In this Area
- MINISTRY: New Communities
- PMR New Communities
Planting New Communities is Nourishing Christian Faith
If you are feeling the call to be a planter / starter (including assessment), interested in learning more about any of the plants / starts in our region, or are planting in Pacific Mountain Regional Council and would like to be connected with our cohorts, please contact Regional Minister Rob Shearer at 778-977-7562 or RShearer@united-church.ca.
The LeaderSHIFT Church Planting Project (formerly Embracing the Spirit BC) is part of the LeaderSHIFT ministry, and is an initiative of Pacific Mountain Regional Council of The United Church. Our mandate is to empower planters to plant (or start) diverse Church Plants.
We deliberately engage this metaphor of gardening and tilling as a way to express the organic and ecological nature of starting new communities of faith.
What is 'Church Planting'?
Church Planting is a broad term that refers to starting new communities of faith for the benefit of those who are not yet part of the Church. Church Plants may start in various forms, and usually have the capacity to develop into ‘mature’ expressions of ‘word, sacrament and pastoral care’ – though that might look very different then many exist in congregations or pastoral charges.
A Dozen Plants, and Growing
In addition to funding plants/starts, we seek to resource United Church planters/starters and planter/starter teams with mentors, training, cohorts and other resources for their unique ministries.
Note: Not all of new communities on are recipients of the LCPP Grant.
With the 12+ plants we have supported, we are coming to the end of the initial batch of funds – and are looking to replenish the fund so that we can continue the work as well as to begin to tell the story of the work that the Holy Spirit has started.
In addition to the support or establishment of new plants in 2018-2018, the LeaderSHIFT Church Planting Project (LCPP) co-planned and participated in Resurrect 2019; an ecumenical gathering of those seeking to re-imagine Church. Resurrect 2019 gathered 100 participants in Victoria BC - about ½ of whom were UCC – and featured talks from some of our planters including LeAnn Blackert, Ingrid Brown and Rob Shearer. See ResurrectParty.ca.
'The LCPP evolved from Embracing the Spirit BC in 2019' and is the continuation of this work. The initial funds for the project came from the sale of Trinity United in Vancouver and via the brave decision of the former Vancouver-Burrard Presbytery. Church Planting funds are disbursed through the LCPP Granting Committee. Rob Shearer is the Regional Minister for Church Planting and facilitates the LCPP initiative and is available for conversation, consultation, speaking or preaching.
Emerging Partnerships
- New Leaf
We are working closely with the NewLeaf Church Planting Network to develop opportunities for discernment and coaching for potential planters in the UCC as well as the wider LeaderSHIFT Network, and the national Embracing the Spirit / New Ministries Initiatives, who run monthly virtual cohorts for planters. As our plants ‘take root’, expect to hear the stories of these new Communities of Faith.