The Association of Related Churches (ARC) is a church planting organization that was founded in 2001 by Billy Hornsby, Ron Edmondson, and Tim Hawks. The goal of ARC is to plant life-giving churches that make disciples and see continued multiplication. As of 2022, ARC has helped plant over 900 churches.
History of ARC
In 2001, Billy Hornsby (a pastor at Grace Community Church in Tyler, Texas), Ron Edmondson (a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky), and Tim Hawks (who worked for the North American Mission Board) came together to discuss an idea to help plant more vibrant and healthy churches. They saw a need for a church planting network that could provide assessment, training, coaching, resources, and support to church planters and their teams. Out of their conversations, the Association of Related Churches (ARC) was birthed.
The first ARC assessment was held in 2002 with around 12 potential planters attending. Since then, ARC has steadily grown and developed over the years, expanding its reach and impact. Some key milestones and achievements include:
– In 2004, ARC planted its 50th church.
– In 2009, ARC celebrated planting its 300th church.
– In 2013, ARC held its first regional hub gathering, signaling a shift to more decentralized training and coaching.
– By 2015, ARC had trained over 1,500 planters and planted over 500 churches.
– In 2017, ARC planted its 700th church.
– In 2021, ARC celebrated 20 years and the planting of its 900th church.
Today, ARC continues to build on this legacy of church planting by providing assessment, training, coaching, support, and networking opportunities for church planters across the United States and globally.
Vision and Values of ARC
ARC aims to plant life-giving churches that align with its vision and values:
Vision: The vision of ARC is to see continued church multiplication that results in transformation in communities through Jesus Christ. ARC desires to plant churches that plant churches.
Values: ARC holds to these key values that shape its work:
– Kingdom mindset – Focus on God’s kingdom more than denominations or preferences.
– Biblical foundation – Grounding in God’s Word in all things.
– Health and vitality – Prioritizing church health over numerical growth.
– Innovation and creativity – Flexibility in methods while holding to biblical principles.
– Generosity – Freely giving away resources, ideas, and more.
– Relationship – Journeying together in authentic community.
– Diversity – Embracing and learning from diversity in all forms.
– Integrity – Operating with utmost integrity and purity of motive.
How ARC Plant Churches
ARC utilizes a comprehensive church planting process that can be broken down into these key phases:
Phase 1 – Assessment: Potential planters go through ARC’s assessment process which uses surveys, interviews, references, and more to evaluate calling, character, gifting and competency for church planting.
Phase 2 – Training: Planters and their core team receive extensive training on topics like vision casting, evangelism, discipleship, systems and staffing, legal issues, fundraising, and more. Training happens through conferences, cohort groups, and online courses.
Phase 3 – Coaching: Ongoing coaching provides support in areas like spiritual and emotional health, fundraising, team building, systems development, and achieving milestones. Coaches walk closely with planters throughout the process.
Phase 4 – Launch team: ARC provides guidance on building a strong launch team that will form the core of the new church. The launch team goes through training and raises ministry funds.
Phase 5 – Launch & beyond: ARC offers continued coaching after launch, opportunities for peer learning, and support for the multiplying phase where the planted church begins to plant other churches.
ARC central and regional staff provide input and expertise throughout the process while empowering planters to lead their teams. Rather than dictate methods, ARC focuses on providing principles while encouraging creativity in application. This comprehensive planting process allows ARC to plant churches that are Biblically-rooted and contextually relevant.
How ARC is Structured
ARC is structured in the following manner organizationally:
– Central hub office located in Antioch, Tennessee providing centralized support.
– Regional hubs in key locations (West, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, South Central, Southeast) that offer decentralized training, coaching, networking, and support across different geographic areas.
– Assistant Directors of Church Planting Development (ADCPDs) that oversee and support church planting within designated regions.
– Assessment and coaching happen through both the central and regional hubs.
– Rather than a top-down hierarchy, ARC functions through collaboration between the central hub, regional hubs, ADCPDs, coaches, trainers, and planters.
– Planters relate most closely with their regional hub and ADCPD who understand their local context best.
This decentralized structure allows ARC to provide centralized training and resources while also offering targeted localized support for planters in their unique ministry context.
ARC Conferences and Networks
Two key components of ARC’s support model are its conferences and networks that facilitate training, resourcing, coaching, and collaboration:
Conferences: ARC hosts regional Launch conferences where planters and teams receive training on the church planting process. ARC also hosts a National Hub conference annually for continuing training and celebration.
