Outreach

Home Missions To Unreached Places (Like Orange County, California)

155 Comments

At least he was honest that Tustin, CA doesn’t lack for churches. It doesn’t exactly lack for Baptist churches either. Here’s a quick Google Maps snapshot of just Baptist churches in the area (never mind Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Non-Denominational, etc. etc.)

 

 

Apparently these “missionaries” have started this church since this video was shot.

155 thoughts on “Home Missions To Unreached Places (Like Orange County, California)”

  2. At my ex-church, we had a missionary come through and try to convince us that there were no Bible-believing churches in a certain part of New York City for miles in any direction. Funny thing was, we had a member who had been to that part of New York, who bore witness to the fact that there was an Independent Baptist church within blocks of where this missionary wanted to start a home mission church. This was in the day when my ex-church had a pastor who had some brain cells that he could rub together; sanity prevailed, and they didn’t take on that missionary.

    1. Well, you know how Fundies are. There were probably no churches in that area who believed the doctrine of Adam and Eve’s bellybuttons or lack thereof just like he did. Gotta keep em’ separated…

    2. I don’t think they include churches (such as other Baptist churches) in their numbers if they’re not KJVO as “bible-believing.”

    3. LOL. We had a missionary who presented at our fundy church. Part of the presentation was a map of our state with the locations of good churches marked on the map. There was no mark by our city. oops!

  3. Love the pics of Saddleback and Crystal Cathedral. I have no real words to describe this heinous video.

    2. I caught the pic of saddleback and the crystal cathedral as well. Bashing other churches with flowery music in the background is not inspiring not matter HOW you package it. One of the reasons that opened my eyes to true grace.

    1. And the before and after shots, this is a heathen in Africa, this is the same heathen when he moves to California. Jungle Beats are strong with this one.

    2. Classic. Fundamentalism is simply about culture and not the Gospel’s power to change hearts.

      What a mess.

  6. I hate to think that this talented man and beautiful family have bought into the IFB, and apparently have consumed too much Kool-Aid. His language skills could be put to a far better use were he to use them in a God-honoring way, instead of a man-centered religion.

    I often think how could this happen to a sincere (and I have no doubt he is sincere) and obviosly bright and talented man, but then I think, were it not for the grace of God, I would have been right there with him, and probably worse.

    God help this man and his family to actually read and study the KJV, ultimately it was the study of the bible that led me out of this foolishness.

    1. Me too! It is amazing what can happen when one reads and believes the Bible on its own terms.

  7. The church website looks really nice, but would be really hard to get through with dial-up.

  8. What a sleazebag eliciting support from churches in areas that could be using the money he wants to do what they should be doing, so he can go live a life of affluence in the OC while inflicting that special IFB brand of crazy around. Dear lazy people looking for no accountability and funds to support an extravagant lifestyle, stop trying to sell long term missions to Beverly Hills!

    1. so he can go live a life of affluence in the OC

      I very much doubt he has been able to raise that much support.

      Home missions is a tough sell even in fundyland.

      1. Maybe not, but there’s no such thing as the simple life living in Tustin. Might have to do the bivocational thing, and just get what he can from raising missions funds. The only poor people living in a place like that (Cost of Living index around 125 (where 100 is the US average), are the day laborer (mostly immigrants) that get trucked in to do menial work.

        1. escapee and Rob M sorry but you guys have no idea what this guy faces. Run your mouth all you want but as a church planter in SoCal myself I can say it is not piece of cake. I can’t endorse his fundy’sim and legalism he promotes but I can say it is no pick nick starting a church anywhere. It’s tuff not as tuff as many mission fields but it is steel hard work.

        2. @ Kaptian Kranky Pants, I have a problem with most “Church Planters”. Most U.S. cities do not lack for churches, even good ones. I always want to ask “Have you attended every church in town for at least one Sunday to see whether a new church is needed? Would the Body of Christ not be better served by you finding a humble pastor doing Gods’ work and comming along side to contribute your gifts to a work already in progress?” Unfortunately I know the true answer that will never be uttered. “My EGO requires that I not be hinered by having to co-operate with someone whose name would be above mine on the marque.

