What Church Leaders Are Saying

What Church Planters & Church Planting Coaches Are Saying

What Church Leaders Are Saying

“In thirty years of vocational ministry I have benefited from a wide array of seminars and equipping ministries. But none has proven more profitable than GCA. Why? Because of GCA's unwavering commitment to demonstrate the radical implications of the gospel of God's grace for every area of life and ministry.”

Scotty Smith
Founding Pastor, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN
Author of Objects of His Affection, Reign of Grace and Restoring Broken Things

“For two decades, church planting has grown in prominence—and rightly so. Leaders have emerged with innovative planting ideas and the church has eagerly embraced their methods. Now, I believe a new breed of leader is emerging—and Steve Childers is at the forefront. As a church planter, Steve not only knows the practical, but he has the mind and heart for the theological and missiological. Steve is the kind of leader church planting has needed—a successful practitioner with the heart of a theologian and a missionary. I wish I had Steve as a mentor when I planted my first church but at least I have him as a friend today. He is a precious gift to the church.”

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D.
Director of The Nehemiah Project and Partnership, North American Mission Board (Southern Baptists) former church planting professor, Southern Seminary (SBC), Author of Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age

“Steve Childers is the only multi-cultural and multi-national church planter I have ever met! I am intimidated.”

Lyle Schaller
"America's foremost authority on the dynamics of church life."--Leadership Magazine, Christianity Today
Church Growth Author and Consultant, Yokefellow Institute, Richmond, Indiana
Author of 44 Questions for Church Planters

“Steve Childers' Church Planting course is the single best instructional unit available today for the typical church planter in the U.S. Steve's class is highly practical and extraordinarily comprehensive. He thinks of everything and provides high quality teaching.”

Tim Keller
Sr. Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City
Former Professor of Practical Theology and D.Min. Director, Westminster Seminary

“Steve Childers and Global Church Advancement bring together an outstanding team of presenters offering comprehensive training in church planting. Their missiologically sound and principle-based training is useful for both contemporary and missional churches. GCA training gives attention to the spiritual dynamics of church planting and includes focused learning opportunities for new and experienced planters as well as spouses, couples, coaches and movement leaders. Planter's coaches and leaders return year after year to increase their understanding and effectiveness. I highly recommend it.”

Steve Ogne
Church Planter Trainer, Coach, Consultant and Author
Co-Author (with Bob Logan) of the best selling Church Planter’s Toolkit
Church Resource Ministries (CRM)

“Global Church Advancement is not a misnomer! Steve Childers and his team comprise one of the few ministries that welds practical insight with a solid theological foundation so that new churches may be planted throughout the world. I enthusiastically recommend their training to church planters and those responsible for church planting movements both in the United States and beyond.”

Dr. Tom Nebel
Director of Multiplication Worldwide
Baptist General Conference
Author of Big Dreams in Small Places and Church Planting Landmines

“I have planted churches overseas and in the U.S., and I believe that Steve Childers' church planting course is one of the best ways to understand what church planting is all about and how to do it! I am very enthusiastic about this course and would encourage anyone interested in church planting to get this training.”

C. John (Jack) Miller
Former Director of World Harvest Mission
Author of Outgrowing the Ingrown Church and Sonship

"From 25 to 500 in dark Japan: Twenty five missionary church planters attended Steve Childers' first church planting training conference in Japan 10 years ago. God blessed richly, and this "conference" has grown to almost 500 attendees, and is becoming a "movement" more than a conference. Why? Most of us struggling in our church plants in spiritually resistant Japan attended that first conference looking for a church planting "silver bullet." We came for the "M" of "methodology," looking for new and better tools for our church planting tool box. Steve gave us great Church Planting methodology training. But the rich blessing that God especially used to grow this movement from 25 to 500 was this. God used Steve powerfully to give us the more important "M's." We saw that we in ministry need the "Message" of the gospel for our own hearts daily, and that the "Man," the person, the church planter's life and heart is primary. And yes, we learned how to pursue a Church planting "Movement" by the power of Christ's gospel. As one guy said, "It would be cruel and unusual punishment to not let me attend next year!" I agree. And I go back every year to sit under Steve for renewal of my own heart in Christ and His gospel, and to go deeper in my church planting leadership skills.  My life and ministry have been deeply affected by Steve Childers and his training. I highly recommend this training."

Daniel Iverson III
PCA Mission to the World Tokyo Team Leader and Church Planter

“Creative church planters look for principles that broaden their understanding of the church and its dynamic life. Church planting practitioners look for models, check lists and practical applications of theory. Steve Childers provides both in this excellent course.”

J. Allen Thompson
President, The International Church Planting Center, Seattle, Washington
Former Director of World Team International

“I highly recommend this seminar. Steve Childers is recognized broadly as one of the best, if not the best, leader/trainer in church planting today.”

