New director of church planting shares his vision for the future…

The Future of Home Missions

by Brad Ransom

During my recent move to Nashville to begin my duties with Home Missions, I was reminded that I’m not as young as I used to be. Unloading heavy boxes of books, furniture, and endless trips from the U-Haul to the door took their toll on my body. I am so thankful for the volunteers who showed up to help us. There is no way we could have done it alone.

In much the same way, I am constantly reminded that the work to which God has called me is much bigger than my capabilities, and I certainly cannot do it alone. Similarly, as our denomination ages, and as we prepare for the future, we need to be reminded that the work ahead is bigger than what any of us can do alone.

The hope for a strong denominational future is church planting. Many of our churches are aging, and the natural process of attrition is taking its toll. If we fail to plant strong churches today, our future will be compromised. Home Missions is the church-planting arm of the denomination, and we firmly believe we can do more by working together than we have ever done before. The following simple points outline my vision and strategy for the future of Home Missions, and what we can accomplish as we work together to plant churches in North America:

• Increase awareness of the need for planting churches.
  

• Develop a close relationship with Free Will Baptist colleges to train future church planters.
  

• Begin an active recruiting program to create a “pipeline” to identify potential church planters at every stage in the process.
  

• Create a solid assessment process to help potential missionaries recognize strengths and weaknesses as potential church planters.
  

• Ongoing training program that begins with orientation and never ends.
  

• Offer an individualized coaching process that gives every church planter a teammate for accountability and idea sharing.

• Facilitate extensive networking channels for church planters.
  

• Develop strategy training at every level from itinerate to post organization.
  

• Continue ongoing evaluation.

  
  

The future is bright and Home Missions desires your prayers. We are here to serve the local church, districts, and state associations. If we can assist you, please don’t hesitate to call.

About the Writer: Brad Ransom is director of church planting for Free Will Baptist Home Missions. Learn more: www.homemissions.net.