Planter Care is self-explanatory.  It means providing care for Church Planters and their families from the point of entry into Mission Alive forward.  Planter Care is an important component of Mission Alive. Contact with the Planter Care component of Mission Alive comes immediately after it has been determined that a person wants to move beyond casual conversation about Mission Alive and begins an exploration process of becoming a church planter with Mission Alive. 

The entry point to Mission Alive is through the Discovery Lab.  Conversations with the Planter Care section of Mission Alive begins at this point. The Discovery Lab is an experience that allows a church planter candidate and spouse to spend time in self-reflection guided by a team of Mission Alive Planter Assessors.  It is the purpose of the lab to discover the giftedness one might have toward church planting.  The discovery process utilizes standardized assessment instruments, interviews, dialog, discussions, presentations and celebrations to get a sense of the readiness of a candidate for church planting.  At the end of the discovery lab candidates meets with the staff of Mission Alive to review the outcome of the lab and determine the next step. 

Once a candidate is officially part of the Mission Alive family then it becomes the role of Planter Care to provide whatever resources are necessary and appropriate to maintain emotional and spiritual health.  This comes in many different forms.  Care could come in the form of a conversation to make sure things are going well.  It could involve an extended conversation or face to face meeting.  It can be in the form of formal counseling.  Mission Alive is dedicated to each individual who is part of the Mission Alive family to make sure that each individual and family has the necessary resources to maintain good emotional and spiritual health.  Church planting is an all consuming endeavor and Church Planter Care of Mission Alive is committed to each individual and family to support and stand alongside each step of the way.