CHURCH PLANTING
Church planting is one of the most effective means of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Whether you are still exploring that call or actively pursuing it, Fuller’s Church Planting area of interest will form you to be a spiritually vibrant and vocationally agile leader. Our courses will give you the theological foundations and missiological principles that will inform your plans and ground your work. You will gain practical instruction on planting a church in a diverse, post-Christendom world as you also benefit from opportunities for missional experimentation and church planting apprenticeships. With every course co-taught by one of our faculty scholars along with a church planting veteran, you’ll learn from the experts.
STUDENTS TAKE COURSES LIKE THESE
FLEXIBLE LOCATIONS AND STUDY OPTIONS
Students can pursue this area of interest at all six Fuller campuses or online, enabling them to remain in their ministry and home contexts if they wish.
FROM OUR FACULTY AND STUDENTS

“When I graduate next year I’ll be planting a new faith community with my denomination. I’m an out-of-the-box person. The church planting curriculum here at Fuller has helped me chew and reflect on how to take the ideas I have for doing church differently and allow them to wrestle with Scripture, with culture, and with the ideas of other students who have a similar calling. I feel so much more prepared now to ask better questions, and I’m more aware of the ways I need to focus my energy in order to be fruitful right out of the gate."
MARC KENNEDY, MDIV, 2017
Listen to this talk on effective church planting from our recent guest Ron Wilbur, founder of a movement to plant churches in weekly motels—and get a taste of the kinds of conversations you’ll engage as part of this area of interest.
Ryan Bolger, a widely respected voice on the emerging church, is associate professor of church in contemporary culture. Combined with his research focusing on church and contemporary culture, he teaches classes on missiology, technological culture, church and mission, church planting, and church renewal.
FACULTY
Ryan Bolger
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CHURCH IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
Mark Lau Branson
HOMER L. GODDARD PROFESSOR OF THE MINISTRY OF THE LAITY
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson
PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Jude Tiersma Watson
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF URBAN MISSION
PROGRAMS
Additional Program Offerings
Already have a degree or want a program that’s 100% online? Check out our Church Planting Certificate