The unreached urban poor represent one of the great untouched mission fields in the world.  As many as 40 million people live in America’s inner city communities, 95% of which are unchurched.  These millions represent many different cultures, nationalities, ethnicities, and people groups, all of whom God deeply loves and cherishes.

Through the vision of Dr. Keith Phillips, World Impact has preached and demonstrated the gospel of Christ in urban America since 1971.  As a Christian missions organization dedicated to sharing God’s love in the inner city, World Impact evangelizes, disciples, and plants churches among America’s urban poor.  The School for Urban Cross-cultural Church Planting is World Impact’s unique seminar designed to equip church plant teams to plant churches cross-culturally in neighborhoods where Christ is not yet known.

Again, we established our School, (referred throughout as CPS [“Church Plant School”]) in order to equip church plant teams to plant churches among America’s urban poor.  After you have formed your team and identified your target area and people, our CPS will train you to plant a healthy, functioning church in that neighborhood, to the glory of God!

The CPS is a 4-day seminar designed to equip your church plant team to evangelize, disciple, and plant churches that are Christ-centered and evangelical in places where none exists.  We have trained many teams from a variety of ministries, denominations, and organizations, all who have attended our CPS, received our training, and have gone on to plant churches cross-culturally in new areas.  It is invaluable for church plant teams to take the time to pray, discuss, plan, and dream together as they imagine the ways in which they will trust God for his leading, help, and provisions!

At our CPS we strive to:

• Enable your team to develop its strategic plan
• Empower your team to respond wisely to its field and target population
• Build team cohesiveness and leadership
• Evaluate the readiness of your team, and certify it through careful observation and coaching

CPS Leadership
Two deans provide oversight of our school: Rev. Don Allsman, World Impact’s vice-president of Strategic Planning and Rev. Dr. Don Davis, World Impact’s vice-president of Leadership Development, and Director of its Urban Ministry Institute.  These two are joined by a number of faculty and coaches, who together possess decades of practical ministry experience in urban church planting, pastoral care, and cross-cultural outreach in the city.

CPS Format
Our CPS focuses on enabling your team to develop its strategic plan.  Our instruction is geared to helping your team clarify its vision and strategy.  Most of the seminar’s schedule is devoted to team exercises and discussions.

Since urban church planting is intimately related to spiritual warfare and devotion to Christ, our seminars strongly emphasize biblical teaching, corporate worship, and intercessory prayer.

Our experienced coaches will guide your team in every exercise, and assist and evaluate your readiness to plant the church when you return home.  All teams interact with their coaches, our deans, and other church plant teams, who gather regularly for evaluation and encouragement.

Who is invited?
Because our CPS is built around team dynamics and team development, only teams are invited to attend (i.e., no individual registration is allowed).  We do welcome teams from churches and denominations.

At minimum, a team must send its Team Leader and the team’s immediate overseer/supervisor (which in the CPS is referred to as the Multiple Team Leader).  We encourage all other team members who can to attend.

What is the Cost?

• $485* per person (this includes all meals, housing, and CPS materials)
• Prerequisite materials needed (up to $80, depending on which ones are needed)
• Travel to TUMI in Wichita, Kansas, which is at your expense (of course, we will provide transportation to and from the airport)

*For school dates, exact costs, and registration contact Don Allsman or call him at (323) 735-1137 ext. 325.

Quotes from participants

The following articles detail World Impact’s rationale for Urban Church Planting: vision, overview and principles for planting churches in the city.

~Overview and Framework for Church Planting Activity: How to PLANT a Church

~Planting Urban Churches

~Summary of Key Cross-Cultural Church Planting Principles