The Lord has been incredibly faithful to our church plants this year. As we’ve stepped out in faith, seeking to follow His will, He has led each pastor, elder, and core group and provided for our church plants in countless ways.

When a church plant particularizes, officially leaving behind its young, beginning stages and becoming a fully-functioning, self-sustaining church, we have a moment to pause and thank the Lord for everything He has done and will do through the church.

Located between Knoxville and Johnson City, Morristown is one of the many small towns scattered through East Tennessee. As a larger, central, trade town, it is a key location for a PCA church with opportunity to reach the outlying areas.

While every church plant has a unique story, a similar process goes into each Tennessee Valley plant. From initial prayers to finding a pastor to the first worship service, starting a church plant is a special time to watch God at work.

In March 2020, a group of 40 adults planned to gather for the first core group meeting of a new church plant. This happened to be the week that the world shut down due to COVID 19.

“Recently, as I shared from the book of Acts with our Sunday afternoon small group, I had the chance to clearly articulate the gospel in words that I was certain those listening could understand."

In the United States, there are currently fewer than five Native American focused PCA churches, and yet, out of the five million Natives in our country, 90% are not believers by their own admission.

Having been part of two different church plants, Tyler and Lis Smith, members at Grace+Peace, saw their mindset shift from thinking about what a church offers them to how they can actively participate in building the church community.

With a thorough understanding of theology, Reformed teaching, and the Bible, Rob thought he knew everything there was to know about being a Christian until December 2019.

With a desire to fulfill the Great Commission, one piece of our strategic plan focuses on two particular types of church plants: rural and minority-focused.

As our church plants open their doors to community members, seeking to welcome newcomers while continuing to build community within their core groups, many have planned and hosted events.

New years are not just times for new resolutions – they are times to remember the previous year. They act as a sort of temporal ebeneezer for Christians when we pause to thank the Lord for his faithfulness.

2020 was full of an array of challenges for church planters, from the pandemic to the politically charged atmosphere of a presidential election.

The work of church planting continues in the Tennessee Valley. Even better, God is at work through his church.

The Tennessee Valley Presbytery is in the midst of planting 20 churches in 10 years. We rejoice to see how God has provided resources to multiply churches in this region already that are true to the reformed faith and committed to the Great Commission.

“One of the things you should realize is that before a church plant particularizes, and even before it begins public worship, it is in a very unique season,” says Hutch Garmany, pastor of Grace Community Trenton.

“Ooltewah is a place that represents the American suburban story.” Says Benjie Slaton, Lead Pastor at Grace+Peace Church.

Articles, podcasts, videos, and resources from a variety of perspectives that discuss church-related topics.