Our vision is to catalyze a movement of reproducing churches across the MidAtlantic region of the United States and around the world! We truly want to see hundreds of new churches planted in the coming years; churches that are transforming communities and that are engaged strategically in reproducing new disciples, new leaders and new churches.

Geographical Areas Being Targeted: Some of the key areas in the MidAtlantic region of the United States being targeted for church planting include:

• Northeastern Ohio - Cleveland/Akron and surrounding communities
• Central Ohio - greater Columbus, Mansfield, and surrounding communities
• Southwestern Ohio - Cincinnati/Dayton and surrounding communities
• Youngstown/Warren, Ohio and surrounding communities
• Western Pennsylvania - metro Pittsburgh, New Castle, and surrounding communities
• Central/Eastern Pennsylvania - State College, Harrisburg, and the Philadelphia area
• Metro Washington D.C./Maryland/Northern Virginia
• Central Virginia - including Richmond and surrounding communities
• Raleigh, North Carolina and surrounding communities
• Charlotte, North Carolina and surrounding communities
• Buffalo, NY / Western NY / NW PA

Already a Great Track Record: Since 1995, 50 new churches have been planted in key communities in the MidAtlantic. In addition, six established churches have affiliated with us during this same time period. Of the new churches that have been planted in our district, four out of the five are healthy and growing after three years. This track record is consistent across TeAMerica - due to God's blessing, and to the systems in place in our movement.

Pressing Forward: We now have plans to deploy at least six church planters each year for the next three years. In addition, we believe that God will be sending a number of already established churches to join with our movement during this period of time.

Key Components to Our Strategy: Some of the key pieces of our church planting strategy during the coming years include the following:

• Keeping a focus on our "Six Key Systems" that include: Spiritual Dynamics, Assessment, Training, Coaching, Networking & Financial Support
• Area LEAD Teams of pastors and church planters meeting together four to five times each year for planning, training, strategizing, coaching and keeping our movement on track
• Parent churches - recruiting, training and resourcing a growing team of parent churches who will help lead our movement
• District leadership (full time Church Planting Director) that helps bring together teams of partnering churches, assists in recruiting and gives leadership in the financial support system
• Area Church Planting Coordinators – Overseeing coaching and movement leadership and key movement centers in our region.
• Multiplication - mobilizing church planters and new churches that will multiply additional new churches and make parenting a priority for their ministry

Multi-Cultural Focus: We will continue to focus on the diverse cultural groups living in the communities in our District. Currently, our church planting movement is effectively reaching African-American communities, Filipino communities and Vietnamese communities. In 2004, we added a ministry that touches the Ethiopian community in the Metro DC area. This diversity and multi-cultural focus will remain a strong emphasis in our movement.

Our Standard: Our plan is to deploy church planters who will give strategic leadership to planting vital, healthy, Christ-centered, Bible-based, self-supporting churches with a vision and plan for multiplication. Critical success factors include:

• A qualified and approved church planter with a clearly developed ministry plan
• Support structures that include assessment, training, coaching, spiritual support, networking and financial support
• Financial support for up to three years (stated standard is that new churches will be self-supporting within three years of deployment in the community)
• Launch team that is adequately trained, and, in some cases, one or more ministry partners (key team members) who share the vision and own the church planting ministry along with the planter.

Developing Key Movement Centers: Given the expanse of our region, we are excited about developing key movement centers and empowering movement leaders in these strategic centers. Currently, two areas have been identified as movement centers in our Mid-Atlantic area: Charlotte, NC and the Metro Washington DC area. We are seeking to resource these centers for church planting expansion and to identify new movement centers in the coming years.

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