Twenty-two churches have chosen to affiliate with Fox Valley Baptist Association.  The primary focus for the FVBA church planting strategy is the three county area of McHenry, Kane, and DeKalb.  Approximately 1 Million people live in this area with an estimated 750,000 of this population being lost.  A recent study by NAMB on the FVBA area stated that 96 new churches need to be started in the next 10 years just to keep pace with the expected population growth of the area.  That does not even address the current church planting needs.      

Keys words to describe the FVBA church planting strategy are multiple and multiplying.  In short we have multiple approaches to church planting and it is our intention that every church start will begin with a vision to multiply into additional church starts.  


Current Church Plants and Pastors
South Aurora—Frank Gervasi
Sugar Grove (Waubonsee Community College) Patrick Bailey
Emmaus Baptist Church, DeKalb (Northern Illinois University) Kevin Singer
North Aurora Hispanic—Marvin Perez
Unity Baptist, DeKalb (Hispanic) Joel Cortes
Wheeling Hispanic—Julio Cortes
Mendota Hispanic—Pedro Luna
Mason Court Multi-housing Ministry, Sycamore
Bartlett Lake Apartments Ministry, Bartlett

Church Planting Approaches
1. Anglo Church Planting
FVBA’s population is about 85% Anglo.

2. Hispanic Church Planting
The Hispanic population is growing rapidly in FVBA. While 90,000 Hispanic people are clustered in Elgin and Aurora, large numbers of Hispanic people live in most of the communities in FVBA.

3. Next-Gen Church Planting
Plans are underway to have some kind of presence on all the college campuses located in FVBA: Northern Illinois University, Elgin Community College, Waubonsee Community College, McHenry County Community College, and Kishwaukee Community College.  Church plants have been started at NIU and Waubonsee.  The community colleges have an average enrollment of 10,000 per campus and NIU boast an enrollment of 25,000.

 
4. Church Planter Internships
Beginning in the Fall of 2009 Pastor Frank Russo, our Church Planting Team Leader, will lead a Mentorship program for potential church planters.  Area seminary students and laymen from the churches sensing the Lord’s call will be included in this internship program. Interns will be asked to attend a monthly meeting, work on establishing their own core group or foundational group, and work with a supervisor and a mentor. 

5. House Churches (Organic Churches)
Jim Streelman has been leading this effort in FVBA, but has recently been called to serve as an IMB missionary in Mexico City.  Please pray for God’s man to lead out in House Church Planting in FVBA.  

6.    Multi-housing Church Planting
Don and Doris Durbin have served as Multi-housing Ministry Coordinators in FVBA.  They are currently planting a church in the apartment complex in which they live.  Due to Doris’ health this couple can no longer travel, so we are praying for a new leader for this effort to start Bible studies and churches in mobile home parks and apartment complexes.  This person or couple needs to be able to involve themselves in their own multi-housing ministry and train others to do the same.  


Church Planter Internship—Meets the Second Saturday of each month September through May

Led by Frank Russo

Area seminary students and laymen from the churches sensing the Lord’s call will be included in this internship program. Interns will be asked to attend a monthly meeting, work on establishing their own core group or foundational group, and work with a supervisor and a mentor.

Place: Cornerstone Community Baptist Church

Classes include:

Spiritual Leadership:
Church Planting:
Biblical Interpretation:

Guest speakers will give insight into ministry and answer questions.

Project: each student will be responsible to begin a Bible study with the potential of leading to a Home Church or a New Church Plant.

Church Start Site Possibilities

McHenry County

Lake in the Hills
The village is most known for its rampant residential growth  As of 2009, Lake in the Hills's population is 29,593 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 26.81 percent. The median home cost in Lake in the Hills is $250,920. Home appreciation the last year has been -10.20 percent. Compared to the rest of the country, Lake in the Hills's cost of living is 0.71% Lower than the U.S. average. The median age for residents in Lake In The Hills, IL is 31.4 (this is younger than average age in the U.S.).  Families (non-single residences) represent 82.3% of the population, giving Lake In The Hills a higher than average concentration of families.  A church plant in Lake in the Hills could be a catylyst for additional church plants in nearby Algonquin and Carpentersville.