        3. Just a bit of the numbers from 2006… The need is real. It does take all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. My church planting effort was done out of direction from the Holy Spirit and a response to the great commission. Just simply it is where God has led us…thats it

          1. AMERICA HAS BECOME A HUGE AND IMPORTANT MISSION FIELD

          ➢ Recent research states that there are now 195 million non-churched people in America, making America one of the top four largest “unchurched” nations in the world.
          ➢ “The American church is in the midst of one of the largest mission fields in the world today. Only three other nations—China, India, and Indonesia—have more lost people.” Justice Anderson
          ➢ “Essentially, what was a churched, supposedly Christian culture has become an unchurched, post-Christian culture. People in our culture are not antichurch; they simply view the church as irrelevant to their lives.” Aubrey Malphurs
          ➢ In spite of the rise of mega-churches, no county in America has a greater church population than it did ten years ago. Ron Sylvia
          ➢ During the last ten years, combined communicant membership of all Protestant denominations declined by 9.5 percent (4,498,242), while the national population increased by 11.4 percent (24,153,000). Tom Clegg

          2. AMERICAN HAS MORE PEOPLE, BUT LESS CHURCHES

          ➢ Each year 3,500 to 4,000 churches close their doors forever; yet only 1,100 to 1,500 new churches are started. Win Arn
          ➢ Even though America has more people, it has fewer churches per capita than at any time in her history. Although the number of churches in America has increased by 50 percent in the last century, the population has increased 300 percent. There are now nearly 60 percent fewer churches per 10,000 persons than in 1920.- Bill Easum

          Table 1. Number of Churches per Americans

          1920 27 churches existed for every 10,000 Americans.
          1950 17 churches existed for every 10,000 Americans.
          1996 11 churches existed for every 10,00 Americans.

        5. Sorry…but you have no mention of Catholicism. We worship the same Jesus and that would include a greater portion of the population.

  9. The website doesn’t mention where he got his divinity degrees from even though he says he got his bachelor’s from U. of MD. Even looking at his sending church’s website it’s difficult to determine what camp he’s in.

    1. Well, he’s clearly KJVO by his church site, and that cuts out a couple of “camps” from supporting him, at least from my experience. My old IFB church would NOT take on missionaries that were KJVO because our pastor believed it was American arrogance to take that belief to other countries, I believe.

      1. You’re right. He’s certainly not Bob Jones. So you could a missionary from the BJU camp start a church the next block over from his and both would proclaim they’re the only Bible believing church in the area.

    3. The linked article on their website from the Orange County Register states that he has degrees from Treasure Valley Bible Institute and Great Plains
      Baptist School of Divinity.

  10. We used to joke about being called to be missionaries to the Bahamas. Hey…somebody’s got to do it! 😆

  11. Cult mentality says they(ifb in this case), alone, have been chosen to know and distribute Truth. While visiting a Sunday School class at First Bpt Church in Hammond, IN, I heard the teacher rip into and tear apart Willow Creek Comm. Church claiming that they-FBC- are the chosen ones to reach the Chicagoland area. From what I heard that day, Willow Creek is spreading untruth and getting in the way. This teacher seemed to feel VERY threatened by Willow Creek and the prospect of losing members to them. He talked for a long while about a member of his church who had left Willow Creek because they were teaching/preaching heresy. This FBC member was so relieved, he said, to finally be hearing and learning the real Truth. Of course, this Sunday School teacher knew that my husband and I had ‘left the foal’ of the ifb. I’m pretty sure all of this was for our benefit.
    This pastor, however, insinuates the same concerning other great churches in the Orange County area. Pathetic.

    1. Interesting. I work with someone who’s been a member at Willow Creek for 25+ years. He’s more conservative than I am in many ways, and I grew up fundy. 😀

    2. I hear ya Jo. I heard the many anti-willow creek references often- along with Bethel Church. ( They dropped the Baptist name…gasp!) The funny thing about the video is that he claimed that those “heathen churches” were ” man centered” LOL!! haha! Hello pot, meet kettle.

