Competent leadership in church planting

Across Europe, very few people identify as believers in Christ. Many of the remaining faithful local churches want to grow, even to plant new congregations, but they face a simple, critical challenge: who will lead?

Without competent, trained leaders, these churches hit a ceiling that's difficult to overcome. Many pastors (vocational or lay) become exhausted just maintaining, let alone building momentum. So the thought of multiplying often seems impossible.

A different way forward

Years ago IBC Cologne's leadership began with a desire to plant a church in the neigbouring city of Bonn. They saw the need in their own city, as well as in the neighbouring regions, and believed this to be the time that God would establish a church in Bonn.

The challenge was clear: they couldn’t multiply without leaders ready to step into the work. Instead of waiting for outside solutions, they committed to raising leaders from within.

That commitment bore fruit.

First came IBC Bonn, launched as a daughter church and led by leaders from IBC Cologne, and joined by Stephen Campbell.

Then came Internationale Gemeinde Köln (IGK), a German-speaking congregation planted in Nippes, again through recognising a need & identifying and training potential leaders.

Along the way, IBC Cologne built a culture of discipleship — inviting potential leaders into hands-on ministry, seeing characters shaped, and equipping them with the skills they needed to shepherd others.

This focus on training leaders ensured the church didn’t just expand once, but has kept multiplying.

Now it’s 2025, and Aachen International Church is no longer just a vision on the horizon — it’s right at the doorstep. Leaders are being raised up, trained, and a group has been sent. The fruit of years of apprenticeship and intentional discipleship is visible: one church giving birth to another.

The vacuum that inevitably results from such a move has created a very focused approach on discipling and opportunities for more people to be raised up.

It’s not always fast. It’s not always easy. But the consistent investment in raising competent leaders is an important part of what makes multiplication sustainable.

Multiplication doesn’t begin with a launch service but with a leader in training, and competency-based training ensures leaders are truly prepared for the tasks ahead.

Every church, no matter its size, can play a part in raising the next generation of leaders.

In a continent where the church is shrinking, this is the kind of long-term vision we need.

At Aquila Initiative, we’ve seen time and again that the difference between a church that stalls and a church that multiplies is not passion or vision alone — it’s the presence of God-fearing, competent leaders.

When local churches take steps to apprentice potential leaders, they move in that direction.

And in cities like Cologne, Bonn, Alicante and now Aachen, we are seeing the fruit.