Networks: ARC connects planters to each other through regional Launch Teams and cohort groups that meet regularly for networking and peer learning. ARC also utilizes online community platforms for ongoing collaboration. More informal regional gatherings and networking opportunities are also made available.
These various conferences and networks allow planters at different stages of the process to get the training and support they need while also forming meaningful relationships with those on a similar journey.
Partnerships with Denominations and Churches
ARC aims to serve both denominational and independent church plants through these partnerships:
– Works with 30+ denominational partners including the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Assemblies of God, Christian & Missionary Alliance, Foursquare, and others.
– Also partners with many independent and non-denominational churches interested in planting new works.
– Seeks to serve denominations and partners, not compete with them, through church planting assessments and training.
– Allows planters to maintain their denominational connections and government structures. ARC provides supplemental training, coaching, and networking.
– Also helps established churches think through launching new campuses or plants through strategic partnerships.
ARC serves a broad spectrum of church plants across denominations, while also planting non-denominational churches. Their focus is on the kingdom of God more than any particular tradition.
Church Planting Resources from ARC
ARC provides an array of resources to equip churches planters including:
– BOOTCAMP – ebook on 13 steps of church planting
– Church Planter’s Toolkit – guides on aspects like launch teams, systems, staffing, marketing, facilities, etc.
– Online courses for training on things like vision casting, evangelism, exegesis, and more.
– Downloadable templates for documents like ministry budgets, communication plans, discipleship structures, etc.
– Podcasts and videos related to church planting.
– Demographic research tools to study a community for planting.
– Listing of church plants nationwide for inspiration and learning.
– Frequently updated blog with church planting tips.
– Access to discounted services from partners like background checks, accounting firms, web design, CRMs, and more.
ARC makes these wide-ranging resources freely available through their website as they seek to generously give away what God has given them.
ARC Church Planting Stats and Facts
Here are some notable stats and facts about ARC’s 20+ years of church planting:
– Planted over 900 churches since inception in 2001
– 500+ churches currently in the ARC family
– See a 97% success rate for ARC planted churches surviving their first 5 years
– Over 70% of plants continue to multiply by planting another church by year 15
– Have a global footprint spanning 6 continents and 25+ countries
– Rank as the 3rd largest U.S. church planting network behind the North American Mission Board and Acts 29
– Have assessed over 8,000 potential church planters since 2002
– Have trained over 1,500 commissioned church planters
– ARC planters have seen over 140,000 professions of faith over the past 5 years
– Planted churches that collectively gather around 300,000 people weekly
– Ethnically diverse plants including 33% non-white congregations
– Planted in 47 states with at least 1 ARC church in every state except Alaska, Montana and Wyoming
– Planted in diverse settings including urban, suburban, and rural locations
ARC’s commitment to plant disciple-making churches that plant churches has allowed them to sustain rapid growth over the past 20 years. They aim to continue expanding their reach in the years ahead.
Distinctive Elements of ARC Church Planting
Some key factors that distinguish ARC’s church planting approach include:
– Thorough assessment process to ensure called, equipped planters.
– Decentralized structure providing both national and regional support.
– Strong emphasis on church health over mere numeric growth.
– Utilization of cohorts and networks for peer learning and support.
– Generous sharing of ideas and resources freely with planters.
– Flexibility in methodology while aligning with biblical principles.
– Planting reproduction built into the DNA from the outset.
– Long-term investment – 3+ years of training and coaching.
– Focus on leadership development more than providing funding.
– Partners well denominations rather than competing.
– Hub conferences that inspire and connect church planters regularly.
– Providing principles and frameworks more than specific models.
ARC’s distinctive approach has been refined over many years which accounts for their steady growth and church planting success.
Why ARC Stands Out Among Church Planting Networks
In summary, here are some of the key reasons ARC stands out from other church planting organizations:
– Proven long-term track record over 20+ years.
– National footprint with nearly 1,000 plants yet decentralized support.
– Healthy church multiplication rate year after year.
– Doesn’t compete with denominations but serves them.
– Assesses planters thoroughly based on demonstrated competencies.
– Invests 3+ years of training and coaching with each plant.
– Generosity of freely sharing resources and ideas.
– Utilizes cohort models for contextualized training and support.
– Focuses more on leadership development than funding provision.
– Partners with 30+ denominations with diverse church models.
– Hubs provide localized networking opportunities and events.
– Embraces creativity in methods more than a set model.
ARC has grown steadily over their 20 year history because of this unique approach to come alongside planters and provide the support needed to plant thriving reproducing churches. They have carved out a distinctive niche in the church planting world that continues to bear fruit and expand God’s kingdom.