Influence: When did you know River of Life would be a church planting church?
Denny Curran: River of Life began as a church plant, so planting churches has always been in our DNA. In reality, it’s about reaching people, and we believe the local church is the most effective means of sharing the gospel.

A conversation with a couple from a community just west of us spurred River of Life from the vision of planting into action. This couple wanted to plant a church in their community. I explained their community had a church years ago but when trouble arose, the congregation quit and moved to other churches. It is difficult to plant a church when people are not committed. I relayed this message to a group of 35 influential people in their town. When I talked about total commitment and sticking with the church through every season, everyone agreed. Something inside me said, “Now you can start a church.” This is when I felt God saying He wanted us to plant. We only had 60 people at the time.

What are your church planting goals?
All of our church plants are in rural communities. Our goal in planting in rural communities reflects that reality. Before we plant, we make sure there is no other healthy, Spirit-filled church in the town. Next we find a lead pastor, worship leader and children’s director as part of the launch team. We want the church plant to resemble the DNA of the mother church, which is to reach young, unchurched families. This is the generation and culture we are called to reach. We instill this in the launch team. Lastly, I like the lead pastor to raise $60,000 before the launch and to attend Boot Camp for church planters. 

Before we plant, we make sure there is no other healthy, Spirit-filled church in the town.

What is the biggest obstacle to rural church planting?
It is difficult to attract people to rural church planting. With the success of many urban churches, it’s hard to convince young ministers to accept the less glamorous challenges of rural areas. 

How did you get your church to catch the vision to be a church planting church?
We regularly pray for our church plants before the opening launch. This includes special prayer meetings for a month prior to the launch date. We also make the opening launch a total church effort, which helps our congregation catch the vision. Key people from the mother church help with the grand opening. We encourage church members from the area to make the new church their regular Sunday morning place of worship. We also send a live feed of the opening service back to the mother church so everyone is a part of the expansion. A few months after the launch, we share personal testimonies of changed lives due to the church plant.

Denny Curran is lead pastor of River of Life Church, Cold Spring, Minnesota. This article originally appeared in the April/May issue of Influence. For more print content, subscribe here.