Our Church Planting Journey

I first heard about church planting when I was a high school student. I knew then that God had called me to serve Him through vocational ministry, however, I had no idea what that might look like. Through God’s sovereignty I met a USC2 missionary, Lynn Floyd. He was working on a church plant in my home town as we turned the page on the new millennium. Through working with and being discipled by Lynn, God placed the importance of church planting on my heart for reaching new people with the Gospel. Throughout my ministry experience, church planting continued to be a tremendous burden on my heart as a means of reaching people with the Gospel. So now then, we began to ask the question what does this call towards ministry and specifically church planting, look like for our family?

The Lord began connecting me with other men who shared my passion to see new churches started. Adrienne and I began to pray about what this meant for us personally. We asked if the God wanted us to be those who send and indeed He does. For us, however, there was more. God was clearly calling us to go and plant. We were unsure of what this might look like for us. We deeply loved the church where I was serving as pastor. We were hesitant to leave our home, family, and friends in order to relocate. We finally, by the power of the Spirit, laid everything on the table and told the Lord that we were willing to go anywhere and do whatever it was that He called us to. We then began to have conversations with trusted friends and mentors. We looked seriously at cities where there is evident need for the Gospel, particularly, the Midwest.

 As we fervently sought the Lord on what it was that He was stirring in our hearts, He made it abundantly clear that we were to follow Him by relocating our family to Johns Creek, GA. We realized that here in the 8^th largest city in Georgia, there are roughly 75,000 people. Of those, 49% are unclaimed religious adherents, 66% are not members of a church or religious organization, and 84% are not in a religious service each week. So then, I approached my elder board at Bay Creek Community Church about what God was doing in my life. God has been so good to us through BCCC as the elders and the congregation has confirmed to be our sending church. We will always be thankful for this display of Gospel faithfulness through Bay Creek’s heart to be a reproducing church. They have sent us out well.

In addition, we have partnered with the North American Mission Board, the Georgia Baptist Convention, and the North American Church Planting Foundation in this new work. We have a goal to be a self-sustaining church by year four and a reproducing church by year six. Our mission is to demonstrate and declare the good news of redemption through Jesus Christ as a disciple-making community for the glory of God. We have begun our core group training. This fall, we hope to begin two Home Bible Fellowship groups and launch publically in 2015. I also begin church planting school with the GBC on the 22^nd of this month. Please be in prayer for us on this new journey. Pray that there would be much Gospel fruit through our work. If you would like to join us by becoming a prayer partner, a providing partner, or a participating partner please contact us. Also, check out our website www.redemptionjohnscreek.org.