CHURCH PLANTING

Church planting in the EPC is under the auspices of the Church Planting Team (CPT), led by veteran church planter and pastor Tom Ricks. The CPT trains, nurtures, and equips EPC church planters, as well as helps congregations, networks, and presbyteries get the right church planters in the right places. In addition, the CPT goals include:
1. Putting more time, attention and resources into recruiting the next generation of church planters from seminaries around the country.
2. Continuing to offer church planting leadership diagnostic for church plant launch teams, church sessions, or planting networks who need support in beginning church planting.
As of January 2021, more than 40 active EPC church plants minister in 13 states around the country—which is about 7 percent of the total number of EPC churches. These congregations are in various stages of development, from the early planning steps, to home Bible studies, to regular weekly worship, to full “local church” status as self-supporting, elder-led bodies. In addition, seven Church Planting Networks facilitate church planting in specific geographic regions.
For more information about EPC church planting, contact Tom Ricks at tom@greentreechurch.com.
Use these quick links to navigate to the appropriate section:
Mission and Vision
Church Planting Networks
Church Plants
Success Stories
Church Planters Retreat
MISSION AND VISION
The mission of the EPC Church Planting Team is to cultivate a culture where church planting is embraced, encouraged, and celebrated by all EPC churches, with the goal of each congregation becoming a Parent (by planting one or more new churches), a Partner (joining other EPC churches in their area to plant churches), or a Patron (by providing financial support to those starting new churches) of church planting.
As we look to the future, we will continue challenging every congregation in our denomination to be active on some level in church planting. Today, more than 55 percent of our congregations are participating as a Parent, Partner, or Patron, but we have a long way to go. We will be aggressive in finding new church planters to meet the growing opportunities, while working hard to take good care of our current church planting pastors and their families.
CHURCH PLANTING TEAM REPORT TO THE 41ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
CHURCH PLANTING NETWORKS
Church Planting Networks are consortiums of churches in a city or region that join forces and leverage their collective resources to plant new congregations. Several of these networks have sprung from EPC church plants themselves, which take advantage of the leadership experience of starting new work. These networks also work in partnership with the appropriate presbyteries to plant new EPC churches.
Among the strategies implemented in these networks are Church Planter Residency programs, in which a prospective church planter enters into an immersive learning opportunity in a collaborative ministry context. A residency program also helps create a pipeline of well-prepared church planters.
Aspen Grove
Church Planting Network
Denver, Colorado

Beaver County
Church Planting Network
Beaver County, Western Pennsylvania
Charlotte
Church Planting Network
Charlotte, North Carolina

Detroit Area
Church Planting Network
Detroit, Michigan

Gulf Coast
Church Planting Network
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Southern Mississippi
Alabama

Memphis
Church Planting Network
Memphis, Tennessee

St. Louis Area
Church Planting Network
St. Louis, Missouri
CHURCH PLANTS
Each of these EPC church plants is currently meeting for worship and ministering in its local context. We have many more in various stages of development, from the earliest planning stages to core team recruitment to home Bible studies.
Abundant Mercy Church
Detroit, Michigan
Presbytery of the Midwest
All Souls Church
Austin, Texas
Presbytery of the Gulf South
All Souls Church
Nashville, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Central South
Athens Church
Kansas City, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America
The Branch
Ashland, Virginia
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Chapel Hill, Port Orchard
Port Orchard, Washington
Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest
Chelsea
Presbyterian Church
Chelsea, Alabama
Presbytery of the Central South
Church of the Resurrection
New Orleans, Louisiana
Presbytery of the Gulf South
Covenant Family Church
Bartlett, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Central South
CrossWay EPC
Chesterfield, Michigan
Presbytery of the Midwest
5point7 Community Church
Detroit, Michigan
Presbytery of the Midwest
Fountain City Church
Prairie Village, Kansas
Presbytery of the Great Plains
Goodwill Church, Beacon
Beacon, New York
Presbytery of the East
Goodwill Church, New Paltz
New Paltz, New York
Presbytery of the East
Grace Haven Presbyterian Church
Lexington, South Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Grace Community Church
Lakin, Kansas
Presbytery of the West
Haven
Katy, Texas
Presbytery of the Gulf South
Highlands Church
Chesterfield, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America
Hope City Church
Memphis, Tennessee
Presbytery of the West
Hope Community Church
Waynesboro, Virginia
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Hope for Renewal
Youngstown, Ohio
Presbytery of the Alleghenies
House of Mercy
Asheville, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Iglesia Presbiteriana Esperanza
Memphis, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Central South
Kirk of the Pines
Abaco, Bahamas
Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean
Lake Forest
El Buen Samaritano
Huntersville, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Lake Forest
Westlake
Huntersville, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Mercy Underground Church
North Decatur, Georgia
Presbytery of the Southeast
New City
Presbyterian Church
South Bend, Indiana
Presbytery of the Midwest
New Hope
Community Church
Lynchburg, Virginia
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Quest Church
New Braunfels, Texas
Presbytery of the Gulf South
Resurrection Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Southeast
Restoration Community Church
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
River City Church
St. Charles, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America
Saint Patrick Presbyterian Church
Greeley, Colorado
Presbytery of the West
Seaside Church
South Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida
Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean
Simple Church
Overland Park, Kansas
Presbytery of the Great Plains
The Table
Little Rock, Arkansas
Presbytery of the West
The Table Project
Denver, Colorado
Presbytery of the West
Woke Bridge
Community Church
Ferguson, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America
SUCCESS STORIES
These worshipping communities started as church plants, and are now fully self-supporting local churches—which is the goal for every EPC church plant.
3 Timbers Church
Bennington, Nebraska
Presbytery of the Great Plains
The Antioch Movement
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Presbytery of the Midwest
The Avenue Community Church
Memphis, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Central South
Central West End Church
St. Louis, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America
Church of the Redeemer
Maryville, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Southeast
Grace Brevard Church
Brevard, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Nación Santa
Haines City, Florida
Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean
Resurrection Brooklyn
Brooklyn, New York
Presbytery of the East
Resurrection Clinton Hill
Brooklyn, New York
Presbytery of the East
Resurrection
Sheepshead Bay
Brooklyn, New York
Presbytery of the East
Resurrection Williamsburg
Brooklyn, New York
Presbytery of the East
SOMA
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Presbytery of the Alleghenies
The Table
San Francisco, California
Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest
CHURCH PLANTERS RETREAT
A significant aspect of supporting church planting in the EPC is supporting and ministering to church planters. A key strategy in supporting EPC church planters is the annual Church Planters Retreat, held each October in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The retreat includes three days of training, renewal, peer networking, breakout and mentoring sessions, fellowship, prayer, and more.
Click here for complete information about our 2021 gathering.
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