Sweet 16

SWEET 16? OR IS THAT 21?

By Liz Gray

Actually, on Feb 9, 2020 Incarnation turned 17 months from public launch… but that doesn’t have quite the same ring!

But, oh what a sweet 17 months it has been! Incarnation soft launched from our wise and wonderful mother church, Restoration Anglican in May 2018, initially meeting in my sitting room - so I guess that could make us 21 months old now? We moved into Greenbrier Baptist on Sept 9, 2018 where we enjoyed 14 months of public worship as we began to learn how to be a new community of Jesus followers in a South Arlington context, sharing the space with our wonderful Baptist friends.

And then, as 2019 drew to a close we had the opportunity to move into a space owned by the Arlington United Methodist Church which we could call home - a chapel, two rooms for our kids, two offices (even our own little half-bath!). What more could we need or want? The space needed a bit of a spring clean so our Saturdays in November were full of paint and scrubbing brushes…. getting us ready for Advent.

"So, now - how’s it going?" I hear you ask.

Honestly? It’s lovely.

• We are just two blocks from Columbia Pike - where they say 100 languages are spoken. Part of our dream is to be a place of welcome for people with any heart language - which is why every Sunday we include singing, or praying, or Bible reading in a mix of languages in our worship time.

• We share the complex with three other churches and two pre-schools, a clothing bank and a jobs program, though the chapel and offices are our own. On Sundays we hear singing in Amharic, Spanish and English echoing around the halls. When we are working in our offices during the week we meet people who are in the building for so many different reasons, who often want to pause and chat. We’d love to have more of those conversations in the days ahead.

• Our Incarnation neighbors are  - literally - our neighbors. We love welcoming the people whose homes are next to our homes into our extended community. The people who see how we live every day. We love it when they come and visit our services or come to a ‘common table’ event. This Shrove Tuesday we are encouraging everyone in our community to invite their neighbours to pancake suppers in their homes wherever they live. And so the numbers in our community are gradually increasing as we welcome people in; most Sundays around 60-70 people worship with us, and we are delighted to welcome both those who are used to our liturgy and those who have never heard the word ‘liturgy’. People coming and belonging.

Worship. Wonder. Welcome. These are the words that frame our choices and decisions. We are having such fun learning what wide and deep and joyous words they are.

And, so, as I look back over these last 17/21 months I am consistently reminded of how grateful we are for God’s hand on our community, and to so many people who have helped to shape and form us: ‘mom’ Restoration Anglican Church and David Hanke, the Great Commission Committee with Tom Herrick and our favorite Bishop, John Guernsey, and of course the team that have done so much of the heavy lifting and without whom Incarnation would not be what it is: Beth DeRiggi, Josie Ortega, Morgan Reed, Amy Rowe. Not to mention, in addition, the hundreds of people who have prayed, given, loved, encouraged and delighted in all God is doing. And, as a Mid-Atlantic Messenger reader, thank YOU for the part you have played in helping this little church plant to find its feet and begin to flourish. We are very, very grateful.

The Rev. Liz Gray is the Rector of Incarnation Anglican Church

The Franconia/Springfield Mission

Nearly 5 years ago on a sunny afternoon my wife, Ashley, and I were driving through North Springfield in search of a special house; not one to live in, but the one in which her grandparents had lived and in which her mom had grown up. We both grew up in California and had only heard about Springfield through stories, but now that we had moved to Virginia, we had to take up this opportunity to see this familial landmark. As we passed by the house, Ashley looked at me and said, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if we raised a family where my mom grew up?” That question, although it was said half-jokingly, was actually prophetic. Little did we know that years later God would call us to begin a new work in this region with a fresh vision for a church!  

The Vision 
A few months after I was ordained to the priesthood in 2017, Ashley and I were led to be a part of the original team that planted Incarnation Anglican Church in South Arlington. These three years at Incarnation taught me the ins and outs of beginning a new church and served us well in preparation for beginning a new work. We had been praying about God’s call to start a new church (where it might be and what it might look like) and in Sept 2019 I began a church planting residency program with Anglican Associates Inc. in Little Rock, AR. This program has helped me narrow down the place God was calling me to plant as well as the vision of the church: A common people in common prayer for uncommon transformation. 

