PICP is a guide for sponsor churches.  This resource helps churches to develop mile posts and action plans for three tracks of church planting sponsorship: Primary sponsors Clustering sponsors Supporting churches.  Download Partners in Church Planting

At the heart of church planting is a quest to reduce lostness in a given area or among a specific group of people. Therefore, churches who take on the task of developing leaders must be effective in the making of disciples. They need to have a proven track record of making disciples, multiplying small groups, identifying and developing small group leaders, and in church planting.

In 2010, Downtown Baptist Church in Orlando started a new Russian language church which now meets in the DTBC building.  Andrey Kravchuk, pastor of Salvation Russian Baptist Church is preparing to lead a team of people on a mission trip to Russia and Belarus this summer.  The team will organize and lead the children’s and youth Bible camps scheduled as follows: 26-30 June first camp in Gomel, Belarus 1-5 July second camp in Gomel, Belarus 8-14 July third camp in Bryansk,...

Dover Shores Baptist Church in Orlando hosted the first ever baptism services for a Japanese language church in Florida.  The new church, which is sponsored by Dover Shores, held their 2nd monthly worship service with 60 people in attendance on Sunday, May 6.  Two people were baptized in a joint worship service with Dover Shores.

A recent article in the Orlando Sentinel indicated that participation in Southern Baptist Churches in the Orlando metropolitan area is in decline while the Muslim population continues to grow.  According to the article, Southern Baptist churches in the area declined by 20,467 members from 2000 to 2010 while Muslims grew (mostly due to  migration) by 25,000.  The information in the article came from the Religious Congregations & Membership Study 2010, which was released on May ...

Please Register by May 13, 2012 GOBA is partnering with Florida Baptist Convention and several local churches to provide a refreshing retreat for the wives of church planters.  The retreat is called "Breathe" and it is designed to give church planters wives some white space where they can take a step back and reflect on all that God is doing and has done in their lives, ministry and marriage.  The retreat will be held June 8-9 at River Cross Church in Gainesvil...

In the Orlando metro area, there is 1 SBC church for every 12,000 people.  That means our region is 2x as unreached as the rest of Florida and 4x as unreached as NAMB’s southern region.  It would take every GOBA church committing to planting 1 new church per year for the next four years to catch up with the southern region in terms of SBC church to population ratios.

Mark Weible, Church Planting Director According to 2010 census data, the Orlando metro population is getting younger. Over a third of the local population is between the ages of 20 - 44 with the median age at 36.7. If GOBA churches are representative of national SBC trends, then most of the people attending corporate worship services are over the age of 50.

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On Easter Sunday 2011, New Covenant Fellowship Church held their first Sunday morning worship gathering.  On September 18, 2011, the church baptized 13 people in their first baptism service.  New Covenant was started by First Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando as an English-speaking multi-cultural church body.

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1) Church planting is much more than starting a gathering or a venue. It is about birthing a body - something that can only be accomplished by God.

I don't like the phrase "bi-vocational pastor" because it implies a dichotomy where one compartmentalizes his work world apart from his ministry.  I prefer to use the term "missio-vocational" meaning viewing your work place as your mission field. The International Mission Board uses the phrase "creative access platforms" which are essentially jobs in countries closed to the gospel that allow missionaries to gain access through employment.

As of today, there are no Southern Baptist Japanese language churches in the state of Florida.  That is about to change and you can help.  Dover Shores Baptist Church in partnership with GOBA, Florida Baptist Convention, NAMB, and the SBC Japanese Church Planting Network is starting a new church in Orlando for people who's heart language is Japanese.  A church planter and his wife will be moving to Orlando from Japan this fall.

Wedgefield Community Church, a 10 month old organic church in East Orange County, is celebrated their first baptism on Saturday, August 6.  WCC is sponsored by First Baptist Church of Union Park.  The church meets in homes, a park, and in a room next to the bar at Wedgefield Golf Club.   Follow Wedgefield Communtiy Church on Facebook 

 The Church of Life, a ministry of First Baptist Church of Orlando has a heart for sharing the good news of of Jesus Christ with tourists and people who work in the hospitality industry on the International Drive corridor in Orlando.  The church gathers on Sunday evenings at Palm Construction School at the Republic Square Mall on the corner of Universal Blvd and Carrier Drive.  The church operates a chaplaincy ministry to small tourist attractions on I-Drive an...

Pastor Jean Claude Alphonse of Emmanuel Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando needs some engineering help.  The church has purchased property on Rio Grande Avenue and needs to produce a documents for hooking up utilities to a modular building.  If you know of someone who can help, please contact pastor Alphonse at  321-948-7949. 

Click here to watch the baptism video John Grosshans works at a local theme park. He recently started a church in his apartment with college interns who work also work at  theme parks. The students that John disciples are from all over the world and are only in the Orlando area for 6-12 months.