hcpn

What hcpn does

Houston Church Planting Network (HCPN) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2010 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. It functions as a network-of-networks that equips and connects church planters, churches, and denominations through structured cohort-based training programs (Foundational, Finishing, Fortifying, Flourishing, plus functional cohorts for Women in Leadership and Microchurch), citywide and regional gatherings, the annual Plant Houston conference, and the Awaken Houston prayer movement. The organization's stated mission is gospel saturation across the greater Houston region, an area of approximately 10,000 square miles. HCPN does not operate proprietary technology; its core "platform" is a relationship-based ministry infrastructure delivered through a lean central staff and a distributed network of Regional Catalysts covering 10+ sub-regions of the metro.

HCPN's membership footprint spans more than 170 churches and 30+ denominational and network partners, including Acts 29, Advance, Converge, Every Nation, Send Network SBTC, Texas Baptists, Multiply Vineyard, ECO, Champion Connect, Church Project Network, CityRise Network, AG Church Planting South Texas, Anglican Diocese of the South, and LINC. Over 100 new churches have been planted through the network in the past decade, and the 2025 Awaken Houston movement reported over 1,200 baptisms. The organization is led by co-founder and Executive Director Chad Clarkson, with co-founder Bruce Wesley (Senior Pastor of Clear Creek Community Church) and a board composed of senior pastors from major Houston-area congregations.

HCPN's revenue model relies entirely on charitable donations from churches and individuals, supplemented by a nominal $99 non-refundable Foundational Cohort registration fee, event sponsorships, and a three-tier Church Partnership Program (Participating, Partnering, Pillar) with annual cadence. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: open City Gatherings serve as top-of-funnel touchpoints, Regional Gatherings deepen mid-funnel engagement, and cohort programs form the structured development pathway. The organization is governed independently, has no parent company, and does not publicly disclose its financial statements.

Name

hcpn

Legal name

HCPN INC.

Website

https://hcpn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HCPN is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that equips and connects church planters, churches, and 30+ denominations through cohort-based training programs, citywide gatherings, and the annual Plant Houston conference to advance church planting across Greater Houston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Church Planting Network Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Church planting network
• Church planter training
• Religious non-profit
• Church cohort programs
• Gospel saturation ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: HCPN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded by generous churches and individuals. Revenue comes through direct donations, church partnerships at various tiers (Participating, Partnering, Pillar), and organizational sponsorships for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Houston Church Planting Network (HCPN) equips and connects church planters and churches through a structured pathway of cohort-based training programs (Foundational, Finishing, Fortifying, Flourishing, Women in Leadership, and Microchurch cohorts), citywide and regional gatherings, the annual Plant Houston conference, and the Awaken Houston prayer initiative. The organization serves as a network-of-networks uniting 160+ churches and 30+ denominations to pursue gospel saturation across Greater Houston.

Product overview

Houston Church Planting Network (HCPN) is a collaborative ministry network offering a structured pathway of church planting cohorts and development programs. The portfolio includes five core cohorts (Foundational, Finishing, Fortifying, Flourishing, and Functional Cohorts for Women in Leadership and Microchurch) designed to develop church planters at different stages, complemented by citywide gatherings, the annual Plant Houston conference, and the Awaken Houston prayer initiative. These programs work together to strengthen church planters, facilitate collaboration among churches, and advance gospel saturation across Greater Houston.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foundational Cohort: Cohort designed for leaders sensing a call to church planting but needing clarity and early training.
• Finishing Cohort
• Fortifying Cohort
• Flourishing Cohort
• Women in Leadership Cohort
• Microchurch Cohort
• Plant Houston
• Awaken Houston

Products and services

• Foundational Cohort
• Finishing Cohort
• Fortifying Cohort
• Flourishing Cohort
• Women in Leadership Functional Cohort
• Microchurch Functional Cohort
• HCPN Gatherings
• Plant Houston
• Awaken Houston
• Church Partnership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 baptisms reported through Awaken Houston 2025 movement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and notable.

