Earlier this month, we hosted our first ARC Launch Intensive of 2021! Eighteen couples joined us at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL to continue their training as they prepare to plant life-giving churches all across the country. Each couple worked through both the application and review processes, and completed pre-launch assignments in preparation of the event. Once in Birmingham, the planters were introduced to their Launch Coaches – couples who have planted churches with ARC in the past and are eager to come alongside these planters to share encouragement, give insight, and help them fine tune the details of their plans leading up to launch day.
Along with the wisdom shared from our ARC Launch Coaches, we also hosted incredible guest speakers who shared valuable tools and information to help the couples prepare for the launch of their churches. Ben Murray of City Hope Church in Texas spoke about recruitment for a large launch, while Aaron Burke of Radiant Church in Florida shared on all things marketing! Lee Domingue, Founder of Kingdom Builders and Legacy Pastor at Church of the Highlands, spoke all about “funding the vision” and helped the planters learn how to engage the business leaders of their communities. We were joined by Michael and Maria Durso, Senior Pastors of Saints Church in New York, whose session tackled marriage, family, and ministry. Irene Rollins of Union Church in Maryland hosted a powerful session on emotional intelligence, and one of ARC’s founders, Scott Hornsby, closed out the event by praying a blessing over each couple and their journey moving forward.
While in Birmingham, these couples were also introduced to many of our incredible Resource Partners. At ARC, we believe it is so important to not do ministry alone. Our Resource Partners are men and women in organizations that believe in church planting and invest eagerly to help us provide the best resources possible to the ARC Family. They are committed to building the Kingdom above all else, and we are proud to partner with them in ministry. We encourage our planters to take advantage of the time they have to get to know these Resource Partners and what their organizations have to offer. From on-demand savings accounts offered through the Wesleyan Investment Foundation, to custom design and high-quality printing through Printyard, our partners have products and services available to help throughout every stage of the church launch process and beyond.
Our Director of Church Planting, Marc Cleary, summed up this Launch Intensive best by saying, “There’s nothing better than looking into the eyes of our church planters as their dream to launch a life-giving church begins to unfold at our Launch Trainings. To hear their personal stories, to get a sense of the community they are called to serve, and then to be able to come alongside them and equip them with the best practices on how to have a strong launch and sustained ministry plan is so fulfilling. We learned a lot from our amazing launch coaches and guest speakers, laughed a ton, and ate some great food. At the conclusion of the training, we were able to pray over each couple as they enter the next phase of their training and take the next steps towards the launch of their church.”
Each of these 18 couples are a reminder that the future is bright for the local Church! We are looking forward to all that God has in store for these planters in the coming months leading up to launch day. We hope you’ll join us in praying for and supporting these couples as they work to plant thriving churches in communities across the country. They are ready to make an impact — and we can’t wait to see how they reach their cities for Jesus!
If you are interested in learning more about starting a church with ARC, click here for more information.
