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What does Send Network SBTC want after a banner year of planting churches? More.
A lot of strategy goes into planting a church: demographics studies, assessments, myriad trainings, ongoing pastoral care, financial support, community outreach, and so much more.
While those strategies have proven incredibly effective, Julio Arriola credits something else as the primary reason so many churches have been planted through Send Network SBTC over the past few years—prayer.
“The reason we have seen an increase is that God has been answering our prayers,” said Arriola, director of Send Network SBTC. “We have started each year, two years in a row, with 21 days of prayer and fasting as a team. … The harvest is plenty, the laborers are few, [and] God is answering the prayers of His people.”
In November 2021, the SBTC Executive Board voted unanimously to enter a church planting partnership with the North American Mission Board. Through that partnership, Send Network SBTC was born and a fruitful relationship began.
In 2022, Send Network SBTC’s first full year, 41 planting candidates were assessed and 35 churches were planted. As 2024 winds to a close, 70 candidates—34 of which are Spanish-speaking—have been assessed, and it’s estimated that about 60 churches will have been planted by year’s end.
“The reason we have seen an increase is that God has been answering our prayers.”
Kyle “Bruiser” Lee, pastor of Corner Post Cowboy Church in Nacogdoches, went through Send Network SBTC’s assessment in October 2023 and was officially endorsed as one of its planters in January. He said the resources provided by Send Network SBTC have been overwhelmingly encouraging and helpful. That includes things such as a year of insurance coverage provided to all new planters, an initial deposit into a retirement account, and even occasional gifts not only for Lee, but also for his family.
The practical ministry benefits, he said, are unmatched. Lee meets with a cohort and has monthly coaching consultations that help him think through topics such as strategic planning, identifying his church’s unique identity, and overcoming barriers. Sometimes those meetings are scheduled to coincide with some of the SBTC’s anchor events, including the Equip Conference and annual meeting.
The interactions with experienced planting leaders, as well as with other planters walking the same road, have given him a venue to share ideas and be encouraged about how God is moving through other plants across Texas.
“Being able to meet with pastors, being able to meet with coaches, the way they try to help us see the bigger picture … it’s just been a Godsend,” Lee said.
Lee said working alongside Send Network SBTC has not only helped him see God move through the ministry at Corner Post, but also his church’s role in advancing the mission of the kingdom.
“Now, we’re actually in talks about planting a church,” Lee said. “That’s what Send Network SBTC has done—given me more confidence in knowing … I’m not alone in doing this. God wants to multiply us, and [through Send Network SBTC], He has provided a resource that we can do that through.”
