CHURCH PLANTING IN THE TWIN CITIES:
Monroe & West Monroe, Louisiana
We long to see a regional church planting ministry begun in Monroe, LA, where people of all walks of life are being reached for Christ, renewed in Christ, and shepherded to serve in His Kingdom. Jesus cried out in John 7:37-38, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Oh to see a new Gospel work where sinners find in Christ alone the fountain of living waters and then overflow in God-centered worship, in “one-anothering” community, and on His mission to engage all areas of this city with the Gospel of the Kingdom, especially to seek and to save the lost. Will you consider partnering with this endeavor through committed prayer, financial giving, and networking?
Oh to see a new Gospel work where sinners find in Christ alone the fountain of living waters and then overflow in God-centered worship, in “one-anothering” community, and on His mission to engage all areas of this city with the Gospel of the Kingdom, especially to seek and to save the lost. Will you consider partnering with this endeavor through committed prayer, financial giving, and networking?
Why plant a new church?
- Church planting is the apostolic, God-prescribed pattern to “gather and perfect” His people where there is no witness.
- Church Planting is the most effective way of reaching unbelievers in a given area.
WHY MONROE?
Monroe, LA |
The Twin Cities area of Ouachita Parish, encompasses Monroe and West Monroe and has a population of just over 156,000. It is the largest population center for Northeast Louisiana and is the second largest city in Mississippi Valley Presbytery. Monroe acts as the “hub-city” for Northeast Louisiana, in which there are currently two PCA churches.
According to the Pew Research Center data, the percentage of the population of Louisiana who is unaffiliated or not involved with an evangelical Protestant church is 73%!* This makes for a large percentage of a given population, including Monroe, to be either unchurched or “de-churched” or “under-churched.” This speaks volumes of the need for a Reformed, Gospel-shaped witness in Monroe. *Other research gives similar results. According to the American Church Research Project for Louisiana, 15% attend an evangelical Protestant church, 1% attend a mainline denomination, 10% are Roman Catholic, with 75% having no affiliation. This implies also that the “Bible Belt” is one of the faster growing places for religious ‘nones.” VISION & GOALS
PROJECTED TIMELINEYear One (June 2019 – May 2020) On-Field Apprenticeship & Initial Groundwork - Move to Monroe and begin befriending neighbors and learning the life of the area. The focus will be on support-raising & prayer-team building, networking, hosting people in our home, and shaping evangelism & ministry strategies in local context. In the new year, we hope to begin small groups. When there is a definable group of seriously interested families & persons for a church plant, we may begin gathering as a core group and having informational meetings.
Year Two (June 2020 – May 2021) Core Group Gathering & Launch Phase - Begin (or continue) informational meetings, evangelistic bible study and core group gathering, development & equipping, and evaluating for “launching” benchmarks. When the Lord has gathered 50 or more people, we will enter a 2 to 3 month “launch phase,” during which we will continue to work out our mission. We hope to launch publically on Easter 2021. Year Three (June 2021-May 2022) Expansion, Development, Engagement - Staffing expands as possible, as well as ministries and missional engagement. We hope to focus on leadership development and Elder training, looking forward to particularization and identification for a second church plant. |
MEET THE BOND FAMILYHarris Bond, a native of Yazoo City, MS, has been involved in pastoral ministry for 15 years. He is a graduate of Auburn University and Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC (M.Div.). While serving as the Assistant Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Belzoni, MS he met Laura Beth Shields, a graduate of Delta State University who was then living & working in the Jackson area. They married in 2008 and just 3 months later moved to Sylacauga, Alabama where Harris served as the Pastor of Knollwood Presbyterian Church. After 10+ years of proclaiming Christ and serving among a community they love--and three kids later!—they have seen the Lord equipping them and calling them back to the Delta through the Presbytery of Mississippi Valley to the work of Church Planting. They have a passion for the Gospel, the local church and the university setting through their home churches and their love for RUF.
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“As the father sent me, even so i am sending you."
John 20:21
THE NEED FOR PARTNERS
- Prayer Partners: Church planting, like all of Gospel ministry, can only happen by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are looking for people and churches to commit to fervently praying for the Holy Spirit to be poured out at every step of the church planting process.
- Financial Partners: We are seeking to raise $400,000 in start-up capital over a 3 year period to help fund this new work in Louisiana. Will you prayerfully consider partnering with us financially to launch the Monroe Church Plant? You may give monthly gifts, annual gifts, or a one-time gift by visiting www.pcamna.org.
- Networking Partners: If you know people who are interested in the growth of the Kingdom and church planting in Monroe; people who live in Monroe who may be interested in such a work; ULM students - please gather their contact information and share with us, we would love to meet them!
FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP GOALS
The Presbytery of the Mississippi Valley has committed seed funds to help begin the new work. We are seeking partnering churches and individuals to reach these additional goals:
Harris will be starting full-time on June 1, 2019. Gifts received prior to that date will be directed towards start-up and monthly needs of the project.
HOW TO GIVE
We have established an account through the Presbyterian Church in America’s Mission to North America. All gifts are tax deductible, and no gift will be assessed a processing fee, with 100% of your support going directly to the Monroe Church Plant. You can give monthly gifts, annual gifts, or a one-time gift. There are three ways for you to invest in the Monroe Church Plant:
BY MAIL
Mission to North America PO Box 890233 Charlotte, NC 28289-0233 Please make checks payable to ”Mission to North America.” Church Plant name should be clearly designated: Monroe Church Plant / Monroe, LA/ Harris Bond |
DONATION OF STOCK
For information on how to give stock, please visit here or email MNA directly at mnastock@pcanet.org or call (678) 825-1213. |
CONTACT US
If you would like more information or if your church would like to schedule a visit with Harris Bond,
you may contact him by email (harris.bond@gmail.com) or call 256.487.2730.
you may contact him by email (harris.bond@gmail.com) or call 256.487.2730.