Church planting in the Dallas area--where next?

[James Nored]

With North Dallas' great demographic growth, there are many opportunities for church planting. When people move into a new area, they are often open to new relationships and religious affiliations. One church planting organization, Mission Alive, has Dallas as one of its major cities for new church plants. Charles Kiser leads one of these plants in Dallas. See In the Storyline. In the Hispanic area, Genesis Alliance, a partnership to plant Hispanic churches, has planted a new church--Iglesia de Cristo, which meets in Plano at the Highland Oaks Church of Christ.

Church planting locations often are determined by the heart and background of the church planters. But setting this aside right now, let's look at location for a moment.

Where do you see that there is a need for a new church plant in the Dallas area?

[Lynn S. Nored]

Also Genesis Alliance is planting a new Hispanic congregation which will meet at the South MacArther location

[Gailyn Van Rheenen]

God was worked through Mission Alive and partnering churches to plant four churches in D-FW. These church plantings are Christ Journey with Chris and Heidi Chappotin in Burleson; New River with Ben and Shannon in partnership with the Kaufman Church of Christ; VineLife with Les and Heatherly McDaniel and Logan and Katy Brown in Savannah (North of Lake Lewisville) with the Singing Oaks Church of Christ; and Storyline with Charles and Julie Kiser and Ryan and Claudia Porche in Uptown Dallas with the South MacArthur and Richland Hills Churches of Christ.

We have also partnered with Sixto Rivera from the very beginning with Genesis Alliance, the Latino church-planting ministry. Sixto came through all three equipping labs of Mission Alive (the Discovery, Theology, and Strategy Labs) and worked closely with us in the planting of the church at Highland Oaks Dallas. We have then worked closely with Sixto in developing parallel Latino labs. Four Latino leaders/families Sixto Rivera, Carlos and Glenda Lopez, Carlos and Gisela Acosta, and Albert and Trisha Acosta have come through all three of these labs. Then we met at our house for many hours discussing equipping of Latino leaders in preparation of developing the Latino labs. After our meetings Sixto was given authority to develop the labs although he consulted with me about many perspectives and details. It has been a joy to be used by God to develop these equipping structures in cooperation with Sixto Rivera. We have been like David and Jonathan, people one in spirit in the mission of God. It took hundreds of hous to develop these labs and I think that God has blessed us. In this process we have enjoyed coupling with Sixto and Genesis Alliance in planting Highland Oaks Plano with the Lopezes. Currently we are working with both Genesis Alliance and Nexus in planting another Latino church in Grand Prairie with Juan Carlos and Hortensia Bautista in partnership with the Duncanville Church of Christ and other supporting churches and agencies.

These are our D-FW chruch plantings.