Free Will Baptist North American Ministries is dedicated to planting churches across America as well as Canada, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Chaplains minister to thousands of men and women serving the nation. And cross cultural church planting specialists connect with people who have come to America from all over the world. Learn more about our ministry: www.FWBNAM.com.

Landers to Lead Raleigh Church Plant

Raleigh, NC — David and Taylor Landers are new lead church planters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their ministry is a joint church replant between North American Ministries and The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee. Once the Landers are established in Raleigh, they will relaunch the current work as a new church with a new name. David and Taylor both attended Welch College and have ministered in Free Will Baptist churches in Georgia and Virginia.

Before following God’s calling to Raleigh, David most recently served as the associate pastor of Mission Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Landers have four children: Maximus, Moses, Shepherd, and Jules.

Though North Carolina is traditionally considered a “churched” state, Raleigh offers endless opportunities to share the gospel. The city is home to 16 colleges and universities with students from around the world, and approximately 390,000 people live within a 15-minute drive of the church’s current location.

Please pray for David, Taylor, and their children during this replant process. Ask God to help the leadership transition to go smoothly and pray He will call others to join their launch team.

Williams to Serve on San Diego Planting Team

San Diego, CA — Leah Williams has been approved to serve as a ministry support leader at NAM’s newest church planting team to San Diego, California. The San Diego team is led by NAM planters Christopher and Ashly Littlecreek, currently completing a church planting internship at City Lights CV, another NAM plant pastored by Amos Dillard.

Leah is NAM’s first single female appointed to serve on a church planting team, and she is well-acquainted with the department and church planting ministry. Leah is the daughter of veteran NAM church planters Brian and Emily Williams. She moved to Buffalo, New York, at age 11 when her family planted NorthPoint FWB Church. The Williams family continues to serve at NorthPoint DePew, now self-supporting and planting a sister church in the area. Brian Williams remains the pastor and is a member of the NAM board.

Last summer, Leah visited San Diego on a mission trip with Teamwork Missions and felt God calling her to return and minister. Currently, Leah serves in children’s ministry and leads both the worship team and a discipleship group at NorthPoint and assists with the youth group each week.

As a member of the San Diego team, Leah will continue working with children and in any other area God has for her. Her ministry experience and upbringing will serve as an invaluable asset to the San Diego team as they work to reach the area with the gospel. Please pray for Leah as she begins fundraising and works toward moving to San Diego next year.

Church Planters Needed in Pacific Northwest

In places like the Pacific Northwest, one of the main obstacles church planters encounter is isolation. Often, church plants are alone in highly secular areas with little gospel presence. What if we intentionally planted a network of churches that could support each other in these difficult regions?

A group of churches could encourage and sustain each other long after they have gone self-supporting. This kind of support system could make the difference between churches simply surviving long-term and thriving long-term. Imagine the Kingdom impact!

NAM is working to plant a network of three churches in the state of Montana. We already have several potential planters and have begun prayerfully considering building teams to reach areas such as Bozeman and Helena in connection with the well-established NAM church plant at Summit Church in Missoula.

If God is calling you to church planting in this (or any other) region, take the first step and reach out today. Call us at 615-760-6137 or visit fwbnam.com/path for more information. We would love to come alongside you as you discern what’s next in your walk with the Lord.

Building Hope: An Update by Ken Akers

While Master’s Men’s disaster response teams (DRTs) frequently serve throughout the United States, we sometimes expand our outreach internationally.

In 2010, Haiti experienced a massive earthquake, and thousands of Haitians were killed. Because of my personal affiliation with a small independent mission on the island, I was able to take a couple of teams to serve.

When Hurricane Beryl ravaged the Caribbean and devastated parts of the island of Jamaica last summer, several men who have served with Master’s Men DRT expressed an interest in partnering with Mission Four18 to continue disaster response work there.

Mission Four18 was founded by Len and Aimee Scott in 2018. The ministry specifically serves the Clarendon parish and surrounding communities, seeking to show the hope of Christ through gospel ministry and humanitarian efforts. Work includes hosting mission trips focused on construction projects, educational partnerships, and medical outreach.

In October 2024, a team of four from Master’s Men joined a team of men from Kirby FWB Church in Michigan to build homes for two families that lost everything during Beryl. While not an official Master’s Men DRT event, these men traveled at their own expense to serve others in the name of Jesus.

Thanks to Mission Four18 director Len Scott and his family for allowing us to serve these families. It was a blessing.

I am reminded of Nehemiah 4:6, when Nehemiah said the Jerusalem wall was rebuilt because the people had a mind to work. This is true of Free Will Baptists...and we ARE better together!

Ken Akers has been the director of FWB Master’s Men since 2002. He is also the CFO of North American Ministries and the Church Extension Loan Fund.

Iglesia Conquista Parkers Chapel Launches

Greenville, SC — Services at Iglesia Conquista Parkers Chapel in Greenville, South Carolina, launched Sunday, November 3, 2024. Pastored by church planter Jaime Hernandez (Abigail), Iglesia Conquista is NAM’s newest Spanish-speaking congregation and part of Parkers Chapel FWB Church.

In addition to leading this ministry, Pastor Jaime is also president of the NAM Hispanic Bible Institute, which relocated to Parkers Chapel in summer 2024 and began classes in August. Please pray for Jaime as he and his family serve the church and institute. Ask God to grow both ministries into thriving, disciple-making works that make the gospel known in Greenville and around the world.

Over $170,000 donated to Master’s Men DRT Efforts

Antioch, TN — It’s true! We really are better together! In the weeks following Hurricane Helene, Free Will Baptists donated over $170,000 toward storm relief through Master's Men Disaster Response. We also received truckloads of supplies, and many served on relief teams in multiple states regionwide. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity.

Thank you for acting as the hands and feet of Christ to those who need it most. As the work continues, may everything we do point back to HIM!