Church Planter Questionnaire

Introduction & Process

Planting a church is both thrilling and daunting! We are glad you are exploring a partnership with TIMES12 to help you accomplish your vision. God has used us to walk alongside church planters over the years to start churches in a wide variety of cultural contexts. TIMES12 equips planters to multiply gospel-centered disciples and churches. This includes personalized coaching, training, resources, grants and encouragement that planters need to thrive long after the church starts.

Completing this questionnaire does not commit you to partner with TIMES12. It just starts a process. Our process (summarized below) will help confirm whether we are a good fit for a planting partnership. If so, TIMES12 then seeks to equip a leader to plant more fruitfully. We are often asked, when does a partnership begin between a planter and TIMES12? A Partnership Agreement can be entered into only after one’s face-to-face assessment, if both the church planter and TIMES12 agree to move forward together. The steps to our process are as follows:

Complete the Church Planter Questionnaire
Initial phone interview with Assessments Director
Face-to-face assessment (1 day), followed by a proposed Customized Prep Plan
Planter attends a church planter workshop & decides to partner with TIMES12
Planter completes Customized Prep Plan and is endorsed by TIMES12
TIMES12 begins a planter’s grant and continues ongoing equipping of the planter

We are here to help if you have questions or issues. Please email info@times12.org to reach us.

Church Planter Questionnaire

"*" indicates required fields

Step 1 of 6 - Contact Information

16%

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Best Contact Number*

Spouse Name (if applicable)

Children's Names & Ages (if applicable)

Please choose which currently applies to you*

I am a pastor of an existing church

I am generally exploring church planting

I am currently in a residency/training for church planting

I am preparing to plant in 1-2 years

I am gathering a core team

I have already started a church

Other

What is the location where you are looking to plant a church?*

Briefly share with us how you came to faith in Christ*

What local church are you a part of? (Or, have most recently been a part of?) Where is it located?*

What leadership roles have you held within a local church? Or other ministry organizations?*

Briefly share with us how you came to be interested in church planting.*

Are the leaders and/or elders of your current church supportive of your desire to plant?*

Yes, they are enthusiastically sending me

Yes, they will bless my departure

I have not told them yet

No, I anticipate opposition

Other

Please explain your above answer.*

Do you have Bible or theological education you have completed, are pursuing, or plan to pursue? If so, where?*

Briefly state your understanding and experience with church planting.*

Please provide a link to a recording of a sermon or two you have given (if available).

If you have the file, feel free to upload it below.

Or upload a recording of a sermon or two you have given.

Max. file size: 50 MB.

Please complete the Initial Screening Assessment (ISA) online at Church Planter Profile and list TIMES12 as a potential agency. The ISA takes about 15-20 minutes and costs $9.99. You only need the ISA, not the entire package. https://www.churchplanterprofiles.com/

I have completed the Initial Screening Assessment (ISA).*

Yes

What was your ISA score?*

Please upload your PDF copy of the ISA

Max. file size: 50 MB.

We don't clone a particular model when planting and leading churches. Instead, we encourage Spirit-led creativity for adaptive approaches and the courage to try what best fits each church's cultural context. That said, we are committed to starting and leading gospel-centered churches with a shared biblical DNA. That means we center on Jesus and the gospel in everything we do. Jesus stays our primary focus as we make new disciples, grow faithful disciples, and multiply leaders (to stay) & planters (to go). We encourage every church plant to practice these shared values fruitfully with health. Each church practices our shared Gospel-Centered DNA in a way that fits their cultural context and unique vision. Below in each section is a summary of what we champion for all TIMES12 planters and churches.

After reading our Gospel-Centered DNA summary below, please describe your alignment and experiences with each of these practices.

Centering on Jesus & The Gospel*

FOCUS ON JESUS - focus on the person & work of Jesus so people trust & treasure him

MOTIVATE BY GRACE - motivate loyalty to King Jesus & biblical truth by the gospel of grace

PRAY PERSISTENTLY - keep asking the Father to advance Christ's reign by the Spirit's empowering

(Mk 1:14-15; Mt 13:44; Lk 11:1-13; 24:25-27; Jn 5:39-40; Eph 1:13-14; 4:15-16, 20-21; Col 1:5-6, 18; Titus 2:11-15; 1 Jn 4:7-12).

