Grab the Church Planter Scouting Guide — it shows you how to spot the one already in your church: https://multiplyproject.org/church-planter-scouting-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=s02e08_jt

He walked into a recruiter's office with piercings, tattoos, and a chip on his shoulder. Nine years later he walked out of the Marine Corps to plant churches near every Marine base on the planet.

JT didn't wait for a voice from heaven. He said yes — and kept saying it.

In this episode, Craig and Jeff sit down with JT, lead planter of Local Point Church near Cherry Point, North Carolina — 132 baptisms since launching in September 2024, and already working to send their first plant to Camp Lejeune in 2028.

Before any of that, JT was an aircrewman flying C-130s, a self-described troublemaker whose marriage nearly ended in 2007 before he grabbed an usher by the jacket in a Texas church and said, "I'm all jacked up. I need Jesus."

Here's what makes his story more than a testimony: five elders saw something in JT before he saw it himself. They didn't wait for him to announce a calling. They said, "We've been praying — we think God has a hand on your life, and we want to disciple you." That's the whole model. Calling in the New Testament comes through someone sitting across a table saying "I see this in you" — not a lightning bolt.

You'll hear JT on the superpower the Marines gave him without knowing it (the government trained a preacher and didn't realize it), why the mission decides what you say no to, and the plain answer he gives pastors asking where the planters are: look at who's already carrying the gospel into the marketplace. They're already there. You've just stopped seeing them.

This one is for the pastor who keeps looking outside his walls for a planter who's already sitting in his seats.

Timestamps: 00:00 — The yes outweighs the risk 00:20 — Meet JT: Local Point, Cherry Point, 132 baptisms 04:07 — Planting a church near every Marine base on earth 05:28 — Piercings, tattoos, and the day the towers fell 07:54 — "I don't want a divorce — I just don't like who I am" 09:40 — "I'm all jacked up. I need Jesus." 11:10 — The Golden Corral moment: called to go tell people 16:33 — The mission is the Marines, not the church 17:02 — The first man who saw potential in JT 19:34 — What five elders did that made a planter 29:37 — The superpower the Marines built without knowing it 31:53 — Why the mission decides what you say no to 36:31 — The Marine he's discipling right now 39:19 — "Where are the planters?" JT's plain answer 42:04 — Just say yes 43:33 — Stop looking somewhere else

Start with one. Grab the Church Planter Scouting Guide — it shows you the nine things to look for: https://multiplyproject.org/church-planter-scouting-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=s02e08_jt

Not sure your church is ready to send yet? Take ten minutes and find out the honest truth — the Church Multiplication Readiness Assessment: https://multiplyproject.org/readiness-assessment/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=s02e08_jt

Know a pastor sitting on a planter he can't see? Send him this episode before the day ends.

If you only look for church planters in seminaries, you are missing the majority of the workforce God has already provided. Your next planter might be an engineer, a business owner, or a manager sitting in your pews right now.

In this season finale, Ali Roohi (Pastor of Bold Church in Silicon Valley) joins Craig and Jeff to share his journey from high-level software engineer to church planter. Ali is the "proof of concept" for the Antioch Way—a high-capacity marketplace leader who just needed a pastor to see his potential. We discuss how marketplace skills like Agile methodology and ROI thinking actually accelerate Gospel movement and why every pastor must become a talent scout. Whether you are a Champion Pastor looking for new recruitment lanes or an Explorer wondering where to find leaders, this conversation proves that God's next great move often starts with a tap on the shoulder in the marketplace.

The Takeaway

• One Actionable Step: Be a talent scout. This week, identify one marketplace leader in your church who is already taking initiative in their job. Send them this episode with a text that says: "I See In You the grit and leadership of a church planter. Let's grab coffee."

Links & Resources

• Free Resource: Marketplace Leader Scouting Guide

• Connect with Ali: BoldChurch.org

• Join the Movement: MultiplyProject.org

Most pastors fear that sending their best leaders will kill their church. At Rock Point, they've proven that sending isn't a sacrifice. It's your greatest strength.

In this episode, Randy Deal (Executive Pastor at Rock Point Church) joins Craig and Jeff to discuss how to move past multiplication as a "project" and turn it into your church's heartbeat. Randy shares the story of how Rock Point embedded a "Beyond" vision from day one, leading to 17 daughter churches and a leadership pipeline that spans from middle school to master's degrees. We explore why the whole church must "own" every plant and how to shift your default setting from gathering to sending. Whether you are a Champion Pastor looking to scale or a Skeptic worried about losing resources, this conversation provides the blueprint for a culture that thrives by giving itself away.

The Takeaway

• One Actionable Step: Audit your default. This week, review your last three staff or leadership meetings. How much time was spent on internal management versus external sending? Shift the first 10 minutes of your next meeting to exclusively discuss "Who is next?"

Links & Resources

• Free Resource: Multiplication Readiness Assessment

• Connect with Randy: RockPointChurch.com

• Join the Movement: MultiplyProject.org

You don't need a massive budget or a formal syllabus to start developing church planters; you just need to be a trainer.

Most pastors feel the tension between the "addition" of growing a local church and the "multiplication" of sending one out. They assume that moving into a sending model requires complex infrastructure or a seminary-level residency. In this episode, Jeff Bennett and Craig Whitney sit down with Chandler Miner, Operations Director at The Well Austin, to dismantle that myth.

The Well is a 14-year-old church plant with a "white-hot" vision to plant 100 national and 100 international churches in their first 50 years. Chandler reveals how they move toward this goal not through classrooms, but through a Clinical Residency model. By treating the local church like a surgical lab rather than a lecture hall, they empower emerging leaders to get the "reps" they need in real-time.

