Vision Casting for a National Church Planting Campaign
by Gary Rohrmayer
In a spiritual enterprise, vision is something that is revealed by God into the hearts of his leaders, who in turn embodied it and communicated it into the hearts of his people until they relentlessly see that vision become an everyday reality. – Gary Rohrmayer
Whether you are an international, national or regional church-based organization, focused campaigns have been used to harness the energy, resources and faith of these fellowships of churches towards a single missional goal with great success.
The vision casting process is a critical piece to the success of such a campaign. A national church planting campaign requires a clear, compelling strategy that inspires and unites diverse people across the distinct regions that make up your unique tribe of God’s people.
Here’s a framework to consider when casting this vision:
1. Vision Statement:
Start with a bold and clear vision. For example:
“To see every community across our nation transformed by the gospel of Jesus through a vibrant, multiplying church presence.”
This vision should reflect a deep belief in the importance of church planting for the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church.
2. Biblical Foundation:
Anchor the campaign in Scripture. The advancement of new churches first and foremost spreads the glory of God. Each new church becomes an outpost of God’s glory revealed through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:6,12,14). The development of new churches fulfills the mission of God. By obeying Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:8) through radical disciple-making and building these disciples into vibrant communities of faith throughout the known world (Acts 2:42-47; 13:1-3) who carried this missional mandate to reach their world with great passion, resulted in rapid church planting and multiplication. This expansion did not simply lead to the numerical growth of the church but the takeover of spiritual territory—the expanding of God’s kingdom. The book of Acts starts with Jesus speaking to his disciples about "the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). Then it ends with the Apostle Paul in prison proclaiming to his disciples, "the kingdom of God" (Acts 28:31). Disciple-making and church planting are the micro elements of kingdom building.
3. Clear Objectives:
Break down the vision into tangible goals. These might include:
Planting Targets: A specific number of churches to be planted within a certain time frame. Invite churches to set a stretching faith goal.
By December 31, 2030: our church will help plant one new community of faith within our region.
By December 31, 2030: our church will send out a church planting team to plant a church or campus in our area.
By December 31, 2030: our church will help plant three new communities of faith within our region.
By December 31, 2030: our church will send out two church planting teams to plant a church or campus in our area.
By December 31, 2030: our church will help plant five new communities of faith within our region.
By December 31, 2030: our church will send out three church planting teams to plant a church or campus in our area.
Geographic Reach: A goal to plant churches in underserved or unreached areas, including urban, suburban, rural, and cross-cultural communities.]
By December 31, 2030: our church will adopt an urban church plant within our region.
By December 31, 2030: our church will adopt an ethnic church plant within our region and or community.
Leadership Development: A focus on raising and equipping church planters, with a particular emphasis on diverse leadership.
By December 31, 2030: our church will establish church planting residences and internships for future church planters.
During the 2025 – 2030 National Church Planting Campaign: our church will host, at our expense, a national training event or assessment center, and provide housing for the participants as a kingdom investment.
4. Strategic Partnerships:
Emphasize the need for collaboration across denominations, networks, and ministries. Church planting at a national level requires a coalition of partners who share the vision but bring different strengths, resources, and insights. Cast the vision for a united effort that transcends individual churches or organizations.
Exponential is one of those collaborative partners providing inspiring events and transformative cohorts that every savvy church-planting leader has learned to work with in meaningful and mutually beneficial ways to strengthen and expand their movements.
5. Mobilizing and Training:
Communicate a plan for mobilizing and equipping people to be part of the campaign. This includes: •
Recruitment: Actively seeking those called to plant churches, including pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders.
Training: Offering robust training programs for church planters and their teams, including theological education, leadership development, and practical church-planting strategies.
Support Networks: Establishing networks of support for church planters, including mentorship, coaching, financial resources, and prayer.
6. Engaging the Local Church:
The success of a national campaign depends on the involvement of local churches. Remember, "churches plant churches." Encourage churches to adopt a vision for multiplication, send out church planters, and support or "adopt" new church plants or church-planting couples like missionaries. Create opportunities for every church to engage, whether through prayer, financial support, sending teams, or coaching planters. Think of the hundreds of roles or jobs that are needed to support the expansion of your movement.
7. Innovative Approaches:
Cast a vision that includes a variety of church-planting models to reach diverse populations. This could include:
Traditional Church Plants: New congregations established in a conventional format.
House Churches: Small, decentralized gatherings in homes.
Missional Communities: Groups formed around shared mission and community service.
Multi-Site Extensions: Churches that plant campuses in multiple locations.
Highlight the need for creativity and adaptability in planting churches that reach different demographics and cultural contexts. You should write vision papers on model cites and active examples of each.
8. Prayer and Spiritual Renewal:
Emphasize the importance of prayer as the foundation of the campaign. Cast a vision for a national prayer movement that supports church planting efforts, asking for God’s guidance, power, and provision. Encourage local churches and individuals to participate in ongoing prayer for the campaign.
Many denominations and networks have prayer ministries and initiatives that are not connected with or supportive of their multiplication or church-planting efforts. One of the first things a leader can do is to bring alignment between those two ministries.
9. Measuring Success and Celebrating Wins:
Create a framework for measuring progress and success. Share stories and testimonies of new churches, lives transformed, and communities impacted. Celebrate milestones along the way to keep momentum and encourage continued participation. Remember, "You become what you celebrate."
10. Long-Term Sustainability:
Cast a vision for longevity. Church planting is not just about starting new congregations but fostering movements that continue to multiply. Emphasize the importance of developing healthy, reproducing churches that can plant others. Make sure there is mutual accountability not only with the church planter and the sending agency but with the sending agency and the church planter. Conduct annual reviews making sure expectations from each other are being met and review covenant commitments made, whether financial, theological, and relational to ensure long term healthy relationships.
11. Call to Action:
End with a strong call to action. Whether it’s a call to pray, give, go, or send, provide clear next steps for individuals, churches, and organizations to get involved. This could include:
Joining a Prayer Movement: Mobilizing a network of prayer partners.
Financial Commitment: Encouraging sacrificial giving to support church planting efforts.
Becoming a Church Planter or Sending Church: Inspiring leaders to step out in faith to start new churches.
Volunteer Support: Calling on people to provide logistical, technical, and relational support to new church plants.
12. Say Thank You Well:
The Apostles Paul’s letters were filled with words of thanksgiving. There is power in saying thank you well. It builds people up in their spirits and binds them together to their mission. How do you think the church in Philippi, which probably met in Lydia’s home, felt when they received these words from the Apostle Paul,
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:3-6).
Knowing their leader, mentor, pastor, and friend was suffering in a Roman prison for the spread of the good news that touched and transformed each of their hearts. Spend focused time thanking God for each of them by name with a heart filled with joy for their partnership in the gospel.
Conclusion
This vision must be communicated with passion, urgency, and hope, inspiring people across the nation to see themselves as part of something bigger than themselves—a movement that could shape the spiritual landscape of your tribe, your country, and theworld for generations to come.