The idea of becoming a common people through common prayer comes from my reading of Acts 2:42-47 where we discover a prayerful, sacramental, Spirit-filled community following after Jesus. The vision also comes from my history of the Church, specifically the Rule of St. Benedict (RB). RB seeks to create “a school for the Lord’s service” (RB, prologue) that brings an individual to the place of preferring nothing to the love of Christ (RB, IV). The same pursuit of preferring nothing to the love of Christ should be at the center of the interior life of every follower of Jesus; and such an interior type of monasticism can be found in the Book of Common Prayer. To say this another way, Rev. Dr. Greg Peters says, “...Liturgy leads to theology, and theology, when absorbed leads to godliness.” (The Monkhood of All Believers, 104). The liturgy of the BCP is a unifying act of worship that God uses for our transformation, just as the catechism says, “Anglicans worship with a structured liturgy because it embodies biblical patterns of worship, fosters reverence and love for God, deepens faith in Jesus Christ, and is in continuity with the practices of Israel and the Early Church.” (To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism, #245). As people join the Franconia-Springfield Mission and live out the life outlined in the BCP, we hope to become a common people in common prayer for uncommon transformation. 

Franconia-Springfield 
Franconia, Landmark, Springfield, and Kingstowne have well over 100,000 people according to 2010 census data (surely this has increased in 10 years!). Because of the lower cost of housing than other parts of the beltway, the region attracts a good number of commuters (single and married) between the ages of 24-55 who often feel untethered from a sense of place and isolated from a sense of community. Combine this with the large military population of Fort Belvoir, and the fact that there is no ethnic majority, and one begins to see the picture of fragmented disparate communities that make of the region of Franconia, Springfield, Landmark, and Kingstowne. The disparate nature of the region and the need for Gospel transformation has led us to our mission, which is to become an authentic and invitational community growing in the love of Christ through rhythms of hospitality, prayer, relationships, and service. To become this kind of church, we will go through four phases before we launch. 

Phases of Growth 
As you think about this work, please pray for us. There are several phases that we will move through as we seek Gospel growth in this area:  

1. Over the next year I (Morgan+) will be fundraising, seeking out ministry partnerships, and holding monthly interest brunches to share what God has put on our heart. We would like to raise enough financial and prayer support that by 2021 my wife, son and I can move down to the target region.   

2. Once we move, we will hold biweekly small groups during the week where we will have a common meal, a group discussion, talk through the needs of the region, pray for people by name, and finish our time with family evening prayer.   

3. After several months of meeting for small group we will hold an Alpha course. Through our ministry partnerships with local churches, we hope to hold an ecumenical alpha course so that we can not only learn more about communicating with the unchurched/de-churched, but also form gospel partnerships with other churches in the region.  

4. Finally, we will begin renting space for Sunday worship (though this will not yet be our “launch service”). At this time, launch team members will fully commit to being a part of the church and we will do the liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer with the historical and global church as our guide to the ceremony in the liturgy (e.g., incense, vestments, processions, feast and fast days).   

How to help with the mission 
There are several ways that you can partner with what God is doing at the Franconia-Springfield Mission: 

1. Visit our website (http://tfsmission.org), like us on Facebook, and join our mailing list.

2. Join our financial support team with a one-time or recurring gift. Instructions on how to give can be found here.

3. Join in for one of our interest brunches over the next year and bring others along to hear about this new church (Our first one will be March 28!)

4. Offer a very practical skill toward this work (sewing, photography, woodwork, pottery, etc.).

5. Please pray for us. The Gospel goes forth as God’s people pray (Col 4:2-6).

Please contact me anytime with more questions at morgan.d.reed@gmail.com.  

The Rev. Morgan Reed has been called to plant a church that will have real gospel impact in Franconia, Springfield, and Kingstowne, Virginia.

