dr. Wright dreamed that IWU graduates would be part of 50 church plants in the next 10 years “as an expression of our mission to change the world through our students’ sense of life-calling.” Dr. Wright believes the initiative is important to IWU since the university is committed to changing the world by developing students to be Christ-centered leaders.

“God changes the world through His loving, redemptive presence,” says Dr. Wright. “More specifically, God has changed the world through calling together ‘called out ones’–by planting little communities of redeemed and redeeming Christ-followers and churches.”

Each school year, IWU places an emphasis on church planting and gives special focus on the subject at least once a year. Recently, Wesleyan church planters spent time on campus, speaking in chapel and in classes, and participating in panels that allowed students to ask questions about the subject. The panel discussion held in January was led by LAUNCH, an IWU student organization committed to supporting the church-planting movement in the United States.

Gabe serves as president of LAUNCH and takes his role seriously in directing the student-led organization. After all, Gabe–a Venezuela native–knows the importance church planting plays in reaching the spiritually lost: he placed his faith in Christ as a kid in a newly-planted church in Weston, Florida.

“My role as president is to create spaces in which the Holy Spirit can call students to be a part of a church plant, engage in conversations, and facilitate genuine relationships that will lead to fruitful ministries during their time at IWU and when they graduate,” says Gabe.

Last fall, before LAUNCH was an official student organization at IWU, 35 undergraduates were engaged in events with church planters and leaders around the world.

Although all students involved in LAUNCH have an interest in church planting, the students have different majors and various skill sets. During her chapel presentation, Pastor Julie communicated the need for all students–not just religion or Christian ministry majors–to get involved in planting churches.

 “That’s why we need accountants, designers, web developers, and sound techs. You all have skills that many pastors don’t have,” says Julie. 

That’s part of the vision Dr. Wright, Dr. Lo, and Gabe Melian want to continue to communicate–that no matter one’s personality, skills or gifts, everyone has the ability to serve in a church plant. Students are encouraged to move to cities where they know church plants are located so they can serve and be part of people coming to know Christ. 

Since the church planting emphasis week at IWU, more than 100 students have responded with interest in church planting. LAUNCH leaders are following up with them and planning events for the rest of the spring semester: invite church planters to IWU for Q&A sessions, take road trips to nearby church plants, and invite church leaders to speak about specific topics related to church planting.

Gabe says the goal is to “help students understand their value and unique role in the church.”

“We are a network of students who are passionate about the mission of the church that Jesus laid out in Matthew 28:19,” says Gabe. He believes pursuing this verse has a natural outcome: new churches. “We have an urgency and burden to reach our generation for Christ through new church work by using our God-given talents and resources. We do not want to graduate to simply pursue a career but to pursue a calling God has placed on our lives to reach our generation.”

Currently, plans are underway for at least 25 interested students to travel to South Carolina during spring break to assist Rev. Wayne Otto in his church plant.

To read more about LAUNCH, visit the IWU Spectrum blog.