  12. Yes, I saw such presentations in the sixties and the seventies regarding missions in Costa Rica.

    The worst thing is, planting churches in greater LA is so necessary!

    I remember in the early seventies, knocking on doors in Chicago, in the Humbolt Park area, where there was at least one church in every block. NOBODY from the neighborhood attended any of those churches.

    All I can add is: We will be here when the Lord leads Isabel, Nathanael and Emma to SFL.

    1. A couple of years ago, I took our Sr. High Youth and College students to work at Humboldt Park United Methodist Church. It was an active Hispanic church. There were a lot of old churches on every corner.

    2. NOBODY from the neighborhood attended any of those churches.

      This.

      We have a SBC church right up the street from us. Both most of the members, and ALL of the youth group, hail from outside our neighborhood. The local IFB considers the kids in our neighborhood as bus kids. The IFB church we went to has a few folks who were local to their area, but they have this huge campus that isn’t exactly in the middle of a residential zone.

      1. Given the current state of population mobility, it is difficult to imagine any other scenerio, as long as the church is seen as a program and building.

  13. I couldn’t get past the first couple of minutes of the video (seriously, what is with these 8 to 10 minute fundy videos?!). It saddens me to hear the “no Bible-believing churches” spiel again and again and again from missionaries trying to make their target market more needy, even when a simple Google search will reveal exactly what Darrell has posted. This selling point must be taught in every Fundy Missions 101 class.

    1. I too noticed the “no Bible believing Baptist church” comment. Seriously – how arrogant! I read “Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic” and the author said he was shocked to see that the Roman Catholic and (most liturgical churches) read not 1 Bible lesson, but 4 (Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle and a Gospel).

    2. I’ve seen so many of these videos and they’re all scripted the same way. Almost all of them start out with the “un-reached” mission field they plan on going to, with the soft music in the background, and all the obligatory still photos of the people they’re trying to reach – whether it’s a Buddhist Monk, Russian peasant, African witch doctor, or Southern California Mohawk guy.

      1. “all the obligatory still photos of the people they’re trying to reach – whether it’s a Buddhist Monk, Russian peasant, African witch doctor, or Southern California Mohawk guy”

        But of course, their congregations always end up being inexplicably white.

        1. True, very true. But showing middle-class white guys in suits in their videos probably wouldn’t go over too well, and would certainly limit the love offering at the end of the service.

  14. I think Mr Gehlken watched too much “7th Heaven” and wanted to live near Jessica Biel.

  15. The “heathen” with the red mohawk looks like he would fit right in in our youth group (here in Southern California)

    1. Yes, I am willing to bet that many of the churches in the area (Bible believing, but not Baptist) would be very welcoming to that guy in their church. I would also bet that he would not be as welcome at this guy’s church if he showed up on Sunday morning looking like that.

  16. We have lots of “home missions” in Alaska as well. Small little mission works all up and down the highway where it is convienent to drive to the big city and be as comfortable as any town down south. Very few works in the the villages were there are no churches! These BUMS are living off churches in the states and fishing & hunting and doing just enough to muster up a good prayer letter for a missions video to take on the road with them to drum up more support. American are very generous and all yo need is a sappy video and they open up their wallets.

    1. I heard of one Alaskan “missionary” that didn’t even have a meeting place. He used pictures from other “works” to raise support untill someone noticed the same people turning up in multiple missionary reports. 😯

  17. That term “Bible believing”, whenever I see or hear it, is an immediate turn-off for me. The implication, of course, is that “we believe the Bible, while none of those OTHER churches do.” I suppose the term attracts people of a certain mentality, but it just as surely repels others.

  18. http://www.terrylawsonministries.com/vision/

    This guy came to our church a few months ago, going to Gig Harbor, WA. He emphasizes that there are no IFB churches in the area, and “there are several surrounding areas that have no gospel witness.”

    Except for these, including several Baptist: http://gigharbor.areaconnect.com/churches.htm
    In a town with 7100 people, and only 4.4 square miles. Yeah, not a TON, but it’s kind of a stretch to say there is no Gospel witness there.