Planting a daughter church requires vision

By Clancy Nixon

Like most church planters, even before we planted Holy Spirit by God’s grace, my wife Ginger and I had a vision to plant new churches out of our church. Christians are called to bring people from darkness to light, and we knew that conversion ratios were highest in new church starts. Planting was part of our mission statement that we said weekly. We did succeed in launching a new campus in another town (which I led), a house church (led by gifted lay people), and a campus at a retirement village (led by a priest on staff). However, we never seemed to have critical mass or money to send off a team with a full-time pastor, even though we have averaged about 170 in Sunday attendance for several years. We had vision for planting, which is the most important factor of all, but we did not muster a traditional mother-daughter plant on our own. Money was an issue; but I’ve learned that money follows vision! 

Soon, we got help with both. The Diocese piloted a model of “Incubator Church Planting” with our church. The Diocese adopted a funding model of giving $15,000 per year, which we as the Incubator Church matched. The balance of the planter’s salary would come from the planter’s raising of his own support, and from our church budget. That is how we funded Darryl Fitzwater to plant our daughter church, Church of the Ascension, in Ranson, West Virginia. Ascension launched in March of 2018, and is doing well.  We will continue this funding level for at least 3 years, as will the diocese. Other churches in our Diocese have now adopted this Incubator Church model.

One key to the success of Ascension is the vision of people from our church who live in our area, but who believe in the mission of Ascension, so they are willing to drive over the mountain to West Virginia every week to support it. When we planted Holy Spirit out of Truro 17 years ago, four families came with us for one or two years until we were established, and then went back to Truro. Martyn Minns, then Rector of Truro, gave me a “fishing license” to recruit whoever would come with me, and I gave Darryl the same encouragement. These families see themselves as suburban missionaries. They caught the vision for church planting.  Finding gifted lay people to help start a church is an issue; but people follow vision! 

Of course, none of this would have been possible without finding the right planter.  In our denomination, and especially in our Diocese, both lay and ordained people can plant churches. Several churches near us were started by lay people. For the incubator model, though, we needed to find a planting priest. I had known Darryl for a few years, as he had applied for a job as our youth pastor, and we stayed in touch, as God clarified his vision for planting. As he came on staff at Holy Spirit, he was ordained a deacon, and then a priest. 

We pray every day for leaders who will multiply—we pray Luke 10:2—“to the Lord of the Harvest to raise up laborers for his harvest field.” God sent us Darryl. He sent us our other clergy—Dave Prosser, Dean Schultz, and John Nuzum— who all came to me and asked how they might serve. Finding good leaders is an issue—but leaders follow vision!  

If God does not give your leaders a vision for multiplying churches, and if this vision is not embraced by your church body, your leaders will think they do not have the money, people, or leaders needed to plant. Money, people, and leaders follow vision.  

Is your church called to plant a daughter church soon?  

Why not?  

Pray for vision from God to multiply. 

The Rev. Clancy Nixon is rector of Church of the Holy Spirit in Leesburg, VA

50 new churches—really?

By Tom Herrick

What began as an outrageous idea at the Great Commission Committee’s planning retreat last year has grown into a full-fledged plan to plant 50 new churches in the next 10 years. God challenged us that day to dream big dreams (see my February 2017 Messenger article “Dream Big Dreams”), and the result is the Vision for 50 campaign. It’s so much more than our big, hairy, audacious, goal. It’s a promise from God, and, if we will believe him to act and step out in faith to partner with him, he will send us the church planters and the necessary resources to see these 50 new churches come into being.

But, really—50 new churches? Why not a reasonable 5 or an overachieving 10? Why 50?

The biggest reason is our belief that God is asking this of us. It’s hard to argue with somebody when he says that sort of thing, but, truly, that is the primary reason. Granted, it’s a goal we could never pull off in our own strength. So, that’s a good beginning point. But, our sense is that there are a number of really good reasons for giving us this number. For starters, we believe that planting new churches is a biblical mandate. Tim Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, claims, “Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches. Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are basically calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith.” He bases this statement on the fact that when Jesus gave the Great Commission in Mt 28:18-20, his directive was not simply to perform the sacrament of baptism. Rather, baptism meant incorporating believers into a worshipping community where their newfound faith could be strengthened and grow to maturity, as we see in Acts 2:41-47. Keller goes on to explain that “decisions for Christ” often fizzle and disappear like New Year’s resolutions if they are not nurtured into transformed lives within the Body of Christ, the local church. For that reason, St. Paul was determined to plant churches in every city (Titus 1:5) and left Titus, Timothy, and his other disciples detailed instructions for selecting and commissioning the leaders who would plant these new churches. His vision, and that of others like St. Patrick, St. Columba, and John Wesley to name a few, led to large-scale church planting movements. These movements changed the course of entire nations as the churches they planted transformed the lives of their members into testimonies for Christ.

