New Planter Spotlight: Russell Jeffares

The Jeffares Family

Russell Jeffares

RUSSELL JEFFARES is the the head pastor for Vintage Grace Church in Orange Park, Florida. We are honored to partner with him and the church community beginning in 2018.

Gospel In Life

Amanda and I both were prodigals who were saved by God's amazing mercy. We both pursued sin and the good news saved us both from disaster; and when we married, I adopted her son Ashton. We now live in radical forgiveness and new position as God's son and daughter. The gospel has been the foundation of our marriage. Our ability to love, forgive, and be transparent has saved our marriage on numerous occasions. Now as church planters, the gospel keeps us from despair in the face of discouragement, able to love others when they do not love in return, and an unflinching hope that our labor in not in vain.

Gospel In Family

We knew that church planting would put heavy pressure on our family. Therefore we decided to be as intentional as possible with our marriage and with our children. In general we decided it was imperative that we both had good, gospel centered coaching. With our marriage we have continued to have regular intentional time together (dates), frequent get-aways (a day or two), and regular marriage counseling (once a month). These measures have kept us gospel-centered, on the same page, and has helped when we've faced difficulties in the plant. With our children, we knew we needed to be just as intentional. Therefore we have made sure that we have intentional, special time with them (outings, trips, kids dates, game nights, movie nights). In addition, we have worked to protect their space. We host a lot, and at first their rooms and belongings were often effected. As a result, we have since made special effort to insure that their space and belongings were protected. In many ways, church planting has helped our marriage and our relationships with our kids. It has forced us to be more intentional and drawn us closer together.

Greatest Impact

We have learned so much in this church planting process. I can only briefly list some here.

1. The vital importance of prayer. Planting has forced us to our knees in reliance upon God.
2. Carefully defining success. We are called to be faithful and intentional. We cannot change hearts.
3. Clinging to the gospel. God's love and approval is paramount to the thoughts, opinions, and expectations of other.
4. Never underestimate resistance to the cross.
5. Listen to your wife. Bottom line, church planting has continually caused Amanda and me both to rest upon God's love, digging into Scripture, and relying upon our support network.

Church Mission

Vintage Grace is about brining the gospel to the OakLeaf community through engaging worship, authentic relationships, and Bible centered teaching. OakLeaf is a growing community with over 50,000 residents and over 170,000 people within a 15 minute drive. It is one of the fastest growing communities and rated one of the top places to live in Florida. There are few churches in this area attempting to reach people with the good news of Jesus; and there are no Reformed churches in this area. A church is needed to expose people to the love of Jesus, engage them in God-honoring worship, connect them in meaningful relationships, and provide support to their families. In five years we hope to have powerful, gospel-centered worship with more than 200 people, missional communities throughout the different enclaves of OakLeaf, and beginning to plant churches north in the westside of Jacksonville.

Church Vision

We desire to plant a healthy, generous, multiplying church in the OakLeaf because of the great need and lack of churches (particularly gospel-centered, Reformed) on the westside of Jacksonville. We hope to not just plant a single congregation but a church that is ready to plant churches and resource church plants. We believe that God is capable of great things, so we are expecting Him to do great things. A good portion of our initial budgets (after self-sufficiency) will be devoted to funding a church planting apprentice who will be preparing to launch another church further north into the westside of Jacksonville.

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If you would like to reach out to Russell, you can visit the church's website at  www.vintagegrace.church.

New Planter Spotlight: Keith Doane

Keith Doane is the the head pastor for Living Branch Church in Fishers, Indiana. We are honored to partner with him and the church community beginning in 2018.

Gospel In Life

There is a verse in John 1:19 where the priests and scribes ask John the Baptist who he is. He does not answer the question by telling them who he is, he answers it by telling them who he is not. He says, ‘I am not the Christ’. This simple statement has repeatedly been a powerful reminder to me. As a church planter and pastor there is a temptation to place ourselves in roles that we cannot possibly fulfill. At times, I sense the pressure and tension of trying to fix the brokenness in the lives of others or in our community, which are tasks that are beyond me. I sense the pressure to grow our church in ways that may fulfill the expectations of others, but may not be the will of God.

‘I am not the Christ’ reminds me that I must first go before God as his child and not as a church planter. It reminds my that my calling is to proclaim and show others who Jesus is. It reminds me that God’s will for the lives of other people will not often match my will for their lives. This simple statement reminds me that my power, knowledge, love, and goodness is so limited and finite, but that Christ is infinite.

Gospel In Family

One of the great joys of church planting has been being able to witness how the whole family has been involved in our efforts. In the early days, our children recruited (without my knowledge) one of their teachers to be a part of our Core Group. They have invited their friends to church and have shown an awareness of what our church is about. It brings me great pleasure to see how people in the community and in the church respond to my wife. They would all rather talk to and spend time with her than me, and I know that one of the best things I can do as a church planter is to simply get out of the way.

On the other hand, church planting can be consuming and can overshadow our life as a family. These past few years have reminded us that we need to be more purposeful to create and protect our boundaries. Our vacations in the summer have become longer because it takes all of us of more time to ‘unplug’, we simply need extended time away from thinking about and being around the church. My wife and I talk about and try to cultivate relationships outside the church that allow us to simply be ourselves.

Greatest Impact

I have been struck over and over again by the reality that Living Branch is not my church. While I have the high calling of being a church planter, it is a privilege to be a part of what God is doing in our community. I remind myself that my dream and vision is that this church will thrive long after I am gone and forgotten.

This has given me valuable perspective in the midst of the inevitable ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of church planting. When those that I long to see join our church don’t show up or walk away, I realize my prayer is for their heart and soul before the Lord and not simply that they would be a part of what we are doing. In the midst of blessings and victories I am reminded that God receives all of the glory and praise.

Church Mission

The mission of Living Branch Church is to glorify God and enjoy him forever as we make disciples of all nations.

Our church is located in a northern suburb of Indianapolis. Our county is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. The population of Noblesville has tripled in the last 25 years and is expected to triple in the next 25 years. We are a young and unchurched community. Despite all of the growth in Noblesville, there has been few churches planted. The public schools are not open to hosting church plants and there is little other public meeting space, which has led most church planting movements to skip over our community.

By God’s grace we hope to see Living Branch established as a healthy Gospel-preaching church in Noblesville, but we also pray that God would use us to raise up the next generation to lead Gospel movements in ours and the surrounding communities.

Church Vision

We have a vision that God would use our church to reach the younger generations and to partner with other ministries that have a similar mission. We realize that we are living in a post-Christian context. The community of Noblesville places and emphasis on traditional Midwest values and wants to pass these ideals on to our children. These values, however, have no foundation in God’s Word and are devoid of meaning and power apart from Christ.

Our vision is to create a church that engages in the community and does not seek to retreat from it. We make no assumptions that our neighbors and friends have an understanding of the Gospel simply by virtue of where they live. We want to be a part of the larger building of God’s kingdom and not simply be engaged in the building of our church or denomination. Our vision is in the next 5, 10, or 25 years is that the young people coming out of our church would be leaders on their college campuses, in our community, or wherever God may send them.

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If you would like to reach out to Keith, you can visit the church's website at  www.livingbranch.net.

New Planter Spotlight: Tom Kubiak

The Kubiak Family

Tom Kubiak is the the head pastor for Imago Dei Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. We are honored to partner with him and the church community beginning in 2018.

Gospel In Life

By GOD'S grace, I was raised in a solid Christian home in the city of Chicago and responded to the gift of repentance from sin and faith in JESUS CHRIST at a Christian camp in Michigan as a middle-schooler. The LORD has used His life-changing Word, my family, the Church and many GOD-loving people to guide my spiritual journey. Two of the most profound, ongoing works of the SPIRIT in my life is taking me from a self-orientation to a Gospel-centered orientation of life (Luke 9:23-25) as well as leading me to greater depths of living by faith and not by sight (Hebrews 11:1,6).

