Restoration Church - A Church Planter’s Vision

By Rev. Dr. Brad Williamson

Revelation 7: 9-10, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” What an awesome picture John describes in Scripture of what the future looks like. Yet, we must realize that at the moment there are still people who do not know the Lord and so the work must continue. Pastor and author, John Piper writes in Let the nations be glad that missions exist, because worship does not. Our God is worthy to be praised and we are called to take the gospel to the nations so that He may be praised.



It is this driving motivation that has led me to answer God’s call upon my life to transition from pastoring established churches to begin a new one in the town of Black Mountain. Lord willing, we will see God gather unto Himself a group of people who love, worship, and serve Him. We believe God wants to build His Kingdom through new work in this amazing town in Western North Carolina. We want and desire to be sent people who are sending people. We want to make disciples who make disciples so that we can plant and support churches who plant and support churches. Through partnership with people like you and for the glory of God, we hope to see this vision fulfilled. But you may be asking why another church is needed, when in this day and age, we have churches on every corner.

First, we are biblically mandated to plant churches. The only way to be truly sure you are increasing the number of Christians in a town is to increase the number of churches. We need churches to teach, train, and disciple people so we can reach the city and, in turn, the world. If we believe God for His Word, then we must trust Him for this methods. This is why a leading missiologist like C. Peter Wagner can say, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

Second, we want to be faithful to the great commission. New churches best reach new generations, new residents, and new people groups. New churches simply reach unchurched people better than established churches. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshipping body, while churches over 10-15 years of age gain 80-90% of new members by transfer from other congregations. There may be churches on every corner, but that does not mean they are reaching the people living on these corners.

Third, we want to continually renew the body of Christ. New churches means new ideas and strategies. The message does not change but methods will due to demographics. Tim Keller points out that new church plants become “research and development” for the all the churches in the vicinity. The “success” of new churches often challenges older congregations in general to evaluate themselves in substantial ways. Sometimes it is only in contrast with a new church that older churches can finally define their own vision, specialties, and identity. They draw people who are willing to take risks and have future orientations, which makes for great leaders and disciple-makers to raise up and send it out to plant more churches or join more established ones. Our 'me and energy should not be fighting over turf but over extending the kingdom both here and everywhere.

Simply put we need to reach our city and revitalize our churches currently in the area so, we can continue to reach the world for the name and renown of Jesus Christ. We are planting a church because, for thousands of years, it has been the most effective way to reach people who do not know Christ. We are humbled, yet honored and confident that God has called us to this mission. We are excited to continue the movement of church planting on the foundation of Christ.

We believe that God desires us to focus on smaller expressions of biblical community than the traditional Sunday morning gathering. These smaller groups are described in a variety of ways: missional communities, gospel communities, or incarnational communities. Regardless of the language, these smaller groups can provide a space to cultivate genuine community, as well as a greater opportunity to engage in God’s mission. Why missional communities? The Christian life cannot be lived alone, nor can it be carried out as one person among thousands or even several dozen, which is often the context of American church gatherings. Instead, the best context for living as disciples of Jesus happens in community with a few other disciples, mutually committing to each other and to pursuing God’s mission together.

When you look at the life and ministry of Jesus, you see Him discipling His followers as they experienced life together in community. Jesus’ way of discipleship cannot happen in one-on-one meetings alone. The church is the body of Christ, which has many parts. It takes the body, committed to one another, to become more like Jesus. God intends for all of us to actively engage in disciple-making in light of our unique design and giftedness. In the midst of doing life in community, Jesus’ followers learned what it meant to love God, love each other, and engage in God’s mission. It is within the environment of a missional community that these three gospel rhythms best thrive.

We meet regularly to discuss the basic principles of Jesus’ life and teachings, invite them into a deeper level of relationship with God, and show how that relationship impacts their other relationships. We are starting to form an extended family on mission by celebrating life together. Our desire is that this missional community, and others to come, will have an UP dimension (time spent with God), an IN dimension (time spent together with each other as Christians), and an OUT dimension (time spent on mission together, stepping into the brokenness of the world).

Ultimately, we seek to be a community of Christ followers joining God in His restoration of our neighborhood, our city, and our world. We do this for God’s glory and the good of people. As we make, mature, and multiply disciples of Jesus Christ we will fulfill our mission! My hope is that you would consider partnering with us in one of three ways, maybe all three!

The first is to pray. Please join us in praying for Black Mountain and the surrounding communities. Pray that many would hear the gospel of Jesus, repent and believe in Him as Lord and Savior. Pray for us as we live on mission. The second is give. We will not be able to see this vision become a reality without the sacrificial generosity of other Christian brothers and sisters. We ask that you prayerfully consider becoming a financial partner. The third is to go. We humbly ask you to prayerfully consider living on mission with us in Black Mountain. If you are interested in learning more or would like for me to come speak in person feel free to reach out to me or contact the office of Church Planning and Renewal.

Interested in Visiting Restoration Church?

We have weekly worship services at 10 am on Sunday. Our address is 41 Tucker Rd. Black Mountain, and you can visit us online at www.restorationchurchbmt.org at any time