On September 2 and 3, church leaders from Africa and other places will meet in Pretoria, South Africa, for the ARC Southern Africa Conference. It’s a chance for leaders to get training, resources, and connect with each other as they work to build churches in their own neighbourhoods. Dino Rizzo, who helped start ARC, has spent years showing church planters that launching a church is just the first step.
Church Planting Has Become a Global Movement
ARC, or the Association of Related Churches, started in 2000 to help church planters and pastors. Since then, they’ve helped plant over 1,000 churches. Now, ARC’s work goes far beyond the United States. The growth in Southern Africa is a good example of how church planting can connect leaders from different places, but still keep churches focused on the people right where they are.
Why Locally Led Churches Matter
Every community is different. What works in Alabama might not work in Pretoria, and communities in different countries have their own needs and challenges. Local leaders understand the people, culture, and issues around them because they’re part of that community themselves. ARC churches remain independently led and operated, while ARC provides relationships, training, and resources to help leaders build healthy churches.
Global Support Can Strengthen Local Leadership
Locally led doesn’t mean doing everything alone. Church planters can learn a lot from others who know what it’s like to start and lead a church. Being part of a global network means getting training, resources, support, and a chance to learn from other leaders. This kind of support matters even more as church planting reaches into new countries and neighbourhoods.
Healthy Churches Can Strengthen Communities
A church’s impact goes way beyond what happens on Sundays. Churches can help people build friendships, raise up new leaders, volunteer, support families, and step in when there’s a need. If church planting is going to make a real difference around the world, the goal isn’t to copy and paste the same church everywhere. It’s about helping local leaders build churches that fit the people and places they know best.
About Dino Rizzo
Dino Rizzo helped start ARC and serves as its Executive Director. He’s been a pastor, author, and ministry leader for many years. Through ARC, he works to support church planters and pastors as they build healthy churches and serve their communities.
About ARC
The Association of Related Churches, or ARC, started in 2000 to support church planters and pastors. Since then, ARC has helped plant over 1,000 churches and connects leaders with relationships, resources, and training all over the world.
