A 2007 article in Outreach Magazine (PDF) identified Mars Hill as the second most prolific multiplying church in America. This article motivated me to increase church planting in and through Mars Hill Church—to live up to our reputation, as it were.

The Pastors Training Program

We have worked hard to steward the resources of Mars Hill Church and Acts 29 Network to identify, equip, assess, and send church planters through Mars Hill Church. The Pastors Training Program (PTP) is one example. Fully funded by Mars Hill and run by our Church Planting Branch, the PTP trained ten church planters for twelve months.

During this inaugural tutelage, these men discussed strategy, experienced community, formalized philosophies and doctrinal positions, and forged lifelong friendships. The result: multiple new churches around the country (North Carolina, Ohio, New York, Rhode Island, Louisiana) and one campus pastor for Federal Way, Samuel Choi.

Mark Bergin was the only Mars Hill member to participate in the PTP this year. Over the course of the program, we explored many options for this gifted, intelligent leader (nicknamed “The Hammer” by his PTP peers). Mark now serves the Shoreline campus as a volunteer pastor, and he will move to Chicago in the next twelve months to begin gathering a core to plant a gospel-centered church.

Through the generosity of its members, Mars Hill Church…

• Gives over $1 million a year toward church planting.
• Funds 26 church plants in America, and two church planting leaders internationally.
• Give an additional $100,000 to a fund overseen by the Acts 29 Board to advance church planting.

The additional funds provide the training of 63 pastors to be coaches of church planters; research shows that a planter with a coach has a 200 percent higher survivability rate than one who isn’t coached (Leadership Network).

New churches in the works

This fall, the PTP will begin training, assessing, and equipping several Mars Hill leaders who are preparing to plant new churches. Andrew Pack (Lake City) is looking to plant in Seattle. Greg Joines (Ballard) is praying about going to North Carolina. Bergin is headed to Chicago, and Jesse Winkler is leaving his Mars Hill campus pastor role to gather a core in San Diego to start a new church. Dustin Nickerson (Bellevue) is another a potential planter for the Eastside of Seattle.

We are praying for more Mars Hill men who desire to be sent out as church planters to proclaim the gospel. We want to lead as a multiplying church for the glory of God and the gospel transformation of all nations.

Acts 29 Network

Pastor Scott Thomas leads the Acts 29 Network, which exists to start churches that plant churches. More information at the Acts 29 website.