ELI’s Foundation: Partner churches that ensure continual development of emerging leaders to plant new churches

ELI is linking like-minded churches to create an ongoing, self-sustaining "Missions in America" effort. These progressive, like-minded churches partner together to recruit, assess, equip, and empower financially the right leaders for a multiplying, church planting movement aimed at reaching emerging generations in America. We believe that a unified, cross-denominational effort will both honor Jesus last prayer (John 17) and allow each partner church to accomplish much more in a collaborative effort than we could accomplish alone.

What role do partner churches play?

The partnered churches form a consortium that supports the formation of new churches with:

• training site locations
• financial support
• a networked relational community for church planters

As each newly formed church becomes a partner in the multiplication of more new churches, the program creates a perpetual cycle of growth. The effect is a self-sustaining multiplication model that rises exponentially by the number of churches participating as partners.

The ongoing and escalating nature of the program make it possible to perpetually expand a Church Planting Movement over time.

What does a Partner Church look like?

…A heart for church planting, postmodern evangelism and sustaining both…Partners consist of established churches which have both a heart for church planting and are strongly aware of the need for postmodern evangelism, and might, themselves, be an excellent example of postmodern evangelism. These churches are also committed to putting in place the foundations for a long-term church multiplication effort.

All ideas welcome….All partner churches are encouraged to contribute strategies for program improvements and ideas for new features. They also contribute by helping to recruit other churches who might like to seize this opportunity and play a significant role in shaping the program.

Two types of partnership opportunities exist:

1. Contributing Partners
Contributing Partners are engaged in the following ways:

• Provide start-up funding for a number of church planters in the early years of the church planting movement (where maintaining momentum is most crucial)
• Make it possible for newly planted churches to grow into significant members of the consortium in the initial years of the movement.
• Help ensure that the movement is capable of keeping up with its growth and that it reaches self-sustainability as it gains momentum.
• Provide resources to ensure the continued development and mobilization of more church planters.

All this requires the support of several established partners with a desire to do church planting in an ongoing manner.

These partners see their contributions as providing for an ongoing "Missions in America" budget. Fulfilling the Great Commission in North America, the third largest mission field in the world, cannot be done by one church or group. However, a consortium of like-minded participants can see God's Spirit do great things.

Contributing Partners are expected to:

• Sign a Statement of Unified Beliefs along with a "Partnership Convenant" agreement stating their passion to participate and see the advancement of a Kingdom vision of continually raising up and sending out young leaders to impact America's lost generations.
• Commit to a contribution amount that is either a one-time donation or a set monthly amount. If they commit to a monthly amount it is preferred that they contribute a determined percentage of their monthly offerings to be dedicated to church planting through this collaboration.

2. Training Church Partners
Some Partners choose to participate in the movement at a more significant commitment level. These partners serve as Training Church Partners.

At these church training sites, Emerging Leaders complete a fully formed "residency style" training system which includes

• a three-part curriculum path
• unique, hands-on training opportunities such as starting a new ministry within the Training Church.

If you know someone who is interested in being a church planter please click here.

It is necessary to ensure that Training Church Partners can support all the leaders it trains and sends out to plant new churches. Thus, Training Church Partners must be Contributing Partners in some form. Churches that are training future church planters must set aside funds for the future church plant regardless of whether they are working alone or in a collaborative effort. By banding together with the Partner Church consortium, churches are able to see an ongoing, exponentially multiplying framework rather than just a linear expansion of churches.

Training Church Partners are expected to:

• Sign a Statement of Unified Beliefs along with a "Training Church Covenant" agreement.
• Continue to be evangelistically effective so church planters can see this modeled in a real world environment.
• Conduct a yearly survey to measure their effectiveness at truly reaching this lost generation.
• Contribute a determined amount of tithed offerings each month towards "Missions in America" church planting.
• Attend annual ELI symposiums for vision casting, collaborative and shared learning, transfer of knowledge, and relationship building.
• Set aside time for weekly 1-2 hour Senior Pastor mentoring meetings with trainees (Pastors-in-Training).
• Agree not to hire Pastors-in-Training before they are sent out to plant their church.
• Commit to continued ELI funding participation while in the process of training a church planter.
• Participate in the recruiting of potential church planters.
• In addition, the Training Church Partners will be expected to meet a set of criteria designed to ensure that all church planters are properly prepared for effective evangelism with the next generation.