by Dan Greer
In recent months a remarkable network of leaders has begun to emerge from within the Baptist Bible Fellowship with a renewed passion for church planting and revitalization. It has been the “talk of the town” in our colleges, our fellowship meetings, our mission conferences, and in our churches as capable planters from New England to the West Coast have implemented proven methodologies resulting in growing congregations that are popping up all across the country.
This network is coming together under a plan developed by John Gross, Director of BBFI Church Planting, with the potential of a major impact toward substantial increases of church plants in our Fellowship. The infrastructure was already in place in most states where there are Fellowship chairmen and officers who already support new church starts in their areas. However, they lacked coordination to link candidates with coaches, trainers, and funding resources that could substantially increase the success rate of our efforts.
John’s plan divides the country into ten regions, unique in culture and close in proximity. He has reached out to ten proven leaders (one for each region) — recruiting each to become the “point-person” for his region. These ten leaders are charged with strengthening the effort between states in their perspective region with a focused effort of new church starts each year in each state. Once our system of assessment, training, coaching, mentoring, and fundraising is finalized, regional leadership will be able to utilize these resources regionally as opposed to centrally, thus affecting the multiplication of new church startups.
This network is linking young innovative thinkers with seasoned experience in a unified effort that has been gaining substantial momentum. It has only been four months since the Church Planting Subcommittee authorized the implementation of this plan and already regional leadership is in place. It has become apparent that a new wave of young leadership has arrived — enriching our network with experts in personal assessment/development, evangelism, discipleship, training, curriculum, management, and resource acquisition.
Historically the Baptist Bible Fellowship has been known for evangelism, church planting, and multiplication through its network of diverse personalities connected together in a unified belief system and the common goal of reaching the world with the Gospel. However, there is a new urgency developing as reports of unprecedented annual church closures are now coming into view. The BBFI is in a unique position to help reverse this trend with a registry of affiliated churches, numbering into the thousands, that could become involved in a resurgence of church planting and revitalization within our movement.
Those wanting more information about the BBFI church planting movement and those desiring to become involved in this network may contact John at cpjohngross@icloud.org or (832) 748-8528.