ECO’s Church Planting Mission

In Matthew 9:37 and Luke 10:2, Jesus, moved by compassion for the lost, instructs his disciples to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into the harvest. As a denomination, we have been faithfully praying that God would raise up laborers called to plant churches within ECO. Over the past year, we’ve seen God answer these prayers. Currently, we have nearly 200 potential planters in our pipeline—individuals who have been vetted to take next steps toward church planting with ECO. These are people aligned with our Essential Tenets, who feel called and equipped to plant churches, and who are clear on their next step if they choose to plant with ECO. Some have already begun planting and are wondering: will our movement invest in their efforts? 

Luke Parker, ECO’s Director of Church Planting and Keila Llanes, who administratively supports our church-planting efforts, have done an exceptional job recruiting planters and establishing robust systems for assessment and coaching. As Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” We are now at a pivotal moment, blessed with an influx of potential planters, and we carry a profound responsibility to steward these relationships and drive a new season of church planting.

What we now need are churches and individuals eager to partner in this endeavor. We recently hosted a webinar outlining the current state of church planting, which you can view here.

We invite you to consider the following ways to engage with our church planting mission:

• Local Partnerships: Would you be open to meeting potential church planters in your area and exploring opportunities for partnership through financial support, prayer, and community engagement?
• Exploring Church Planting: Would your church consider exploring ways to support a church plant independently or in collaboration with other churches?
• Investing in Denominational Planting Efforts: In addition to our staff who support churches and planters, we seek funds to provide grants, coaching, training, and project management. These resources help ensure that each church plant has the highest chance of flourishing.

While we’re not asking for an immediate commitment, we would love for your session or mission team to consider a conversation with our church-planting team. If you’re interested in discussing how best to support our movement, please fill out this form or email Keila at churchplanting@eco-pres.org.

I believe the Lord has brought us and is continuing to bring us these potential planters. Praise God! While not all will ultimately plant with ECO, I pray that for those whom God intends, we can walk together, mutually encouraged, as we pursue a greater quantity and quality of flourishing congregations in ECO.

In Christ,
Dana

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