• Plant HoustonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Annual citywide event bringing churches and leaders together to accelerate the church planting movement across Houston region. Over 300 attendees in 2025
• Awaken Houston CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024United movement of prayer and fasting for Houston. Over 1,200 baptisms reported, dozens of city-wide prayer gatherings, united churches in one voice for spiritual awakening
• Acts 29coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partnering with HCPN to see Houston saturated with the gospel through multiplying churches
• AdvancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partner in HCPN's network-of-networks collaborative effort
• ConvergecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenominational network partnering for collaborative church planting across Houston
• Every NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partner in the HCPN collaborative
• Send Network SBTCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaptist church planting network partnering for gospel saturation in Houston
• Texas BaptistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Baptist convention partner in HCPN's network-of-networks model
• Multiply VineyardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVineyard denomination network for church planting collaboration
• ECO (A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresbyterian denomination partner in collaborative church planting
• Champion ConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partner in HCPN collaborative
• Church Project NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partner
• CityRise NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partner
• AG Church Planting (South Texas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssemblies of God church planting network for South Texas region
• Anglican Diocese of the SouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnglican denomination partner in collaborative church planting
• LINC (Low Income Investment Coalition)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner network focusing on urban and community transformation
• Lausanne MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCPN has adopted the Lausanne Covenant as a unifying statement of faith. The Lausanne movement mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization
• Dr. Ed StetzernotableOthersProminent church planting researcher and speaker who has featured at HCPN Gatherings including August 2024 City Gathering sessions on 'Headwinds and Tailwinds for the Mission'
• Dave Ferguson (Community Christian Church)notableOthersAuthor of 'Multiplier: How Healthy Leaders Create A Lasting Impact' who spoke at HCPN's April 2026 City Gathering

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Converge: Converge is a Baptist church planting movement and one of HCPN's 30+ denomination partners. Converge operates its own assessment, residency, and planter support pathways comparable to HCPN's Foundational/Finishing/Fortifying cohorts.
• Church Multiplication Network: Church Multiplication Network is a church planting organization that coaches and resources planters and planting networks. HCPN's cohort model and regional catalyst structure mirror CMN's church multiplication coaching approach.
• Exponential: Exponential is a national church planting catalyzing organization that hosts the annual Exponential Conference and provides coaching, assessment, and resources for planters and networks — directly analogous to HCPN's cohort pathway and Plant Houston conference model.
• Stadia Church Planting: Stadia is a church planting movement that provides assessment, training, and church planting residencies similar to HCPN's Foundational and Finishing cohorts, with comparable emphasis on coaching planters from call through multiplication.
• ARC (Association of Related Churches): ARC is a church planting and revitalization network that coaches, funds, and resources planters and church leaders across North America. Like HCPN, ARC emphasizes relational support, cohort development, and partnership models rather than top-down denominational control.
• Acts 29 Church Planting Network: Acts 29 is a global church planting network that partners directly with HCPN as one of its 30+ network partners. Both organizations train, assess, and send church planters and operate cohort-based residency programs serving similar planter and church leader audiences.
• CityRise Network: CityRise is a church planting and revitalization network focused on urban contexts and listed as an HCPN network partner. Its mission, coaching model, and city-focused gospel saturation emphasis directly overlap with HCPN's Houston ministry.
• Church Project Network: Church Project Network is a church planting network and HCPN partner that supports planters through training and resourcing. Its cohort-style planter development and network-of-networks positioning make it directly comparable to HCPN.

Broad incumbents

• North American Mission Board (NAMB): NAMB is the SBC's North American missions agency that funds, trains, and sends church planters nationally, including through Send Network SBTC, which is an HCPN partner. Both organizations share the church planting mission but NAMB operates at a much larger denominational scale.

Emerging players

• NewChurches.com / Ed Stetzer: NewChurches.com provides resources, podcasts, and training for church planters and church planting networks; Dr. Ed Stetzer has featured as a thought leader at HCPN gatherings, indicating overlapping planter audiences and content offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about hcpn