State Board of Missions ‘instrumental’ in starting new Alabama churches

When Ecclesia Church in Birmingham was formed, the State Board of Missions (SBOM) was instrumental in helping the new church get off the ground.
   
That support is something Ecclesia pastor Andrew Jenkins said is helping grow the church, which has a vision of meeting the needs of individuals in their 20s in downtown Birmingham who might not ordinarily attend church.
   
“Every church can’t be all things to all people,” Jenkins said.
   
The success of Ecclesia highlights the importance of the North American Mission Board’s observance of “On Mission: Planting New Congregations Sunday,” March 25.
   
Ensuring that more churches like Ecclesia are formed is something the State Board of Missions (SBOM) is actively involved with, according to Ron Madison, director of the office of cooperative missions with the SBOM.
   
“We come alongside associations and churches that have a vision for starting new congregations,” said Madison.
   
“Most often, the vision for starting a new congregation comes from a local congregation,” he added.
   
Madison said starting a new congregation is usually the result of a vision by an existing church’s missions committee and the director of missions (DOM) for the association where the church is located.
   
The observance of “On Mission: Planting New Congregations Sunday” highlights an important task Christians are charged with, Madison said.
   
“It is an opportunity to call attention to the need for starting new churches and to give it visibility,” he said.
   
Identifying one way in which the SBOM can help churches with establishing new churches, Madison said his office can provide demographic information that focuses on the number of new people in a community who may need a church closer to their homes.
   
The demographic information also focuses on the needs of different residents in a community, according to Madison.
   
At the invitation of an association’s DOM, he said his office will also work with an association in a “new work probe.” Madison said the probe involves sending people out into a particular community to identify the need for new congregations and ministries.
   
Discussing what probes achieve, Madison said it is crucial for Christians to consider if their community’s existing churches are reaching all of the area’s unreached people. He adds that identifying the need for new ministries is also important.
   
“If there are persons of a different language group, there may be an opportunity to teach English as a second language,” Madison said.
   
Making sure the needs of all people in their community are being met is something Madison said should be on the minds of all Christians. “That should motivate us to fulfill the Great Commission,” he said.
Madison cited Ecclesia as an example of a church established to meet a specific need.
   
“This is an intentional attempt to go into an area where there is no church targeted to this group,” Madison said.
   
Jenkins said another way the SBOM has helped Ecclesia is financially. But Jenkins believes churches also play a role in helping establish new congregations and ministries.
   
“It’s important that people in the church see the need for diversity and encourage the diversity,” Jenkins said. “All people need to be reached — that diversity glorifies God.”
   
Madison said another example of the SBOM helping with establishing a new church or ministry is Hope Community Church in Montgomery. He said the church’s members are committed to forming satellite groups which disciple residents in multihousing areas.
   
Neal Hughes, pastor of Hope Community Church, said the church hopes to start 300 new congregations and 1,500 small group Bible studies in the Montgomery area. The SBOM has been instrumental in helping Hope with that goal, according to Hughes, who serves as Project Hope director with the Montgomery Baptist Association and is a church planting missionary with the North American Mission Board (NAMB).
   
“They’ve been a tremendous partner and friend through this whole event,” Hughes said.
   
He said SBOM provided demographic data useful in identifying residents of multi-housing areas.
   
In addition to providing demographic data, Hughes said the SBOM has also helped Hope Community’s ministry through financial assistance and helping with contacts with NAMB.
   
“They’re just an excellent resource base,” he said.