Gospel In Family

Back in the day, it was tempting to assume that if our lives were focused around full-time Gospel ministry that it would naturally lead to effective, meaningful discipleship within our family. After leading two "turnaround" ministries and now leading a second new church start-up, we're more aware than ever before of the need to guard our hearts collectively, set up healthy boundaries and find our identity in CHRIST rather than the ministry or corresponding fruit of it. Thankfully, the LORD remained gracious and our marriage/family life was pretty tight and rooted in the love of GOD; but in the earlier years I should have been more intentional--disciplined--in providing protection for our family. After all these years, GOD has mercifully grown us in these areas (Proverbs 4:23).

Greatest Impact

In the process of this second church plant, the LORD has instilled a more genuine, keen sense of Gospel identity in Him rather than in the ministry itself or the fruit of it (John 15:1-11). Beyond theory, we find ourselves in life experience finding our sustenance from the VINE Himself and not merely the outward effects (whether uplifting or discouraging). It's affected our philosophy of ministry, metrics and source of contentment.

Church Mission

Imago Dei exists "to live out and share the Gospel in making devoted disciples of JESUS who, in turn, make followers of CHRIST." In this extremely neglected, under-served area of the City of Chicago (relative to Gospel-centered churches/planting), we aim to have a more organic, relational and incarnational local parish ministry that makes disciples of CHRIST who will reproduce their faith. Our prayer and aim is for a HOLY SPIRIT ordained spiritual awakening in our community that will provide the impetus for a multiplying church planting movement--up to five (5) new local churches in the next 10-15 years. Concurrently, this disciple-making model will prioritize equipping and empowering local leaders for synergistic Gospel impact throughout the far south side of Chicago.

Church Vision

Imago Dei's stated vision is to "see people transformed by the reconciling grace and power of the Gospel, find their identity in CHRIST, live in the SPIRIT as agents of peace and be equipped to make disciples for GOD’S glory." Our five core values: Gospel-centered, reliant prayer, authentic worship, missional movement and reconciled community. Due to the Gospel of grace as well as the demographics of our target neighborhoods, we are intentionally integrated ethnically, socio-economically and generationally. Praise GOD our new start-up already reflects this type of reconciled community! According to Scripture, "success" as we understand it is evident in life-change or transformation: in salvation and sanctification. So our metrics factor in spiritual conversations, conversions, baptisms, Gospel Community (small group) engagement, spiritual gift implementation, leadership development, loving neighborhood engagement, evidence of the fruit of the SPIRIT, reproduction and Kingdom of Heaven qualities (joy, peace and righteousness - Romans 14:17) seen in our church and community.

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If you would like to reach out to Tom, you can visit the church's website at  www.imagodeichicago.org/

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New Planter Spotlight: Kevin Rodgers

Kevin Rodgers is the the head pastor for Redeemer Church in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. We are honored to partner with him and the church community beginning in 2018.

Gospel In Life

After working for years as a salesman and consultant I have a high degree of confidence in my self. I believed that I was the kind person of person who could make things happen. I was confident in my powers of persuasion and anticipated that these skills were going to make church planting if not simple, at least easier.

But I soon learned that when I tried to rely on these skills, everything was harder, took longer, and was less successful than I thought it should be.

I wish I could say that I learned this lesson quickly, and began to rely more on prayer and the Holy Spirit to move our church plant forward. But it is a lesson I'm still learning.

Gospel In Family

Parenting five kids is never easy. But we seemed to have it better than many people. I used to think that I could write a book on parenting. After all we seemed to have it together, our kids were (reasonably) well behaved. Now I know better.

Church planting will expose your idols better than anything I have experienced. The schedule of church planting, and the swirl of kids activities have shown me the importance of scheduled time for family life. Being willing to admit when you have failed as a parent, and to go back and try again is a humbling experience.

Greatest Impact

I have learned the power of love and acceptance to open people's hearts to the gospel. I have learned how powerful silently listening to people is. I learned that the simple practice of looking people in the eyes and asking them "tell me about your story?" Is the most powerful evangelism method I have ever practiced.

Church Mission

Our mission is to build a community of gospel-centered people that work together to serve and renew the City of Moncton. We desire to build a deep community that is so filled with the love of the gospel that this love spills out of them in acts of service and kindness. We are a safe place for those broken by the effects of sin to grow in their understanding of the healing power of gospel forgiveness.

