Southwest Church Planting Network

Southwest Church Planting Network

about us

Who We Are

The Southwest Church Planting Network is a voluntary joint subcommittee of elders created to serve the North Texas, South Texas, and Southwest Presbyteries for strategically expanding Christ’s Kingdom by planting new reformed, evangelical PCA churches and RUF chapters in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and part of Oklahoma. It is a collegiate fellowship of individuals committed to church planting.

Church planting networks are in place and are being established throughout the PCA. The PCA has found that a growing number of church plants in our denomination are now being done through networks. A church planting network brings together scarce resources of talent, money, and expertise and strategically focuses them toward accomplishment of a common objective. In the Southwest, this is particularly important since the PCA is still spread so thin over the four states.

All of the churches in the Network are young. Many are only a few years old, and many have been planted by other participating churches in the Network. We are faced with the challenge of growing our own churches while planting others. Some may see this as an over-whelming task, but we view it as an opportunity for great faith. We believe it is just that.

Planting churches and starting RUF chapters requires a lot of resources. Vision, commitment, time and effort must come together just to form the plans and begin the effort. Then the resources which exist, and by God’s singular care and providence are in the lives and hands of His people, must be brought to bear to make it happen.

The Network has the support of the MNA or Missions Committees of all four Presbyteries as well as the Missions to North America Committee of the General Assembly (MNA/GA) in Atlanta. The Network activities do not replace either of these organizations but instead enhance their efforts and accelerate the building of the Kingdom. The MNA (or Missions) Committees of the Presbyteries still act independently and have budgets of their own for church planting and RUF work that is not addressed by the Network. Part of the commitment that a church makes to participate in the Network is that it will annually contribute .75% of its operating budget to the Presbytery for its ongoing work. MNA/GA sees Networks as the way of the future for planting new PCA churches. They envision in the future moving some of their centralized functions such as the Assessment Center out to the various regions of the country to reduce travel expenses and better meet the unique needs of the regional churches. Jim Bland, the coordinator for the denomination’s Mission to North America (MNA/GA), has said that the Southwest Church Planting Network would be the natural choice for locating decentralized services for the Southwest when the timing is right. As long as there is an effective centralized service being provided by MNA/GA, the Network plans to take advantage of it and not duplicate resources.

There are three major objectives of the Network.

  1. Identifying and training leaders
  2. Planting churches and new RUF chapters
  3. Nurturing new plants until full maturity

The individual Presbyteries still have complete authority and control over specific church plants contemplated and started within its boundaries. More specifically, the Network, prior to moving ahead with implementation or publicity, must attend to the following:

  • Notify the appropriate Presbytery MNA or Missions Committee as soon as a new church plant or a new RUF chapter is being seriously contemplated.
  • Consult with the Sessions of other PCA churches near the proposed target area.
  • Receive site approval from the appropriate Presbytery.
  • In the case of a church plant, receive Presbytery MNA or Missions Committee approval of the philosophy of ministry.
  • Receive Presbytery MNA or Missions Committee approval of the business plan.
  • Arrange for an interview of the organizing pastor or RUF candidate with the Presbytery MNA or Missions Committee and receive their endorsement of the candidate.
  • Ensure all candidates satisfy the credential requirements through the Candidates & Examinations Committee of the appropriate Presbytery.
  • Send copies of advertisements that will employ the PCA name and logo to the appropriate Presbytery MNA or Missions Committee.
  • Report twice each year to each Presbytery’s MNA or Missions Committee in person and twice each year in writing.

The Network is a joint subcommittee of the four Presbytery MNA (or Missions) Committees made up of churches that have a passion and dedication for building the Kingdom through church planting and the establishment of new RUF ministries on college campuses. Each church needs to look at their participation as at least a three year commitment since the Network will be establishing support obligations that stretch over multiple years. The subcommittee operates according to Standing Rules and reports to the MNA (or Missions) Committees of all four Presbyteries on a regular basis. A church participating in the Network must select an elder (ruling or teaching) to serve on the joint subcommittee that has a heart for church planting and, hopefully, has some first hand experience in the process or has a particular discipline that would be helpful to nurture and assist new churches. Those elders, selected by each church, serve at the pleasure of their respective Presbyteries. It is desirable that an individual be willing to serve for a minimum of two years and be able to regularly attend joint subcommittee meetings that meet at least twice a year.

There is a financial commitment for churches participating in the Network that depends on whether a church is established or new.

Link to some of our member churches and other related sites of interest.

The Network also helps establish Campus Ministries in the Southwest.

For More information about the Network, you can contact us here.