Robert C. (Ric) Cannada, Jr.
Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary

“I personally have benefited so much from GCA’s influence on my life.  But more than that, our church has as well (our senior pastor and an elder attended GCA with me a couple years back as we were thinking through our church planting strategy). And virtually every church planter in our presbytery has attended GCA, too.  We think GCA is a vitally important ministry for the welfare of our region, our denomination, and for the Body of Christ as a whole. All that to say, we have a small, token gift we'd like to pass on.  Wish it could be much more!  And along with the gift, I wanted to express my personal appreciation for you and all that GCA stands for.”
   

Steve Sage

Pastor of Adult Ministries, Deer Creek Church, Littleton, Colorado

“The GCA conference is one of the most gospel-centered & missional church planting conferences I attend each year.  If you have not made your way to one of these, it may be time for you to attend.”

Drew Goodmanson - www.goodmanson.com

Founder and President of Monk Development and Ekklesia360

“The Big Picture! That's what Steve Childers does best. Too many church planters focus on the details and then get lost in the particulars. Church planters must see and understand the entire task otherwise they will build truncated churches or churches that hit plateaus and never recover.”

Terry Gyger
Former Coordinator (CEO), Mission to North America (PCA)

“The church planting seminar by Steve Childers provides a well informed and rigorous analysis of the challenging opportunities facing the church planter. He presents, in practical terms, the essential building blocks that establish a firm foundation for the Biblical church.”

Philip D. Douglass
Professor of Church Planting, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis

“I’m all signed up and ready to go back to the GCA Church Planter Training Seminar for the second time! In addition to the basic training for first time church planters, there is an intermediate and advanced track made up of excellent seminars and workshops offered by some of the best trainers in the country. Last time I attended this seminar, I spoke with some church elders in attendance who wondered why this training wasn’t also being promoted among church elders, deacons, laypeople and pastors of established churches. Any church leader would benefit from the Gospel-centered, kingdom-driven, grace-oriented and prayer-based emphases offered through this excellent seminar. Whether you are looking to plant a church, be a part of a church planting team, upgrade your church planting skills, or simply become a more effective servant-leader in your church, this seminar is well worth your time and money.”

Bruce R. Finn
Coordinator, Metro Philadelphia Church Planting Partnership
 

What Church Planters & Church Planting Coaches Are Saying

“I found the training challenging and encouraging. I think such training would be indispensable for any church planter.”

“The whole seminar is vital for any prospective or current church planter. I wish I would have had this sort of training before I hit the field. But I also find it valuable (again) after being on the field to be refreshed on helpful procedure and process.”

“I took the Basic Training Seminar in order to be better prepared to serve as a coach to new church planters. The interesting thing was that I came away with a pad full of notes and ideas for my own church, things I wanted to change or re-think or do differently. . . please keep me on the GCA email list. I would like to come again later.”

“The Basic Training course was nothing short of life transforming. I was driven to my knees in prayer. I've come back fully charged and ready to kick off our church plant in just a few weeks.”

“Having served as a (Church Planter) Assessor and having planted a church (St. Louis), the question came to me a number of times . . . “don’t you already know this stuff?” My reaction is that anyone who thinks they know this stuff doesn’t really, really know this stuff! I have found myself most teachable in response to this merciful offering. This seminar came along at just the right time: the needs I have being profound in a church planting effort that takes on Chicagoland by the grace of God. And the timing was sweet, in that the seminar came in the early stages of planning, formulating, evaluating and sweating . . . Three months following the seminar came our first worship service. I am grateful for the way Dr. Childers has allowed me to make vital use of this learning experience on the front lines.”

"Thanks again for the week. It was crushing, yet invigorating! I now have adopted one of Steve's slogans as one of my own, "Radically Prepared but Radically Dependent." I felt as though I learned an immeasurable amount about church planting and even more about the gospel!"

“Everything was very valuable in my case. This seminar surpassed my expectations. It's like a grenade of useful information was dropped on me.”

“This seminar exceeded my expectations. I appreciated the “view from 30,000 feet” and hard questions like, “What are the real needs of my community/region?” Being immersed in this overflowing vat made me more creative. I saw things more clearly than I might have with a narrower focus or elaboration. Thanks for the challenge: Too much to do, I'm too weak to accomplish it, so I have to have Christ! My overall rating: 19 - Peter or Paul, 20 - Jesus, so, not bad, guys (re: the score of 18).”

“It was great and really exceeded my expectations. The orientation to the steps of a church plant gave me a framework for thinking, praying and planning.”

“The challenges of church planting I currently face, Steve Childers has already gone through and offers sound wisdom and practical advice to help me press on with courage.”

“I appreciated the balance in content and the instructors. It was theoretical, practical and spiritually formative.”