Making New Disciples*

CONTEXTUALIZE - learn personal stories & cultural worldviews to convey the gospel with clarity

EVANGELIZE LOCALLY - connect, serve, and share the gospel with unbelievers

ENGAGE GLOBALLY - engage globally to help multiply disciples & churches among the nations

(Mt 4:19; Jn 4:1-45; 1 Cor 9:22-23; 2 Cor 5:15-21; Lk 15; 24:44-53; Acts 1:8; 4:31; Rom 15:14-33; Col. 4:2-6).

Growing Faithful Disciples*

BAPTIZE & ROOT - baptize & root new disciples and church members in gospel essentials

ACTIVATE THE BODY - activate Christ’s body to serve with gospel unity and diversity in holistic mission

MULTIPLY DISCIPLE-MAKERS - develop abiding disciples who make new & obedient disciples of Jesus

PREACH & SHAPE WORSHIP - preach Christ-centered expository sermons & engage worshipers

TRAIN FOR KINGDOM-LIVING - train believers to keep integrating the reign of Jesus into all of life & mission (e.g., home, work, finances, sexual purity, suffering, mercy, evangelism, forming disciples, justice, ethics, etc.)

(Mt 28:18-20; Mk 3:13-15; Lk 10:38-42; Jn 15:1-8; Eph 3:14-21; 4:1-16; Col 3:14-17; 4:12-13; 2 Tim 3:16-4:2). holistic mission = Joining God to bring the whole of life under the reign of King Jesus as we proclaim the good news and practice good works. Summary adapted from The Cape Town Commitment PDF (2010), 45-47. lausanne.org.

Multiplying Leaders (to stay) & Planters (to go)*

MULTIPLY LEADERS - develop & multiply disciple-making leaders (to stay)

MULTIPLY ELDERS - develop & multiply disciple-making elders/pastors (to stay)

MULTIPLY PLANTERS - develop & multiply disciple-making church planters (to go)

(Lk 6:12-14; Acts 13:1-4; 14:20-23; 20:17-38; Eph 4:11-13; 1 Tim 3:1-13; 2 Tim 1:3; 2:1-2; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet 5:1-4).

Improving Health (financial, organizational, & personal)*

FUND SUSTAINABLY - raise planting funds then help the church become generous & self-supporting

LEAD EFFECTIVELY - build clarity, cohesive leadership, & good systems

GROW PERSONALLY - prioritize your walk with Jesus first, then your work of planting & pastoring (utilize TIMES12's gospel-centered resources, coaching, training, collectives, events, soul care retreats, & partnerships)

(Ex 18; Lk 8:1-3; 10:7, 38-42; 1 Tim 5:17-18; Phil 1:27; 4:14-20; 2 Cor 8:20-21; Jn 17:3, 20-23, Acts 6:1-7, 14:24-28; 20:2-4).

Please read through the following document and let us know if you affirm these beliefs. Confession of Faith (Part 1 - "10 Loves"). This can be found at: https://times12.org/resource/our-confession-of-faith/

I have read and affirm the Confession of Faith document [Part 1 - "10 Loves"]*

Yes

If answered no, please explain.

The following positions we hold do not necessarily keep us from fellowship or cooperation with believers, churches, or organizations outside of ours. We desire to advance God’s kingdom with other brothers and sisters who share our core understanding of the gospel and our Confession of Faith, even though some may differ on a position described here.

We seek to major on Jesus and the gospel while equipping church planters. This will continue to be our emphasis, not positions where true believers may disagree. However, we do have several positions we hold that influence our shared culture. We teach these because we believe these positions are what Scripture teaches, but we will attempt to do so while maintaining a posture that displays gospel unity. While TIMES12 is a relational network, the positions we hold do impact our decisions about which church planters we will resource with grants and with time spent coaching and training. Participation in TIMES12 means one understands these positions and acknowledges that he knows TIMES12's Leadership Team and trainers will teach these to church planters in our Network, even if one’s local church may nuance a position a bit differently than that stated in this document. We also ask those who partner with us to help preserve our unity as a Network by not having a divisive spirit about these positions, and by refraining from contentious arguments about these positions during Network gatherings, collectives, or in shared mission projects one participates in.

INSTRUCTIONS

If you affirm a position as written, please indicate that in the space provided beneath that position.

If you differ from a position, please explain.

If you are still working through a position, or differ and are open to further discussion, please explain.

