BACKGROUND
The historic church planting perspective for American Baptists has been a denominational approach in which national and/or regional offices took lead roles in sponsoring new congregations and developing resources and training opportunities for church planters. While many strong congregations and committed church planters have resulted from this approach, societal and denominational change has illuminated shortcomings of this approach.

First, the denominational approach to church planting has contributed unintentionally to a loss of a sense of mission for existing churches. Believers reproducing believers and churches reproducing churches exemplify God's mission. However, American Baptist churches largely have abandoned their responsibility and mission to start new churches, relying instead on the denomination to start churches.

Second, the denominational approach to church planting has not led to a rapid multiplication of new churches. The rate of growth of new churches has plateaued at about one percent per year, a rate that, if continued, would hinder American Baptists' commitment to be a force in the mission of evangelizing the world.

The time for change is now. The time to launch a church multiplication movement among American Baptists is today.

OVERVIEW
A church multiplication movement occurs when existing churches, with minimal influence from regional or denominational organizations, plant new churches as part of their evangelism strategy to reach unchurched people. New churches, existing churches and even associations of churches can all fulfill significant roles in such a movement.

STRATEGIES
Four keys to a church multiplication movement for American Baptists are prayer, leadership, partnership and financial resources. Launching a church multiplication movement is no small feat and will require a multifaceted strategic approach involving denominational bodies at both the national and regional level. The strategic approach will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• The strengthening of existing partnerships between national and regional staff, with an affirmation of the gifts, experiences and perspectives that each offers.
• The creation of a church-planting climate through effective communication of both the vision and value of churches planting new churches as a primary evangelism strategy.
• The setting of challenging church planting goals.
• The intentional recruiting, training, equipping and empowering of clergy and laypersons to provide clear leadership for new churches.
• The development of partnerships with other denominational bodies, such as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Church of the Brethren and the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
• The development of ample and ongoing financial and prayer support for new churches.
• The development and strengthening of relationships with 10 key missional churches each year who will adopt and become involved in fulfilling the vision of churches planting churches.
• The intentional development of a mission strategy in all new churches, highlighting new churches' responsibility to reproduce.

COMMITMENTS
The New Church Planting Team of National Ministries commits to support a church multiplication movement within our denomination during the next 10 years through:

• Encouraging every region to develop and utilize a church planter assessment process and to provide intensive training for church planters.
• Providing financial grants to help new churches with musical instruments and sound systems.
• Providing financial grants, in cooperation with the Evangelism Project Team of National Ministries, to encourage new churches in their evangelistic efforts.
• Providing demographic studies.
• Working cooperatively with the Equipping Disciples Project Team of National Ministries to assist new churches in growing healthy, mature Christians.
• Providing a limited number of partnership grants to existing churches to help them as they start new churches.
• Working cooperatively with various ministry teams of National Ministries to recruit sponsoring churches and ministerial and lay leaders for new churches.
• Working directly with church-planting churches to develop strategic plans as well as assist regional leaders to help church planters develop and implement strategic plans.

The New Church Planting Team of National Ministries seeks commitment from all national and regional staff to support a church multiplication movement within our denomination during the next 10 years through:

• Communicating the vision and value of churches starting churches.
• Developing a collaborative strategy to support the vision.
• Actively implementing the strategy during the next 10 years.