Partner in Church Planting (and More) Through the Mission North America Offering
What Does North American Ministries Actually Do?
By Ed Goode
I can’t be the only church planter who often hears, “What does North American Ministries actually do?” And I’m sure I’m not the only church planter who answers with two words: encouragement and equipping.
Some of the best people in our movement work for North American Ministries. They not only answer the phone when you call but come to your town to help you work through the challenges and joys of church planting. On the few occasions I’ve visited the NAM office in Antioch, the staff acts as though seeing me was the main reason they came to work that day. (Although, on reflection, I’ve never been there without my wife Rachel, which may explain it.) And, when they tell you they’re praying for you, they really mean it.
Every church planter has endured a hard season or difficult situation the team at North American Ministries helped them navigate. I couldn’t imagine church planting without their encouragement.
Maybe you find all that a bit intangible, so let’s consider the practical equipping North American Ministries offers. I remember my first Church Planters Boot Camp in February 2022. Over three exhausting but invigorating days, we heard from seasoned pastors, church planters, and other ministry leaders. I remember getting into the car to drive back to Illinois, taking Rachel by the hand, and telling her, “We can do this!”
Before Boot Camp, you don’t know what you don’t know. After Boot Camp, not only do you know what you don’t know, but you also have the tools to grow and the examples of those who have gone before you. Last year, our church planting team here in Champaign grew, so all four of us went back to Boot Camp. Or, in the words of my five-year-old nephew, “They’ve forgotten how to start a church, so they’re going to learn again.”
The program was even deeper, richer, more equipping (yes, longer) than last time, and we came home even more exhausted and exhilarated. Almost everything had changed since 2022, and it did my soul good to know North American Ministries continues to equip themselves to better equip their church planters.
I promise the following story is true. About a year ago, while talking to a friend planting a church in North Carolina, we both agreed that, sometimes, the hardest part of church planting work is sorting out what is most important to do next. Only a few weeks later, I learned about WIN training from NAM (an acronym for What’s Important Next). Josh Bennett soon came to Champaign, Illinois, and spent two days helping us work through where our church plant is, where we want it to go, and how we will get there.
Pastoral ministry is lonely work; I don’t think there is any way around that. Church planting can be — or at least can feel — particularly lonely. Every year, North American Ministries gathers their planters for either Summit, including every planter, or ReCaps, which is more regionally based. These meetings feature formal preaching and teaching, gathered worship, and prayer. We also enjoy times of fellowship, food, and fun. Again, we are encouraged and equipped. We get a short break from explaining, “What exactly is it you do?” and we remember (maybe) we’re not crazy. Or if we are, at least we’re not the only ones. We remember what’s possible, and we are reminded we are not alone.
None of this would be possible without you.
I grew up in a Christian home but not a Free Will Baptist home. One thing I love about our denomination is our commitment to the Lord and each other. Giving expression to these truths is one of the reasons the Mission North America Offering exists. By giving to the Mission North America Offering, you do two things: you help this work continue, and you partner with the work itself.
When you give on November 22, you help the work of North American Ministries continue. This offering is not about paying salaries, although that’s also a good reason to give. Your gifts fund real ministry across the continent and sometimes around the world. You help North American Ministries equip and encourage church planters. You help fund regular training, but also late-night phone calls and last-minute visits to offer vital encouragement and wisdom. Your money constructs new church buildings in under-churched areas and allows the gospel to be presented in unreached areas. Your giving says you believe in the mission of North American Ministries as they open new frontiers of opportunity across the country. When you give, you are funding gospel work.
And when you give, you also partner with that ministry. I hope everyone reading this can visit one of our church plants. By the grace of God, there’s plenty to choose from. From Chula Vista, California, to Burlington, Vermont, and Jamestown, North Dakota, to Puerto Rico, you will find church planters who would love for you to visit. (By the way, you’re welcome here in Champaign, Illinois, anytime, but April, May, September, and October are the most welcoming months.)
Maybe you don’t have the opportunity to visit a church plant. I don’t know, but it’s a fair assumption that people in Glennville, Georgia, wished they could have gone with Laura Belle Barnard when she became the first official missionary of the National Association. As far as we know, none were able to go with her physically, but they went through prayers and financial partnership. The same is true for every church planter. Maybe you’ll never visit Champaign, Ardmore, Hickory, or Waco, but as you give to the Mission North America Offering, we know you are with us.
You may never meet David, who, filled with cynicism and pain, decided to give church one last try. David now leads our A/V team, sets up on Saturday afternoons, and is the last to leave on Sunday morning. Maybe you will never meet Kayla, who found church community with us after growing up in a spiritually dysfunctional climate and serves on our First Impressions team. Or Shiloh, currently the youngest member of our church family, growing up in a home where his parents are being discipled and putting the Word of God first.
You may never meet these people, but their stories and thousands more are only made possible because of your faithful giving to the Mission North America Offering.
About the Writer: Ed and Rachel Goode are lead church planters at Bridge FWB Church in Champaign, Illinois. Working with associate
planters Jeremy and Rebekah Huff, the Goodes work to make the real Jesus impossible to ignore in Champaign.
