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The purpose of the Harvest Training Center for Church Planting is to train godly, gifted men to become effective church leaders.

Our approach is modeled after the Lord’s own. Jesus did not set up a classroom, pass out a syllabus or give a final exam—rather, He poured Himself into His disciples. They shadowed Him for a span of three years, observing His behavior, listening to His teaching and asking Him questions. And when the time was right, Jesus sent them out to engage in significant ministry of their own.

The Twelve carried on this work. They trained leaders like Barnabas, who in turn discipled a young Pharisee named Saul. The Apostle Paul intentionally poured himself into men like Timothy, Titus, Silas, Epaphroditus, and others.

This commitment to leadership development was, in part, how the early church turned the world upside down.

The Harvest Training Center for Church Planting affords unique and ongoing opportunities for personal interaction with proven church leaders. Residents do not simply hear the content of their lectures; they observe their lives and ministries, and get the chance to work alongside of them.

Our program focuses on refining character, instilling leadership qualities, and honing each pastor’s ability to preach God’s Word with passion and conviction. We do not simply repeat what students learned in seminary; we build upon it, with ministry dynamics and experiences not typically presented in seminary.

We affirm the crucial role that seminaries play in training men and women to rightly interpret Scripture, to guard Christian doctrine, and to extract lessons from church history. They do a much better job teaching academic subjects like Greek, Hebrew, and apologetics than a local church ever could.

Seminaries are not churches, however. They cannot provide everything that a young man needs in order to become a successful pastor and leader of God’s people. This is demonstrated by the fact that most seminary graduates go on to pastor small- to mid-sized churches, or become associate pastors at larger churches. Relatively few seem to be equipped in seminary with significant leadership and management skills to become “movers and shakers.” There are several reasons for this.

First, most professors are academics, not practicing pastors. Though they might have served as a pastor sometime in the past, few have been senior pastors of large churches. They have not known the weight of preaching fresh sermons week after week, of leading a congregation in a building program, or of planting new churches. Many professors are simply not equipped to help young men become outstanding Christian leaders, nor do they have the interest. Their own interest often lies in contributing to the body of knowledge in their field of study. While this is a worthwhile pursuit, it is not always an immediate benefit to the church.

Second, the culture of the seminary is often at odds with the culture of the church. Seminary students learn to study alone. They are not taught how be creative and innovative, but rather to follow a syllabus with utmost care. They are in competition with other students for good grades and the attention of professors. They do not learn how to relate to one another as a part of a team nor how to delegate work to others. Yet all of these are essential skills in church life. The academically inclined “lone wolf” will not last long in ministry, unless he learns how to take risks and open up relationally with others.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, seminaries traditionally have not done a good job discipling students. The Christian faith thrives in the context of relationships. Christians grow when we work alongside and fellowship with more mature believers. While this takes place naturally in the context of the local church, it is not automatic in the seminary. In fact, it is not unusual for a professor to give students five minutes after class and then retreat to his office to work on his next book. Perhaps he meets with a small group of students an hour per week in an advisory capacity. But seldom do these groups delve down deep into a student’s life and hold the student accountable for the way he treats his wife, or probe about his Internet surfing habits, or confront him about his pride or tendency to exaggerate the truth. Many seminarians long for such a mentor, yet character development, the fostering of leadership skills, and intentional discipleship are not widely perceived as strengths of traditional theological education.

So a genuine and urgent need exists to bridge the gap between the academic study provided in the seminary and the practical, hands-on training that occurs best within the local church. One does not learn how to lead by reading a book. Rather, leaders beget leaders. So the next generation of godly men will be trained by godly men who take time to pour into them. The next generation of great preachers will be trained by great preachers. And the next generation of church planters will be trained by those with extensive church-planting experience.

It is needs like these that we meet through the Harvest Training Center.