Discovery Center

A: There is no cost or fee associated with participating in Stadia’s Discovery Event. Through the generosity of Stadia’s strategic partners, denominations, sending churches, and individual donors, Stadia is able to offer these types of important events for potential new church leaders. Participants are responsible for their own travel to the Discovery Event, and hotel accommodations near the event location. During your travel, you will be responsible for your meals. However, during the event, Stadia provides your lunches, dinners, and an ample supply of snacks and beverages throughout the 3-day event. 

A: Yes, if you are married, your spouse must participate with you throughout the entire Discovery process, starting with Exploration and Discernment. You will see throughout the various instructions specifically where your spouse should submit something separately and where you are able to submit items jointly.

We believe married couples are jointly called to start a new church. For this reason, if you are married, it is important that your spouse fully participate in this process alongside you. Your shared participation will give you the opportunity to explore your joint calling and your unique gifts and abilities as well as the implication this has for the role each of you might play in starting a new church.

A: The only thing you need to bring with you to a Discovery Event is a computer or tablet. If you are married, and your spouse has a separate computer or tablet, they should bring it as well. Most of the Discovery Event relies on technology to keep our event as paperless as possible. Please let the Discovery Team know if you have any questions or needs regarding technology and/or accessibility.

A: During the Discovery Event, you and your spouse, if married, will have the opportunity to explore, demonstrate, strengthen, and be affirmed in your competencies and skills for starting a new church. The Discovery Event, being a community-guided event, means that it will be important for you to have someone that knows you and your experience well from within the context of your own current ministry, and who can help observe and affirm your competencies through that lens.

Your observer should be someone who knows you from your current ministry context. Participants often invite the pastor from their sending church, a deacon or elder, someone from another church planting organization or network they are partnered with, or even a denominational leader or mentor. The role of the observer at a Discovery Event is to work alongside the other leaders and guides at the event to provide valuable feedback to the candidates.

If you receive an invitation to participate in a Discovery Event, it will be very important to invite your observer as soon as possible and provide them details about the dates and location. Your observer will be responsible for their own travel and hotel accommodations.