When Jim Jackson became the pastor of Faith Fellowship Church in Johnson City, Tenn., in January 2013, his first move wasn’t what most people might expect. He closed the church.
The church had been near its end for several decades as the community around it changed and the church didn’t adjust to better reach its neighbors. Faith Fellowship seemed destined to become one of the 1,000 churches Southern Baptists close annually.
But God didn’t appear to be finished with the church quite yet.
Just 18 months since Jackson closed the church, Faith Fellowship has found life. Today, where a dying Tennessee church once stood, more than 160 people regularly worship together. Jackson is among a growing trend of Southern Baptist church planters who are replanting dying churches.
Yet Faith Fellowship’s story of rebirth almost never happened. Jackson had been busy revitalizing a Kentucky Baptist church.
“It was one of the best ministry experiences of my life,” Jackson said. His wife Tina had a well-paying job as a nurse practitioner. And he wasn’t looking for a new assignment.
That’s when the couple sensed God drawing them to medical school for Tina. This would allow her to have more opportunities to share the Gospel while practicing medicine. It also meant a move to Tennessee. Before long Jackson saw the need for a church plant in their new home community of Johnson City.
After the move, Jackson started doing what he had done before when planting churches elsewhere. Along with reaching out to nearby business, law-enforcement and educational leaders, he also connected with local church leaders. Pastors and the director of missions helped him learn about local needs and opportunities.
When one potential opportunity came up in three separate conversations, Jackson took notice. Ben Proffitt, the director of missions for the Holston Baptist Association, and two local pastors both recommended Jackson consider re-planting Faith Fellowship.
After three months of prayer by both Jackson and the 10 remaining people at Faith Fellowship, the church asked him to become their new pastor. After closing the church, Jackson and his team spent the next eight months developing partnerships and reaching out to the community with the love of Christ. Jackson put eight North American Mission Board (NAMB) church planting interns to work in the community. Those interns, he said, started each day with an hour of discipleship before digging into their daily ministry assignments. The Tennessee Baptist Convention also provided Faith Fellowship with volunteers who prayer walked and helped serve the community.
The new Faith Fellowship team knocked on 10,000 doors, made 30,000 phone calls, mailed out 40,000 postcards and did a few dozen backyard Bible clubs.
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SOURCE: Baptist Press
Tobin Perry
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