Planting FAQs

Detailed answers to these common questions regarding Harvest church planting:

1. What is your approach to church planting?
2. How does Harvest Bible Fellowship plant a church?
3. How does HBF decide where to plant?
4. How can our church become a Harvest Bible Chapel?
5. Does HBF accept requests for church plants in specific areas?
6. How can I be alerted when you start a new church?
7. How does HBF approach missions?
8. What training is provided to church-planting pastors and leaders?
9. What is the next step?
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1. What is your approach to church planting?
Harvest Bible Fellowship pursues church planting wherever God opens a door and draws together a core group that is committed to our mission, values, and distinctives, and with whom we share a sense of passion for discipleship and alignment of perspective.

To connect with Harvest Bible Fellowship about planting a Harvest Bible Chapel, read the following Q & As, then fill out this form. Fellowship staff will contact you in response.

2. How does Harvest Bible Fellowship plant a church?
We plant churches where God is visibly at work, evidenced by His raising of a core group in any area of the world whose members resonate with our pillars and values. A combination of Walk in the Word, the teaching ministry of Harvest Bible Chapel Senior Pastor James MacDonald, Harvest conferences (Harvest University, Straight Up), and relocating Harvest church members often provide the initial exposure to our values and catalyze the forming of a core group.

Core groups typically consist of four to six couples who share a passion to see a life-giving church established in their community and are fully committed to lean into the labor of planting a church.
The group leader contacts Harvest Bible Fellowship.
HBF works in tandem with the group leader to initiate the first stages of church planting, and assumes responsibility for finding, hiring, and training the Senior Pastor, who then facilitates growth in the group and the training of its leaders, and preparing the group for the church's public launch.

3. How does HBF decide where to plant?
A plant’s location is generally determined by the nearest major city to the area where God is raising up the core group. Other considerations, such as proximity to other Harvest Bible Chapels and securing a suitable worship facility, may also factor into the location decision.

4. How can our church become a Harvest Bible Chapel?
By an elder or leader making contact with Harvest Bible Fellowship to discuss the possibility of transitioning. We now have more than ten such churches that transitioned into Harvest Bible Chapels from existing churches. Each case is somewhat unique, yet all have common facets that are addressed in our Church Transition FAQs.

5. Does HBF accept requests for church plants in specific areas?
Yes. Harvest Bible Fellowship will explore the potential of planting a church wherever the Lord draws together a core group that resonates with our pillars and values. If this describes you, contact us.

6. How can I be alerted when you start a new church?
Church-planting activity (including new launches) is shared through our newsletters, this web site, and posts on Facebook and Twitter.

7. How does Harvest Bible Fellowship approach missions?
At Harvest, we believe the mission of the church is missions, and the mission of missions is the church. Therefore our approach toward missions is the planting and equipping of reproducing Harvest Bible Chapels in any region of the world where the Lord grants to us an open door. For more insight to our missions approach, read the Harvest Philosophy of Missions Ministry.

8. What training is provided to church-planting pastors and leaders?

For qualified seminary graduates, pastoral training takes place through an 8-month formal residency program with the Harvest Training Center.
Transitioning pastors are trained in a 6-week residency program through the Training Center with ongoing training during the first two years of the transition.
A coaching relationship between pastors and HBF mentors is ongoing for the life of each Harvest church.
Pastors and church leaders, from in and outside of Harvest, are able to be equipped at our annual 2½-day ministry training conference, Harvest University (April 19-21, 2010).

9. What is the next step? If...

You are part of a developing core group, or considering joining or starting one, learn more about the expectations of a core group and its members in this letter from our Executive Director Kent Shaw.
Your core group is interested in becoming a Harvest church plant, fill out this form indicating your interest. Harvest Bible Fellowship staff will get connected with you in response.
You are interested in transitioning your existing church to a Harvest Bible Chapel, read our Church Transition FAQs.
You are interested in more information about the Harvest Training Center, check out the Training Center page and HTC FAQs.
You have additional questions, contact us.

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