In this session from Exponential East 2016, Phil Struckmeyer shares the good, the bad and the ugly of the development of church-planting networks within denominations.
As director of church health and multiplication for The Wesleyan Church (with now 16 multiplication centers), Phil works to advance the denomination’s church-planting and multiplication movement across North America. In this podcast excerpt, he focuses in on releasing apostolic leaders and ensuring we are creating a culture inside our churches where these leaders can put their gifts to work in meaningful and fulfilling ways.
“One of the five best practices for denominations starting a church-planting network is “empower your apostolic leaders.” How can we release the APEs (apostolic, prophetic and evangelistic) leaders inside the church vs. making them go outside the church to start a 501(c)(3) ministry?
“Part of coming alongside these leaders is creating platforms for storytelling to help them see that others are doing what they’re doing in other places. The No. 1 thing a church-planting network provides to a planter is that sense of ‘ you’re not alone: you’re not the only one doing this or feeling this way…’ The only way certain things become known is through conversation. We have to help the platforms develop so the stories can be told.”
We have to help the platforms develop so the stories can be told.
Phil Struckmeyer serves as the lead catalyst for the Nitrogen Network, which he began, and is the director of church health and multiplication with The Wesleyan Church. In 2003, he and his wife, Andrea, planted their first and current church, Impact, in Lowell, Michigan, with a vision to plant three churches in five years and 10 churches in a decade. He and Andrea have three kids, Drew, Nick and Emily.
