Replanting: Who? (By Thomas Hill)

NOTE: A significant ministry initiative planned for Crestview in 2025 is the replanting of McIntosh Baptist Church. Over three weeks, I am devoting this weekly article to answer questions related to this initiative:

Part 1: Replanting: Why? Why is this a worthy effort?

Part 2: Replanting: How? How will McIntosh be rebirthed?

Today: Replanting: Who? From where will the members of this new church come?

The final question in this series is this: From where will the members of the new McIntosh Baptist Church come? Should you consider being part of this new work?

The aim in this effort is for Crestview, our sister FRBA churches, and other interested churches to send members to join the new church. I am praying for three to five Crestview families to commit to this new work. Once McIntosh is established and functioning, the hope is for the Lord to add to the church as the members carry out the church’s biblical purposes. Initially, though, the plant team should be comprised of healthy, mature believers from sister churches. However, joining the replant team will not be for everyone, so keep reading to see if this may be right for you.

As I wrote in last week’s article, a church is formed when believers intentionally covenant together before the Lord to practice what he reveals his church to be. They promise to rightly practice the ordinances and truly proclaim God’s word. They promise to love and encourage one another’s discipleship. Together, then, they carry out the Lord’s purposes for his church: worship, fellowship, evangelism, disciple-making, and mission.

Six questions to help you consider joining the plant team for McIntosh:

1.Are you already actively involved with Crestview?

The members of the plant team for McIntosh should be composed of those who are already committed and involved in their church. Though there will be some differences, the ministry philosophy and schedule of the new church will be similar to Crestview’s. If you struggle with active involvement with Crestview, then joining McIntosh is not for you.

2. Do you understand and appreciate Crestview’s beliefs and philosophy of ministry?

McIntosh will share the same statement of faith as Crestview: Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Crestview shares most all the distinctives of McIntosh’s ministry philosophy. If you struggle with Crestview’s beliefs and philosophy of ministry, then joining McIntosh is not for you.

3. Does being part of a smaller church with an abundance of service opportunities sound exciting?

I am praying for at least fifty members to comprise the plant team (not all from Crestview). McIntosh may be a quarter of the size of Crestview when it launches this September. Those on the plant team will need to step up and serve in a variety of ways, from loving fellow members to assisting with services to cleaning toilets and mowing the lawn. Do you foresee your family thriving in such an arrangement? If you foresee struggling in a church smaller than Crestview with rudimentary service needs, then joining McIntosh is not for you.

4. Are you already a joyful, faithful giver?

As Crestview does, McIntosh will depend on the faithful, joyful giving of its members. Those who join the plant team should enthusiastically support the work financially. If you currently struggle to support Crestview financially, then joining McIntosh is not for you.  

5. Can you envision sitting under Daniel Sanderson’s preaching and leadership?

This Sunday, Jan 26, you will have the opportunity to hear Daniel Sanderson preach with Crestview. Between now and September, he will host a variety of information sessions and invest time with the prospective plant team. Those who are considering joining should invest time in getting to know Daniel by participating in these gatherings. If you foresee yourself struggling under Daniel’s preaching and leadership, then joining McIntosh is not for you. To learn more about Daniel and the replanting meetings, check out: McIntosh Replant Site

6. Have you discussed your potential interest with your current pastor and Daniel Sanderson?

If you are considering joining the McIntosh replant, Crestview members should discuss this with me sooner rather than later. I welcome the opportunity to prayerfully consider this decision together. Crestview’s elders and church hope to commission several families to join the work. You should also make your interest known to Daniel. If, over the coming months, you find yourself answering six questions in the affirmative, then the Spirit may be guiding you to become part of the McIntosh replant.

As you can see, joining the McIntosh replant is a high call. It is for those who desire to be local “missionaries” endeavoring to establish a new healthy church. Those who wish to join will, in time, be affirmed by Daniel and the elders of the new McIntosh church and commissioned by Crestview, or their current church, for this mission.

Undoubtedly, the vast majority of Crestview members will remain in our church. For those staying at Crestview, how can you encourage the replant of McIntosh?

• PRAY for the Lord to bless the replanting of McIntosh Baptist Church.

• SEND out members well. Encourage them as they prepare to depart in the coming months and look to fill the holes they leave behind in our church family.

• GIVE to Crestview. Our 2025 ministry budget includes monthly support for the McIntosh replant. As you support Crestview, you are enabling us to undergird this new work together. 

• SERVE as needs arise. There will be opportunities to serve by aiding in tangible ways, such as work projects around the McIntosh church campus.

