Abstract
The launching of new Protestant churches in the United States, widely known as church planting, plays an increasing role in today's ecclesiastical landscape. This article summarizes salient findings from existing literature (multiple church planting studies, 54 doctoral dissertations, 41 journal articles, and over 100 church planting books and manuals), giving particular attention to a 2007 study by Leadership Network, which itself involved fresh research among more than 200 church-planting churches, over 100 leaders from 40 denominations, 45 church planting networks, 84 organic church leaders, 12 nationally known experts, and 81 colleges and seminaries. The Leadership Network findings review the contributions and impact of four primary church-planting entities on the American churchplanting industry: denominations, church planting networks, church-planting churches, and house churches. The most important conclusions of the Leadership Network study report that around 68 percent of church plants still exist four years after having been started, and that the assessment, preparation, and coaching processes for the pastoral leader have a dramatic impact on both the well being of the planter and the vitality and survivability of the new church.
Recommended Citation
Stetzer, E., & Bird, W. (2008). The State of Church Planting in the United States: Research Overview and Qualitative Study of Primary Church Planting Entities. Journal of the American Society for Church Growth, 19(2), 1-42. Retrieved from https://place.asburyseminary.edu/jascg/vol19/iss2/2
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