Another compelling reason for 50 is the sheer need for new churches. Researchers estimate that an average of 3700 churches close every year in this country. For years following World War II, the number of new churches being planted annually was less than the number closing, but in recent years, plants have exceeded closings and we are now averaging 4000 per year. While this net growth of 300 churches is cause for rejoicing, we must put this in the context of the dramatic growth of our population. In order to keep pace and maintain the current ratio of one church for every 1000 people, we need to net 1900 new churches each year (recent study by the SEND Institute). In other words, we need to think bigger. 

As we have prayed into the Vision for 50 the past 18 months, God has steadily helped us to focus on the systems we need in place to attain our goal. This includes developing partnerships with those congregations who will become “church planting churches.” We now have 7 congregations who are committed to being “Incubators” that will regularly plant new churches. As part of this strategy, we are also placing an increased emphasis on reaching colleges and universities. This requires that we develop our leadership pipeline, such that we can offer sufficient support and encouragement to emerging young leaders as they grow in their faith. Funding for internships and residencies is also a part of this effort to see more young people become leaders on the missional journey. 

Another reason for the large goal is the hope that we can create a culture of multiplication within our diocese where church planting becomes the norm for us. That is exactly what is already happening, and it’s taking a number of different forms. Several congregations are planting second campuses, such as Holy Spirit, Leesburg (at Ashby Ponds) Church of the Apostles (at George Mason University) and Restoration (in South Arlington). We’re also seeing a number of “Fresh Expressions,” such as the work being done by The Rev. Matt Hemsley in the Mosaic District with Truro, the Rev. Jessica Fulton Lee in Virginia Beach and Maura Hampton in Newport News. And it can also be a typical church plant such as Church of the Ascension (with Holy Spirit, Leesburg), which launched on Palm Sunday in Kearneysville, WV. However it happens, it is a work for all of us to be a part of and to celebrate together. So, yes, God really is asking us to plant 50 new churches. And these “first fruits” of that harvest are just the beginning. 

The Rev. Canon Tom Herrick is Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

A New Anglican Church in Arlington, VA

By Nathan Dickerson

In the Fall of 2014, as our congregation, Restoration Anglican Church, moved into our new facility that is located just north of the Ballston Metro stop in Arlington, we began to dream about what it would look like to help plant other new Anglican churches inside the Beltway. That desire led to lots of conversations, strategy sessions, times of prayer, and listening to the insights of our members. Out of this emerged a vision to plant a new work in South Arlington. 

A few key leaders stepped forward to help direct this effort – Rev. Liz Gray (associate rector at Restoration), the Rev. Morgan Reed (a newly ordained priest in our diocese), and Amy Rowe (a key lay leader and a postulant in our diocese). They are now in the process of gathering a launch team to help plant this new work, which will be called Incarnation Anglican Church.

This is an interview I had with this team to let you know more about this emerging work.
Tell us how you were drawn to plant this new congregation in South Arlington:

Amy: My husband and I have felt a call to cross-cultural ministry since we were in college. We always anticipated that this would mean a move overseas at some point. But instead, when we moved to South Arlington, we discovered that God had brought people from all over the world to our doorstep. We love living in such a vibrant, cross-cultural neighborhood, where we are more likely to hear Arabic than English on the playground, and the gas station on the corner sells freshly made injera. Almost since the day we moved into our house here, we have been asking God to send us people who would join us in befriending and praying for our neighbors. So, when Restoration announced its church planting efforts here, it felt like a clear answer to our prayers. 

