The Impact of a Church Plant
Throughout Scripture, we see people who feel like they aren’t qualified to do great things. From Moses, to King David, to Mary, each of them wondered, “Who am I, Lord?” that God would work through them. In each of these cases, and many more besides, God raised them up for something that was far greater than what they were able to do on their own. There is no doubt that many who serve in ministry feel the same. At times, it feels almost insurmountable as we think of ourselves and what “we” could possibly accomplish for the sake of his Kingdom! I have felt this in pastoral ministry, and have felt this all the more as our church, Praise Christian Fellowship of Barkhamsted, Connecticut, has been part of supporting Grace Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. Lord, who am I? Who are we?
The Word answers this question well. God answers us, saying, “You are mine.” Because we are his, Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, ESV, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” The Lord will care for his Church. He has always been faithful and continues to be faithful.
We have seen this as a local church. Though planting a new church in a major city seems like something that is too big for us, God is faithful. Through committing to pray for, serve, and give to this ministry, God has encouraged the hearts of people within our congregation that he is at work. More than that, God has shown us that he will even use us to be part of this bigger mission.
This past August, our ACTS Team (Actively Caring Through Service) arranged a bus trip for our church to travel to Boston and help with an outreach event at a public park in the area where Pastor Kristian and Mary Anderson are ministering. I watched as our church members helped run games for kids at the park, served food, and even went out on canvassing walks to share information about Grace Hill. In debriefing with our team when we returned, they had a new appreciation for the work being done. They saw the neighborhood that Grace Hill is seeking to minister to. They met and talked to the Grace Hill team members that they are praying for. The ministry of Grace Hill became real to them, and it was a galvanizing time for our church to take real ownership of Grace Hill as their church and to see that God will work through even our small efforts for his sake!
Though there have been benefits for our congregation overall, coming alongside the church plant has benefitted Praise’s leadership as well. Planting a church and running an established church are vastly different. As part of our Initial Leadership Team (ILT) for Grace Hill, I have had the opportunity to work with a coach who has given our ILT many useful tools to help us plan and execute the ministry in Boston. From team dynamics to developing strategy, what we have learned with our coach has been helpful as we have worked together with Pastor Kristian and Mary in our desire to see a thriving church.
These lessons have also translated to our elder team for our ministry at Praise. Our eyes have been opened to the benefit of working with a coach to help navigate the challenges of growth that we’re experiencing in our own congregation. One insight that has been particularly helpful with our elder board at Praise is our understanding of personality profiles among our board and among our ministry leaders. With tools that I learned from our coach, we have taken time to identify our elder team’s giftings and skills more closely to see where we have strengths and where we could also use help as God continues to bring growth. This has caused us to focus on praying that God would raise up more leaders to guide his church here at Praise as we continue to grow.
More than that, we have been reminded (yet again) that though we can learn new skills, gain insight, and come up with strategies that will benefit us in ministry, ultimately, God will grow his church. It is so easy to rest on our own abilities in leadership. But it has been a helpful reminder for our leadership that this church is not ours; it is his alone. And he will build it!
Working with Grace Hill has shown our church that God will use us, insignificant as we think we might be, for his glory, both in Boston, MA, and in Barkhamsted, CT. He is doing a work in and among our people here at Praise and at Grace Hill. He has shown us that he, indeed, is faithful, and that when we rest in him, “he will surely do it.”
Evan Langlois is pastor at Praise Christian Fellowship in Barkhamsted, CT.