The Association of Related Churches Celebrates 25 Years of Impact With Strong 2026 Mid-Year Recap

As ARC celebrates 25 years of church planting, its 2026 mid-year recap highlights global impact, church launches, leadership development, and continued ministry growth worldwide.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Association of Related Churches (ARC) is celebrating continued momentum in 2026 as the organization marks its 25th year of helping launch, connect, and equip life-giving churches around the world.

Throughout the first half of 2026, ARC continued to invest in church planters, pastors, and local churches, helping leaders reach communities with the message of Jesus through healthy, thriving congregations. The year has already been marked by church launches, leadership development opportunities, international conferences, and continued growth across the ARC family.

Since its founding in 2000, ARC has helped launch 1,213 churches worldwide, resulting in more than 16,000 documented launch-day salvations. Collectively, ARC churches have given more than $1 billion to missions and outreach initiatives and have invested more than $100 million into church-planting efforts around the world.

During the first six months of 2026:

• 27 new ARC churches launched
• 488 average launch day attendance for launches in the U.S.
• 520 people made decisions to follow Jesus during launch weekends
• 250 church planters completed ARC Launch Training
• 40+ churches are scheduled to launch during the second half of 2026

This year also marked a significant milestone as ARC celebrated its 25th anniversary during the 2026 ARC Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Church leaders from around the world gathered to reflect on God's faithfulness over the past quarter century while looking ahead to the future of church planting and leadership development.

In addition to the U.S. conference, ARC expanded its global impact through international conferences in Canada, Europe, and South Africa, providing pastors and church leaders with practical ministry resources, meaningful relationships, and encouragement for the journey ahead.

As ARC looks toward the remainder of 2026, the organization remains committed to helping church planters launch strong, strengthening existing churches, and creating opportunities for leaders to build relationships that fuel long-term ministry health and effectiveness.

About the Association of Related Churches (ARC)

The Association of Related Churches (ARC) is a cooperative network of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds that strategically resources church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. Founded in 2000, ARC provides training, coaching, and financial support to help launch and strengthen healthy churches worldwide. Over the past 25 years, the Association of Related Churches has helped launch more than 1,200 churches globally.