Ready, Set Plant: The Why and How of Starting New Churches

When one reads through the New Testament, it's evident that the practice of planting churches began two thousand years ago. Today's culture, community, and connections differ greatly from the churches Peter and Paul helped build. Even in the past 20 years, those factors have dramatically changed the ministry of church planting.

In Ready, Set, Plant Bener Agtarap and Curtis Brown provide tools for planting churches--looking at the spiritual, social, and economic aspects of the process. Creating new church bodies requires redefining priorities and practices. Yet one thing that never changes is that the mission must be God's mission.

Ready, Set, Plant raises questions about church planting that every new church community must address: Why? Who? How? What? Where? When? Agtarap and Brown provide a broad range of answers to each question. By examining these questions and various answers, church planters will be equipped to fulfill their divine call to make disciples and transform the world.

Rev. Dr. Bener Baysa Agtarap is an ordained elder in the California-Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Bener's experience of over 30 years has established him as a seasoned church planter, mentor, and disciple-making movement leader. He is executive director, Community Engagement & Church Planting/ Path1, and director, Connectional Mobilization at Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church.

Rev. Dr. Curtis Brown equips and mentors lay and clergy leaders in churches and other religious organizations. Curtis is a trainer for The United Methodist Church in new church systems and organization, innovative forms of Christian community, fundraising, congregational renewal, and developing entrepreneurial ministry leaders. He serves as director of connectional ministries for the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the UMC.