Church planting is both essential for healthy growth of the kingdom in the U.S. and abroad. The U.S. is the fourth largest mission field behind China, India, and Indonesia with 40% of the pre-Christian culture in the Western U.S. The Church Growth philosophy since the 1980’s has afforded us a proper urgency on The Church and yet over emphasizes the effectiveness of massive corporation Churches. One Church of 20,000 can not effectively reach a city of 2 million. Yet that same church could plant five churches every year and if those churches averaged 250 people and also had a church planting vision over time they would reach far more people through multiplication than containing and maintaining 20,000. Church planting is affordable, effective, versatile, and more importantly Biblical.

^{Grace Point is uniquely qualified and positioned to lead a Church Planting Movement. Because she was a plant, Grace Point Church can identify with the needs and nuances of church planting and provide laissez fair oversight while not suffocating the church planters vision and initiative. Grace Point is positioned in a high density, highly academic preparatory community that both attracts young mobile and vocationally adaptable people who can both participate in and lead church plants of varying types.}

The Grace Point Church Planting Movement will begin with a Greenhouse dedicated to identify, equip and support, at various levels, individuals with the vision to plant healthy replicating communities of faith. The Greenhouse will be a learning community whereby we learn from one another and are challenged to strategically craft a vision, strategy and mission that will be most effective given the cultural distinctive of the proposed plant. Greenhouse will meet and those who plant will be encouraged to stay and participate in order to be encouraged and assisted real time as well as to give valuable feedback as they are able and that is why a Website or blogosphere would be ideal for Greenhouse.

^{Grace Point Church will focus its mission efforts to the realm of Church Planting. While there are many reputable causes, we feel churches are able to take the Gospel and a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name more effectively than other organizations. Therefore we will focus our resources internationally toward church plants. While our missions emphasis will be on churches it will not in anyway cease to be less empathic toward humanitarian causes yet more so as the church penetrates with the Gospel and with compassion. Africa and South America are ripe for the Gospel and for Churches and we must focus our interests strategically.}

^{Grace Point Church will also plant regional churches as well as satellite campuses. We will also plant house churches and churches of various sizes. We believe the Kingdom should grow and that every individual church will have its unique skeletal frame. Not all animals at the zoo are as large as an elephant, nor should they be. We believe each church is unique and should grow to its own particular size but should continue to be effective or should especially be effective when it reaches maturity. As God brings Grace Point potential partners to plant regional churches, we will assist as is needed. Some of this will require financial assistance and some will require people to launch from Grace Point in order to start a new work. For some it will simply be the relocation of the Grace Point DNA and Brand in a satellite location while utilizing Grace Point staff and emerging staff as catalysts for the new location.}

All in all we would envision 100 churches over the next decade both international, regional, satellite, home and national plants. The levels at which we will support will be along various lines.

^{Partner Church- we will come alongside with resources to assist.}

^{Regional Partner- We will assist with financial and people resources, maintaining a familial relationship.}

^{Satellite-These would be an actual extension of the Grace Point community and model requiring full support of financial, people, staff and structure.}

^{International- Partnering Churches that are international in nature.}

^{House Churches- Churches smaller than 100 that meet in house to house and sub divide as space becomes an issue.}

We believe that from 2006 to 2016 we will see 100 churches of these various types birthed by or partnered with from Grace Point initiative. All Churches should be replicating churches by the 3^rd year. We would like to see and expect each church to plant, or partner a plant by the 3^rd year of its existence. This expectation should be clear and all assistance whether contractual or collegial should be contingent upon this expectation unless ‘extreme circumstances’ otherwise prohibit.   We believe that this will best utilize Grace Point Church’s unique position, experience and expertise as well as reaching more people world wide than it ever could by looking inwardly toward its own infrastructure.

In order for this movement to be effective we must continue to work within our denomination as well as across denominational lines. We should keep our doctrine pure while not requiring non-essentials (beyond orthodoxy) to be incumbent upon those we are willing to partner with. We must increase our network in order to identify all qualified and capable partners and planters to participate in Greenhouse as well as connect us with their networks in order for the movement to flourish. 

I would like to see our mission dollars incrementally increase as well as our Faith Promise go toward the assisting of international planters. I would also like to see a healthy portion of our Day Care overages (beyond what Day Care needs for improvements and strategic initiatives) go towards regional sites. This requires our Day Care to be fully operational as it is today, with vigilant health measures regarding it’s ongoing budget.

Fundamentally I believe this is biblical, essential and morally required of The Church. I believe this will be the most exciting decade of our lives as we see a multiplying movement emerge from within.