Church Planting Boot Camp...Strategic Training for Spiritual Pioneers 

Following our outstanding inaugural "Church Planting Assessment Center" in January 1999, six leaders from the Evangelical Church attended a "Church Planting Boot Camp" in February.  Four other leaders had attended previous Boot Camps.  Boot Camps represent another key training component in our church planting strategy as we seek to become more effective in starting and restarting more churches across our denomination.

The Boot Camps are sponsored by the Church Multiplication Training Center (CMTC), which holds about a dozen events each year.  Over 70 denominations have sent leaders for training at CMTC Boot Camps.  Each Boot Camp has several "tracks" for specific training:
* "Coaching Track"-a one day seminar to help train coaches for church planters.
* "ReStart Track"-a one day seminar to help pastors who are "restarting" struggling or dying churches.
* "Church Planting"-Following the one day seminars, this is a three day event that helps church planting couples and teams work on the essential issues in planting or restarting new churches.  
* "Reproducing Track"-This three day track helps existing churches that want to begin a church with the "mother-daughter" method.  
* Ethnic Track-Boot Camps in Spanish.  Other tracks are being planned in different languages.

In addition, CMTC sponsors "Urban Boot Camps" for those planting churches in the heart of metropolitan areas.

Leaders from our church participated in four tracks.  Steve Strutz, Senior Pastor of our Billings Faith Church, attended the Coaching and Reproducing tracks.  Vern and Rami Streeter, who will plant a new church from Billings Faith in an unreached area of Billings, attended the Church Planting track.  Tom Cousins, who will coach Vern and Rami in the new church, attended the Coaching and Church Planting tracks.  Dr. John Sills, our General Superintendent, attended the Coaches and Church Planting tracks as a denominational executive observer.  Tim Roehl, who serves as a Lead Coach on staff with CMTC in their Boot Camps, attended the ReStart track and then coached five church planting teams during the week.

Here are some comments from Evangelical leaders who attended the event:

"Ramie and I had an epic time at the CMTC Boot Camp.  We feel like vision was focused and many questions were answered -- while generating many more!  We had a great time working with our coach Tom.  Perhaps the best part was that Ramie and I came to understand and value each other as teammates.  We are in this together!"  --Vern Streeter, Youth Pastor, Faith Evangelical Church, Billings, MT  and church planter in the near future.

"I went to Colorado Springs to get answers as to how Faith Evangelical Church could be a quality "mothering" or "reproducing Church".  Our Church planting couple, our coach and myself went with many questions and through the teaching of the "Church Multiplication Training Center" we found many answers!  The CMTC Boot Camp was excellent.  Through it I believe we have great direction and support for the mothering of a church in the Billings area!  Exciting potential!!!"  --Steve Strutz, Senior Pastor, Faith Evangelical Church, Billings, MT

"This being my first Boot Camp, I was immediately struck with its congruity with the book of Acts. Principles, methodologies and even the common sense of the budding New Testament church were conspicuous in the CMTC presentations. The Boot Camp reinforced in my mind the necessity of regularly and urgently planting new churches." --Dr. John Sills, General Superintendent

These Boot Camps are tremendously practical and thoroughly Biblical.  They are one of the best investments we can make in the ministries of church planters who are pioneering new churches.  If you'd like more information about these events, call Tim Roehl at 612/784-PRAY or visit CMTC's web site at www.cmtcmultiply.org

--Tim Roehl