We discuss how to be a talent scout who sees potential where others see unreadiness, and how to use a "Learning Contract" to create high-accountability growth. Whether you are leading a staff of fifty or a core team of five, this conversation provides the framework to start identifying, equipping, and sending the church planters who are already sitting in your chairs.

The Takeaway

• Be the Scout: Review your leadership team this week. Identify one person with "potential" (not just readiness) and initiate a simple "Clinical Rep." Instead of giving them a book to read, give them a specific project or meeting to lead, and commit to providing immediate, 15-minute feedback afterward.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

🔷 The Scouting Guide: Our practical tool to help you identify high-capacity leaders in your church - https://multiplyproject.org/pipeline/

🔷 The Antioch Way by Craig Whitney: A roadmap for building a sending culture from within - https://craiglwhitney.com/the-antioch-way/

🔷 The Well Austin: Learn more about their work at https://thewellaustin.com/

👉Connect with Us:

Subscribe to The Multiply Project for weekly coaching and stories from the trenches.

Instagram: instagram.com/@MultiplyProject

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/multiplyproject

Your next church planter isn't waiting for an invitation from a seminary; they are likely sitting in your church right now, leading a team at work or a small group in their neighborhood.

Most pastors feel the tension of a leadership shortage, but the reality is often a "sight" problem rather than a "talent" problem. We've been trained to recruit for slots instead of scouting for callings. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Clayton Greene, Director of Summit Collaborative, to discuss the shift from a "hiring" mindset to a "scout" mindset.

Clayton shares his own journey from the marketplace into ministry and explains how Summit Church built a culture that identifies, develops, and sends leaders from within. This conversation moves from the "Safe" territory of acknowledging the need for more leaders into the "Deep" work of giving away ownership, celebrating the "send" as much as the "stay," and looking into the marketplace to find raw, high-capacity leaders who are ready to be mobilized for the Kingdom. If you are an Explorer Pastor looking for a starting point or a Champion Pastor ready to refine your pipeline, Clayton provides the framework to help you see the potential already in your midst.

One Actionable Step: Be a Kingdom Scout.

Don't wait for a superhero to walk through your doors. This week, use the Scouting Guide to identify three people in your church who exhibit the character and grit required for planting. Move them from "volunteers" to "candidates" by having one intentional conversation about their calling.

The Track: Calling & Pipeline Development

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Scouting Guide: Our practical tool to help you identify high-capacity leaders in your church.

• The Antioch Way by Craig Whitney: A roadmap for building a sending culture from within.

• Summit Collaborative: Learn more about their work at https://summitcollaborative.org/

• The Intensive: Check out the Summit Collaborative Intensive at summitcollaborative.org/intensive

Connect with Clayton Greene:

• Email: [email protected]

• Instagram: @summitcollaborative

Connect with The Multiply Project:

• Website: multiplyproject.org

Join the Movement: If this conversation sparked a new way of thinking for you, subscribe to The Multiply Project Podcast and leave a review. Your engagement helps other pastors move from addition to multiplication.

The "solo superstar" model of church planting is a Western invention. Around the world, the Gospel is moving through ordinary people who refuse to wait for a building or a budget.

In this episode, Yucan Chiu (Redeemer City to City & Ethnos Network) joins Craig and Jeff to discuss the "Global Standard" of multiplication. Yucan shares how churches in global cities are moving past Western individualism to embrace communal, bi-vocational, and refugee-led movements. We explore why the "Antioch Model" remains the most strategic roadmap for reaching diverse urban centers and how any pastor can start talking about multiplication today. Whether you are a Champion Pastor looking for a global perspective or an Explorer needing a simpler model, this conversation will help you see that the mission is bigger than your zip code.

The Takeaway

• One Actionable Step: Shift your language. This week, stop asking "What is next?" for your church's programs and start asking "Who is next?" . Identify one person whose leadership gifts you can recognize and affirm

Links & Resources

• Connect with Yucan: Ethnos Network | City to City
• The Book: The Antioch Way by Craig Whitney
• Free Resource: Global Mission Prayer Guide

In this episode, Dave Ferguson (CEO of Exponential) joins Craig and Jeff to confront a sobering reality: only 7% of U.S. churches are currently reproducing . To reach a sociological tipping point, we need the "16% Mission" . Dave breaks down how any "ordinary" church can stop managing the middle and start leading at the edges—focusing on personal discipleship and big-picture vision . Whether you are a Champion Pastor looking to scale or an Explorer wondering if you have what it takes, this conversation provides the framework to transition from a church that gathers to a church that sends .

The Takeaway

• One Actionable Step: Stop managing the middle. This week, audit your calendar and identify one "management" task you can delegate to a leader. Replace that time with a one-on-one discipleship meeting with a potential "Rick"—a lay leader in your church who is available but untapped

Links & Resources

• The Assessment: Are You Ready to Multiply? – Discover if your internal systems are holding you back from Level 4 .
• Connect with Dave: Exponential.org .
• Follow the Movement: The Multiply Project .

Most pastors want to multiply, but few know where to find the leaders to do it.

You don't need to import talent; you need to uncover it. In this inaugural episode, Craig Whitney and Jeff Bennett sit down to discuss the "Antioch Way"—a simple, repeatable operating system for churches that choose to send rather than just gather. We move past the "Jerusalem model" of addition to show you how the early church became a launching hub for the Gospel.

Whether you are a Champion Pastor looking for clarity or an Explorer needing a doable model, this conversation provides the roadmap to stop being a builder and start being a multiplier.

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One Actionable Step: Look at your current leaders through the "What to Who" shift. Identify one person in your church who has a leadership "spark" but isn't on staff. Take them to lunch this week and ask: "What has God put on your heart for this city?

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Links & Resources

The Book: The Antioch Way by Craig Whitney

Free Resource: Church Planter Scouting Guide

Connect: Multiply Project Website