The Antioch Project

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, on the last podcast, we talked about the new missions website, which I'm excited about. I know you are too as we seek to press more deeply into the mission that Jesus has given us and in that podcast you mentioned something called the Antioch Project. It's an initiative to help churches plant churches. Can you talk to us about that?

Mark Prater:

I'm so grateful for Eric Turbedsky's leadership and initiative in forming the Antioch Project and the heart behind it, and the desire behind it, which is what you just said, Ben: it's intended to help elderships who want to plant churches but haven't been able to do that yet. To actually plant churches. And those churches might feel like they're kind of stuck in knowing what to do if they don't have a planter and need a planter or they don't have money or they don't know where it could be. A number of things can delay a church planting. And so the Antioch Project is intended to serve elderships that are in that place and pull them together for some teaching, for some discussion, for some prayer, for discussion that would really stimulate ideas to help elderships move towards planting a church from their church. Because I think most of us desire to be church planting churches because we have a heart to reach the lost for the gospel. So that's why the Antioch Project was started. In fact, I think you just got back from a retreat for the Antioch Project, didn't you?

Benjamin Kreps:

I did, yeah. I got home early this morning after a flight was canceled in Dallas coming back home, but able to make it happen and get home thankfully. But yes, I spent the past few days in El Paso, Texas where Ricky Alcantar is, and Ricky and Eric led the Antioch Project retreat that we were on. It's actually the second one that I was on. There'll be one more in May. It's a year-long program with several retreats and it's being adjusted on the fly. I think our little group is, we are, the Guinea pigs. They're refining what the Antioch Project will be going forward. And our time in El Paso, a small handful of guys, was envisioning, it was invigorating, it was energizing, it was thought provoking. We spent the past few days praying together, seeking to encourage one another. Ricky did a fine job teaching material that he's developed to help churches, help pastors, think through what it means to be a New Testament church that plants churches. And it was so edifying, encouraging, strengthening.

One of the things that's wonderful about the Antioch Project is that there were four guys there at this retreat, all four of us in completely different places when it came to where we were in church planting: from one guy who is nowhere close and he's just seeking to help his church, position his church, to be able to pursue church planting, to like a church like ours, we've talked about this, but last January our church began praying. I invited our church to pray together asking God for “a man and a plan” when it came to church planting.

And incredibly over the past year, we've had a number of guys just walk in the door with a heart for pastoring and planting. I have a group of guys I'm developing right now. So we're chomping at the bit. And so our issues are more logistical as we evaluate these guys and we see good things. So wherever guys are at, I would think every pastor in Sovereign Grace wants to be part of church planting, from their local church eventually. And so the Antioch Project, which takes a year, will be opened up each year to a group of pastors. I just encourage guys when that opportunity comes and if you want to plant a church and feel stuck or there's obstacles and you can't quite see your way forward, join. Have a pastor on your team or two join the Antioch Project. It doesn't matter where your church is at. That's the wonderful thing about this program is that wherever your church is at, this is an encouraging helpful time. So I commend it to the pastors of Sovereign Grace. Stay tuned. In May we have one more retreat then after that at some point they'll start another year of it. So guys, if you want to plant churches and you're not quite seeing the way forward, I'd encourage you to consider joining the Antioch Project when the opportunities come in the years ahead.

Mark Prater:

Yeah. And guys can do that by contacting Eric Turbedsky or Ricky Alcantar and expressing their interest for the next project. How did you specifically benefit from this retreat this week, Ben? What ideas did you come back with or are there specific things you're going to implement?

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah. For me, the main part is that it was clarifying. So there were a number of things that, you know, I would just say "amen" to and grateful that that is happening in our local church, especially there was a document that Eric came up with called 21 things that you can do to become a church planting church. And those 21 ideas for implementing in the local church, well, I thought maybe we'll do all of them. They're doable things, you know. There's stuff that can be implemented without a lot of trouble, even though there might be some philosophical shifts in elder teams and sifting through what to apply and what not to apply. But especially that document from Eric was very helpful when it comes to positioning your church: developing leaders, positioning them, preparing them for planting. So those kinds of things were helpful.

Mark Prater:

That's great. That's great. Your story about calling your church a little over a year ago to pray for a man and a plan, that's how you stated it, is faith building story. But what did you observe in the church? Like if your example is compelling, other guys also have thought, well I can do that. I can call my church to pray.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah. We can all do that!

Mark Prater:

So, what did you do over the last year, as you prayed together as a church, what did you see in the members of the church?

Benjamin Kreps:

Just an increasing faith and excitement and desire for us to plant churches. I think we were there already in some ways, but as we prayed together individually in our homes, and corporately as we started a monthly prayer meeting to pray for issues around Living Hope, including church planting, men literally began walking in the door with faith for this kind of work. We began working with them and now we're putting them up front and having them participate in scripture and reading different elements of the service. I'm working with them and they're going to be teaching youth ministry and we're evaluating their ability to teach. Of course they have to be able to do that. There's just a sense of anticipation and faith and excitement about the future. People are coming to me saying, should we start a fund? Should we start another fund just for church planting and it feels like we're on a wonderful journey that God is just drawing us personally into and through and leading us in. 

So last month I described what God did over the last year in another sermon about mission. And I said, well, I think we've got some men. Now we need a plan. So let's pray this year about a plan. And looking forward to how we see God lead us. Doing it this way really is a historic chapter in the life of our church. And it's a chapter of our church that gives God all the glory for what he's doing. It's not because we're so clever or have things figured out. We don't really have things figured out on this front. We've never done it before, but to watch God go before us and make the way and provide the resources is exhilarating; to get a front row seat, to see the hand of the Lord at work in the church.

Mark Prater:

Wonderful example, wonderful leadership on your part. It keeps church planting from simply being formulaic. You just realize, okay, this is a spirit-led mission that God is leading us on, and that just stirs the church.

Benjamin Kreps:

It's an adventure.

Mark Prater:

Yeah. So guys that are listening to this, if they're pastors that want to plant a church. You're not sure what to do. Maybe the place to start is calling the church to pray for whatever specific need, whether you need a planter, you're not sure about a location, or if you need funding, pray into those needs and watch our God work.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah, it's not just one thing we can do. It is the most important thing we can do. We can all pray together. I'm just grateful that that bar is not too high for our churches to participate in, in God's mission in the world. So, well, thank you, Mark. Thank you, Eric and Ricky for leading the Antioch Project. Well done men, and again, I'd encourage any pastors that are watching or reading this podcast to consider when the opportunity comes to apply to be a part of the next Antioch Project. So thank you all for watching or reading this podcast, and we'll see you next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.