About 300 church planters, sending pastors and ministry leaders gathered in Winston-Salem May 13 for One Day, where they were equipped with biblical vision and practical tools for planting gospel-centered churches across North Carolina. The gathering featured teaching from national church planting leaders.

About 300 church planters, sending pastors and ministry leaders gathered at Two Cities Church on May 13 for Send Network One Day, a training and encouragement event focused on encouraging and equipping pastors toward multiplication.

The conference, hosted in partnership between North Carolina Baptists’ SendNC and the North American Mission Board’s Send Network, brought together planters at every stage, from those exploring a call to plant, to those navigating the challenges of launching and sustaining new churches.

Through teaching, Spanish breakout sessions and opportunities to connect, attendees received practical tools and biblical vision for planting churches that engage their communities with the gospel and make disciples.

“One Day is a strategic gathering of the sent and their senders. To witness our planters and churches connecting over God’s Word and learning from leading practitioners is an incredible encouragement,” said Mike Pittman, SendNC director. “Our team is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve our partners from across the state.”

Dayton Hartman, lead pastor of Redeemer Church in Rocky Mount, opened the day by challenging planters to focus on gospel engagement in their communities. Drawing from Matthew 25, he outlined a plan that meets people where they are: through nourishment needs, relational needs, physical needs and existential needs.

“If you only preach the implications of the gospel, you preach a social gospel that does not save,” he said. “But if you only preach the content of the gospel and do not engage its implications, then you have cold dead orthodoxy.”

José Abella, vice president of Send Network Español and lead pastor of Providence Road Church in Miami, Fla., challenged planters to consider not only their strategy but their posture.

Drawing from Colossians 4:2-6, Abella identified two essential qualities: a praying people and a distinct people.

“How do we faithfully engage the city with the gospel?” Abella asked. “More than the right strategy, we need the right posture.”

Kyle Mercer, pastor of Two Cities Church, preached from Romans 1:1-6 on the theme “Centered and Sent,” reminding attendees that healthy church planting flows from gospel centeredness.

“We can go to the nations because we are passionate about the fame of Jesus Christ around the world,” he said.

Noah Oldham, executive director of Send Network, addressed a question many planters wrestle with: “When can we say a church is planted?”

“The missionary task is not just some tagline,” Oldham said. “The missionary task is a return to Scripture. It is a true attempt to raise up and train up and send out with the pattern we see in the Scriptures: the gospel goes forward … they repent, and they believe in Jesus.”

Oldham outlined six markers of a planted church: biblically ordered leadership, doctrinal clarity, a discipleship process that shapes people, an intentional strategy for teaching and preaching, a gospel-shaped culture, and a system for generosity, multiplication and partnership.

Vance Pitman, founder of Vance Pitman Ministries and national mobilizer with NAMB, centered his message on the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19-20.

“Vision starts from God’s Word,” Pitman said, encouraging planters to leverage their lives to help people find Jesus, do life with others to help them grow deep with Jesus, and build community by sharing in the mission of Jesus.

Stories of God’s faithfulness

Planters and sending pastors shared testimonies of God’s work in their contexts.

Ed Davis, pastor of Missio Dei Church in southeast Raleigh, is in his third year of planting. After a challenging second year, Davis and his team prayed and fasted.

“The Lord began to answer our prayers,” he said. “We have had conversion growth and baptism every month this year. We give glory and praise to the Lord.”

The church is now multiethnic, with a growing Latino population. 

Chandler Donegan is the lead pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Franklinton. Redeemer launched in 2025 and became autonomous in 2026. The church celebrated almost 30 baptisms over the last year.

“Only God can write this story,” Donegan said.

Khayyam Shepherd, pastor of Restoration Church in Kinston, described what he calls a “pandemic of fatherlessness” in his community. In response, the church adopted a nearby school and mentors boys in elementary schools.

Jacob Griffin, pastor at Crosslink Church in Hillsborough, witnessed “God moments” as the church merged with Fairview Baptist Church.

“We’re able to see two churches, two bodies come together and put differences aside, and be able to come together for the gospel,” Griffin said. “We’ve seen great multiplication because individuals have decided to follow Jesus rather than following their own hearts.”

Sending churches also testified to the impact of partnership in church planting.

Dustin Conner, associate campus pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, said Calvary partners with plants around the world and North America. He’s seen spiritual growth over the years as church members have opportunities to “hold the rope for planters” and send teams to support new plants.

“They come back ready to not just to go again, but also be a part of starting new things here in our own community,” Conner said. “And see how they can consider giving their yes to God and going wherever He sends them, whether it’s locally or globally,” he said.

Send Network One Day events are regional gatherings designed to equip, encourage and connect church planters and sending churches across. 

SendNC, a partnership between N.C. Baptists and Send Network, exists to plant churches everywhere for everyone across North Carolina. Since 2022, more than 150 planters have been endorsed and funded through SendNC, receiving coaching, training and financial support as they launch new churches.

For more information about church planting, assessment or sending, visit sendnc.org.

By Liz Tablazon, N.C. Baptist Contributing Writer