Letter

We hope you have read the article entitled “Why Church Plant?” which appeared in the spring newsletter. If you did not get that then please pick up a copy in the church office. The Church Plant Initiatives Team is striving to keep you informed concerning the upcoming church plant. We want to recap why we are planting a church and explain why Andrew Conrad is being called to this work.

The Biblical imperative is clear. Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. As the agent to carry on that task, he gave the Church the Great Commission. Making disciples, teaching them to obey, and administering sacraments (baptizing) are functions that collectively describe the Church. The fact that new churches are to be established is evidenced in the example of the apostles as they took the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Paul’s missionary journeys resulted in many churches being planted.

You may be wondering, “Why plant a church now?” There is an urgent need for planting daughter churches because of the growing number of people in the area. Last year Chesterfield was named the 17^th best place to live in the nation by the American City Business Journal beating out more than 3,000 other localities.[1] In fact, as I was writing this I got a phone call from Kipp, a man I met the other day in the neighborhood. He moved here from Los Angeles simply because this is the place he wants to raise his kids.

People like Kipp are just some of the examples of why Chesterfield is growing to be the largest county in the Richmond metro area. “Since 2000, the county population has grown by 20,000 residents and another 24,000 are projected to move in by 2009 bringing the total to 320,000.”[2] The rapid and continued growth of the Spring Run area (south of Hull Street, north of Beach Road, west of 288) cries out for new churches.

The need is even more urgent when you consider the County Planning Department’s report that Spring Run has the fewest community-based organizations per capita including civic clubs as well as churches. Spring Run is largely un-churched. In fact, one pastor in the area told me that as far as they were able to ascertain the area is 80% un-churched.

It is our desire to partner with other churches to develop a movement of church planting in the greater Richmond area which is home to more than 1 million people. Roughly 1/3 report they have attended a church service recently. Another 1/3 report having no faith involvement at all.[3] With some 600 – 700 thousand people having no significant faith involvement there are many people that need Jesus. If we set a small goal of reaching even 1% of the Richmond Metro we would need 10,000 people in our PCA churches. Currently we fall far short. By God’s grace we desire to see churches planted to reach many more than 1% of the people, and to bring renewal spiritually, socially, and culturally in the Richmond metro area. In order to do this we will need to join with other churches to develop a movement of planting churches.

You may recall from the January Congregational Meeting that the session has spent a year updating a Vision Declaration and Strategic Plan for the church. Church planting was part of the vision in the 1992 Philosophy of Ministry for Sycamore. The session believes now is the time to see that vision realized. As part of the 10 year vision declaration we want to be used by God to plant a few daughter churches in the Richmond metro area and to partner with others in beginning even more churches. The session decided we needed to begin soon and that the Hull Street corridor was a prime target area. The immediate objective is to plant our first daughter church so that it will be its own worshiping body by the spring of 2006. They also decided to change Andrew Conrad’s job from Youth Pastor to Church Planter beginning in July.

The session cannot continue to do all the tactical planning to carry out the strategic goals. This is why the Church Plant Initiatives Team was created. We need people’s energy and effort in praying for new churches, planning on a tactical level as to where these churches should go and how they might be started and established. CPIT will work toward those ends. For the immediate future we will be sure to communicate with you about what is going on in the birthing process of this first daughter church. While it won’t be a pain free experience, we will try to ensure it is a healthy one.

Many of you may still be asking the question why Andrew Conrad is going to plant this church. The reason he is becoming the church planter is threefold. First, God has led him to live in Chesterfield County over the last 8 years giving him a heart for the people here and the city of Richmond. Andrew has a very strong sense of calling to this work. Second, he went through an extensive process at the Church Plant Assessment Center of Mission to North America and was “qualified” to plant a church. Third, the session of Sycamore Presbyterian Church also confirmed his call as they change his job to Church Planter. His experience as a pastor at Sycamore along with confirmation by the Mission to North America Assessment Center, have converged leading him to the point of being gifted and called to begin this new work.

We will keep you informed of what is going on as we continue to wade through these new waters of church planting. Please plan on being at the congregational meeting on May 8^th during Sunday School when members will elect officers. There will be dedicated time to present more information and answer questions you may have. Please feel free to talk to Church Plant Initiatives Team members as you have questions. They are Jim Hartz, Chip Naughton, Tom Ewing, Claude Dorsey, Bruce Van Horn, Suzanne Sylvestro, Denise Maddox, Harry Long, Andrew Conrad, and Leonard Liu.

[1] Chesterfield Observer, Guide to Chesterfield County, Fall/Winter 2004, p. 4.

[2] Ibid.

[3] West End Presbyterian Church website, Why WEPC Should Plant New Churches.