David Wilson was a businessman, not a church planter. At least that’s what he thought.
But Wilson, owner of central Alabama’s six Servpro franchises, felt the prodding of the Lord keep coming, especially every time he passed that large empty building at his Servpro headquarters.
“The Lord laid it on David’s heart to start a church in his training building, which he was only using about four times a year,” said Danny Lovett, Wilson’s friend and former pastor. “He called me and said, ‘I want you to come down here and talk to me about starting a church.’”
So Lovett did.
And in August, after a long career as a Baptist pastor and 20 years in higher academics, Lovett became pastor of the new Church at Chelsea Westover.
“As a retirement-age pastor, this has re-energized me,” he said. “Church planting is perfect for seasoned pastors looking to start new work — they have a financial base from their retirement and they have a career of experience to pull from.”
And they can take the plunge, follow Christ and start from scratch, Lovett said.
After taking a class with Shelby Baptist Association he recruited some interns, and they hit the pavements knocking on doors and getting to know the community. By the end of October the church had grown from three couples to more than 80 people attending, he said.
Many of those have been baptized at Chelsea Westover.
“Our vision is to love God and love people, at home and abroad,” he said. “We’re here to reach the lost, the unchurched and the unfulfilled.”
Lovett said he hopes what Wilson started at Servpro can become a model for businessmen all over Alabama.
“If we can get some businessmen to catch this vision, we can jump-start church plants all over the place,” Lovett said. “We don’t have to build buildings — the buildings are already there. And if new churches have places to meet without having a lot of overhead, they can put the funds they have toward helping people and serving the community.”
Bob Brown, church planting strategist for Shelby Association, said not having a mortgage also frees up money to “multiply the Kingdom” by hiring interns to help lead the new church plant.
“Those interns can then learn how to start more churches,” he said.
“It’s a blessing that comes from using a building already owned by a business, a business that opens its doors to bless others.”
Meeting at a neutral location can also make people feel more comfortable giving church a try, Lovett said.
“We want to do our best to reach the people around us,” he said. “There are 15,000 people in a seven- or eight-mile radius around us, and statistics say that roughly 80 percent of those are not in church. I’d say that’s a pretty big missions field.”
Lovett said the church planting class offered by Shelby Association helped him and others draw up a vision statement for Chelsea Westover and begin to flesh out its purpose at Servpro.
“It was phenomenal,” he said. “This is pioneer country for us. We are learning as we go, and it was great having a solid place to start.”
Brown and others travel all over the state helping churches and associations train church planters. To learn more about church planting or to schedule a class, email Brown at bbrown0109@aol.com or call him at 205-602-7218.
For more information about the Church at Chelsea Westover, visit thechurchatcw.com.
Share with others: