The Crete Collective

For 2022, we continued in our mission to plant churches in neglected and vulnerable black and brown neighborhoods. In 2022, we were able to achieve the following:1.We completed the first two years of funding for our Cohort 1 of funded church plants:Selected in 2020, the Cohort 1 church plants include Christ the Redeemer (Pine Bluff, AR), Congress Heights Community Church (Washington, D.C.), and The Light (West Palm Beach, FL). In April 2022, Congress Heights Community Church celebrated its second church anniversary. During 2022, The Light organized its core team and hosted a variety of community outreach activities. New two-year MOUs were executed with Cohort 1 church plants. Churches receive $40,000 per year in funding.2.Finished Year 1 Funding for Cohort 2: In June 2021, we selected four additional church plants for financial support. Those included: Acts Church (Yonkers, NY), Bluegrass Community Church (Lexington, KY), Identity Church (Daytona, FL), and The West Church (Houston, TX). In 2022, Church planters from those churches continued to receive training and coaching through The Crete Collective. Cohort 2 entered year 2 of their funding in August 2022 at $40,000 per year for each plant.In 2022, our total number of funded church plants reached seven (7).3.Church Planter Training and Coaching: In 2022, we continued a regular rhythm of training and coaching calls with our funded church planters and aspiring planters. We held monthly training calls with an average of 15 church planters and aspiring church planters. Among these, we provide additional coaching to approximately ten pastors (10).Training and coaching cover a range of ministry and leadership issues, including preaching, evangelism, pastoral care, church management, and community engagement. Planters are able to schedule individual coaching meetings as needed to help transfer training and teaching to their context.4.In-Person GatheringsIn 2022, we hosted two in-person training meetings. In May 2022, we held a 2.5 day gathering of church planters and their wives in Chicago, IL. Planters shared updates, learned from Chicago-area pastors and leaders, and developed skills in exegeting their communities.In October 2022, we held our first national gathering of The Crete Collective in Atlanta, GA. Nearly 50 participants from both member churches and church plants attended. The meeting featured teaching from Crete Collective board members and opportunities for networking and relationship building.5.Fundraising:We continued our efforts to raise funds for planting churches in neglected and vulnerable black and brown neighborhoods. In 2022, we raised approximately $320,000 from individuals and supporting churches.