leaders and those wishing to start churches without the baggage and
limitations of beginning ministry on staff at an existing church. But
many find themselves encountering the commonly-repeated statistic that
80 percent of church plants fail in the first year.
In response to the growing interest in new church planting, LifeWay Research unveiled an online Church Planter Candidate Assessment (CPCA)
during the Expontential Conference in Orlando. Fla. LifeWay worked with
11 denominations and church-planting networks to develop the tool to
aid them—and other organizations—in evaluating strengths and
weaknesses of candidates who desire to establish new churches.
The CPCA is built on more than 20 scales that each measure a specific
church-planter
characteristic. The scales reveal strengths
and weaknesses that organizations can use for evaluating candidates in
the church-planter
assessment process. The assessment, which costs $88, may be taken
independently or in connection with denominations or church-planting
networks. Those taking the assessment may elect to have their results
sent directly to the network or denomination of their choice.
“The Assemblies of God has looked for an effective tool to help
potential planters consider their call early on in their planting
journey,” said Steve Pike, director of the Assemblies of God Church
Multiplication Network. “This tool is what we’ve been looking for.”
Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research, notes that CPCA is not a “stand-alone test” for a candidate’s ability to
succeed on the field and states that “the intention for the CPCA
is to serve as a solid ‘initial indicator’—testing for measurable
characteristics found in successful church planters.”
