My Call to Church Planting

I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior on March 29, 1980 and I can honestly testify that He has never left me nor forsaken me. Not too long after this, God called me into the ministry, however I did not respond positively to that call until I was 29 years old. Since that time I have sought to walk in obedience to God.

Out of obedience to God, LuAnn and I enthusiastically went to seminary. Upon graduation, I accepted the call to Seaboard Baptist Church because I felt God was calling me there since “they were sheep without a shepherd.” I then accepted the call to Palestine Baptist Church as an Associate Pastor because I felt like there was the “Macedonian call” of come and help us. However, in hindsight I realize I responded to these calls more out of a sense of duty than out of excitement. Not that there is anything wrong with doing one’s duty, I’m just simply saying that in comparison, when I contemplate church planting I feel like I felt when I was first going to seminary. There is a sense of excitement and fear, because we are stepping out into the unknown, and that means we must be absolutely dependent upon God.

For the past year and a half I have been seeking to return to a pulpit ministry, however, God in His providence has not opened that door. As I was praying through this matter, God intervened and revealed to me my own heart and what I have a passion to do. My sister-in-law gave me a DVD about a guy who was who was going to Chattanooga, TN to start a church. As he was sharing his personal story, he kept referring to the fact that he was “stepping out into the unknown.” That phrase really caught my attention. As I contemplated it over the next few days, I realized that going to another church was not “stepping out into the unknown.” Very shortly after that, God reawakened in me the desire to minister to military families, and He showed me that I was to do so in Hampton Roads. (While in seminary, I applied to be a Navy chaplain but was turned down because I have hearing loss in one ear and I have a bad back.) Then, as I began to pray about Hampton Roads, God refined His call by indicating that Virginia Beach is where He wanted us to go. As we have prayed about going to Virginia Beach, God has been showing us that we do not have desire to go to an existing church setting. Therefore, my call to church planting revolves around the following three calls:
1. I am called to preach.
2. I am called to minister to Navy families. My heart is burdened for our military for I have seen the hardships they have to endure when a carrier group is deployed. I am also burdened for them, realizing that a person can die in service of his country, yet be eternally separated from God in hell because of his sin. I am also excited about reaching Navy families because of the potential to reach the world. Since they are transferred so often, a church has the opportunity to train and send out missionaries at government expense. Therefore, a church can truly have a worldwide impact, by simply reaching those who are close at hand.
3. I am called to serve in Virginia Beach.

What has God called you to do? Every born again Christian has a call upon his or her life, to glorify God. Don't be afraid to step out into the unknown.
His by Grace,
Bert