Spring Grove
Spring Grove near the Wisconsin border has a population of about 8,000 people.  The median age is 36.1 with mostly married couples.  The community is mostly Anglo and ranges in the Middle to Upper Middle Class.  Many of the families live on 1 or 2 acre lots and enjoy the country setting of Spring Grove.  Nearby Richmond and other community increase the total population to over 25,000 and the area continues to experience growth.  Mr. and Mrs. Mike Spangler, committed Southern Baptists, live in Spring Grove and are praying for a planter and team to help with this church start.  


Johnsburg
Johnsburg had a population of 5,391 in 2000, but with continued growth the city should reach 15,000 to 20,000 within the next 15 years.  Johnsburg is located in the northeast corner of McHenry County. McHenry County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Illinois. The county consistently ranks near the top in per capita income in the state. A high percentage of county residents have 16 or more years of education, and enjoy one of the lowest poverty levels in the state. The Johnsburg School District is not as suburban in nature as the overall profile of the county, but bears strong similarities to this county profile. Generally, Johnsburg is typical of the positive, supportive, involved communities of suburban residents throughout the collar counties of Chicago.

McHenry Hispanic
FBC McHenry would consider sponsoring a Hispanic church plant. McHenry has a Hispanic population of about 3,000 with additional Hispanic population in the surrounding area.

Harvard Hispanic
Harvard has a population of 8,000 people with 40% of the population being Hispanic. The Harvard schools have almost a 50/50 breakdown of Hispanic and Anglo students.

Kane County

South Elgin
South Elgin has a population of 20,834 people. The city consists of the following people groups: — dual-income suburban families, high income immigrants, and high income kid-free couples living in the suburbs. These married couples with children lead very busy lives, with most bringing in two paychecks per household. Education level varies from high school to college. South of South Elgin Batavia and Geneva cities of about 25,000 need church plants.

East Aurora
Aurora is the second largest city in  Illinois[1], ], with a population of 168,181 (2007 est.), and part of Chicagoland. The city refers to itself as "The City of Lights" because it was one of the first cities in the United States to implement an all-electric street lighting system in 1881. Aurora officially adopted the nickname in 1908.  Come share the light of the glorious Gospel with today’s Aurora residents.  

Central High School Area
Central Community Unit School District 301 is a school district located mainly in Kane County, Illinois. It serves Burlington, Lily Lake, and portions of Elgin, Campton Hills, and Pingree Grove.  Each of the above communities expect significant growth in the future.  Campton Hills has a population of 13,500. A strategic church plant could be used to plant numerous church plants in this large area.

Kaneland High School Area
Kaneland School District 302 is located west of the Fox River valley approximately 45 miles west of downtown Chicago. The district serves a large rural area that includes five small communities: Sugar Grove, Elburn, Kaneville, Maple Park and Virgil. District 302 serves 4365 students in grades K-12.  The high school has an enrollment of about 1200 students.  Patrick Bailey is currently involved with a church plant in Sugar Grove and western Aurora.  With the exception of that community all the other communities are wide open for church starts.

DeKalb County

Hinckley Big Rock Community Unit School District 429
The two commuities have a combined population of 2200 people.  The High School has an enrollment of about 300 students.

Genoa Kingston Community Unit School District 424
Genoa has an estimated population of 7,100 people.  Kingston, a short distance away has an additional population of 1200 people.  Within the next 15 years projected population for Genoa is 20,000.  This community who feels led to plant in a small town can with the Lord’s help grow a church as the town grows.   To the west of Genoa/Kingston is the Hiawatha School District that would provide future church planting options.

Church Planting Process for IBSA Funded Church Plants - Planter Edition

 Church Planting Process for IBSA Funded Church Plants - Strategist Edition

Church Planter Orientation Agenda

IBSA CP Application Church Planting Revised