Join me in praying for several families from Crestview and from sister churches in the region to join this new work. Though most of us will remain with Crestview, there are valuable ways we can all support the replanting of the new McIntosh Baptist Church. May our Lord strengthen Crestview, and may his kingdom come and will be done in Griffin and Spalding as it is in heaven.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Replanting: How? (By Thomas Hill)

NOTE: A significant ministry initiative planned for Crestview in 2025 is the replanting of McIntosh Baptist Church. Over three weeks, I am devoting this weekly article to answer questions related to this initiative:

Last Week: Replanting: Why? Why is this a worthy effort?

Today: Replanting: How? How will McIntosh be rebirthed?

Jan 20: Replanting: Who? From where will the members of this new church come?

How will those involved carry out the replanting of McIntosh Baptist Church? How will it be rebirthed?

With Reliance on the Lord

Scripture reveals that the Lord establishes and strengthens his church for his glory and purposes in the world. After Peter confesses Jesus' Lordship, Jesus declares, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16:18). Jesus, therefore, promises to expand and guard his church. Paul teaches the church in Ephesus that "Through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph 3:10). God’s wisdom, then, shows forth in the world through local churches. Paul instructs Timothy that the local church is the Lord’s priority: “I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim 3:14-15). The local church protects and proclaims the truth the living Lord has revealed. The Lord highly regards his church and has given birth to it for his glory.

Most fundamentally, then, the replanting of McIntosh Baptist Church must be the Lord’s work carried out through his people. He must bless, build, and sustain it. It is our responsibility, then, to rely upon him by utilizing his ordained means for this work. We must pray. Will you pray daily for this effort to honor the Lord and thrive? We must diligently follow Scripture, employ sound doctrine, and apply wisdom. We must keep in step with the Holy Spirit. Then, we must give time, money, service, and members to this work. After all, Jesus warned, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

With a Clarity about the Nature of the Church

One potential hindrance to replanting can be fuzziness about what a local church is. A local church is not established by having a building, a website, a worship service, evangelism, or even a crowd—as vital as these may be. A church is formed when believers intentionally covenant together before the Lord to practice what the Lord reveals a church to be. They promise to rightly practice the ordinances and truly proclaim the word. They promise to love and encourage one another’s discipleship. Together, then, they carry out the Lord’s purposes for his church: worship, fellowship, evangelism, disciple-making, and mission. Throughout the process of replanting McIntosh, there will be clarity about the nature of the church.

With Cooperation from Multiple Churches

Replanting McIntosh will be the united effort of many Baptist churches united in the gospel. Primarily, the forty-five churches of the Flint River Baptist Associational Network are leading the way. We also expect other churches from outside our immediate area to support the work. All these churches will contribute in varied ways according to their abilities. The initial members of the new McIntosh will, likewise, come from these cooperating churches. A few will be sent from here and a few from there. My prayer is that the church will covenant in September with fifty initial members commissioned from sister churches in the region.

With a Purposeful Process

The replanting effort will follow a purposeful process that, Lord willing, will birth a new McIntosh Baptist Church this September.

INTEREST MEETINGS: From January to March, Daniel Sanderson, McIntosh's new pastor, will conduct interest meetings for anyone interested in learning more. At these meetings, he will describe the vision and process of the replant. These interest meetings will be the primary season for recruiting potential members.

PLANT TEAM FORMATION: From April to August, Daniel will begin meeting regularly with those who have the most interest in potentially joining the new church. Together, this group will start considering what it means to be a church together.

COVENANTING: In September, those in the plant team who desire to be initial members of the church will covenant together to be the new McIntosh Baptist Church.

PUBLIC GATHERINGS: The Sunday following covenanting, the church will start public worship gatherings and functioning as a church.

To learn more about Daniel and the replanting process, check out the McIntosh Replant Site.

As McIntosh Baptist Church is replanted, our aim is to rely upon the Lord, remain clear about the nature of the church, cooperate with sister churches, and follow a purposeful process. As we do, our aim is that all our churches will show forth the manifold wisdom of God.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Replanting: Why? (By Thomas Hill)

A significant ministry initiative planned for Crestview in 2025 is the replanting of McIntosh Baptist Church. Over the next three weeks, I am devoting this weekly article to answer questions related to this initiative:

Today: Replanting: Why? Why is this a worthy effort?

Jan 13: Replanting: How? How will McIntosh be rebirthed?

Jan 20: Replanting: Who? From where will the members of this new church come?

Why is replanting McIntosh Baptist Church a worthy effort? I will answer this question on several fronts. First, I will provide some background.

