I listened with eagerness as the instructor articulated the strengths of my personality type. I heartily agreed with every word. “Yep, that’s me!” I affirmed to myself. Proud I was . . . until she started in on the weaknesses. “Well, maybe. Not so much. Nope, I don’t do that.” I managed to minimize each negative trait. I was certain I was the exception to the rule. I had just convinced myself that I was an unusually high quality prototype of my particular personality, when the Holy Spirit smacked me upside the head. A quiet voice prompted this thought: “If you own the strengths, you need to own the weaknesses, because they are true.” This was the beginning of my love/hate relationship with assessments.

Love them or hate them, assessments are critical for evaluating churches and church planters. Church plant success rates rise from the 50 percent range to the 80 percent range when church planters are properly assessed. Regular Baptist Church Planting uses a Church Planter Profile to evaluate potential church planters. More than 10,000 church planters across the country have utilized this profile, and the results are very helpful in affirming, or perhaps questioning, God’s call on a person to lead a church plant. The initial screening assessment is free and takes only a few minutes to complete. It focuses on relational evangelism, ministry experience, church planting experience, and leadership skills. The second phase of the assessment hones in on the personal traits of the church planter. It assesses behavioral traits, spiritual gifts, thinking styles, and specific areas of strength in the context of church planting.

If you sense God may be calling you to start a new church, take the assessment. Let God use this tool to help you better understand who you are, how you function, and the additional preparation you may need before getting started. We can help you get additional training. We can even help you locate a coach or mentor who has experience in developing a church from scratch. We want to be a resource to assist you in this vital effort.

If you are a pastor of a church interested in giving birth to a daughter church, this assessment can help you select and better prepare your church planter. If you have any questions, please contact me at cjewell [at] garbc [dot] org.