Intensive Church Planters Training (ICPT) is the initial training for church planters in South Carolina, and focuses on leading attendees (church planters and their teams) to answer five important questions.  Those questions are: Who am I? What am I called to do? Who will do it with me? How will we do it? How do we evaluate our progress?

On March 8-10, 2004, the Church Multiplication Group, SCBC, held one of these training sessions at the convention building in Columbia. Twenty planters, perspective planters, and team members went through the process. At least twelve new churches were represented.

“We have made a radical shift in the way we train planters over the past year,” said Dino Senesi, director of Church Multiplication. “We believe that those who are called to plant a new church have received something from God. We want to help them take that to a practical next level. Our process is learner focused and discovery based. I consider it more of a workshop than a training session.”

Speakers included Senesi and church planters Chris Ruppe from North Rock Hill Church, Rock Hill; Richard Swift, pastor of Cedar Creek Community Church, Aiken; John Sharp from Northpoint Community, Columbia; and Andre Rogers from Church of the Open Door, Columbia.

Also on Tuesday evening, music evangelist Dean and Gayna Forrest from Pike Road, Ala., led worship during a celebration time and Senesi preached.

Each of the sessions focused on the five important questions, and attendees began formulating answers through various activities, such as mapping out their church planting vision on poster board.  On Wednesday, the church planters shared their work with each other.

“We need to train planters because it helps them expand their vision to see that they are part of a Kingdom perspective,” said Rob White, Church Multiplication associate. “One of the greatest things I saw happen during our week was that planters fleshed out their spiritual journey and began to see more clearly what God was calling them to do.”

The next Intensive Church Planters Training will be August 16-18, 2004 at White Oak Conference Center in Winnsboro, SC.  For more information, contact the Church Multiplication Group by calling (800) 723-7242, extension 5800, by emailing michelleharter@scbaptist.org, or by visiting online at www.scbaptist.org.