    1. I’ve rarely heard a missionary give a presentation where the term “no gospel witness” or “no independent Baptist churches” wasn’t used to describe their field. I guess it’s better than saying “there are ten Baptist churches in this town and we’re going to start the eleventh.”

    2. I went to school with this guy at Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. I noticed in his bio that he said where he got his doctorate from but not where he received his bachelor’s degree. It is either because of the whole Bob Gray thing or the fact that some IFB churches don’t readily accept Trinity very well.

  19. When I was a missionary, there was another missionary in the country who always cited a really low number when he was talking about the ‘Bible-believing’ churches there. Turns out he refused to include BBF or ABWE influenced churches as ‘Bible-believers’.

    I was remonstrated by a pastor once for giving too high of a number when asked about ‘good churches’. Quote: “you need to trim that number down or people won’t be lead to give.” Yes, I needed to lie so God could work.

  20. this reminds me of when a seminary prof at BJU planted a church in Greenville, SC. It had like 120 members or more within a short amount of time, but when I looked at the church directory, i’d say 60% of them had “@bju.edu” email addresses, and the rest looked like they had also just jumped ship from larger BJU-affiliated churches.

    1. Uggghhh, I know this church, ES. Why do these people continue to do this in towns with lots of churches? This particular one, the preacher dude’s head is in the sand. My very dear friend is a member there and in a very abusive relationship. He has no clue what to do to help her–except tell her to submit more. Crimes are being committed and he has no real-world concept of the situation. If the worst were to happen, he could possibly have some culpability. People who have lived in a bubble all their lives and who teach college-level courses on how to maintain the bubble facade, SHOULD NOT be preachers.

      1. That’s the way it is in Greenville. We’re so up-to-our-necks oversaturated with churches of every stripe (except maybe Catholic) that stealing/luring away sheep is the only game in town.

        2. +1

          Actually, we Catholics recognize that the Protestant folk (or Baptists to the time of Christ for the uber fundy) actually believe in Jesus. We are more concerned that our members are actually engaged (at least in my parish).

  21. There were Fundy teenagers in our town on a “mission trip” last week. Our town is a middle to upper middle class suburban area north of Omaha. There are around 8000 people and about 20 churches. 🙄

  22. As someone who has been used to plant a church, I am thankful for other church planters, but our church does not support church planters for a very simple reason. In the US it is better to be bi-vocational when starting a church, because it teaches you a dependence on the Lord and you are able to get out in the community and know the people in your area. Paul was a tentmaker in the different places that he went.
    I met a “church planter” going to Louisiana, and he was trying to raise over $40,000 a year. It took him 4 years of deputation to raise the funds. How much time did he waste and how many opportunities did he miss during that span.
    This kind of stuff gets me going, but I will just leave it at that.

    1. In my heart I want to support the idea of church plants in the US. I’ve always believed that a lot of rural areas don’t necessarily have churches that are in anyway involved in the community. I’m not sure it’s true, and I’ve never really seen an area that really *needed* another church. There’s no such thing as a perfect church. Adding another niche one to most areas doesn’t really do anything to fulfill a need, cause people that think they just need to find a better church mostly aren’t going to be satisfied at the next one either after they have some time to become dissatisfied. Hard to find actual places where actual church plants are needed in 2011, but they keep happening somehow.

      1. Also, it’s hard to imagine that we need more innovations & variety in candy bars, bottled water, or chewing gum, but we keep getting those too…

  23. When you insist that everyone looks, talks, acts, believes and reads the same version as you the world suddenly becomes a lot smaller. All those baptist churches mean nothing if they don’t believe everything exactly like you do. Plus Orange county sounded real good Amen?

    1. Here is another example. http://vimeo.com/16182489

      I live in Boston. It is not unchurched. That dr in the interview is dead wrong. I can name 5 drs who work in the local hospitals in my choir at church let alone in the congregation.

