Across The Nation
Church Planters Are the Modern-Day Missionaries to America
By George Williams
In a small city in Ohio, Cody Langtry and his wife, Jocelyn, recently celebrated the birth of their firstborn, a cheerful, blue-eyed boy named Jack. Even as Cody and Jocelyn stand at the starting line of building their new family together, they also face another starting line.
Cody and Jocelyn are packing up baby Jack and boxes filled with their belongings to move across the country to another small city, Burlington, Vermont. Their reason for moving is not for a job opportunity, family, or chance to start over. Their reason for moving is the call of God.
This was not an easy decision for the couple. They have been serving at a local church that Jocelyn’s father pastors, and family support has been a blessing to them as they became parents for the first time. But, as Cody shared with me, there was a nudge in their hearts that grew into a strong urging. Then God used this verse to speak to Cody:
My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else (Romans 15:20, NLT).”
Cody Langtry
Cody and Jocelyn knew God was calling them to “go.” After searching for and visiting many cities that would have been prime candidates for a new church, they ultimately felt God leading them to Burlington, Vermont. In a recent study, the Barna Group* identified the top ten post-Christian cities in America. Eight of them are in the New England area and Burlington, Vermont, is fourth on the list.
A new missional frontier is here before our eyes.
America is a changing nation. Statistics show that over the past fifteen years church membership in America has been in a rapid decline. For those who want to take pride in the fact that America has been predominantly a Christian nation, these statistics can be hard to swallow. Cody and Jocelyn see the trend as another confirmation of their call toward the great American mission field.
Church planting has recently gotten a bad rap because in many cases a church plant’s growth comes from transfer growth rather than conversion growth. Transfer growth is not always bad. When a new family moves into town, finding people in a new church plant eager to welcome them helps them get plugged into fellowship with ease. In some cases, a historic church may succumb to bad doctrine or poor leadership, and transfer growth could be a healthy progression for the body of Christ in that area. Nonetheless, overall transfer growth like this should happen as an exception, not a norm. New church plants that experience a lot of transfer growth often see little impact on reaching the unchurched in their particular city.
The tide in American church planting is shifting.
In August of 2022, Open Bible leaders and future church planters from three different Open Bible regions gathered at Wheaton College outside the bustling city of Chicago for the first cross-regional church plant training. The room was full of energy as nationally recognized Christian leaders popped in to meet and impart into the lives of the future missional movement in America. At one point the revered author, speaker, and missionologist Ed Stetzer came in to give an impromptu lesson on the changing emphasis of church planting. Church planting is moving away from the practice of first establishing worship services, and instead, is focusing on evangelism and disciple-making efforts that must take place before the first worship service begins.
Covid-19 upset the sleepy state of the Church in America. Churches were forced to explore new ways to gather spiritually, many of which would have seemed unconventional before. With the changing spiritual climate in America, better training, and a focus on evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication, more new church planters are identifying themselves as missionaries first and pastors second.
In Williamsburg, Virginia, Davy Saunders served as a campus pastor of a local mega church. In 2020 he left his position to begin pioneering a new kind of church in the area. Davy and his wife, Tammie, are starting a network of micro churches that focus on discipleship and meet in somewhat unconventional locations. Davy’s desire is to build churches for people such as the server who works Sunday mornings and in places that the everyday person already finds themselves visiting such as a coffee shop, restaurant, or friend’s house. Davy’s style of church planting moves away from the one-size-fits-all approach. He can now use this model as a missional vehicle to take the church into everyday places.
Missional-focused church plants may take longer to develop than church plants that launch first with a worship service. However, with evangelism and discipleship as the foundational focus, new missional churches will see conversion as their primary mode of growth. Jesus’ words ring true in his response to Peter’s confession of Christ in Mathew 16 (BSB):
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Our modern-day missionary church planters are shaking the gates of hell.
About the Author
George Williams is the church planting director for Open Bible East and the founding pastor of CityLight Church in Toledo, Ohio. He and his wife, Sarah, started ministry as urban missionaries in 2005, pioneering a neighborhood outreach ministry before planting CityLight Church. George is the proud father of two daughters, Selah and Anna.
