THRIVE Spring Summer 2023

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 21
Russell DeGraaf felt
led to plant a church in
Northern Ontario. To
help prepare him for
that, Russell enrolled in
the FEB Central Church
Planter Apprentice program
through which he
joined staff at Fellowship
Baptist Church in
Cobourg, ON. There he
was able to gain experience
in preaching, leading,
and discipling men
one-on-one. Russell and
his wife Hannah also
went through our Greenhouse Training, where we covered
topics such as biblical principles for church planting, personal
preparation, core team development, ministry plan development,
and fundraising. Through the training, Russell was
equipped and empowered to plant a church. In October of 2022,
Russell and Hannah moved to Manitouwadge, ON where they
have since begun ministering. They continue to be coached,
mentored, and equipped as they serve.
Aaron Roeck was a firefighter actively involved in his local
church. The leadership of his church approached him and
asked him if he had ever considered church planting. Aaron
and his wife Mariah took the Church Planter Assessment. It was
incredible to see how God made it clear to him that this was his
calling. Along with our Greenhouse training and enrolling in
part-time studies at Heritage College & Seminary, Aaron was
paired with an experienced
church planting
coach who meets with
him on a regular basis.
Even after the launch,
Aaron continues to
have ongoing coaching
and mentoring. Aaron
and Mariah planted
Heritage Grace Church
in Kitchener, ON in 2019
and have seen God do
incredible things in their
community.
Each one of these planters ended up coming to church planting
through a slightly different path, yet it was vital that each of
them receive well-rounded training, coaching, mentorship, and
networking to equip them to successfully launch a brand-new
church for God’s glory.
—Tom Haines is FEB Central Church Planting Director.
FELLOWSHIP PACIFIC:
PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
by Elizabeth Faulkner
As Fellowship Pacific determines to go “Boldly Forward, Never Alone”, we are using the following tools to coach and mentor
new leaders.
At our annual EQ Bootcamp retreat, leaders work with a coach/mentor and a small cohort of leaders to explore how ego, autonomy,
and insecurity get in the way of Christ-centred self-awareness. This is done through teaching on Emotional Intelligence,
coaching through an EQ 360 and Birkman assessment, group discussion, self-reflection, and prayer.
Last year, we piloted a new Leadership Mentoring project called “Leverage Pods”, where we saw over 100 women leaders participate
in mentoring relationships focused on leadership development. Churches will soon have easy access to this life-on-life
leadership mentoring resource.
Currently, most of our staff are trained as professional leadership coaches. This allows us to offer professional coaching as a
follow-up to all of our training, and as an ongoing resource for pastors and leaders who want to be confident in overcoming
challenges to reach their goals and vision for their church.