      But then watch till the end when Evan gives his interview. He talks about neighborhood churches, which is really good, but he talks about building them out congregation by congregation and building a “network” of churches that “cooperate” together. Look buddy there are tons of churches in Boston, many good ones at that. And there is nothing stoping you from networking with them right now. They do their work in downtown, park street, JP, South End and you do your work in Dorchester and this network can be here and now.

      It blows my mind that he sees this happening in 15 years when it could happen here and now with the churches that are already doing the Lord’s work in these neighborhoods. And that is why I believe his effort is a complete waste of time. Boston is a dense city, and can use more churches no doubt. But it is not helpless, it is not completely lost and it is not in need of some magical network that will spring up in 20 years. All this can be done here and now and it does happen.

      1. Having lived 12 years in the Boston area, I was curious. The statistics quoted in the video you posted say 10% Catholic and 5% all other Christians.

        Not believable. In fact FALSE.

        Also, If you are going to REALLY look at the Boston market, you’ve got to mention also the 200 colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area, which means at least 200K students coming in for Spring and Fall semesters.

        1. Or at least mention that a lot of those groupings/neighborhoods are because of students. He never mentions students or schools once. I know his plan is Dorchester and not Cambridge or BU, but if his network actually does get off the ground and they overlook the many students they are going to fail in most neighborhoods.

  24. This is funny! I grew up in Southern California, and am very familiar with Orange County. It’s one of the most conservative areas in SoCal, and there are MANY churches, and quite a lot of IFB ones. I went to a church in Long Beach (sort of near OC), and there were kids that went to our Christian school that came from several of these churches. It’s amazing that somebody would feel the “call” to start yet another one in Orange County and feel good about it. All they would do is cannibalize from another church nearby.

    I suppose nobody wants to go to a truly remote place without good churches…it’s just easier to live in the suburbs and continue on with a middle-class lifestyle that isn’t much different from the way they’re living now…

    1. I know a GARBC pastor who, upon graduating from Bible college years ago, said that the Lord was calling him and his family to go to Minnesota, with the stated intent of converting the Lutherans.

      This gives you an idea of where these guys are coming from . . .

    2. In 2009 the median household income in OC was $71865. Perhaps he hopes to beat the concept of tithing into their heads…

  25. Nothing like getting God’s people to help you establish your family business in a beautiful resort town.

  26. I have to agree with the new atheists who look at Americanized Churchianity and go, “hungh???” Who is this god you claim to serve? You all cannot get your story straight on god, you separate from onanother and will not fellowship together and make contradictory claims regarding him… get your story straight and we will listen.
    You can all be wrong but you can’t all be right given your claims, actions and attitudes.

    and they are right
    Christ is so divided between denominations, camps within denominations and just plain-pure obstinance hardline powermeisters that he comes off as an inept Ring Master in a third rate Circus/sideshow.

    So we have another storefront church in a strip mall/industrial park. Stop in, get a cell phone and pick up some god while you’re here. And God looks like just another marketing venture in the socio-political rat race.

    It’s a good thing that God is NOT dependent on man. I’m glad God is sovereign, merciful and gracious. In all we do, even in our best efforts, with the best motives, we screw things up royaly. Inspite of our supreme talent for fouling things up, He is God and his will, will be done. I can rest in that, and have confidence and hope in him.

    /end rant

    1. “In all we do, even in our best efforts, with the best motives, we screw things up royaly.”

      My Pastor once said “Our efforts may be sincere but Sincerely Wrong” I thought it profound in light of where I came from and once was.

  28. As a proud native of Orange County, CA I can say, “Finally, a(nother) preacher with all the answers!”

  29. I’m going to drive past his church on my way to work this morning, I’ll give a “separated” salute as I drive past. By the way, I’ve lived in SoCal nearly my whole life and have never run into a red mohawk like that, but if he is an OC native, I don’t think this church is going to reach him. By the way, as for unreached areas, there is an IFB college fairly near where this church is, I think it’s in Brea or La Habra, so not too out of reach!

    2. Maybe, when he used the term “heathen” he could have easily shown a clean cut churchy guy in a white shirt and tie with fresh minty breath.

