Church Planting
Are you called to start a Covenant Church?
The Evangelical Covenant Church fosters the planting of new churches by providing church planters with assessment, training, and coaching.
Picture It
Neighbors becoming friends. Strangers becoming family.
Followers of Jesus gathering in a renovated storefront, a living room, a school, a community center. People from diverse backgrounds encountering the living God. Some returning to faith after years away; others exploring Christianity for the first time. Some speak Spanish, others English. And within a few years, this new community starts another.
This is church planting—life with God in new spaces and places.
A planter’s story
“Church planting was definitely the best and the scariest decision I’ve ever made.”
Israel Solomon, Lead Pastor
Harbor Church LA · Los Angeles
Israel and his wife left Dallas and a fast-track corporate career to plant in a city where they knew no one. Meeting in an elementary school, Harbor gave more than $115,000 to its neighbors in its first two years.
Why now? Why the Covenant?
Not a moment for retreat. A moment for bold, Spirit-led engagement.
The Evangelical Covenant Church is praying for renewal—for hearts, homes, neighborhoods, and nations. God’s Spirit is raising up new churches across North America, and we’re part of it.
The Covenant was born out of a renewal movement, and at our best we still are one. Those who went before us gathered in homes and fields to read Scripture, pray together, and ask the Spirit to move—integrating head, heart, and hands. That DNA is still present.
We don’t start new churches simply to add congregations. We plant to catalyze movement. Every new church is called to multiply. Every established church is called to plant or partner. We’re always thinking beyond ourselves, always investing in the next generation of kingdom work.
We envision a prayerful, multiethnic, intergenerational, growing movement of churches—women and men striving to follow in the way of Jesus by loving our neighbors as Jesus loves us.
What we’re looking for—and what you should be too
Character. Competency. Calling.
Starting a new church is demanding. It takes a particular convergence of all three.
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Character
Spiritual maturity, emotional health, resilience, and relational depth.
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Competency
Evangelistic passion and urgency, vision-casting, gathering people, discipleship, and leadership development.
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Calling
A clear sense that God is summoning you to this. Not a plan B. All in.
Not everyone is called to start a church, and not everyone who is ready to plant is ready right now. The question worth answering: Am I called to start a Covenant church—at this time?
By one Spirit
Unity without uniformity
Covenant churches are planted in global cities and rural towns, suburban neighborhoods and urban cores, among diverse ethnic communities and across generational divides.
What unites us isn’t sameness. It’s a shared commitment to Spirit, Scripture, and life on mission with God.
- Leadership
- Full-time and co-vocational
- Gatherings
- Weekend launches and midweek gatherings
- Spaces
- Traditional facilities and creative spaces
- Places
- Cities, towns, suburbs, and urban cores
You won’t walk alone
When you plant with the Covenant, you start with a family.
Through our 3StrandStrong partnership, three circles come alongside you and the vision God has given—with coaching, financial support, community, and proven frameworks.
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Local churches
Established congregations that plant, partner, and pray alongside you.
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Regional conferences
Your conference church planting leader walks with you through every stage.
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Denominational team
Assessment, training, and resources from the Covenant’s church planting team.
Meet your church planting team.
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Glenn Peterson
Senior Director of Church Planting
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Pat Stark
Director of Church Planting
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Fil Nesta
Director of Bilingual Churches
We’re praying for an obvious move of God.
Is that your prayer too?
Begin the discernment process
A journey, not a test
Tell us a little about yourself and we’ll send you a personalized Welcome Kit. You’ll explore what makes the Covenant distinct, complete two short assessments, and reflect on your calling—at your own pace.
The goal is clarity for you and clarity for us about how best to support you. A church planting leader near you will reach out within a few days.
What’s in the kit
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Intro to Covenant Church Planting
An overview and orientation to planting with the Covenant
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5 Voices Leadership Assessment
Discover how you naturally lead and communicate
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Connecting with the Covenant
A reflective survey you can save and finish later
No cost. No commitment. Go at your own pace.
The journey
- Discernment
- Discovery
- Development
- The dream becomes real
Support church planting
New churches open new pathways to the gospel
Church planting endures as one of the most effective strategies to reach young people, engage a growing multiethnic population, and develop vibrant local churches that make disciples.
New churches are taking fresh forms through networks of house churches, multisite communities, and partnerships with community-based ministries. As communities change and many people have little or no connection to a local church, church planting creates new pathways for people to encounter the gospel and find belonging.
Your gift provides the training, coaching, and resources church planters need to launch new communities of faith and build relationships within their neighborhoods.
