ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — A diverse group of more than 170 planters representing at least 14 different languages and 153 Sending Churches attended Send Network’s Orientation, a biannual event for newly endorsed church planters, held November 11-13 at North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga.

This new class of church planters includes individuals originally from countries like India, Ukraine, Japan, Nigeria, Iraq and more. They are planting churches across 34 different U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. A quarter of the planters in attendance were Spanish speakers, a reflection of Send Network Español’s emphasis on resourcing planters to reach Hispanic communities.

Thinking like missionaries

“Send Network was the first place in North America I felt like I was around other pastors and planters who thought like missionaries and saw themselves no different than a missionary going overseas,” shared Jon Kelly, who serves on Send Network’s Lead Team of Planters and led a workshop aimed to help planters find practical ways to engage their city.

Vance Pitman, president of Send Network, encouraged the new planters to approach church planting by first engaging their city, making disciples and then seeing Jesus plant His church — rather than simply starting church services.

“At Send Network, we are now calling that the Missionary Task,” Pitman shared. “Here’s what that looks like: You’re sent into the city where you engage the city with the gospel, then you see disciples made, churches born, then you send out those churches back into the cities and you do it all over again.”

This approach is exactly what drew Dipak Chatterjee, a planter originally from India who is now starting a church in Asheville, N.C., to join Send Network. When Hurricane Helene devastated his community last September, his church plant, Asheville Hindi Fellowship, jumped into engaging their city by partnering with Send Relief.

“We worked together to do whatever we could for our neighborhood and for the people of India who are living there, extending our hand to bless them, putting our faith into action and showing them that God still loves them,” he shared.

Sticking together

“Church planting is a crazy, exhilarating journey,” Noah Oldham, executive director of Send Network, told planters at the start of orientation. “No matter what, at Send Network, you are never on this journey alone.”

This theme of sticking together rang throughout the three-day event, as planters connected, shared stories and experienced the care and support of the Send Network family.

“I’ve always longed for partnerships, cooperation and kingdom growth together, and it just seemed like it was hard to find,” said Mark Pensell, who has spent more than a decade in pastoral ministry and recently planted Redeemer Church in Santa Clarita, Calif. “Then I got connected to Send Network, and there was just a spirit of unity that I had been longing and praying for over the years.”

“Sometimes international church planters can feel lonely because they serve their own nation, and that’s it,” shared Volodymyr Zolotov, whose family was forced to flee their home in Ukraine at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. They are now planting a church for Ukrainian refugees in St. Louis, Mo.

“I enjoy being part of Send Network because I feel that I am a part of something bigger than myself, my family or my congregation. I feel support and partnership and I see that we are working together on one mission,” he said.

Sending more church planters

Alongside the new church planters, Send Network simultaneously hosted a Sending Lab for pastors and leaders from 18 aspiring Sending Churches. Churches from six U.S. states, two Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico gathered at this collaborative workshop designed to help them develop a vision and plan to send planters from their own congregations to plant more churches.

These Sending Church leaders joined the new planters during the first night of orientation to learn about Send Network’s vision for the next decade to expand God’s kingdom by 1% in North America by reaching 2.75 million lost people.

“If we are going to see this vision happen,” Pitman shared in the opening session, “we’ve got to be about churches being planted with a passion to multiply and reach nonbelievers.”

In the past year alone, Send Network has mobilized 475 churches to send out church planters through more than 30 Sending Lab events across North America. Participants have flocked from nearly all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico.

“To see a missionary mentality that’s bathed in prayer, a high regard for the Word of God and the diversity of the kingdom as what is leading Send Network, that’s what I’m excited about,” Kelly said.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — The North American Mission Board communications team compiled this report.)