Development History
What factors led to the Nazarene launch of the HICP?
The following is a summary of the development of the HICP in the Church of the Nazarene to date in the USA/Canada Region. It began a number of years ago as members of the Developers Team were engaged in church planting. Many Nazarene leaders who had passed the 500 mark in attendance were going outside the denomination to keep on learning as they developed their leadership skills. More recently, God began to gather the members of the Developers Team by putting them into environments where they were able to spend time together and dream together.
Pastor Brett Rickey began this vision by contacting Dr. Bob Broadbooks and requesting the names of young, high-capacity leaders within the USA/Canada Region. Brett’s vision and the value gained in gathering young leaders is what began the HICP process. Brett gathered an initial group of leaders in Lakeland, Florida to talk and dream about how to do K church leadership better. Always in these gatherings, church planting and large church development kept coming up in the conversation. Out of the six leaders Brett pulled together [that also included Kyle Poole and Larry Morris], the following four leaders had a church planting context: Kevin Jack, Andy Monnin, Jeff Stark and Brent Hofen.
Did the HICP Project begin as a grassroots idea or a denominational idea?
It is important to note the HICP very much began within the heartbeat of local churches committed to multiplying. This has been going on throughout the Nazarene denomination since our beginning days! A unique happening took place in March of 2015 when Mike Kraemer and Prairie Heights Church of Fargo, ND planned to plant a new church in Bismarck, ND. Pastor Mike resigned the Salem Grace Church and moved on-site with his wife, became co-vocational, got a job in sales and with 10 other people, began laying plans to start a new church. A year later, Prairie Heights Bismarck was launched with 288 in attendance the first Sunday. At the top of this page is a video of the 2 pastors and 2 superintendents who attended the Grand Opening, what they felt and how large church planting has built faith and spiritual confidence in them for the future.
How did the Chicago Central District become involved?
On Oct 15, 2015 the vision for a Large Church Planting Initiative was first shared at the annual District Advisory Board Retreat of the Chicago Central District. Dr. Larry McKain had been superintendent for just a year and the CCD leaders embraced the vision with anticipation. On February 3-4, 2016 Jon & Teri Hauser and a group of CCD leaders spent a day in planning the launch of a Large Church Initiative, what we called the “High Impact Church Planting Project.” The ideas and direction all began to emerge in the President’s Conference Room that day on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University.
How did the USA/Canada Region become involved?
On November 3-4, 2015 Pastor Jon Hauser of Prairie Heights Community Church in Fargo, ND and Dr. Larry McKain spent two days attending DCPI Church/District Training to understand how DCPI principles would interface with a Large Church Planting Initiative. November 13, 2015, after conversations with the USA/Canada Regional Office, a proposal was submitted to the USA/Canada Region to consider a Large Church Planting Initiative. It was the suggestion of Dr. Bill Wiesman that the initiative be led by the Chicago Central District Superintendent. On March 6, 2016 Dr. McKain flew to Fargo, ND to speak at Prairie Heights Church with 1,600+ in the Fargo Dome. That same Sunday Pastor Mike Kraemer launched the new church, Prairie Heights Bismarck with 288 people. 226 people were totally new to the church and had never attended a Nazarene-connected congregation. During April 25-28, 2016 there were 80+ Nazarene leaders who attended the Exponential Church Planting Conference in Orlando, FL. The USA/Canada New Church Development Office had approved the High Impact Church Planting Project as an initiative led by the Chicago Central District. The HICP Project promotional video above, created by Prairie Heights Fargo was shown to national leaders. Teri Hauser, Brent Hofen and Larry McKain began to lay plans for the HICP Developers Team to convene.
On October 9-10, 2016 Larry McKain, Brent Hofen, Andy Monnin and Dale Schaeffer all flew to Bend, Oregon and spent two days designing the next phase of the development of the High Impact Church Planting Project and determine its next steps. Out of this meeting, Dr. Larry McKain took a leading role in updating the HICP strategic plan and Brent Hofen took a leading role in putting the plan contents on a newly designed website, www.multiplynaz.org. Dr. Bill Wiesman joined in the HICP meeting from Kansas City, offering his counsel and praying a powerful prayer of blessing over the group. Dr. Wiesman invited the HICP team to participate at General Assembly 2017 by leading an HICP workshop.
How did LeadPoint emerge and become involved?
On December 1, 2015, Dr. Larry McKain met with members of the JR Group in Chicago, a full-service consulting team with specialties in strategic thinking, branding & fund raising. On January 26, 2016 the District Advisory Board gave its approval for a LeadPoint partnership to begin.
On June 24, 2016 the first organizational meeting of the LeadPoint Governing Board was held to determine the best way moving forward. Dr. Ed Heck’s dream of LeadPoint Leadership Development had begun to emerge. Dr. Ryan Spittal was present as an advisor and offered his expertise and involvement. Facing an uncertain future, Dr. Ed Heck stepped down from his leadership role at LeadPoint, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away suddenly in September of 2016.
However, the vision that Dr. Heck began was undeterred. "By faith, even though he is dead, he still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4). $25,000 in cash was raised from private donors to fund the beginning launch of LeadPoint / HICP activities. Dr. Ryan Spittal agreed to help take a leading role in the future development of the vision.
November 15-17 was a Regional Exponential Conference in Naperville, IL. Members of the HICP Development Team met with the Mission Strategy Team of the CCD. It was a powerful time of synergy as the vision of the HICP went deeper into the heart and soul of CCD leaders. What began as a gathering of young leaders in the heart of Pastor Brett Rickey was now developing into a powerful, potential force of high impact church planting that was designed to multiply.