Why plant a new church?
This past Sunday we hosted the first of three informational meetings for Providence Presbyterian Church.
In this first meeting, I answered in-depth a question I receive often as I meet with people in the valley. “Why plant a new church?”
If you are interested in joining us for our second and third informational meetings on February 20th and 27th from 4:00-5:30pm, please reach out to Jake and he will send you more details. We would love to have you join us!
My background
It might be helpful to start by sharing a little bit of my background to explain how I got here.
Both my wife, Lauren, and I were born and raised in the Roanoke Valley and went to Glenvar High School. Sports were and in a lot of ways still are a big part of my life; I wrestled and played football. I grew up going to West Salem Baptist Church right behind the Wal-Mart in Salem.
Around my senior year of High School I became a Christian. For me, I’d describe my conversion as a season of turning from my sin and trusting in Christ. A lot of folks can remember the day and time of putting their trust in Christ, but it really wasn’t like that for me. It was over a period of time. It was a season of holding fast to the faith that as Jude says “was once for all delivered to the saints.”
From there, I went to the Virginia Military Institute. It was there that I began to sense a call to ministry through leading a Bible study for my peers. I’ve often joked that I don’t know if that Bible study did anything for anyone but me.
While I was at VMI I thought of myself more and more as a reformed baptist and ended up attending Grace Presbyterian Church in Lexington. That was my introduction to the Presbyterian world.
After graduation I considered going into the chaplaincy, but for a variety of reasons it didn’t work out. However, my call to ministry never waned.
Even at that point in my life I had a fascination with church planting. The thought of building something from the ground up appealed to me. I envisioned myself church planting at some point in my life but I knew I needed training for ministry and ministry experience in general. So I began to explore going to seminary.
Because I considered myself “reformed,” I determined I wanted an explicitly reformed seminary experience - and you can’t get much more reformed than Reformed Theological Seminary.
However, that dream was put on hold for two years. My wife, Lauren, and I got married right after college in 2012 and were trying to figure out how a broke married couple could make going to seminary a reality. During that time we both worked jobs we didn’t enjoy and looking back, the Lord was using that season to prepare us for ministry.
In 2014, we moved to Charlotte so I could take classes and pursue a Masters of Divinity at RTS. We also launched my wife’s graphic design business that same year.
While at RTS, my interest in church planting intensified. I took several classes on church planting and attended a seminar by the Mission to North America (which is the domestic missions arm of the PCA).
Ironically it was at that seminar they handed out a sheet with “church planting hot spots” on it and low and behold, Roanoke was on it! That left a profound impression on me and really got the wheels turning.
But before I could do anything, I knew I needed ministry experience. From 2017-2021 I was an Assistant Pastor at a church plant in Florence, SC called Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. It was an invaluable experience.
We came to Good Shepherd six months after they launched worship. I coordinated volunteers, gained more preaching experience, began a college ministry, helped with elder and deacon nominations and training, and saw the inner workings of church planting.
I learned so much from my four and a half years there and am truly indebted to our Good Shepherd church family.
In October of 2020, I began to wrestle with the idea of coming back to the area to plant a church. So I reached out to the church planting committee chair of the Blue Ridge Presbytery, which is a region of PCA churches spanning from Charlottesville to Floyd. From there the ball started rolling.
But if you know anything about Presbyterianism, the wheels move very slowly. When it was all said and done, by the time I raised support, transferred my ordination into this presbytery and wrapped everything up, it was a full year.
We’ve been humbled by the way the Lord has gone before us and affirmed this call to plant Providence. From the support of Good Shepherd, to the favor with people in the presbytery, to raising support quickly, and finding a home in a crazy market, the Lord has had His hand in the entire process. I think some people might think we're crazy for planting a church in this season of life with two small children, but I feel like at this point in my life I have the energy for something like this and I’ve had a lot of peace about it. I’ve never doubted whether this is what I’m supposed to do. I really feel like this will be my life’s work… at least that’s what I’m praying for!
Why Salem?
Lauren and I love the Roanoke Valley, but we really love Salem. These are our people. And the need has only become clearer the longer we’ve been here.
I can think of several people that have walked away from their families, walked away from the church, and worse still, abandoned the faith altogether. Even though the demographics support the idea of planting more churches, it’s personal for us. The demographics are more than numbers; they represent our family, friends, and neighbors.
Why start a new church?
71% claim no religious affiliation in Roanoke City, but that number is even higher when you take into account other religions, catholicism, and mainline denominations (source).
Another interesting fact is that there is a large LGBTQ community in the Roanoke Valley. The Washington Post claims that 1 in 9 marriages are same sex (source).
