What is Our Plan for Growth and Multiplication?

We believe God has called us to reach people in our community who need the good new about Jesus in their lives. As workers in the kingdom we sow and water but we know only God makes things grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).

While we have prayerfully constructed a strategy that we believe will result in growth, it is nothing without the power of God and that means it is nothing unless we are in constant prayer about our mission.

We developed a prayer team to keep us focused and to keep our thanksgivings and requests always before God. We are praying for God to open up more neighborhoods in our community for Backyard church plants.

How do we find the people? We don't wait for them to come to us. In the Great Commission at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:19) Jesus told his disciples to "go". He told them that again in Acts 1:8. He told them first to wait for the Holy Spirit to empower them and then to go to the ends of the earth with the good news about Jesus! So we don't think it will work well to sit and wait for people to come to us - although can send anyone He wants to send! We believe a church on mission is a church that is going and making disciples, as Jesus said to do.

As the prayer team prays for the neighborhoods in our community, by name, we are praying for clarity on which neighborhoods to start in. Once we have those neighborhoods identified through prayer, we will begin to connect with the people in the neighborhood through prayer walks/jogs to pray over each home and person we cross paths with. We are looking for what Jesus called in Luke 10, people of peace - those in the community receptive to the message who we can connect with to make inroads into neighborhoods for new Backyard Church plants.

For those who are interested in learning more, we will invite them to the BYC church at the Dabbs' house so they can experience the community. We will invite them into a disciple-making group. And if they want to start one where they live, we will show them how we operate, have them assist us in running BYC at the Dabbs' house and then ultimately go with them to their neighborhood to establish one where they live. Again, all of this is done through prayer and intentional outreach.

Once we have a few people who are starting new plants we will begin further leadership training to keep them maturing in faith, connecting with other leaders, and continue developing a culture of prayer and discipleship.