Craigslist and Planting New Churches in Raleigh, North Carolina
It's interesting how life is and how sometimes looking beyond takes you somewhere you haven't even visited yet. For the past year or so I have been thinking about the Raleigh, North Carolina area even though I have never been there. Heard about it, saw pictures of it, checked it out online, and believe that it would be a good area to spend time reaching people for Jesus who don't know Him yet.
So how does one do that when you live someplace else and can't just drop into Raleigh for an afternoon Coke and conversations? Craigslist. At least that is what I decided to try. So about a year ago I wrote up an ad inviting potential church planters to contact me about beginning new churches in that area. Somehow I don't even think the process worked enough for it to get posted. If it did, it never worked because no one contacted me.
So the idea continued to simmer this past year until a week ago, July 27, when I decided to post the ad I had written. Read it over again and decided to run with it. So I posted, got the phone call from Craigslist to verify it, and saw that it was posted. That same afternoon I heard from someone and within a day I had three contacts. And yesterday another person saw it and responded directly to the 2020 Initiative website as I had directed people to do. This isn't about me, this is the incredible team of church planting guides and leaders that God has and is putting together in the Churches of God, and I am blessed to be a part of it in the Eastern Regional Conference.
Who knows what will happen with this initiative in the Raleigh/Durham area. But I do know that right now there are already at least 4 pastors who are seeking God's will about planting a church in that area. Some are already building prayer teams and talking with others about financial support. Some are thinking through how they would reach the community for Christ.
I hope these become new Churches of God churches and are part of the 2020 Initiative to start 20 new churches by 2020. In the past several years many of these churches have been started and it looks like 20 is just the beginning. And perhaps a church in Raleigh will multiply and who knows what will happen in that area and out to Virginia Beach/Norfolk and down the coast to Florida. Some of these efforts may decide to go a different direction and be linked to another group or go independent. That's OK, it's all about the kingdom and we will help wherever we can. But my heart is to connect these planters with us and be a team together.
Yeah, it's just Craigslist. I sold a pool there once. But this is a much much bigger pool of opportunities and maybe just taking the risk and posting an ad will lead to new life in Christ. I don't know, but I could sure use your prayers and we will see where all of this takes us. Hey, maybe I will get to visit the area someday and worship at a new church...now wouldn't that be cool!
So how does one do that when you live someplace else and can't just drop into Raleigh for an afternoon Coke and conversations? Craigslist. At least that is what I decided to try. So about a year ago I wrote up an ad inviting potential church planters to contact me about beginning new churches in that area. Somehow I don't even think the process worked enough for it to get posted. If it did, it never worked because no one contacted me.
So the idea continued to simmer this past year until a week ago, July 27, when I decided to post the ad I had written. Read it over again and decided to run with it. So I posted, got the phone call from Craigslist to verify it, and saw that it was posted. That same afternoon I heard from someone and within a day I had three contacts. And yesterday another person saw it and responded directly to the 2020 Initiative website as I had directed people to do. This isn't about me, this is the incredible team of church planting guides and leaders that God has and is putting together in the Churches of God, and I am blessed to be a part of it in the Eastern Regional Conference.
Who knows what will happen with this initiative in the Raleigh/Durham area. But I do know that right now there are already at least 4 pastors who are seeking God's will about planting a church in that area. Some are already building prayer teams and talking with others about financial support. Some are thinking through how they would reach the community for Christ.
I hope these become new Churches of God churches and are part of the 2020 Initiative to start 20 new churches by 2020. In the past several years many of these churches have been started and it looks like 20 is just the beginning. And perhaps a church in Raleigh will multiply and who knows what will happen in that area and out to Virginia Beach/Norfolk and down the coast to Florida. Some of these efforts may decide to go a different direction and be linked to another group or go independent. That's OK, it's all about the kingdom and we will help wherever we can. But my heart is to connect these planters with us and be a team together.
Yeah, it's just Craigslist. I sold a pool there once. But this is a much much bigger pool of opportunities and maybe just taking the risk and posting an ad will lead to new life in Christ. I don't know, but I could sure use your prayers and we will see where all of this takes us. Hey, maybe I will get to visit the area someday and worship at a new church...now wouldn't that be cool!
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