Sowing The Seeds of Faith: Developing A Wesleyan Identity-Based Church Planting Mission Curriculum for Sustainable Ministry

Abstract

Sustainable church planting remains a challenge for The United Methodist Church (UMC) in the Northwest Philippines Annual Conference (NWPAC), as many initiatives struggle with long-term viability, community engagement, and responsible resource management. This study addressed these issues by developing a church planting mission curriculum rooted in Wesleyan identity, integrating theological education with sustainability principles in promoting stewardship, social responsibility, and community transformation. The study utilized the Grounded Theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) through a video- and audio-documented semi-structured interview, engaging 18 church leaders (six lay leaders and twelve ordained elders) across six districts of NWPAC. Participants represented diverse leadership backgrounds, particularly in church planting endeavors, and came from various geographic contexts across the Ilocos Region, La Union Province, Cordillera Region, and Eastern Pangasinan, where Ilocano is the dominant language. The research resulted in the grounded theory, “A Way Forward: PANAGMULA Church Planting Mission Curriculum”, which is a framework built on eight core elements: (1) Planning and Implementation; (2)  Analysis of Ministry Areas; (3) Navigating Impediments; (4) Assessment Frameworks; (5) Grounded Methodology; (6) Missiological Identity; (7) Utilizing Church Mission Dynamics; and (8) Local Engagement & Adaptive Strategies. This curriculum is firmly grounded in biblical and Wesleyan theological principles—such as social holiness, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, and the Great Commission. This study contributes to theological education for sustainability by offering an innovative curriculum model that balances faith formation with practical mission strategies. By emphasizing holistic mission engagement, local resource stewardship, and practical sustainability strategies, PANAGMULA equips church leaders to plant churches that respond to social concerns while maintaining Wesleyan Missiological identity. The PANAGMULA curriculum provides a contextually relevant and theologically sound approach to church planting that addresses the specific needs of the NWPAC. By integrating varying leadership backgrounds, different strategies for social and cultural contexts, and Wesleyan identity, the curriculum effectively supports sustainable church planting efforts. This research recommends further validation of the PANAGMULA Church Planting Curriculum across different cultural and socio-economic contexts, particularly in urban and rural church planting missions. Also, a longitudinal study is recommended to assess the long-term effectiveness of PANAGMULA in sustaining church growth and leadership development. Lastly, that this curriculum be utilized and be adapted by NWPAC and other Annual conferences for contextual validation and longitudinal study.