Planter Assessment Pathway
3-Stage Assessment Process
Planting a church in the Intermountain West is one of the most rewarding—and demanding—callings in ministry. The ICPA Assessment Pathway evaluates your readiness, leadership wiring, spousal alignment, and spiritual health to ensure you and your family are equipped to plant a healthy, multiplying church.
ICPA’s process moves through three clear stages, taking you from initial online pre-assessment to our 3-Day In-Person Intensive.
Stage 1:
Online Pre-Assessment
(Free • 15–20 Mins)
What It Is: A guided online triage tool embedded directly on our site.
What It Evaluates: Your personal story, spiritual walk, ministry track record, spousal alignment, and 15 core church planting competencies.
Outcome: Instantly generates an executive dossier for ICPA leadership, flags potential risk holds (financial, personal health, spousal alignment), and establishes an initial pathway recommendation.
Stage 2:
Church Planter Profile
A thorough mapping of what you’re starting and working with.
What It Is: A comprehensive background, relational, and reference evaluation conducted after initial pre-assessment review.
What It Includes: 360-degree reference checks, financial health audits, spousal interviews, and clinical/marital reviews.
Outcome: Reconciles your self-reported pre-assessment scores against verified fruit and external references before committing to the live intensive.
What It Is: An immersive, 3-day in-person gathering in Boise, Idaho led by veteran church planters and regional leaders.
What It Includes: Real-time leadership simulations, preaching/vision evaluations, live panel interviews, and spousal discernment sessions.
Investment: Total Cost: $2,350 (Includes $350 refundable deposit)
Outcome: Final approval for church plant launch, funding authorization, partner church matching, and assignment of a certified ICPA coach.
Checks payable to:
Intermountain Church Planters Association
P.O. Box 190175
Boise, ID 83719
Stage 3:
3-Day Assessment Intensive
Not Ready for Direct Planting?
Explore Residency
Great pastoring and church planting skills are built over time in the right environment. If your pre-assessment or interview indicates strong potential alongside key development gaps, you may be invited into our 1-Year Leadership Residency Program.
Church Planter Assessment
FAQs
What is the first step to plant a church with ICPA?
1
The first step is completing a pre-assessment through the Church Planter Profiles website. You will create an account, select "Intermountain Church Planters Association (ICPA)" as your agency, and take the Initial Screening Assessment (ISA).
What is the Initial Screening Assessment (ISA)?
2
The ISA is an 85-question survey designed to evaluate your baseline readiness for church planting. It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and assesses four critical areas: Church Planting Experience, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Ministry Experience, and Relational Evangelism.
What happens after I submit my assessment?
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By selecting ICPA as your agency during registration, our network immediately gains access to your assessment reports. Once you finish the assessment, you will receive a call from our church planting team to discuss your results and evaluate your next steps.
Do I need prior experience as a lead pastor to plant a church?
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No, because ICPA believes the skills required to be a great pastor are learnable in the right environment. If you do not have prior experience, we encourage you to enter our Leadership Residency Program. This program allows you to spend a year working inside one of our active church plants to develop the specific characteristics and hands-on experience needed to successfully start a church.
How quickly does ICPA contact someone after they apply?
5
Our team's goal is to personally respond to every application within one business day. Once our new assessment process is live, I hope it replaces the ISA as the primary first step.
Is the Leadership Residency paid? How does someone get placed into it?
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The one-year residency costs $500, which is typically paid by the resident's sending church, although the resident or ICPA may cover it depending on the situation. Residency isn't automatically required for every planter. Assessment helps us determine readiness; candidates who show potential but still have important development needs may be encouraged to enter the residency before moving toward planting.
What involvement is required from a spouse?
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For married candidates, our new Church Planter Profile is designed for both spouses to participate, and normally both will complete the required assessments. Exceptions can be made when circumstances prevent a spouse from participating.