Morgan: My wife, Ashley, and I moved to south Arlington back in 2012 because we wanted to live in Virginia and needed an “inexpensive” place to live while I did graduate work at the Catholic University of America. After beginning the ordination process, Bishop John reminded me of the importance of a priest getting to know his or her neighbors. We took that exhortation seriously and began getting to know our neighbors’ names and being a part of their lives. Because this had become a normal rhythm of life for Ashley and I, when we heard that Restoration wanted to plant in our zip code, God seemed to make it clear that this is exactly what he equipped me for. My academic studies and upbringing have made me a bridge between several different Christian communities and I long to see a church that bridges not only ethnic communities, but partners with local churches to see the Holy Spirit transform neighborhoods.

Liz: In my outreach role at Restoration I have had the huge privilege of working cross culturally in many different countries over many years, and with church planters in many global contexts. When Restoration began exploring church planting in South Arlington I was immediately intrigued by the fact that all the nations of the world were gathered on our doorstep! Did you know 150+ languages are spoken along Columbia Pike? So, I have jumped in - My husband and I have sold our North Arlington home, and we are now moved into a local community in South Arlington. We are curious as to whether our new neighbors already know Jesus, and praying that if they don’t we can be a part of their journey to know him.

What excites you about serving in this particular community? What is unique about this place?

Amy: I love the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of this neighborhood. A few weeks ago, my kids and I were playing in a neighborhood park which has a stream that runs under a bike path. A big family of immigrants was splashing in the stream; the kids were playing while the mother beat wet clothes against a rock, presumably doing her washing. Meanwhile, cyclists in expensive gear whizzed past overhead. What would it look like for these people to worship Jesus together? In planting a church in this context, I see an opportunity to grow a community that reflects God’s ministry of reconciliation and the rich diversity of heaven.

Morgan: There is a beautiful diversity in these neighborhoods that is complemented by a desire to create healthy neighborhoods. In some of our prayer walks throughout South Arlington, we discovered that some families have lived in their home for generations (a rarity for the DC-Metro area). Several times a year, one of the civic associations organizes food-truck gatherings with a host of cuisines and live music. These neighborhoods care about healthy relationships and quality of life. When I grill in the public park, it seems like every table around me is speaking a different language and this kind of diversity excites me for what God might do when we build relational bridges.

Liz: Somehow it actually reminds me of home - well all my homes, both South Africa and London. I love the mix of races, languages, cultures...

How have you seen God at work as you have begun to lay the groundwork for this new church?

Amy: This preliminary work is slow and sometimes discouraging, as the task ahead of us is far too big for us to accomplish in our own strength. But God has provided steady reassurance from his Word, his Spirit, and the well-timed encouragement of others all along the way. And there have been some very specific, incredible answers to prayer that re-energize me. I’ll share one story: One evening, I was feeling discouraged because one family who had shown initial enthusiasm was no longer interested in joining the church plant. I cynically texted our team, wondering whether anyone would come to this church at all, when an Ethiopian woman knocked on my front door and started up a conversation in halting English. Thirty minutes later, she shared that she was looking for a church home in South Arlington! It seemed that God was gently reminding me that of course people would come to this church; just not necessarily the people I had envisioned. 

Liz: I have another story to add: Amy and I were looking at potential worship space properties with a realtor. In one particular property, the rental space was downstairs while the owners lived upstairs. Before we even fully understood what was happening, the realtor had brought us upstairs to meet the owners. We found ourselves sitting around the kitchen table with the property owner, an older Iranian woman who fed us cookies and teared up as she talked about her husband’s illness (he was asleep in the bedroom) and her distant grandchildren. We offered to pray with her, and she told us a story of a dramatic encounter with Jesus in a vision earlier in life, and professed that she had loved Jesus since that day. We prayed with her in the name of Jesus and prayed a blessing over her home. It was not at all what we expected from that realtor appointment, but exactly what God had in mind for us in that space at that time. It reminded us that God has already gone ahead of us to work in the hearts of people in this neighborhood.

