by Jason Todd
The National Church Planting Office continues to provide resources to help our BBFI churches plant new churches in their community and throughout the country. Let me share with you an immediate need with a partnering pastor and church.
In 2003, the Lord led Pastor Bryan Kelley and his wife to plant Bethel Baptist Church in Uniontown, PA, and God has blessed the work there. When the church was planted, Pastor Kelley wanted to plant not one but several churches in the years to follow.
In October 2011, he and Bethel Baptist had the joy of transplanting ten people along with Pastor Aaron Douthitt 16 miles south of his location to Masontown to plant Bridge Baptist Church. After planting Bridge Baptist Church in Masontown, Pastor Kelley planned to plant a church every three to five years. However, God evidently thought he meant every three to five months.
In January 2012, Pastor Kelley had another independent Baptist church in Dunbar contact him about taking over their facilities. This includes a 5,800-square-foot church building, 920-square-foot kids ministry building, and a three-bedroom parsonage that also has a two-bedroom missions apartment in the basement. The church, due to unfortunate circumstances, had received a bad reputation in town, lost many of its membership, and couldn’t take care of their facilities.
To make a long story short, Pastor Kelley and Bethel Baptist had everything deeded over to them and closed the church down. Their plan is to raise the money to reopen the church under the name New Life Baptist Church. Pastor Kelley will pastor this church and Bethel Baptist until he is finished mentoring the new pastor for New Life Baptist who is currently on staff with him.
They are currently using the leftover funds from the closed church to make renovations to the facilities, which are debt free. However, Pastor Kelley is trying to raise $1,300 a month for six months to cover the operational costs of New Life Baptist Church. He believes that with God’s help, they will have a new work planted with a core group to cover the operational costs after six months. Pastor Kelley will be pastoring two churches for two years. He will turn the New Life Baptist Church work over to the young man he is mentoring at the two-year mark.
We ask that you pray for Pastor Kelley and Bethel Baptist Church as they do what God has called them to in starting this new work. We also ask that you consider becoming a partner with them financially. If you can help with any amount for six months, please contact the NCPO at (417) 536-8826 or office@bbfincpo.com and we will put you in contact with Pastor Kelley.
It is exciting to see what God has done and is doing with our BBFI churches in the area of church planting!