One article said 40% of Gen Z is LGBTQ. And get this: 30% of young Christians identify as LGBTQ (source).
More people claim to be evangelical in Salem, but the numbers are similar. When you take into account other religions, catholicism, and mainline denominations, around 62% of Salem are unbelievers (source).
Keep in mind, too, that these statistics are quantifying folks based upon how they self-identify. Just imagine what these numbers would be if there was a way to quantify cultural Christians. How many folks who live in the area identify as Christian, and have absolutely nothing to do with the faith?
Despite what people may say, a large swath of the population are unbelievers. And I think it’s only going to get worse. The culture is turning on Christianity.
Interestingly, our denomination at one point had had a goal of reaching 1% of the population in a certain region or area. In the Roanoke Valley, that would mean the PCA reaching 3,300 people.
I can say definitively that we’ve got a long way to go, and I certainly don’t mean that in a derogatory way toward the two other PCA churches in our area. If anything, you might be able to use that rationale for planting more churches.
The major takeaway here is that demographically there is plenty of room for more churches in the Roanoke Valley and in Salem.
The Benefits of a Church Plant
But here is what I find to be the most compelling rationale for planting churches: Church planting is the most effective form of evangelism (source).
Statistically, church plants reach somewhere between 3 to 6 times more non-Christians than older established churches. In many ways, the Great Commission in Matthew 28 is a call to plant churches. Where is one supposed to go to become a disciple, be baptized, and learn what Jesus taught? The church!
I don’t know exactly why church plants tend to be more effective at evangelism but I have a pet theory. I think the lack of establishment is appealing to non-Christians. From a church culture perspective, it can be intimidating to crack into a well established community. You can feel like an outsider before you walk through the doors. But if the community hasn’t been established, then there are no outsiders! Or maybe you could say, everyone is an outsider.
Theology Matters
Another aspect that I think will make Providence unique as a church plant is that I intend to take God’s Word seriously. I intend to take theology seriously. And I say that with all humility, recognizing that I don’t know everything and have a lot I need to learn.
I can’t speak for all of us, but my impression is that not many churches, let alone church plants, place an extremely high priority on God’s Word and seeking to understand it. There are certainly exceptions – I was a part of one in South Carolina. But generally speaking, that is my impression. And I think I can defend my position.
A recent survey found that “fewer than 10% of Evangelicals want shorter sermons; 30% want more in-depth teaching” (source).
30% want more in-depth teaching than their church is currently providing. People want to understand God’s Word and I genuinely want us to help them accomplish that.
Lack of Courage
But the Bible says difficult things. Dare I say, culturally insensitive things. And so many churches are bending the knee to every cultural issue. They’ve capitulated to the LGBTQ agenda, Critical Race Theory, or egalitarianism ushered in by Third Wave Feminism, or endless COVID precautions. There are churches that still aren’t meeting in person.
I want to be careful because I’m not an angry person. In fact, the more you get to know me, the more you’ll realize I joke around a lot. But I can clearly see these issues coming down the pike. In fact, they’re already here.
What’s even more concerning is the lack of courage in Christian pulpits to speak out. So many pastors – men that I like – are simply unwilling to say anything, and their silence is at times deafening. They’d rather maintain the status-quo than rock the boat.
We must tell the truth. Tell the truth without animus, hostility, or sinful anger in our hearts, but rather in love. The most loving thing we can do for this world is to tell them the truth gospel. And that takes courage.
May we all be able to say, “Here we are Lord, send us!” May Providence Presbyterian Church be that city upon a hill, that beacon of gospel light and hope to a sin sick and dying world. That’s my prayer.
Who are you trying to reach?
A question that I’ve gotten on more than one occasion is this one. “What is your target demographic?” And I’ve answered the question the same each time: Providence Presbyterian Church will be a church for all people.
To be honest, I don’t like the question. Because when I hear that question, I hear, “Which racial minorities will Providence Presbyterian Church prioritize?” And again, my answer is still the same: All of them.
To be fair, sometimes it’s an age question and not a race question. “What age range will you prioritize?” But again, my answer is still the same: Every age. The church needs older folks, younger folks, teenagers, young children. A healthy church has every age range. Furthermore, I think it’s a dishonest question because how many churches do you know that have “target demographics” and show people the door who don’t meet their qualifications?
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” Ephesians 2:14
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
The beauty of the gospel is that our status before God is the same regardless of our background. You’re a sinner and you need to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
I praise God for anyone who wants to be a part of this church plant. And I pray that the Lord conforms him or her and all of us more into his image.