      It promotes viewing the unbeliever as an inferior when a guy with a red mohawk is seen as a heathen.

  31. Before I read through the comments… this video made me so mad; I am sorry, but to say that there are only TWO “Bible-believing” churches in OC is ridiculous. I went to college in that area (Biola… which is actually in LA county, but right at the edge of the LA/OC county line. I know most IFBers don’t consider Biola to be a true “Christian” college… but little do they know some of the most Godly, Christian people I know, I met at Biola… but I digress). There are SO MANY great, amazing churches in that area. I met so many genuine, amazing Christians when I was down there.It makes me so mad that he’s implying the area is completely full of evil heathens, except for TWO churches; that is an outright lie. AAAAARRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! 👿 👿

    2. “that is an outright lie”

      Seriously, what else would you expect? These are the same people telling everyone that the KJV is somehow superior – using an entirely fabricated alternative text history that is quickly and easily exposed as a lie by original historical sources. 😐

    3. Also, I do know of a few IFB KJVO churches in that area already… First Baptist Church of Long Beach and Gethsemane Baptist (also in Long Beach).

  32. The other day when I asked some missionaries about the Christian population in Brazil and the only statistic that person gave me had to do with Fundamental Missionaries. Is it time for me to run when that happens because these little clues to what’s really going on keep popping up. This site keeps connecting dots.

  33. I am a missionary, and I refuse to use the “no other Bible believing churches” line. Since I am a church planter, I do state the number of indepdendent baptist churches, but it would be dishonest to not regard any other type of church as Bible believing. I also won’t promise not to work with those other churches either (which is a often asked question on the dreaded instrusive questionnaire, along side the important doctrinal question of if my wife wears pants and what does she wear to bed, etc. By the way, I don’t respond to those questionnaires) The only reason I am an independent baptist is because I believe traditional baptist doctrine and I’m not a part of the SBC or an organized denomination or fellowship, not because I’m a “fundy.”

    1. “what does your wife wear to bed” One missionary responded “Hopefully nothing!” I remember even my lunatic fundy parents getting uncomfortable that when they filled out those questionnaires.

      1. You are joking, right? There is no questionnaire that asks what your wife wears to bed? Please tell me this is a joke.

    2. “The only reason I am an independent baptist is because I believe traditional baptist doctrine”

      Which traditional baptist doctrines are you talking about? I know people who stay in the IFB even though they don’t agree with any of the rules because they still believe the skeletal structure of the beliefs in their church. These doctrines can be found in many churches. The IFB doesn’t have the corner of the market on truth, it’s an arrogant person that teaches you that.

      1. I don’t think anyone has tried to teach me that we have a corner on the market of truth. And regarding the baptist doctrine, you know the traditional old acrostic…baptized by immersion, autonomy, priesthood of the believer, two ordinances, individual soul liberty, saved church membership, two officers, separation of church/state, etc. There might be some other churches that have grasp on those doctrines, but they would be baptistic, even if they didn’t call themselves baptist. The independent part comes from not being affiliated, just like any other non-denominational church. I don’t think our church has had anyone from any of the “fundy” camps in our midst, so that’s why I would leave the “F” out of the “IFB” as pertaining to our congregation.

    3. “What does your wife wear to bed?” I guess that’s their attempt to weed out liberal compromisers who think it’s OK for women to wear jammies, but – my goodness! – why can’t these churches understand the basic principles of Christian liberty and the priesthood of the believer? That kind of nosiness and hyper-sensitivity and desire to control everything is truly disturbing.

    4. Would it be wrong to staple some pictures from Victoria’s or Fredrick’s onto the questionnaire as examples of what the wife wears to bed? 🙂

  34. Unbelieveable. When he says he had prayed about starting a church there how did it go? “Lord, we really want to live near Disneyland. Can we live near Disneyland? I need a job. Hey can I start a church there? Every town can use another church. I’ll make sure I call it a Bible Believing Church, because I didnt’ see any called that when I googled it. What’s that Lord, did you say ok? What? I couldn’t really hear you. Ok I’m gonna do this, so if you dont’ want me to do this just shut this door in my face so I know it’s not your will ok? Thank you for answering my prayer. Hey kids, we’re going to Disneyland!

