Missions/Church Planting Spring 2026 Class
Time: Tuesdays at 7 pm (PST)
Duration: A 7-week class meeting once a week starting 1/27/26.
Class Format: This course is delivered entirely online using Zoom. This class contains synchronous (live) and asynchronous (anytime) components. Classes will meet live for weekly, 90-minute online sessions.
Brandon O’Sullivan
Class Description: From Genesis 4 until Revelation 22, we see that God is on mission to seek and save a people for Himself. He is building His everlasting Kingdom, the message Jesus spoke from the beginning clearly depicts that concept. Being a Christian means to be on mission with God, as Jesus was sent, He also sends us to become a fisher of men. Jesus has laid out His dream for us to make disciples of all nations, and as we go to the ends of the earth, planting churches as a necessary means to accomplish the Great Commission. The class content will be different from the first time we taught this class in 2021.
Teacher: Brandon O’Sullivan has been in full-time ministry (and a Santa Cruz local) since 2008 - he has led teams in children, student, and young adult ministries. In 2018, he and his wife, Laura, planted Gospel Community Church in Santa Cruz, a thriving young church with a heart to reach the city, equip leaders, and plant churches. Brandon has degrees from The Master's University and Reformed Theological Seminary and is currently finishing a doctorate in leadership from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Register for the Missions/Church Planting Spring 2026 Class
OUR VISION
Our vision is to equip reproducible disciple-makers through content, community, contextualization, and coaching. The Great Commission Training Institute (GCTI) equips leaders with the premise that leadership development is essential to church health and gospel impact. The goal is to equip reproducible disciple-makers and provide quality training accessible and affordable to pastors, church lay leaders, women ministers, and bi-vocational leaders.
OUR MISSION
Provide an online model of certificate or non-certificate programs for church leaders to develop higher-level ministry skills, knowledge, and grow as reproducible disciple-makers.
Also:
Provide opportunities to serve as teachers/workshop leaders.
Provide relational & practical internship and field training.
Provide ministry opportunities at GCA churches, church plants, replants, revitalization programs, and pulpit supply.
CURRICULUM
We use the pastors to pastors (P2P) curriculum to train potential leaders, lay leaders, pastors, and women ministers to become reproducible disciple-makers who abide in Christ. The 12-class P2P curriculum includes discipleship, missions and church planting, evangelism, hermeneutics, Old Testament survey, New Testament survey, applied church history, leadership (pastoral/lay ministry), teaching/preaching, theology of the church, theology of God, and theology of Salvation.
We offer a Spanish class on Mondays from 7-8:30pm and an English class on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm. We have different English and Spanish classes to encourage bilingual students who wish to take two classes during the same term.
COST
$50/course (plus online transaction fees) for GCA churches & GCA employees.
$75/course (plus online transaction fees) for non-GCA churches.
Payment can be made on the GCTI registration form or via check.
Please mail checks payable to GCA to 17705 Hale Ave., Building H, Suite 4, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
If you are paying for a group, please list the students' first and last names on the registration form. Each student will need to fill out this registration form individually and indicate that your church will make a group payment.
PROGRAM
General Program Brochure
Certificate Program
All students apply to the program (pastoral endorsement required)
Will be presented a certificate of completion at GCA annual meeting
Pastor Endorsement Form for GCTI Certificate Program
Open Program (Non-Certificate)
Open to all GCA churches and SBC churches
Any Time Option
Our GCTI classes are also available through an anytime asynchronous format. Contact Chris Smith for more information.
Languages
English and Spanish
Other languages as needed
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
2023 Classes
Theology of God, Discipleship, Theology of Salvation, Church History
2024 Classes
Old Testament, Hermeneutics, New Testament, Evangelism
2025 Classes
Leadership, Teaching/Preaching, Theology of the Church
2026 Classes
Missions/Church Planting, Theology of Salvation, Church History
CONTACT
Dr. Chris Smith
CHRIS.SMITH@GCASBC.ORG