Church Planting BootCamp Brings Chesapeake Planters to Florida

A group of 11 Chesapeake Conference church planters recently traveled to Camp Kulaqua in Florida for the North American Division’s Church Planting BootCamp East. The event, which ran from March 3-5, provided attendees with the opportunity to learn from some of the best Adventist church planters in the world and connect with peers from across the division.

According to the North American Division Ministerial Department, the benefits of attending the boot camp include networking opportunities, experiential learning with other practitioners, and in-depth information on funding for church planting. 

David Klinedinst, Evangelism and Church Growth director for Chesapeake Conference, noted that the event helped Chesapeake Conference church planters “see beyond Chesapeake” and understand that the church planting movement is a division-wide vision.

The training received during the boot camp was highly valued by the Chesapeake Conference attendees. JT Pinilla, pastor of the Dundalk (Md.) and Wilna (Joppa, Md.) churches, said, “It was inspiring to see [church planters from other countries] and hear from them how the Lord continues to bless the efforts in other parts of the world.”

Jean Pierre, who pastors a district on the Eastern Shore and is currently in the process of planting a Haitian church, expressed optimism for the impact attending the conference would have on his ministry. “I am left with the enthusiasm and the vision of expanding the work of preaching the gospel through church planting,” he said. 

Pierre continued, “Without a doubt, the training received during this boot camp will be of great help to me.”