On September 19-21, pastors from around the country gathered for the 2024 Open Bible National Hispanic Conference, held in Antioch, California. Attendees of the conference numbered close to one hundred and represented nineteen different Open Bible churches. Templo Santo Community Church was the hosting church for the conference, and our theme was “CHANGED: Transformed to Transform.” We were blessed with the presence of powerful speakers: President Michael Nortune, Dr. Nicholas Venditti, and Pastors John Mendez, Michael Zakarian, and Caleb Plummer.
The Church as a whole, the Open Bible denomination, and Hispanic Ministries are needed for such a time as this.
The conference started with a welcome dinner where pastors and leaders were able to reconnect with old friends and connect with new friends who were first-time attenders. We had a powerful night of worship during which President Nortune spoke a prophetic word about entering a new season. God has opened a wide door for Open Bible, and new opportunities are on the horizon for our ministries.
Throughout the following days, we heard challenging messages on embracing our vision (Dr. Venditti), navigating culturing changes (Pastor Mendez), loving and embracing the next generation (Pastors Zakarian and Plummer), and depending on the presence of God (President Nortune). In addition to these incredible sessions, we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful city of San Francisco and the surrounding areas.
In our closing session, Pastor Mendez encouraged us that we were chosen for this time in history. The Church as a whole, the Open Bible denomination, and Hispanic Ministries are needed for such a time as this.
As we concluded with a time for more fellowship, here are a few of the things we heard people saying:
“This conference exceeded my expectations.”
“I felt the love and unity within the Hispanic Ministries.”
“The messages were relevant for our time.”
“Best conference ever!”
We look forward to what God has in store for Open Bible’s Hispanic Ministries. We believe that a door has been opened for our dream to come to life – having a Hispanic ministry in every state in this nation.
About the Author
Jorge Navarrete
Jorge Navarrete was appointed as the senior pastor of Templo Santo Community Church in May 2002. Prior to that, he served as youth pastor, Sunday school teacher, member of the Board of Elders, and as church administrator for Templo Santo. In May 2017, Jorge was appointed to serve in his current role as Director of the Hispanic Ministries for the West Sector. Pastor Navarrete also works for the Supreme Court of California as the Clerk/Executive Officer. He has served in this role since 2016.
There are over 10,000 homeless citizens in Lee County, Florida, but thanks to a creative nonprofit idea and a fully sponsored shower trailer, Open Bible Community Church (OBCC) has found a unique way to serve them.
Located in North Fort Myers, OBCC is pastored by Joe and Pat VanEst. When Hurricane Ian hit their county in 2022 and homelessness exploded, pastors Joe and Pat responded by founding “Hope Ambassadors,” a nonprofit designed to empower individuals through disaster relief and ongoing rehabilitative efforts.
Beginning by providing food and hygiene kits to homeless communities, the team soon realized there was a need for showering facilities. Through a string of miracles and one philanthropic donor, a shower trailer was purchased, and Hope Ambassadors now owns the only shower trailer in Southwest Florida. Housing two rooms and ten total shower units, the trailer visits two homeless communities twice a week and has already provided nearly 500 showers to families in need.
“This has totally changed the thinking of our church,” says Pastor Joe VanEst. “We are building relationships with these folks, and it’s only a matter of time until we can share Jesus with them.” Already, the church has seen growth from visitors who have come to church after using the shower trailer.
Hope Ambassadors is quickly building relationships with other local nonprofits that provide services like haircuts, food, and clothing. Future dreams include creating a commercial kitchen that would create nutritious, freeze-dried meals for hungry families. Hope Ambassadors’ mission statement is “To heal communities in the spirit of unity,” and thanks to God’s grace and provision, they are well on their way.
“This has totally changed the thinking of our church”
Rehoboth Open Bible Church has stood strong for forty-five years. Our journey began in the cozy apartment living room of Revs. Easton and Joy Grant in Brooklyn, New York, with seven adults and seven children. As the years passed and our congregation flourished, outgrowing the capacity of two hundred set by the NYC Department of Buildings, the church initiated a second service in 1998 and began an arduous search for a new, larger home, a journey that has tested our determination and resilience.