Background

McIntosh Baptist Church, founded in 1894, has a long history on the north side of Griffin. The Lord worked through this church over the past decades to affect many lives in our region – including some of our own Crestview members. However, for a variety of reasons, the church fell into steady decline over many years. Participation dwindled to an average of fifteen people, which pressed the church to consider its future viability. Crestview’s elders were instrumental in guiding McIntosh to entrust the Flint River Baptist Association to replant the church. In May 2024, the church made the unanimous kingdom-minded decision to continue the vision and purpose of the church through replanting. The church held its last gathering in December.

The goal of replanting is to fold the church’s remaining assets into a completely new church that will gather in the same location. The new McIntosh Baptist Church will have new leadership, new members coming from sister churches, and a fresh vision of ministry. Former members may choose to join the new church or move on to other local churches. Daniel Sanderson will serve as the replanting pastor. Throughout the winter and spring, he will promote the replant within the association, assemble a replant team of initial members, reconstitute the church, and launch public gatherings in September 2025 (Lord willing).

Biblical Reasons for Replanting:

Most importantly, there are sound biblical reasons for starting – and replanting - new churches. The storyline of Acts proves that the local church is the instrument of God’s mission in the world. For example, we read in Acts how the church of Ephesus was planted through gospel preaching and subsequently started other churches: The word of God is preached in Ephesus (11:19-20); people believe (11:21-26); the church gathers and grows (11:26); the church sends out missionaries (13:1-3); and the cycle of church planting starts afresh in Asia Minor (Acts 14 and beyond). The mission of the church is to start new churches through the preaching of the gospel and conversion of unbelievers. There are many more biblical reasons, but the storyline of Acts is considerable evidence for starting new churches.

Practical Reasons:

There are several practical reasons for replanting McIntosh. First, the former members of the church wanted to see this work carried out. Without kingdom-minded members who were willing to trust their association of sisters FRBA churches, this would not be possible. Second, the church has a highly visible facility on Highway 92 that features a beautiful 150-seat worship center and various other spaces. It needs maintenance and updating, but the campus can be a superb ministry tool for a new, healthy church for decades to come. Third, this is our opportunity to save a church facility for kingdom use. If replanting does not occur, the campus would likely be sold and lost for church use. Due to zoning, resistance, and expense, churches are increasingly finding it challenging to obtain facilities in which to gather. By replanting McIntosh, we are capitalizing on the investment that generations of members made to establish their campus as a beachhead for Christ's kingdom in our region.

Demographic Reasons:

We have done the demographic research, and it reveals that a new, healthy church is needed in north Griffin. Within a 5-mile radius of McIntosh (and Crestview!) live 45,000 people. We estimate that 80% of the people are unbelievers, which is 36,000! Individuals will generally drive no more than 10 minutes, or 5 miles, to gather with a church. Compare these facts to the estimated combined seating capacity of all existing churches within a 5-mile radius of the McIntosh campus: 5,000 seats. So, yes, there is plenty of room in the harvest field for at least one more new, healthy church to reach the tens of thousands in our community who are are lost in sin. What's more, we are not adding a new church facility; we are saving one from being lost to this mission!

Cooperative Reasons:

First, the Lord calls us to cooperate with sister churches in the great commission. Churches are independent yet interdependent. Again, see the example in Acts: the church in Jerusalem sent both Barnabas and then Saul to serve the newly formed church in Ephesus (Acts 11). They were later, then, commissioned to start other churches in Asia Minor.

The Lord is not likely to win our region to himself through Crestview alone; our community is too populated. We must not stand in competition with other churches but in cooperation – rejoicing to see them preach the gospel and grow. Frankly, I believe that Crestview’s future will be found in leading the charge to plant, replant, and revitalize sister churches in the Griffin/Spading region and beyond. McIntosh is only the first, I pray, of many. I have little desire to see our church build more extensive facilities when the opportunities for replanting and revitalizing sister churches are so abundant (and cost-effective).

Second, we are one of many churches that are cooperating to replant McIntosh. Woolsey Baptist, Pinecrest Church, and First Baptist Zebulon are providing significant leadership and financial support. The forty-five churches of the FRBA are collaborating in this work. Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Sandy Springs is sending a pastor and, potentially, more members. Christ Memorial Church in Vermont is sending a team of fifty-six members on a construction mission trip in February. The bottom line: we are not doing this alone, but we must do our part.

Conclusion:

Why should McIntosh be replanted? I have laid out a handful of biblical, practical, demographic, and cooperative reasons. We could develop many more motives. Still, this much is clear: there are many solid reasons for Crestview to support replanting McIntosh.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas