Photos by Hadley Toweel & OM International.

Is God calling you to cross-cultural church planting? For in-depth hands-on training in the UK, OM now offers a year-long “UK Church Planting Immersion Programme” starting in September 2025. Andrew Berry, Director of Disciple Making Ministries for OM in the UK, introduces this exciting new initiative.

The challenge of engaging people over the long term is always a story of God’s call on a person’s life.  Often it starts with a desire to experience something different – a travel adventure, a new culture, or the challenge from God’s Word ‘for the nations to be glad’. (Ps 67). Next steps might be getting more involved in their local church, undertaking some informal training or formal education through a number of UK institutions.

Learning ‘on the job’ in the UK

I have often noticed how, in the book of Acts, those early ‘missionaries’  (literally “sent ones”) usually learned ‘on the job’. Yes, they had spent several years with Jesus and then experienced Pentecost, but they learned through obedience ‘to take the gospel to all peoples’.

For believers based in the UK, that used to mean going overseas, but today the world’s peoples are on our doorstep – in our communities and cities. The only ‘boundary’ that doesn’t have to be crossed is that of geography.  We still need to cross the boundaries of language, culture, socio-economics and religion, to effectively ‘make disciples’ – Jesus’ final command (Mt 28:19-20). 

That is where OM’s new “UK Church Planting Immersion Programme” comes in. It’s not a ‘taster’ of missions with an extended short-term outreach, or a gap year, but a serious training programme across 10-12 months on practical biblical mission. It’s for people with a sense of calling to Disciple Making Ministry, who want to take next steps into reaching the ‘least reached’, both here and around the world. 

Programme contents

Each month, there will be one week’s great teaching on subjects including: world views; the theology of the Gospel; Biblical leadership; understanding cultures, the importance of urban missions. This is combined with three weeks of practical placement directly relating to small-group church planting, in our great UK cities where the ‘least reached’ live - in  London, the Midlands or the North. 

In apprenticeship-type situations, participants will serve alongside seasoned ‘practitioners’ who will mentor them in the process of becoming a new generation of disciple makers among the least reached, in a cycle of evangelism, discipleship, gathering, and training leaders. 

Programme goals

The goal is that each participant, working with their mentor, will see a small group of people come together in a ‘Discovery Bible Study’; some may have become Jesus followers, others may still be exploring. These will be groups which the participants might continue with, as the Lord leads, or which someone else could carry on with. Either way, participants will experience partnering with Jesus in His mission to see people who will worship Him from every nation (Rev 5:9).

Apply soon! This new programme commences in September 2025 – applications must be received by 13^th July.

Want to know more? Visit the link below for more details and how to apply!

Click here to learn more