rescue the perishing By Jarvis Reed   Learn more about the ministry of Free Will Baptist Home Missions.

PERHAPS YOU HAVE SEEN the movie, World Trade Center. When I watched it recently, I experienced a wide range of emotions—anger, sadness, pride, and patriotism. My mind traveled back to September 11, 2001, and the moment I heard about the first attack on the World Trade Center. With millions of other Americans, I watched in horror as the second plane crashed into the remaining tower. I experienced shock, fear, and awe accompanied by an intense need to do something.

I clearly remember thinking to myself that there might be 50,000 people in the towers. As I contemplated that number, I thought with sadness that it equaled nearly one-fifth of the entire Free Will Baptist denomination. I remember thinking with shame that two buildings could hold 50,000 people, yet the entire Free Will Baptist denomination did not have a single church in the state of New York at that time.

On that tragic day 2,801 people died and thousands were injured. In the midst of all the death and despair, Free Will Baptists had absolutely no ministering presence. It’s a shame.

Consider where God led Paul to plant churches: Corinth, with a population of 650,000; Ephesus, one of the most influential cities in the Roman world; Thessalonica, a bustling seaport and primary route for goods and information. It is no coincidence that God used believers in these cities to spread the gospel across the known world.

The Home Missions Department is targeting the American Northeast and the fast-growing urban sprawl at the base of the Rocky Mountains for church planting. Consider the disappointment in Heaven if we do not have the courage and fortitude to pour ourselves into this cause.

Again, consider some population statistics: New York City, population 8,008,278; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, population 1,517,550; Baltimore, Maryland, population 651,154; Boston, Massachusetts, population 589,141; and Washington, DC, population 572,059. If we are to expand His kingdom, Free Will Baptists must pursue the areas with the largest concentration of people and the smallest representation of evangelical, Bible-teaching churches.

Perhaps we should turn to a biblical example to help us reach these and other growing cities for Jesus. In the Old Testament, God’s armies attacked a city by surrounding it. We should follow this example by selecting a city and forming a team to work together to plant six to ten churches in one area “surrounding” the entire city. Teamwork would promote the name recognition of Free Will Baptists, share the financial burden of church planting (for advertising and promotion, etc.), and give church planters consistent accountability to their partners. By working together, we could produce staggering results.

We must continue to plant churches, thinking outside of the box, doing whatever it takes, in any way necessary to plant biblically solid, Great Commission churches.

If God will allow me (and others) the ability and foresight, we will never experience another tragedy like the one on September 11, 2001, with no witness, no testimony, no impact for Christ’s kingdom. It is time to become aggressive and deliberate in our church planting! Support the efforts of Home Missions to see souls saved through church plants. Give your time and money to help plant those churches. When God calls, say, “Yes, I’ll go.”

As you read this, thousands of people receive their last chance to respond to God’s grace. Even on days without tragedy, thousands breathe their last. It is time to become more serious than ever about church planting. For the glory of God and in Jesus’ name, let’s plant 500 more churches by 2024!

Jarvis Reed and his wife Kelly are home missionaries to the Woodlands, a suburb of Houston, TX.