Is GOD calling?
Maybe this post will help you hear something that you did not expect to hear. I know I didn't when He called our name last fall while things were going so well at our home church [new hope].Let me start here: I can't believe some of the statistics that I just received from my church planting friends in Utah.
First, the number of churched people in Utah is less than 2%! That qualifies that Utah is the only "unreached people group" in the United States. That is insane.
Get ready. It gets worse.
There are 727,000 people in the central area between Provo (south) and Ogden (north). 180,000 are in Salt Lake City proper, the rest in smaller suburbs and towns outside of Salt Lake.
Are you ready for this? 727,000 people and there are 91 churches! That is not a typo.
Most of these towns are lucky to have 1-5 churches in the ENTIRE CITY! And many of the churches are 50-80 in attendance! Check out just the CENTRAL REGION and their stats:
| 12,500 | 2 | |
| Daybreak | 29,000 | 2 | |
| Draper | 31,000 | 6 | |
| Holladay | 22,000 | 9 | |
| Kearns | 27,000 | 3 | |
| Midvale | 27,000 | 2 | |
| Murray | 32,000 | 4 | |
| North Salt Lake | 9,300 | 1 | |
| Riverton | 11,000 | 5 | |
| Salt Lake | 180,000 | 27 | |
| Sandy | 90,000 | 10 | |
| South Jordan | 34,000 | 2 | |
| South Salt Lake City | 22,000 | 1 | |
| Taylorsville | 17,000 | 5 | |
| Tooele | 28,000 | 1 | |
| West Jordan | 68,000 | 4 | |
| West Valley City | 87,000 | 7 | |
In one of my home area of Ashland, OH, there are 22,000 people. Get ready again for this: There are probably 100 churches in the general area.
That's not the worst part.
If you drive up and down the main corridor of Utah [I-15] and go only 5 miles to the east and west of the interstate, there within that small 5 mile swath are 13 communities that do not have 1 church at ALL!
If you add in Herriman, Utah which has 20,000 people but is outside of 5 miles off the freeway, which also DOES NOT HAVE 1 CHRISTIAN CHURCH, that would be 100,000+ people without 1 Christian church reaching them at all.
I don't know what that does to you...but it BREAKS MY HEART.
This is why it is our desire to start 5 churches in the same weekend, and to start 12 churches by 2012. Yes...you know that is not a typo. It's the real deal. Called, set, delivered.
We are actively recruiting other church planters, because my team that we are putting together is planting 1 and helping to coach and resource the other 4. Then within each church we will have a "church planter in residence" who will work on staff for 1 year and then launch their own work, giving us 12 churches by 2012!
This is simple...Is God calling you to partner with us as a planter? Maybe as a potential "church planter in residence?" Maybe as a person to move to Utah and join the team to make this happen? How about as a staff person on our team? [we will be looking for an Executive Pastor and a Spiritual Development/Assimilation Pastor]?
Maybe you could help reach this area as a FINANCIAL SUPPORTER? [you can give right now tax-deductible to our paypal account: charles@newhopewired.tv is the account].
We will also be making on-line giving possible and are willing to send self-addressed stamped envelopes for those who might want those to make it very simple. Just let us know and watch for the on-line giving to start as well.
Maybe you are being called to the PRAYER TEAM...let us know. Nothing will be accomplished without the POWER OF PRAYER!
We also need MONTHLY SUPPORT beginning this month. Our team is ready to roll in ONLY 12 WEEKS, and we are beginning to move out of our towns and will be in Utah in what will be a few short weeks this summer. Don't skip over that part and not think that you can make a difference or someone else will do this. WE NEED EVERYONE to make 12 churches happen by 2012. Be a part of making history!
I am blown away at the lack of a Christian witness so much that myself and our team have uprooted our lives to make this call a reality...and we ask YOU to join US!
Will you consider the CALL that God is placing on your life to make this a reality? I would be glad to send you more information or to call you. Feel free to contact me anytime: charles@newhopewired.tv
Let's make this thing happen TOGETHER in HIS power.
Labels: church planting journey
posted by chazzdaddy @ Friday, April 17, 2009
Links to this post