Morgan: One day during the summer we worked with several local churches to give away back-to-school supplies to the surrounding neighborhoods. God provided us someone in the launch team who is nearly a professional balloon modeler (i.e. he’s great at making balloon animals). Families were lining up on both sides of the sidewalk so that kids could come and get their balloon puppies or balloon swords. He taught me how to make a sword as well, and so standing there in my collar behind the table, I made sword after sword. This was a very incarnational moment as I reflected on who we are as Anglicans (having a formal grounded-ness) and who we are as Incarnation (approachable, thoughtful, caring). After we finished with all our balloons, we had a chance to pass out cards to people and offer prayer. The response that people of various ethnic communities had was that they were excited we were there to love and serve them, and one gentleman that I spoke with found comfort in knowing that I only lived two blocks from him. Moving forward, God keeps reminding me that I might be the priest wearing an alb in the sanctuary and having a balloon hat on my head during the coffee hour...and I love that!

What challenges or potential obstacles are you facing right now?

Amy: Worship space is a big one. Although our particular corner of Arlington is comprised of many working-class families, the cost of living is still high, and rental space is at a premium. Balancing our competing needs for strategic location and financial feasibility is challenging. Another challenge has been what feels like heightened spiritual attack. Some of this has been in the form of health issues in ourselves and our families. Physical and spiritual weariness is intense at times. And finally, being bi-vocational is stretching and challenging for all of us. Liz works full-time at Restoration; Morgan and I both work part-time; all three of us are students; and we all have families who need and deserve our attention. We want to plant a community that is restful and balanced, but to do so, we must embody healthy rhythms of work and rest in our own lives.  

Liz: I would agree with Amy—finding boundaries of time and space for rest! Also, knowing exactly where to worship as we begin.

How can others in the diocese pray for you or support you?

Amy: It sounds like a cliché, but prayer is really what we need most. We face spiritual opposition as well as limited time and resources. We need God to go ahead of us and clear the path. And of course, we need financial support (particularly as we anticipate a working- class congregation). And if anyone has a spare communion table and liturgical supplies lying around, we’ll gratefully take those too. :)

Morgan: Prayers for guidance. We want to allow enough time for the Holy Spirit to form us according to the very specific needs of South Arlington. Personally, I would love prayers for productivity in my dissertation. Sometimes I am embattled by the discouragement of trying to fuse my generalist/pastoral calling with my specialist/academic calling. I invite prayers against that discouragement and invite creative input on how others have done this in their setting.

Liz: Prayers - yes! Please! If anyone would like to get more specific prayer requests please email me, liz@incarnationanglican.org  And pray for us for clarity, wisdom, godly intuition and much joy in the process of finding where God is working and leaping in to join Him!

How to stay connected with Incarnation:

We are diligently working on the website (incarnationanglican.org), but until it is finished, you can keep up-to-date with what is happening on our Facebook page or send Morgan an email (morgan@incarnationanglican.org) in order to be added to our prayer letter.

The Rev. Nathan Dickerson is the Associate Rector at Restoration Anglican Church in Arlington, VA.

Reflecting on the miracle of new life

Whenever I look at my 16-month old granddaughter, I am filled with an awe and wonder that I cannot explain. It was the same feeling I had whenever I looked at her father, my son, Nick, and his sister, Angie when they were little. There is a mystery to creating a new life that is indescribable. That may be why I am so drawn to starting new churches. I love to experience that joy and deep sense of participating in something so much bigger than I am. I realize that my part in this is only a fraction of the whole, but what a privilege it is to partner with God in this way.

For many years I’ve made the case that every church can become a parent. I realize that many congregations think it is beyond them, something only the bigger churches can do, but I flatly do not believe this. I am convinced that God has designed everything in the natural world to reproduce itself. When all systems are in place and that organism is healthy and functioning normally, it reproduces. The Church is no different. I will concede that it complicates life to become a parent. Giving birth is not for the faint of heart – just ask any woman who has done it! But, for all the drama and messiness, the bond you have with your children and grandchildren is an amazing and unparalleled gift. I believe God wants every church to experience this same joy.

One important thing to note is that there are many ways of becoming a parent church. Historically, our larger churches have given birth to “high birth-weight babies” - daughter churches that start their life with an associate minister and a number of families from the mother church. This takes a serious commitment of financial and people resources but is very effective. More recently, we’ve begun to explore other models that are also very effective, but less costly to the mother church. Fresh Expressions, Missional Communities, and Satellite Campuses are all effective ways to touch communities that are not being reached by the congregation’s current ministry. These models have the added benefits of activating the multiplication gene in a congregation’s DNA and may also be a better fit for the congregations who are smaller in size and capability. 

