Why Start Another Church?

Currently, there are 47 churches in Bend, Oregon. Does this city really need another one? After all, starting a church, or “church planting,” is risky. There’s no guarantee that Resurrection Anglican will become all that we envision it becoming. So, why take such a risk when there are already so many churches here? 

To start, there is only 1 church for every 2,000+ people who live in Bend. That means Bend needs more churches to reach more people! I like what Fr. Dan Alger says in his book, Word & Sacrament:

“If the gospel is the hope of the world and is the life and mission of the church, then more local churches means more embodied gospel. It is as simple as that. We plant churches because more local churches means more disciples, more evangelism, more worship, more tangible expression of the kingdom of God.” 

As Christians, we should rejoice in the work of starting new churches because it amounts to God receiving more praise and adoration within the context of worship! And, it means more people have the opportunity to be brought into that worship and discover true life in Christ.

So then the question becomes, why are Fr. Kyle and Chelsea choosing to church plant? The only way to answer that is by emphasizing this calling God has placed on us. God has called us to partner with him to do this challenging and vulnerable work. For us, the risk was not planting a church. Namely, the risk of ignoring God’s call. And we pray that we’ll never become deaf to his voice. And so, we go forward with fear and trembling—and a lot of excitement. We cannot wait to see the community that God will build in this church.

If you’re interested in joining this new Kingdom work, reach out to me through our website or email me directly at kyle@rezbend.com. There are plenty of ways you can partner with us in starting Resurrection Anglican. I’d love to hear from you!  

Peace,

Fr. Kyle