Church Vision

1. To be a congregation that connects people to God and his people.
2. To be a community that is growing in out understanding of the Gospel and is growing in our application of the Gospel to our lives.
3. To be a community known for our willing, practical service of our neighbours.
4. To multiply similar congregations across the Maritimes.
5. To cultivate a culture that truly welcomes and embraces both anglophone and francophone members of our community.

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If you would like to reach out to Kevin, you can visit the church's website at  www.redeemercommunitychurch.ca.

New Planter Spotlight: Musa Ntinga

The Ntinga Family

Musa Ntinga is the the head pastor for Christ Central Soweto in Soweto, South Africa. We are honored to partner with him and the church community beginning in 2018.

Gospel In Life

I think that one of the greatest privileges of being a Christian is that one has a personal relationship with God. God loves me so much that he made the first move and intervened in my life through his Son Jesus Christ so that I can call him father. Salvation means more to me than just living a good life or being part of a church, it means that I fellowship with Jesus as I read his word and pray to him constantly. Like all relationships we often can take things for granted which is why repentance and forgiveness go hand in hand with our fellowship in the Holy Spirit. It is also why we have fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who remind us of the grace we have in Christ.

Gospel In Family

Being involved in a church plant has forced my family and I to be more deliberate in cultivating our relationships. Before beginning this walk towards a plant we had more time to ourselves and even though one had responsibilities in the church, the buck did not stop with us, we were less overwhelmed by the sense of responsibility. But now we have toddler in the house (our son) and more to do with the launch team. This easily eats into our family time and we allow it to because we justify it as God's work. What we realized is that a healthy family is one of the best gifts we can give to our launch team because it models to them what serving looks like, serving that doesn't neglect the family but it also means that the pastor has a more balanced life which translates in longevity in ministry. But it takes deliberate and disciplined hard work from my wife and I. It means sometimes saying no to the urgent so that whats important gets the necessary time and effort from us.

Greatest Impact

I have learned that my identity and my significance is not in being a planter but in being a child of God. There are times in this journey where you are so busy that you can think that you are the one who builds the church. God has been so kind in reminding me that he grows His church, and even though I do have a role to play in this I must not take the role that He plays in the church. This realization has forced me to go on my knees and pray to the Lord of the harvest to gather his people. It has helped me to realize that my involvement in the church plant flows my relationship I have with God and the privilege I have in partnering with him in this. This frees me to go all in serving God but also gives me security because my salvation does not depend on the survival of the church plant.

Church Mission

Know Christ:
We seek to love Christ as we learn through his word how much we are loved by him. We want to teach His word faithfully, expositing it, and grounding people in the truth of reformed theology as espoused in the scriptures. The word of God is our supreme authority on all matters and the means through which God has revealed himself to us in Christ, so we delight in him as we delight in his word.

Love Each Other:
We understand that God’s reconciling work through his Son Jesus Christ includes us reconciling to one another. So we will seek to love one another as we all grow in maturity in Christ. Loving one another is messy as repented sinners get transformed by the grace of God but we are committed to this for we know that the love of Christ compels us to love another.

Reach Soweto:
The love and grace of Christ leaves us deeply unsatisfied with people choosing the world over Him. We are concerned that without Christ many Sowetans will face a future of eternal judgement so we reach out to them with Christ as the only means to salvation. We will plead and challenge Sowetans to set apart Christ as Lord over Ancestors, Tradition, and Worldly success. But this won’t happen if we huddle up in our Christian groups expecting people to come to us, we must go to them and engage them as we share the transforming gospel of grace.

Church Vision

We named our plant Christ Central Soweto because we want to see Christ at the center of everything we do and to tell Soweto that he is enough, as the saying goes “Christ + nothing = everything ”. As a launch team we are young and so feel specially placed to reach out to young adults and young families of Soweto with this simple moto: KNOW CHRIST - LOVE EACH OTHER - REACH SOWETO.

Our vision is not only to plant one church but to be a catalyst for church planting in Soweto. Our vision in this regard is to see 1% of Sowetans (13000 people) reached with the gospel, planting 29 churches in the 29 townships of Soweto.

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If you would like to reach out to Musa, you can visit the church's website at  www.christcentralsoweto.co.za