Why We Do It

We know that high level leaders are out there and they’re looking to connect, but that there is very little support for them. We believe that the Holy Spirit has called high level leaders and we want to be a help, not a hindrance, to their work, so we’ve developed 10 environments of support:

Spiritual Vitality:

The Psalmist wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its’ builders labor in vain.”—Psalm 127:1  

We can extrapolate that to “Unless God builds the church, we’re wasting everyone’s time.”  Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”—John 15:5

The Spiritual Vitality environment ensures that our movement and the church planters are staying close to God and getting in on what He is doing:

• Every planter prayed for
• Truthful reminders from seasoned mentor
• Prayer requests, celebrating Kingdom building

Inviting:

We look to attract high level church planters and prospects to our movement through recruitment, referrals from current planters and having a reputation for supporting leaders. More than just talking about what we do, we invite high level leaders to check us out and see our philosophy in action. Planters are encouraged to invite their contacts to either of the two ‘front doors’ we use: vision events and the Discovery Center.

Vision Alignment:

We encourage Godly vision that is:

•    Biblically Viable - expecting God to do great things.
•    Financially Viable - utilizing wise counsel.

Our advisory team of strategists collaborate with planters on their plans and proposals, fostering faith yet eliminating needless risk.

Coaching:

Our coaching philosophy:

•    Every planter has a coach they connect with regularly.
•    Planters choose their own coach, rather than have them assigned.
•    Coaching encourages many advisors.

“For waging war you need guidance and for victory many advisers.” – Proverbs 24:6

Creativity:

Excel does not push a certain model, we look for high level leaders and encourage creativity. We look for Biblically viable and practically effective ways to start new congregations. We share creative ministry strategies, ideas and resources with others. 

Partnering:

We’re always looking for strategic partnerships to support more leaders. We want to be Kingdom-minded in offering up what’s working to those it would help:

Connecting, Caring and Training

• We offer vision event registration to other leaders.

Assessing

• The Discovery Center registration is open to everyone.

 Coaching

• Excel coaches are available to coach individuals beyond our network, and there is no problem with planters having coaches beyond the network.

Funding:

Financing can be a source of contention in church planting, but we strive to be a help and not a hindrance in this area. Our strategy is to be upfront about our funding principles, as well as intentional about developing a culture of generosity. We will be and expect network planters to be Kingdom-minded in our practices. Our funding principles are . . .

•    Investments not grants: We provide funding with the expectation that churches generously give back to the network.
•    Matching funds: Funding levels are contingent on what planters themselves are able to raise.
•    Incentive-laden contracts: Our contracts are written to provide funding as planters reach specific ministry milestones.

Assessing:

Discovery Center is the process that we use to help leaders discovery their next step in ministry. Candidates come to explore their “fit” for:

•    Lead church planting couple
•    Turn around pastor
•    Campus/multi-site pastor
•    Missionary

Assessing through the Discovery Center involves:

•    Multiple advisors
•    Multiple days
•    Multiple exercises
•    Multiple tools
•    Multiple outcomes

Training:

Our training strategies:

•    We send our trainers on site.
•    We offer regular training events.
•    We send planters to national conferences.
•    We offer training at monthly gatherings.
•    We vary the content to cover many areas (Christian life, leadership, ministry etc.).

Caring:

Our primary caring structure are connection events where we bring planters together for prayer, training and connecting. Connection events are regional gatherings for church planters: we usually do lunch or dinner, a short meeting time and going to a game (baseball, football, basketball, hockey etc.). These events are held around the United States, Mexico and Cuba.

Connection Events provide time and place for:

•    Connecting with other like-minded leaders
•    Caring for planters and their wives
•    Every planter is prayed for
•    A “priceless” $15 cash for snacks
•    Training from innovative ministry leaders

Advisory Team

Consult Team

Staff