CHURCH PLANTING

Church planting in the EPC is under the auspices of Tom Ricks, National Director of Church Planting, and the EPC Church Planting Team (CPT). 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 2023, the EPC has more than 50 active church plants around the country—which is about 8 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.

Further, the EPC has an overall church planting goal of every EPC church being a Parent, Partner, or Patron of church planting.

Parent: A church plants a “daughter church” from budgeted resources, often with a core grooup of members committed to form the basis of the planting congregation.
Partner: A group of churches work together to collectively to plant a church or churches.
Patron: A church (or individual) that is investing financially in church planting.

For more information about church planting, contact Tom Ricks at tom.ricks@epc.org.

Use these quick links to navigate to the appropriate section:

Mission and Vision
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 LEADERSHIP TEAM REPORT TO THE 43RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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.

5point7 Community Church

Detroit, Michigan
Presbytery of the Midwest

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

All Souls Church

St. Louis, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America

The Branch

Ashland, Virginia
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Bridge City Church

Cleveland, Ohio
Presbytery of the Alleghenies

The Bridge
North County

Ferguson, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America

(formerly Woke Bridge Community Church)

Chelsea Presbyterian Church

Chelsea, Alabama
Presbytery of the Central South

Chicago 7/20 Vision

Chicago, Illinois
Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes

Church of the Cross

Birmingham, Alabama
Presbytery of the Central South

Church of the Resurrection

New Orleans, Louisiana
Presbytery of the Gulf South

Common Grace
Presbyterian Church

New York, New York
Presbytery of the East

CrossWay EPC

Chesterfield, Michigan
Presbytery of the Midwest

Fountain City Church

Prairie Village, Kansas
Presbytery of the Great Plains

Grace Haven Presbyterian Church

Lexington, South Carolina
Presbytery of the Central Carolinas

Grace Community Church

Lakin, Kansas
Presbytery of the West

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

Hope Philly

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Presbytery of the East

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

Kitsap House

Port Orchard, Washington
Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest

Lake Forest
El Buen Samaritano

Huntersville, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Lake Forest
Westlake

Huntersville, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Mosaic Community Church

New Brighton, Pennsylvania
Presbytery of the Alleghenies

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

Renew EPC

Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America

Resurrection Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee
Presbytery of the Southeast

Restoration Community Church

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

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

Denver, Colorado
Presbytery of the West

Water Stone

Smyrna, Georgia
Presbytery of the Southeast

SUCCESS STORIES

These worshipping communities started as church plants, and are now self-governing 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

Athens Church

Kansas City, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America

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 Clinton Hill

Brooklyn, New York
Presbytery of the East

Resurrection Williamsburg

Brooklyn, New York
Presbytery of the East

River City Church

St. Charles, Missouri
Presbytery of Mid-America

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. The retreat includes three days of training, renewal, peer networking, breakout and mentoring sessions, fellowship, prayer, and more. Don’t miss the 2023 retreat at the beautiful Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado!

Click here for complete information about our 2023 gathering.

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