14550 Lee Rd, Chantilly, VA 20151

Church Planting Residency

Equipping Leaders To Plant

Are you feeling the call to plant a church, but desire to glean from the wisdom and encouragement of experienced church planters before you plant? We’ve designed our 9-month distance residency program for leaders like you.

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Journey with Peers: As a cohort you’ll walk together, work collaboratively and challenge each other to grow as disciple makers and church planters.

Learn from Experts: You’ll participate in weekly virtual training with P4P staff and other national church planting practitioners .

Stay in Your Context: No need to move your family across the country – live out the residency in your local context.

Create Custom Strategies: Plan strategies that will work in your target community and get them peer-reviewed in the cohort.

2015-2016 Cohort

How You Will Learn

Online: Prepare for Cohort Day with our online courses (unit content, blogs, podcasts, videos)

Virtual Instruction: Collaborate with your peers while learning and networking weekly with national church planting leaders via video conference.

Onsite Intensives: Dive deep into critical pre-launch topics at two 4-day onsite intensives during the cohort and set the DNA for planting a reproducing church.

2022-2023 Cohort

How You Will Train

More than just book knowledge, in the Residency you’ll gain the practical experience you need to succeed by learning the R.O.P.E.S.

  • Research: Investigate your target community and begin exegeting the culture
  • Observe: Observe and participate in ministry in your local church congregation. Visit New Life Christian Church (a church planting church) and other regional church plants.
  • Present: Present and discuss your God-given vision and strategies with your peers and mentors. Preach your Opening Day sermon, too.
  • Evaluate: Evaluate the feedback you get. Evaluate the new ideas and differing approaches of the others in the cohort.
  • Support: Support your peers and be supported as you embark on your planting journey.

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2020-2021 Cohort

Passion For Planting helped prepare me with the resources I didn’t even know I needed! From the opportunity to connect with experienced leaders in church planting to a tangible timeline that helped guide us in the process. The cohort was exactly what I need to ensure we launched strong!

-Anthony Miller, ’21 Cohort

What You Will Learn

The Passion for Planting Church Planting Residency covers the gamut of topics you have to understand to launch a healthy, reproducing church:

  • Vision, mission, values and measures
  • Disciple Making
  • Contextualization
  • Fundraising & Generosity
  • Budget and financial systems
  • Intercessory prayer team
  • Community networking
  • Launch Team Development
  • Reproducing Leaders
  • Building Ministry Teams
  • Staffing & HR
  • Marketing and Outreach
  • Facilities and Equipment
  • Multiplication at every level

Invaluable resource! The residency allowed me to stay in my local context and ministry while preparing to plant. The cohort’s collaborative learning environment helped me clarify our vision and shaped the way we’re now helping people trust and follow Jesus. If you’re considering planting, I highly recommend you join Passion for Planting’s cohort!

-Josh Howard, Cohort ’22

You will walk away with a contextualized, written strategy for each topic, reviewed by you peers and instructors. View the residency Roadmap which showcases the topics we cover and when.

What You Will Practice

Over the course of the Residency, you will practice core competencies such as:

  • Critical thinking
  • Strategic planning
  • Community networking
  • Disciple-making
  • Pastoral care
  • Leading leaders
  • Preaching in the new church
  • Developing a sermon calendar
  • …and other practical ministry assignments at your local church

Two Residency Options

Distance Residency Option

Continue to serve your local church during the Residency. You’ll hone your soft skills there while preparing to start a church-planting church through the Distance Residency.

You will also attend two 4-day onsite intensives at New Life Christian Church, a church-planting church in Northern Virginia. During these intensives, you’ll rub shoulders with experienced church planters, visit nearby church plants, grow closer with your cohort, and learn to clarify & articulate your vision. You will also participate in other practical exercises designed to help you answer God’s call through church planting.

Embedded Residency Option

Do you live in the DC metro or don’t otherwise have a host church to serve at during your Residency? Come be our church planting resident at New Life Christian Church, headquarters of Passion for Planting. You’ll get practical experience within the ministry departments of New Life as well as recent church plants in the region.

A monthly stipend is provided to qualified embedded residents, but they are also expected to raise funds during their residency. A portion of those funds may be set aside for the future church plant.

2018-2019 Cohort

Apply Today

Now accepting applications for the Fall 2024 Cohort.

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Got Questions?  Give us a call at (703) 817-0601 or email us at: planting@church-planting.net

2019-2020 Cohort

The Fine Print

Next Cohort Dates: September 4, 2024 to May 2025
Virtual Class Times: Wednesdays from 9:00am-3:00pm ET
Cost: $5,000
Details:
  • Cohort fee may be paid monthly ($555 per month).
  • Or receive 10% discount to $4,500 if prepaid prior to Cohort start.

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