Churches Are Being Planted

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Benjamin Kreps:

Hey everyone. And welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark. I was on a call with Mike Seaver and the other chairs of the Regional Church Painting committees. We heard some exciting updates about church planting here in the states. Talk to us about what's going on in Sovereign Grace with church planting.

Mark Prater:

I am so excited about what's happening in Sovereign Grace as it relates to church planting right now. And it's so important because it's a part of our mission. We are a family of churches that advance the gospel of Jesus Christ together by planting and strengthening churches throughout the world for the glory of Jesus Christ. So, in the church plants that are either happening or are planned for the next year, it it's at one expression of the way we are fulfilling our mission as a family of churches together.

And one of the reasons I'm so excited is this Sunday at my church, Covenant Fellowship Church, we will send out another church planting team. Nick Kidwell, who is leading that church planting team, an ordained elder in Sovereign Grace is about to be officially installed as an elder Valley Creek Church. That's the church name of the church being planted in Malvern, Pennsylvania. And I'm so excited to see that church plant sent out. We're sending 50 very good members with him, and they are excited to reach the lost in the Malvern, Pennsylvania area with the gospel. And there's some wonderful stories around that church plant I just learned this just recently. One is that people in the community who'd never really heard of Covenant Fellowship or Sovereign Grace are hearing about this church plant and already saying, “Tell us when your first Sunday is! We're going to be there.”

But the story that really affected me is about Valley Creek able to rent an existing church building right in the heart of Malvern. And there have been people in that community that have been praying that a church would be planted there to just restore life to that church. And that's what they've been hoping for and praying for. So, some of those people recently found out that that Valley Creek Church is going to be in that building. And so, it was so fulfilling for them because it was the answer of years of prayer. So, it just those stories of how the Lord does go before us in our church planting efforts and can really bolster our faith as we send out our best to plant churches for the glory of Christ and to reach the loss with the gospel.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yes. Amen. Such good, good news to hear about how God is orchestrating this church plant and leading the way into their new home.

So, one of the things that started today is once again, a new cohort for the church planters. Nick went through the last cohort. My elder, Jeremy Hetrick, left today to go to Covenant Fellowship to start in the cohort. Talk to us about the church planting cohort.

Mark Prater:

Yeah. The church planting cohort is getting started today. This new one exists to help planters prepare for church planting. It's to equip them to plant churches more in the planting process, if you can say it that way. And more of what life of a church planter looks like. And I'm so excited about this particular cohort. It's really one of our biggest cohorts that we've had.

There are five guys in this particular cohort. Ramon Flores from Yuma Arizona, a Sovereign Grace pastor. He is going to plant a Spanish speaking Sovereign Grace Church in Yuma. So excited about that. Perry Wong is from Risen Hope Church in Somerville, South Carolina. And about a year from now, Perry will plant a Chinese speaking church in the Charleston area, sent from Risen Hope. We've got Jason Stubblefield who will—about a year from now—be sent from Redeeming Grace Church in Franklin, Tennessee to another part of the Nashville area, Brentwood, Tennessee, to plant a church. And we've got Gabe McGill who is going to be planting. He just graduated from the Pastors College and has moved to Warren, Pennsylvania. He is going to do sort of a slow build type church plant in Warren, Pennsylvania, his hometown. And then as you mentioned, your own Jeremy Hetrick, who your plans are a year from now, he will be sent from Living Hope Church to plant on the west side of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

And so, it's exciting because there's a wonderful diversity there. There are churches being planted in three different languages in our country.

Benjamin Kreps:

Amazing!

Mark Prater:

Isn’t that crazy. Spanish, Mandarin, and English and being planted in different parts of the United States. So, it's just God's favor. It's just God's goodness on our lives. And I just could be more excited about this cohort and those church plants are being planned to be started about a year from now.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah. What a delight to watch God giving favor and blessing to Sovereign Grace as we seek to be faithful in seeing the gospel advance all over the United States and across the globe. Any last words for us about church planting before we sign off here?

Mark Prater:

Yeah. A couple of thoughts. First, I would say to guys to follow your example, Ben. You are planting this church because probably a year and a half, maybe two years ago now—I don't remember the exact timing—you had a desire for your church to plant a church. But you didn't have a planter or a location. You just called your church to pray, and your church faithfully prayed, and God brought planters to your church. And so, if pastors, Sovereign Grace pastors, listening to this have a desire to plant a church, but you don't have all that you need—you don't have the planter, you don't have the location, or you don't have the team—pray and call your church to pray. And watch the Lord do wonderful things because we've got to remember God is at work, still saving sinners like you and me. And he does that partly through church planting.

The other thing I would mention is to consider if you haven't planted a church recently, being a part of the Antioch Project that you went through, Ben, last year, that'll get started again. That's intended to help. Elderships learn how we go about planting a church and there's fruit that came from that not only your prayers, but the effect of the Antioch Project on your life. And now Jeremy Hetrick, a year from now, is going to plant on the west side of Harrisburg. So, guys, be praying for church plants and watch God work and watch God provide.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yes. Amen. Exciting times. Thanks for the update, Mark. And thank you everyone for watching or reading. We’ll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.