Mission

The Northwest Church Planting Network exists to reparish one of America's most secular regions as we identify, train, and support church planters for the Pacific Northwest Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America.

Since 2001, we've been training church planters who stay in the Pacific Northwest for the long haul—establishing rooted gospel communities throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.

What Do We Value?

Gospel Renewal

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith and the power behind all renewal and mission. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God is transforming people and communities, reconciling all things to Himself. This good news not only saves but continually renews, shaping our hearts and uniting the church in a shared life of grace and purpose. As Scripture forms us and the Spirit empowers us, we are sent out as agents of gospel renewal—planting churches, proclaiming Christ, and participating in His ongoing work of making all things new.

Collaborative Trust

We believe the work of church planting flourishes in an environment of high trust and shared responsibility. Collaborative trust invites more people into the mission—bringing their gifts, wisdom, and experience to bear on the work of starting and strengthening churches. We aim to cultivate relationships marked by honesty, humility, and generosity, where we assume the best in one another and speak the truth in love. As we labor side by side, trust becomes both the soil and the fruit of our collaboration, reflecting the unity and love of Christ Himself.

Confessional Fidelity

We are united by a shared theological vision rooted in the historic Reformed faith, as articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith and guided by the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America. These confessional standards provide a rich and time-tested framework for understanding God’s Word, shaping our doctrine, worship, and practice. Confessional fidelity keeps our church planting movement anchored to truth amid cultural change, ensures integrity in leadership and governance, and fosters unity among our churches. We believe that deep roots in sound theology enable fruitful ministry, grounding our mission in the unchanging character of God and the authority of Scripture.

Missional Charity

While we share a deep confessional and theological alignment, we also recognize that faithful ministry takes many shapes as churches seek to embody the gospel in their unique contexts. Missional charity calls us to hold our convictions with clarity and our relationships with grace. We seek to practice contextual evangelism—engaging our communities with wisdom, creativity, and compassion—so that the good news of Jesus might take root in every place. This spirit of charity reflects a winsome character that honors Christ, advances the Great Commission, and contributes to the renewal of culture through lives transformed by the gospel.

What Kind of Churches Are We Planting?

We're planting unapologetic PCA churches committed to fulfilling the great commission. This means congregations that:

Confess comprehensive truth.

We believe the lordship of Christ extends over every area of life—family, work, art, education, economics, politics. Our churches equip Christians to think biblically about all of culture, not just private spirituality. In the words of Abraham Kuyper, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'"

Engage their communities.

Reformed churches don't retreat from culture—they engage it. We train planters who will lead their congregations to be faithful presences in their neighborhoods, cities, and professions, bringing gospel wisdom to bear on the challenges of contemporary life. This isn't political activism or culture war posturing—it's comprehensive Christianity.

Pursue excellence.

Reformed theology has historically produced beautiful liturgy, excellent scholarship, and cultural creativity. Our churches embrace this heritage, pursuing quality in worship, thoughtful engagement with ideas, and excellence in service. We believe the gospel deserves our best effort in every dimension of ministry

Build for generations.

Church planting is patient work. We're establishing churches that will serve their communities for decades, not just launch and hope for survival. Rootedness enables influence. When churches commit to a place long-term, they earn the credibility to speak into their communities with wisdom and love.

This vision is why "reparishing" matters so much to us. A parish isn't just a building or Sunday service, it's a community of Christians who know their place, love their neighbors, and work for the flourishing of their city under the lordship of Christ.

This all began with a very expensive dinner. The DOTCOM goldrush of the late nineteen-nineties saw the birth and nearly the-death of e-commerce. Seattle was at the center of what ended up being a bubble that left a lasting impact on the economy and the Church in the Northwest.

It was a time for starting things and the nascent church planting network movement in North America was part of the zeitgeist. Missional partnerships had sprouted out of Redeemer in New York City and Acts 29 was just a fledging.

Closer to home, the leaders of Green Lake Presbyterian Church (now Trinity Church Seattle) began praying about starting a cooperative mission in Seattle. Naturally, that led us to a Five Star restaurant overlooking beautiful Lake Union and the Seattle skyline.

Canlis is a Seattle culinary landmark that has artfully avoided becoming a mere throw-back. The Canlis family’s vision has evolved with the city while never losing the restaurant’s heart or compromising its cuisine. That line seems like it was lifted from their website. It wasn’t but it’s relevant to our story. Then and now, Canlis represents Seattle’s history and its current moment. That made it the perfect place for a feast dedicated to the city and its need for the Gospel.

One a beautiful later summer evening ten couples paid $1,000 per plate to listen to a nationally known missional leader talk about church planting in a post-Christian culture. An elder and his wife gifted all the food and drink and the church paid for the speaker. Almost half of the couples were in their twenties and part of the burgeoning (at the moment) economic boon. Years later two of those young couples would later go to seminary and serve in church plants in English and Scotland.

Over 25 Years of Church Planting

We raised $20,000 for church planting in the Northwest and began the work of building a team by approaching churches in our tribe about building what would become the Northwest Church Planting Network. Over the last 20 years the $20,000 God raised has multiplied 150-fold as we’ve given more than $3,000,000 to church plants and church planter care and support.

The impact of that night and the many prayers and sacrificial generosity that followed can be seen in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, as the network has helped to plant 45% of our presbyteries churches.

Our Team

  • Craig Harris, Director and Regional Coordinator

    Craig serves as Network Director and Regional Coordinator for Eastern Washington and Idaho. He has spent over a decade in pastoral ministry and planted Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Yakima in 2020, with a particular focus on training men for pastoral ministry. He is a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary. Craig and his wife live in Yakima with their children, where he continues to serve the church he helped establish.

  • Bryan Buck, President of the Board

    Bryan serves as President of the Northwest Church Planting Network and Lead Pastor of Oaks Parish in Portland, Oregon. He has spent over two decades in pastoral ministry with a particular focus on church planting, parish renewal, and forming leaders for long-term, place-based ministry. Bryan is a graduate of the Unviersity of Tennessee (Go Vols!) and Reformed Theological Seminary.  He and his wife Amanda live in Portland with their children

  • Mike Awtry, Regional Director Oregon

    Mike is pastor at Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church in Newberg, OR.  He's married with three kids, one dog, and an M.Div from Westminster Seminary California.  He loves the state of Oregon - especially its mountain biking and fly fishing - yet loves its people even more and wants to see the gospel flourish across the region.

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