The future of church planting isn’t found outside your doors, it’s already sitting in your seats. Our job as church leaders is to recognize, develop, and release those leaders. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we create opportunities that stretch people, test their character, and give them space to lead.
One of the best places to discover future planters is in small groups. When someone can lead a group well, caring for people, discipling them, and navigating conflict, they are already practicing many of the same skills it takes to plant a church.
Student ministry is another leadership laboratory. Leading students requires energy, patience, creativity, and resilience. You have to communicate clearly, disciple consistently, and adapt when things don’t go as planned. Leaders who thrive there are often the same ones who can thrive in planting.
Another important step is giving people ownership of a ministry. Let them lead a team and then watch what happens. Do they build leaders around them? Do they multiply themselves? And when the time comes, do they hand it off well? A leader who can release a ministry with joy and empower others to carry it forward is showing the kind of kingdom mindset church planting requires.
Alongside these opportunities, churches can create leadership tracks or residencies that sharpen people even more. But the real test always comes in the trenches of ministry, when they are under pressure, navigating conflict, or carrying responsibility. That is when you see if they are ready.
When someone has led a group, discipled students, owned a ministry, raised up leaders, and handed it off, you don’t just have a capable volunteer, you have a potential church planter. The goal isn’t just to grow your church bigger, but to release leaders to multiply the kingdom.
If you need help identifying or developing those kinds of leaders, we would love to walk with you. At Converge MSC, we help churches raise up and release planters.