In an area where the desert has been transformed into a dense maze of homes,
stores and offices in the past three years, it only made sense that a new church
would be started with the same sort of fast-track zeal.
In an area where the desert has been transformed into a dense maze of homes,
stores and offices in the past three years, it only made sense that a new church
would be started with the same sort of fast-track zeal.
And in the newest southern suburb of Las Vegas, Hope Baptist
Church has not failed to deliver.
The congregation began in January with a staff of three and
their families, along with several other families who moved from sponsoring
churches in Georgia and Tennessee. While plans called for delaying public worship
until September, the “core group” had risen to about 135 by late summer.
And even before the leadership team actually moved to the city,
the plan was to be a “reproducing” congregation – starting a
new church within two to three years and a total of 10 churches in the first
10 years.
“We believe strongly that the Great Commission is best
fulfilled through planting of churches, and we are living in a city of 1.4 million
people that is largely unchurched,” Pastor Vance Pitman says.
First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., was the official sponsoring
congregation of the new Las Vegas congregation, providing matching funds with
the mission board for startup costs and support.
However, Hope also has enlisted at least 10 other sponsoring
churches – with assistance coming in the form of prayer and volunteer support
as well as funding.
Hope is the largest of 12 churches started thus far, as part
of the Loving Las Vegas Strategic Focus Cities effort.
The preparation for reaching the area began last year, when
the ministry team spent about six months serving on the staff at First Baptist
Church of Woodstock.
When the ministry team arrived in Las Vegas, there were more
than 200 people committed to the project – either through prayer, short-term
mission trips or a care ministry. Several families moved to Las Vegas with them,
saying they sensed Gods call on their own lives to be actively involved
in the church on a day-to-day basis.
Pitman says the first phase involved “cultivating the
field” by praying for each of some households in the five-mile radius through
prayer-walks. For months, no other efforts to enlist members were attempted.
Still, through individual contacts, word-of-mouth and their
local sponsor, Hopes core group had grown to 65 by the spring.
During the summer, the church entered a “sowing”
phase that involved touching every home with the gospel. That has come through
backyard Bible clubs, distribution of gift bags and a large neighborhood party.
Now, Hope Baptist Church looks toward a September 30 “harvest” marking
the official launch of the church.
“The blessing is that our goal was to be averaging 75
by the time we did our grand opening, and were already averaging 120 to
125,” Pitman says. “Were well beyond where we thought wed
be, and weve had eight to 10 people profess faith in Christ over the past
five weeks.”
Several of those resulted from one contact in which a lady
called the churchs number after reading a copy of the Gospel of John in
one of the gift bags.
“She was curious, I invited her to the service, and she
came and accepted Christ,” Pitman says. “Then, the next Sunday she
brought her boyfriend with her, and he accepted Christ. She brought her daughter
this week, and after a visit from our youth pastor, she accepted Christ.”
Such decisions are the purpose of the new church, Pitman insists. “We
want to see peoples lives change, not just join a church or make a decision.”