    1. Exactly! You may not be living in a mansion, but church planting/missions to the OC are not missions work. Are just looking to fund a life of ease (if not technically affluence)

  35. My favorite part was the local church bashing showing why they are not of God. Observe the church service with all the hands raised. Are those Angry Fist Pumps? Observe the stage with the dark smokey lighting and electric guitars. Is this a Black Sabbath Concert or church?? Need I say more.

  36. Oh and my wife and I learned second languages and wouldn’t you know there are people there who speak that language too! Proof positive we are called to start a church there!

    My hobby is golfing and can you believe it, there are golf courses there! What are the odds! God has predestined this place for our lives before we were even born!

    1. No offense, but TOTALLY unnecessary, IMO. I’m not a Driscoll fan, so my opinion may be biased, but I see this as an attempt by Mark D. to extend his influence.

      I mean why did they choose OC? How about a rural village in Alaska instead?

      1. I have no problem if people feel the call to start a new church anywhere they feel led.

        My problem is the false marketing we see in the video above.

        1. “anywhere they feel led”. I have a LOT of questions of people that want to move to a place flooded with churches to plant one. What’s the point in planting a church there just cause you want to live there or it’s convenient? Some people just want to be a full time pastor, and it’s easier to get someone to fund a plant for your goal than to serve where you are actually needed. I don’t buy the idea someone is called/led(™) to plant a new church in the OC. There doesn’t seem to be any reason other than the obvious semi-ulterior motives to do so.

      2. Mars Hill Church is based out of Seattle, fairly close to where I live. I am not a part of MHC but I will say for them that they preach Jesus, not “standards”. Their goal is to reach the young, especially young men and influence the culture of the city for Christ.

        As far as I know they are “Bible Believers” (haha) but they certainly would not be accepted by the KJVO crowd.

        IMHO, church planting is mostly used as a way to get a job in this rotten economy. Better to be starting a church and getting those tithes and missionary support monies rolling in than be sitting on the couch drinking Coke and watching the Trinity Broadcasting Channel, I guess.

        You’ll get more credibility with me if you are bi-vocational and try to earn a living while you are church planting when you first start out.

        Aw, it’s good to be Catholic and a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church!

  39. On my first day at Bob Jones my Prayer Captain roommate informed me that there were no Bible Believing Churches in Atlanta Georgia. 🙄

    I laughed in his face because I thought he was joking sadly he was not. Sadly even when I introduced him to my Father he wasn’t sure, Only when Dr. B himself called asked me in front of him how my Dad’s church was doing did he accept that there might be one or two Bible Believing Churches in the Atlanta area.

  40. To be fair, the local SBC organization asked me to plant a church in a local community because there were no churches. My wife and I drove around and saw numerous churches! I guess the SBC feels the same as the IFB does.

      1. There definitely are at least local churches of many denominations that are thrilled to participate in interdenominational events & fellowship. I don’t know about officially from an official denominational positions, but you would have a hard time finding churches not called Baptist to speak so poorly of other Denoms.

  41. A local IFB church closely associate with my ex-Fundy church made its members sign a “covenant” that if a member were to move to an area with no “Bible Believing Church”, it was that member’s responsibility to start one.

    Mm-hmm.

  42. We got a VBS invite to a new Independent Baptist Church that recently got started. They are not KJVO. It started out as a home church. There are already lots of Baptist Churches in the metro area.

    It’s always good to suffer for the Lord. Makes for a great Christmas letter.

  43. Note: the “precious people” are shown as white, fundy-looking people. The “heathen” are shown as black, or having a red mohawk.

  44. West Coast Baptist College / Lancaster Baptist Church used to have a feature on their website where they would tell you how many Bible believing churches there were in each town/city. It was sad how many areas they considered without a good church, when in reality, there was a good Christian community present.

    But it made them feel more important, I am sure. 🙄

    Won’t they be surprised who they will meet in heaven!!!

