UMC Church Planting Movement: Current Trends and New Opportunities

Each year, we at Path 1 and Discipleship Ministries collect data on the number of new churches, faith communities, and fresh expressions that have been planted in The United Methodist Church in each annual and central conference.

The data collected provides insight into regional and national trends as well as information that can help us know what strategies seem to be the most effective. The information also helps us understand the effects of situations and events taking place that can challenge the move to plant churches. Oftentimes, challenges lead to opportunities that can give the church renewed vigor through adaptation and innovation.

The information is used to help inform the work of Path 1 and those who serve in roles as annual conference developers and church revitalization strategists.

Starting new churches, faith communities, and fresh expressions of the Christian faith is vitally important as we seek to share the good news of Jesus. Behind these data points are the stories of people who have found relationships with God and neighbors. It is through these relationships that our mission to transform the world into what God intends occurs.

The future holds tremendous opportunities for Path 1 at Discipleship Ministries to strengthen the equipping of world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ and church planting movement within the United Methodist connection in the United States and globally.

We are glad to invite you to study and share this report with your annual conference and local church leadership team. We encourage you to send us your insights and suggestions about how we can better improve our efforts of making disciples of Jesus Christ by planting new, vital, and fresh Christian communities in a dynamic and diverse mission context. If you have any questions, suggestions, or interest in discussing this report with your team, please contact Bryan Tener at [email protected], and/or Bener Agtarap at [email protected].

Click the link below to download the report:

DOWNLOAD The United Methodist Global Church Planting Report (PDF)

By God's grace, we go forward in fulfilling the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. And we move onward, knowing that best of all, God is with us.