“Like a gentle stream going out”
“The mission field is not just overseas, but it’s here too. Secular people live in our city, and the best way to reach secular people is through a local church.”
That’s what Jason McKnight, who pastors a church in Kinston, North Carolina, said the elders in his church realized about a decade ago. As they sought the Lord together for His vision for their church, they realized they wanted to reach people for Christ. And one consistent, emerging theme was to support church planters.
So, they made the decision to mentor church planters within their congregation. They envisioned training and sending “grace focused and Gospel-centered church planters to establish and nourish” Christ-exalting and reproducing churches. So, they established a Church Planter in Residency model, where planter couples live with them for 18 – 24 months before heading out.
Jason says, “We invest in them heavily during their residency and for the first several years on the ground. We’re not necessarily planting churches, but we’re investing in church planters. We’re trying to make sure these people are healthy, and trusting them to plant as God wants them to plant.”
For the past seven years, they have intentionally equipped one church planting couple per year, before sending them out. He describes it “like a gentle stream going out” from their church. Jason shares, “As we have invested in planting, we are seeing more people come to Grace — secular people or households where one spouse is a believer, and the other one comes to Christ very soon. In the 22 years in Kinston, we are seeing more people come alive in Christ than ever before.”
Last year, Jason started the Grace Network Mentoring Community, which includes staff members from the church he pastors as well as seven church planters they mentored.
Jason participated in our mentoring training a couple of years ago. LFM equips leaders to shepherd their groups to listen to each other, paying attention to what is going on in their lives and ministries. Just a few weeks ago, Jason’s group met for their annual retreat. He shares, “These guys absolutely need it – the time to speak, time to listen, and the attentiveness to each other. Everywhere else we go, we’re on duty. But not in that room. What we get to do is give each other the gift of our presence.
The Grace Network Mentoring Group includes both white and black pastors from a variety of churches. Jason remarks that the attention, or
attentiveness, they give each other is “worth more than anything else.” Today’s ministry leaders are overwhelmed by endless content and constant demands, yet many find themselves adrift or coasting — lacking the energy, space, and clarity they need to live out their calling. In moments of transition, crisis, stagnation, or growth, they’re not seeking more resources; they’re longing for opportunities they can trust – to hear God’s voice, rediscover their purpose, and move forward with renewed confidence.
That’s why LFM’s mission is to be a catalyst for mentoring a new generation of missional leaders who sustain thriving ministries for the sake of the Gospel. One way we do that is by equipping ministry leaders to mentor other pastors and evangelists through our LFM mentoring communities. We provide encouragement and support to groups both in North America and around the world. Currently, we have almost 90 groups, with new ones starting this fall.
Seeking God’s Face
Kurt Andre was mentored by Leighton Ford decades ago through the Arrow Leadership Program, which Leighton started. Each participant was required to have a mentor. When his backed out, Kurt asked Leighton what he should do. Leighton said, “I’ll be your mentor.” Since then, Kurt’s life has intertwined with and been influenced by the Ford family.
Today, Kurt leads the Mosaic LFM Mentoring Group, a group of Latino pastors serving smaller churches. These nine men are Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, and Colombian. They stay connected intentionally throughout the year in-between their annual
retreats. At those yearly meetings, Kurt says, the format is “simple and not content-driven. We are seeking God’s face for each person.”
In that context, they are able to share their stories, which all include some level of brokenness. During their first retreat, Kurt set the tone by sharing his own story, which included a season of difficulty: “For me, being able to show up with my own brokenness and being as authentic as I could be really gave them permission” to be vulnerable.
When asked why the pastors stay connected to the group year after year, he says, “This is about the only safe place they have to talk about life as well as ministry — not needing to perform.” Kurt says the men have realized, “I’m known, and I’m loved.” And several of the guys have said, “I don’t have any place like this in my life.”
Ministry leaders need these supporting structures to enable them to go home and work at “telling others the Good News, and carry out the ministry God has given” them (2 Timothy 4:5 NLT).
Kendeall, a Hispanic pastor in Kurt Andre’s group, pastors one of the fastest growing churches in his denomination in Florida. The church doubled in five years. Another man, Freddie, is involved in strategic evangelism work in Central America. They are doing frontline Gospel work in their individual fields of calling.
Since 1986, LFM has mentored hundreds of pastors and ministry leaders in the United States and around the world, primarily through one-to-one mentoring and mentoring groups, many of whom have launched second- and third generation groups. We provide safe times, safe places, and safe people for ministry leaders.
Seeking God’s Face
Richard Coleman and his family serve as cross-cultural missionaries in Ethiopia with TMS Global. They work to equip and mobilize Ethiopian believers to mature in Christ and do the work of ministry. The Colemans also work with other ministries involved in feeding programs, trauma healing training, Bible distribution, and pastoral care.
For years, Richard has been a member of the LFM Lausanne Younger Leaders Mentoring Group, which grew out of the 2016 Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in Jakarta, Indonesia. Sara Breuel, internationally known in Europe, leads the group. The ministry leaders had already bonded and done life together when Sara suggested they officially become an LFM community.
When asked what the benefit is of participating, Richard says, “Because we actually love each other. We really love each other. We have sat in rooms together and cried and prayed for each other.” When one member lost his wife, the members all grieved with him. And later, when he remarried, they all rejoiced with him. Through their depth of relationship, they practice the biblical exhortation, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 ESV).
Richard explains, “When you walk a journey with people over a period of time, you build a track record of trust. There’s a sense of comradery. A lot of us are in high profile roles. I’ll be on a stage in front of 30,000 people and get a text from one of our group members that says, ‘Praying for you.’” In their mentoring group, he feels that “someone always has our back.”
You touch these and other ministry leaders around the world through your regular praying and giving. LFM is committed to building a global network of Kingdom minded mentors who invest in other pastors, evangelists, and ministry leaders.
Thank you for your continued partnership in this Gospel ministry.
Expectantly,
Kevin Ford
Will you consider investing in the lives of kingdom leaders?
- Praying daily for this ministry and the lives it reaches.
- Sharing $100/month to help support our ongoing mentoring groups around the world.
- Investing $2,000 to train and equip a leader for one of these mentoring communities.
- Giving $5,000 to cover the first year of a new community.
- Providing $15,000 for the three-year launch of a new community
- Offering $30,000 to cover the costs of a three-year church cohort for church planters, small churches, and churches in communities of color.
Scan the QR code for ways to invest in leaders around the world.
