A carpenter would be hard-pressed to build a house without a toolbox …

The same is true for a church planter or church revitalizer. BMM’s School of Church Planting (SCP) puts in their hands a critical toolbox. This week-long, concentrated training course offers specialized instruction not usually taught in Bible colleges and seminaries. Since 1986, SCP has equipped about 725 pastors, laymen, and missionaries to effectively start new churches and renew struggling congregations.

The School of Church Planting was the brainchild of emeritus BMM missionaries Ken Davis and Roger McNamara, two men who have read nearly every church-planting book out there and even wrote one of their own (The Y-B-H Handbook). Added to that were their decades of hands-on experience in church planting and church coaching. The BMM missionaries who have led SCP after Roger and Ken continue with the same innovative spirit by adapting the School for North America’s changing landscape. To address the growing trend of church decline, the School added a revitalization track offered biennially. Starting with the 2024 School, Dr. Jason Ormiston will lead SCP, bringing added expertise and innovation.

SCP set a twofold goal: to help church planters develop a biblical philosophy and to walk them through the nuts and bolts of starting a church from scratch. For church revitalizers, SCP helps them examine their methods against a biblical grid and equips them to strengthen their ministries. The school draws upon specialists like Larry Hobbes from Arch Ministries who trains pastors in how to embed discipleship into the DNA of their church rather than relying solely on pulpit preaching or ministries like AWANA. 

Bibles International missionary Michael Carlyle teaches cross-cultural ministry for churches struggling to know how to engage with their neighborhoods. His courses have proven especially helpful for older churches whose communities have changed demographics from when the church was planted decades earlier. Jon Jenks and Scott Owen from Baptist Church Planters have also lent their insights, addressing tools and tactics for evaluating church health, training leaders, and promoting unity within the Body as a church is brought back to life and health.

In 2023, the School of Church Planting is hitting the road with custom coursework. In April, SCP instructors will teach the first of three revitalization modules for pastors attending Camp Chetek’s annual Pastor’s Toolbox event in Wisconsin. From May 22–26, pastoral students at Faith Baptist Bible College & Seminary will take a full revitalization module that SCP instructors are bringing to their campus. Pastors are encouraged to audit this class at FBBC.

The School of Church Planting is hosted in churches to keep costs down. This year’s SCP will take place at Maranatha Baptist Church in Grimes, Iowa, on June 5–7. Learn more and sign up at https://bmmschoolofchurchplant...; If you’re a pastor interested in bringing SCP church planting or revitalization training to your church fellowship association meetings, contact BMM at info@bmm.org.