  45. A couple years back my wife and I got a letter from her Toronto area fundie nephew telling us of his good news that he was to become a missionary for the summer and spread the Gospel to the vast unchurched masses. I’m thinking what, Laos? Burma? Botswana? Interesting, I thought.

    Then he solicits us for a donation (all the relatives got it) and reveals that his great mission that summer was to be…

    Calgary, Alberta.

    As far as I can tell, the kid just used the mission trip as an excuse to get other people to pay the $500 airfare to and from Toronto so that he could hang that summer with all his Toronto area friends who, coincidentally, were also concerned about the lack of God-fearing Christians in Calgary.

    My wife laughed at the idiotic letter and actually threw the thing in the fireplace with a cackle.

    1. Call it missionary outreach when it’s actually a fundy vacation, eh? That’s a little off-putting.

      Pass out a few Chick tracts, throw a little paint on the wall of the grange the IFB’s are using as their church, and call it good. You get to spend the rest of your vacation swimming and swapping at the king sized mosquitoes of Calgary.

  48. Well, I have heard this first hand in my family. When I listened to this video, I heard my brother-in-law all over again. About 10 yrs. ago, my sister & her husband had a talk with my family. They told us that they felt that the Lord was calling them to start a church in Fernley, NV (a small town outside of Reno). My brother-in-law has family there. They also said that there were no Bible believing churches there at all. My brother-in-law is originally from Southern CA. The US Navy brought him to the east coast which is where he met my sister. He proceeded to tell us that while growing up in Southern CA, he had never heard the salvation plan in his entire life. He said that the western part of the US was very lacking in Bible believing churches. He said that it would be a mission field to go out there. Well, it took them many yrs. of Bible school at Ambassador Baptist College in NC & then they finally went there a little over 2 yrs. ago. Their home church in Charleston, SC (my former fundy church)is the sending church for them. That church has a mission board & they took them on for support. They also did deputation to raise money. They are doing quite well financially. It just grieves me to see that they really believe that they are the only Bible believing church out there. It is very, very sad! Their son (my nephew)goes to West Coast Baptist College. So, how do they say it is a mission field out west when you have that college along with its church, Lancaster Baptist Church? Oh, well…. javascript:grin(‘:roll:’):roll:

    1. A live in the Southwest, a small town in Arizona. To be fair, there really are less Bible believing churches in the west than in the Southeastern area of the country – less churches entirely, really. And church plants are always welcome, particularly in the small towns, so rural people wouldn’t have to drive so far. But to say they are the only Bible believing church in the area… 🙄
      One of the closest churches to me is an IFB church. They are not as dogmatic as some; they do actually allow women to wear pants, for instance. But I do wish that someone would plant a non-IFB church close!

  49. Just think, with thier linguistic talents, how much they could accomplish in an established church. Classes to teach english and help the immagrants they listed to become productive Americans. Nope. That would never work. They would all be speaking King James english… 🙁

    1. Not to mention that to many of the ultra-conservative IFB, “immigrant” is the most frightening word on earth. Different from us! And Fox News tells us they’re illegal, or something!! 😛

        1. Absolutely not. Were I president I would round up every illegal alien (calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker, is like calling a drug dealer an unlicensed pharmacist)and I would ship every one back home, including children (anchor babies)born in this country, allowing this is a misunderstanding of the law, and was in ref to slaves, allowing “them” the rights of citizenship. I would build a fence all the way across our southern border and have it patrolled by the military, also use drones to help intercept these criminal invaders.

          I can not imagine a country that wouldn’t protect itself from invaders, of course I can’t imagine NY allowing and supporting marriage between sodomites.

          Btw, I am a huge supporter of immigration (legal immigration)

  50. My old church supported a guy I knew from college that was going to a major US city which conveniently turned out to be a not-so-nearby affluent suburb 40 minutes away. His sending church gave him a massive love offering. Like an idiot he bought a huge house, blew through his support (the offering and sustaining support from other churches) and gave up after less than 2 years.

    All that to say, get a job. Be a real person, Start a church that way. This guy in the video is toast.

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