Church Planting Assessment Process

Our assessment process is communal discernment process. Assessment creates space to prayerfully listen together as a community about whether planting is right for a candidate—and whether an opportunity is the right one for this planter, in this place, at this time. Here is the Anglican Church in North America's Canon for Church Planting, the Rev. Dr. Dan Alger, on the process of assessment:

Phase 1: Inquiry Phase 2: Screening Phase 3: Interview Phase 4: Plant
1. Inquiry
We get to know you, and you get to know us and our assessment process
2. Screening
Digging deeper into who you are, your gifts, your calling, and your experience.
3. Interview
Prayerfully discern alongside others in your community and the wider Diocese
4. Plant
Discerning steps toward beginning the church plant

Phase 1: Inquiry

Ministry Coordinator (formerly, Associate Director of Church Planting) Michelle Herbst outlines the initial steps of the Church Planting Assessment process:

Action Steps

  1. Begin with a conversation with the church planting staff in the diocesan office, if you haven't already. You can contact Michelle Herbst to begin that process. If you have questions about ordination, or transferring as an ordained person into this jurisdiction, you may want to have a preliminary conversation with Archdeacon Jessica Jones.
  2. Complete this Reflection Exercise (expected time to complete: 60 minutes) and Questionnaire, and submit them according to the instructions from your initial call. You'll need to watch "Exploring our Motivations for Church Planting" as part of the Reflection Exercise.
  3. Once these are completed, you will have a half hour call with a member of the church planting staff to debrief these exercises and outline your next steps.