Water Baptism*

Water Baptism - We allow each planter and local church to work out how they will practice water baptism, though the majority of our churches practice believer baptism. Church planters and leaders have freedom from church to church regarding the baptism of infants / young children. However, each Network church must agree with the biblical teaching that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from any merit or salvation conferred during the actual ceremony of baptism in the water. [Matt. 28:18-20; John 1:12-13; Acts 2:38-47; 16:31-33;18:8; Rom. 6:1-11; Col. 2:8:15; Eph. 4:1-6]

The Lord's Supper*

We teach that the Lord’s Supper or Communion is a time for believers to remember the death of Jesus for us. Communion is also a time for the church community to experience the presence of the living Jesus dispensing his grace on His body by his Holy Spirit, apart from any consubstantiation or transubstantiation of the elements themselves. [Matt.26:26-30; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 24:28-31; Acts 2:42; I Cor. 11:17-34]

Spiritual Gifts*

We believe in the continuation of spiritual gifts with respect to the wide variety of gifts described in the New Testament. We believe that every believer is already baptized in the Spirit at the moment of conversion and having believed he/she is permanently sealed with the Holy Spirit. We believe in the unity of the Spirit and that he manifests himself in great diversity of gifts through Christ’s body. The less dramatic gifts and the more dramatic miraculous gifts are all means through which God brings grace to build up Christ’s body and advance his purposes. We encourage planters and church leaders to activate and equip all kinds of spiritual gifts in their planting teams and churches. When we speak of equipping gifts in Ephesians 4:11-12 [apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers] operating today, we distinguish between the unique “capital A” original office of the apostles who saw the resurrected Christ, and the “little a,” pioneering apostolic gift that continues to operate today. We also encourage the exercise of discernment, use of biblical guidelines, and being pastorally wise to foster love as gifts are exercised for the building up of Christ’s body. We allow each local plant and church to determine the contexts or environments for the exercise of various spiritual gifts so that unity is preserved and diversity is expressed. [Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-24; Acts 2:16-22; 8:1-40 and 21:7-9; Rom.12:1-8; 15:8-33; I Cor. 1:4-9; 12-14; Eph. 4:1-16; I Thes. 5:19-22; I John 4:1; James 5:13-18; I Pet.4:10-11]

Theology*

We emphasize centering on Jesus and the gospel and as we study theology in leadership training courses we utilize. We also allow each local church to influence their aspiring planters or pastors preparing to be ordained / commissioned. We acknowledge, some of the biblical and theological courses or readings we may use, are taught by professors from a more reformed protestant background. However, we remind ourselves that we study and do theological reflection, not for theology sake, but for sound doctrine to be worked out practically in life and in an active missional ethos for the glory of God. This does not then mean we endorse everything a professor practices or teaches. We encourage our Network leaders and churches (and everyone for that matter) to develop wise discernment that is combined with humility. Discernment means we sift out the things that aren’t biblically aligned. Humility means we are open to growing ourselves where we may have blind spots or further insights to learn from God through others in various Christian streams. [Matt. 22:29; Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-49; John 5:39-40; I Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 4:5-6; I Tim. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 2:14-15; 3:10-4:5; Titus 1:9; 2 Pet. 3:14-18]

Sex and Marriage*

We believe that sex is God's wonderful creation to be enjoyed exclusively within a marriage between one male husband and one female wife who have made a life long covenant commitment publicly before witnesses. We also teach that a believer in Jesus is free to marry only another believer in Jesus. [Gen. 1:26-31; 2:24-25; Matt. 19:1-9; 1Cor. 7:39; Heb. 13:4]

Equality of Men and Women with Complementary Functions*

We affirm the equality of men and women, and we encourage female leadership in a wide variety of ministries. We believe local churches are to be overseen by biblically qualified male elders who empower the gifts of both men and women. Remaining committed to teaching male eldership, we allow each network church the freedom to clarify the practical outworking of various women's roles in their local church. We also believe in male headship in homes where both a husband and a wife are present.These leadership functions are to be carried out with a humble Christ-like attitude of servant leadership and with a posture of mutual submission out of reverence for Jesus as Lord. [Gen. 2:4-25; Mark 10:35-45; John 13:1-16; Acts 2:16-21; 18:26; Gal. 3:28; Philip. 4:2-3; I Tim.2:11-3:15; Titus 1:5-9; Eph. 5:18-33]

Any final comments or questions?