This summer, seven churches in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic formed a learning community to explore what it means to become a multiplying church. These New Church Incubators have agreed to meet 2-3 times a year for fellowship, lunch, and a group study of books and other resources. Together they will hear guest speakers share their testimonies and best practices, develop strategies for multiplication and funding of new churches, and pray for God’s guidance and wisdom. As a learning community, they are developing a conceptual framework and vocabulary for multiplication, including the biblical and theological foundations of church multiplication and a philosophy of ministry that is consistent with our Anglican polity. My great hope and expectation is that this initiative will assist us in developing our own internal “farm system,” i.e. a leadership pipeline that consistently identifies, enlists, raises up, and deploys new leaders into the harvest field. The DOMA Internship and Residency programs will also be instrumental in this effort, helping to provide training and coaching for our emerging leaders. I see this as a collaborative effort between all members of the learning community and our diocese. My role will be to convene the group, coordinate our activities, provide training and coaching, and lend some organizational leadership to our efforts. 

To help kick off this initiative, many of us attended Becoming Five, a regional conference sponsored by the Exponential Network at New Life Church in Chantilly on September 12-13. We also began reading the book Becoming a Level 5 Multiplying Church Field Guide by my good friends, Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson, who lead the Exponential Network and have done much to stimulate church multiplication in North America. 

I invite every church in DOMA to join us on this journey as we say ‘yes’ to God’s invitation to participate in the miracle of new life.  I believe this initiative will be critical for the long-term health and growth of our congregations and our diocese, as we explore new ways of reaching our communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The Rev. Dr. Tom Herrick is Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. 

How You Can Plant & Add Both People and Money: 1-2-3

When I ask clergy and lay leaders to consider planting a church right now, I typically hear 3 objections: We’re too small; we can’t afford to lose anyone; and we don’t have enough money!  What if you learned that your church can plant, no matter your size, without losing, but instead adding both people and money? Would you be interested?

It’s true. Almost any church can help to plant another congregation. While some planting methods require giving away people and money, not all methods do. The Mother-Daughter “Hive-off” method, where a Mother Church sends families to a new location, typically results in a smaller Mother. When we planted Church of the Holy Spirit, we left Truro with 8 families. After 2 years, 4 families returned to Truro, so Truro “lost” net 4 families. (Some families who leave to plant would have left anyway, because pioneering people seek new challenges. Others will be attracted to your church because you planted!)

At CHS, we’re planting campuses of our church that, when grown, may become free-standing.  Last year, we sent two families to our Waterford location. I coach Graham Walker, and he participates in our peer learning sessions with other lay planters. CHS Waterford now adds 25 to our total Sunday attendance, and our income and net gospel clout has grown. Some of their tithes come to Leesburg, since we handle their administration.

In the 3 years since Archbishop Duncan called for 1000 new ACNA congregations in 5 years, we’ve planted about 300 congregations. That leaves 700 more to plant in 1 year. Is it possible? Yes, we believe the Call was from God, and that He will fulfill it.  How?

Our Bishops have endorsed the call “1-2-3”. Every congregation, large and small, is called to be a part of planting at least 1 new congregation in the next 2 years, using one of 3major strategies. The first way is Diocesan planting, as we recruited Steve Holt to plant in Baltimore last year. The second way is for a mother church to hive off a daughter congregation, as The Falls Church and Truro have.

The third way, the Pioneering Strategy, employs both lay and ordained leaders who are apprenticed to reach unreached groups.  This includes Church of the Holy Spirit’s campus model; Fresh Expressions missional outreaches to niche groups; and more.  Here in our Diocese, we are now training and coaching leaders how to do this.

We ask you to pray for (Luke 10:2) and seek out pioneers who desire to be apprenticed in planting. Is there a college close to you? Are there language groups in your area who can be reached?   Would you like a church planting intern or resident?  We can train you and your planters. Please contact me at clancynixon@gmail.com. Let’s walk alongside each other to fulfill the vision of 1000 new congregations in North America.