Following the Call to Plant Churches

by Pamela Meeks

Corpus Christi Anglican, Apostles at Mason, Fresh Expressions, Potomac Falls Anglican, Resurrection and New Life Church. Wow, when I look back and see the church plants I have been involved in over the past almost forty years, I am amazed. Being on the Great Commission Committee for twelve years means that I have gotten to hear the stories behind other church plants as well, but there’s a beginning to every story.

In the 1990’s, my husband and I heard a call to live and minister in Turkey before we even met each other. Within a year and a half, we had arrived in Istanbul to begin language and culture learning and basically just learning to survive. However, we did not have a clear sense of how we would fulfill this calling. Although you might consider this unusual, this is actually not so uncommon. 

We knew already that we would be involved in evangelism and discipleship but not much beyond that. Actually being in the country with some flexibility allowed us a chance to approach ministry with some humility and as a learner.

With the goal of attaining a level of Turkish mastery to be able to preach in Turkish, language learning was top priority. The more we thought about it, the more a conviction grew that church planting was necessary for those individuals who might be converted, but would not be able to grow and thrive in the long term without support. We moved to a city on the coast of the Mediterranean to work with folks from Germany. Our team had many decisions to make-- significant and consequential ones. At that time we were not confirmed in any denomination and we were working with those from a non-denominational background.

This little fellowship, New Life, grew and lasted 8 years before they decided to fold into a larger church in the city. We had run into some problems over differences in the role of women in the church and it was then that our family pulled up roots and moved to a city on the Black Sea. We formed a new church planting team with local believers, but this time we put ourselves under the authority of a Turkish pastor in the capital city. Like many church plants, this little fellowship weathered some difficult relational issues and in the end we only spent three years in this new city.

After we came back to the United States and finished degrees in seminary, we moved to Northern Virginia. I was ordained an Anglican priest in January, 2010. After a short time serving with the Rev. Jack Grubbs at Potomac Falls Anglican, I also found myself saying yes to trying a Fresh Expression and to helping launch the team at Apostles at Mason. Having a variety of roles around the diocese, including an advisory one with Corpus Christi, energizes my mind and my faith.

The Rev. Pamela Meeks is the Associate Rector at Church of the Epiphany Anglican in Chantilly, VA. She also serves as a member of the Great Commission Committee.