Finding a suitable space to meet [in Brooklyn] is daunting, with people seeming to occupy every square inch
Brooklyn, one of the most densely populated counties in the United States, presents a unique set of challenges for churches. Finding a suitable space to meet is daunting, with people seeming to occupy every square inch. There are no new spaces for churches in New York. Currently existing churches were originally built in the 1800s, often by Catholics and Presbyterians; modern churches must convert commercial spaces or purchase existing spaces occupied by older churches or temples. Even when property can be found, political and business environs do not want such valuable real estate removed from the tax roll and often restrict access by religious non-profit organizations. Thus, most churches in Brooklyn are classified as storefronts, utilizing small commercial retail spaces or the front rooms of homes.
When we were appointed as pastors of Rehoboth in 2011, the search for a larger facility was already ongoing. Four months into our role, we drove by a former Jewish temple on 888 East 56th Street which had a sign saying, “For Sale or Triple Net Lease.” Despite our uncertainty, we called the listed number and met with the owner.
Most of the property was in a deplorable condition, requiring eyes of faith to visualize its value. Based on the redlining lending practices of the neighborhood and commercial banks’ refusal to lend to churches, the likelihood of acquisition was slim to none. Negotiations were painful, but after numerous meetings and much prayer, two years later we achieved an owner-seller financing purchase. That was the first miracle in the journey to 888, since we would not have been able to qualify for financing on the open market.
The purchase consumed all the church’s savings and more. Despite this, God provided monthly mortgage payments of $16.1k while funding the church’s day-to-day operations, our second miracle.
888 East 56th Street is more than a building. It continues the legacy of bringing Rehoboth’s soul to life.
We launched a three-year capital campaign in 2015 that proved God’s power in Rehoboth’s life at a new level. Like Gideon, God used a small group to catch the vision, amassing funds exceeding the pledged amount by nearly forty percent! God’s faithfulness gave birth to the third miracle – providing the equity needed to match our upcoming construction loan.
In 2019, six years after purchasing the property, we obtained a construction loan and refinanced the seller’s note at a lower interest rate, providing more funds for renovation – miracle number four.
With much excitement after the groundbreaking in December 2019, construction began in March 2020. Three weeks in, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, sending NYC spiraling. The city that never sleeps shut down tight for three months. While COVID-19 kept us all enclosed, our property renovations were in limbo. Unattended projects suffered, material prices quadrupled, and labor costs followed suit.
The challenge of dealing with unscrupulous consultants, renegotiating contracts, finding new subcontractors, confronting disfavored lending practices, and seeking to manage construction timelines was an enormous feat. But God provided miracle after miracle by granting favor, stretching finances, creating new alliances, empowering us with new boldness to advocate, and providing the changes we needed while keeping our integrity intact. As one major devious player on the project stated, “With all that I have done, you should not be here. I know God is with you.” To which we say, “Yes, Amen!” God is with us.
On Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024, we held our final service at our previous address. Afterward, we marched to 888 East 56th Street with a police escort and a drumline, waving palm branches and flags in joyous jubilation. Our seniors who were unable to walk traveled via cars behind the marchers. All reveled in the moment, singing and giving God thanks as we beheld the miracle on East 56th Street and rejoiced in what God had done!
Upon arrival, we introduced ourselves to the community, recited Psalm 24, opened the doors, and let the King of Glory in! We then held our first service at 888, celebrating jubilantly the fulfillment of the biblical promise our church name represents. The founders of our church chose the name “Rehoboth,” taken from Genesis 26:22:
And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So, he called its name Rehoboth because he said, ‘For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land’ (NKJV).
888 East 56th Street is more than a building. It continues the legacy of bringing Rehoboth’s soul to life, providing room to become, belong, and believe for those who are here and those who are yet to come. What God said with His mouth, He has fulfilled with His hands this day for His glory. He has made room for us!
About the Author
Leroy and Dalton Spencer
Leroy and Dalton Spencer are the lead pastors at Rehoboth Open Bible Church, in Brooklyn, New York. They have been members of Rehoboth for over 25 years, serving in various capacities before assuming the helm in 2011. They are passionate about advancing the kingdom of God, prayer, and caring for the sheep with a good shepherd’s heart. Leroy and Dalton believe people are our greatest asset and fully embrace the mandate to bring them to maturity by equipping them with the Word and life skills.
