To know Jesus Christ,
to serve him in joyful obedience, and make him known
by growing disciples, planting churches and
renewing communities.
We are intentional about beginning new congregations in and around the St. Louis area and beyond. We make this a high priority because:
- It is one of the most effective ways to introduce people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- It creates environments to empower and grow new leaders for Kingdom purposes.
- We believe that smaller community churches which focus on local neighborhood clusters have a greater positive impact on their part of the city.
- New church plants create opportunities for the members of the planting church to partner with and nurture the people going to the new location.
To date we have had the opportunity to be a part of planting new congregations in Webster Groves, Missouri (Riverside Church) and Columbia, Missouri (The Crossing). And let's not forget our friend Rev. Kirk Adkisson and his new congregation in Boulder, Colorado (All Souls Church of Boulder).
Plans are in motion for the next church plant in the Lafayette Square District of St. Louis city.
The Apostle Paul spoke to the nature of the church when in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 he explained, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." For Christians, planting a church is an act of faithful obedience, the growth of which is dependent upon no one else but God. It requires the sacrificial commitment of impassioned disciples, but it is God alone who propels His Kingdom forward. It is a Spirit-filled endeavor that often, interestingly, works in and through the ordinary means of our culture and society. The bride of Christ worships in middle schools, store fronts, movie theaters, and old strip clubs. It's beautifully ironic, yet staggeringly symbolic. The promises set forth for the church and her mission in this world necessitate that she engage an unbelieving world on its terms and on its turf. It's called missional evangelism and it is the primary means by which an urban church plant will take root and grow.
Within missional evangelism there is a spectrum of methodology. At one end is "attractional" and at the other, "incarnational." Very basically, the difference between the two is this: make the people come to you (attractional) or go to the people (incarnational). In attractional evangelism the emphasis is on the main program (Sunday morning). The goal is to create an engaging and creative worship service with great music, multi-media presentations, and seeker-sensitive preaching that reflects the parlance of the day. In incarnational evangelism the emphasis is on relationships. It's about long-term investment in a community in which disciples engage the lost where they are - through the opportunities afforded by that particular community (neighborhood barbeques, softball leagues, dog-walking clubs, etc.). Over time, as the gospel penetrates people's hearts and the lost are converted, the church begins to grow and take shape and an indigenous community of believers takes root that reflects its particular context.
To be sure, there were both attractional and incarnational elements to Jesus' ministry. Rather than argue for one method over another, suffice it to say they both have their place and the Spirit of God works mightily through His church in myriad ways. And as we seek to plant a church in the heart of St. Louis it will be imperative that we approach this work with great humility. It has been said that Christians often go to the city to spread the news about Jesus, but what they actually find is that the city teaches them about the gospel. St. Louis is no different; in fact, it offers a unique set of challenges.
In 2002, there were 49 cities in the United States with a population of 1 million people or more. In a study conducted by economist and public policy expert Richard Florida, four indexes (the Gay Index, the Bohemian Index, the Melting Pot Index, and a measure of the level of racial integration) were used to establish a city's "Tolerance Index" or, in other words, how open a city is to these different population dynamics. Out of the 49 cities studied, St. Louis ranked last on the overall "Tolerance Index." This means that we live in one of the most segregated places in the United States when it comes to homosexuality, race, and minorities in general. And if the 232 years of our country's history has taught us anything it is that human institutions (namely government programs) cannot and will not solve the problem of segregation and division. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ that can bring harmony to disunity, divided communities together, and people of different backgrounds into the same family.
The mission of Greentree Community Church is and will always be: To know Jesus Christ and to serve Him in joyful obedience by growing disciples, planting churches, and renewing communities. This year we have the opportunity to further the vision with which God has blessed us as we seek to plant a church in the city of St. Louis with its hub of operations in Lafayette Square. As we seek to develop gospel-centered community, we must do the patient and persistent work of making the necessary inroads into this urban culture which requires a significant investment of our time and resources. In the end, it is our hope and prayer that, as we incarnate the gospel among a lost and broken world, a community of believers will begin to coalesce at the cross in such a transforming way that the rest of the community would be attracted to it like a magnet. God wants to change this city for His glory. He wants to redeem the heart of St. Louis by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe the God of the universe wants to plant this church. How will you be involved?
Mike Werkheiser
Church Planting Contacts
Mike Werkheiser, Assistant Pastor, 314.909.9197 x 114
Lisa Haase, 314.909.9197 x 103