Inspire, Spring 2009

Cedarville University 21 overheard Tilling the Ground When did you know the Lord was calling you to do this? ■ Earl: In hindsight, I was predestined for it. I came to know the Lord one year before I arrived at Cedarville. I first heard the Gospel from a church planter, Dr. James T. Jeremiah. My home church pastor was a church planter. And I attended Southgate Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio, as a student, where Dr. Joe Stowell ’66 was the church planter. I look back and realize I didn’t have a chance! ■ Jason: Every time I prayed about it, God brought the same song on the radio — “Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns. It’s about having enough faith to get out of the boat and walk on water. One day, when talking to a friend about ministry, I said, “I think God is telling me to plant churches, but the way He is telling me is odd.” Then he asked if I was hearing from God through that very same Casting Crowns song! ■ Scott: I was challenged in seminary to plant churches. Around 2004, I committed to do it through Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their church philosophy was attractive to me. We met with them, and I did a residency there for one year. ■ Michael: It was a process that began in the summer of 2003 with a God-appointed situation. A young man named Chris showed up on the doorstep of the church building. As I talked with him, I learned that he was very spiritual but didn’t claim Jesus as his own. Our conversation caused me to evaluate where I was in my ministry and church. I met with another pastor and said, “Call me crazy, but what if we started a church to reach the Chris’s of this world?” We prayed about it and looked into a church plant organization. What was your vision for a church plant? ■ Earl: America has the largest English-speaking unreached population in the world. My church appeals to drug dealers, alcoholics, and people coming out of homosexual lifestyles. For unchurched people, there are handicaps and barriers we put up that we don’t realize. My vision was to multiply new churches. ■ Jason: Actually, it was never about planting a church. The questions I wrestled with were “What does God want? What is He up to?” He’s calling people to Himself and redeeming them. He wants everyone to hear the Gospel. To me, church planting is a vehicle to accomplish God’s vision. ■ Scott: When I graduated, I felt like God had called me to preach the Gospel but not at a huge church. Then, in seminary, He showed me His love for the local church. Planting came from the idea of wanting to do church the way Jesus wants us to. We are calling believers to trust Jesus and expecting that their hearts will be transformed. “America has the largest English-speaking unreached population in the world. ”