Ascension Reformed Church

Why Plant a New Church in Moscow?

Introduction

Beginning on Sunday, August 2nd, King’s Cross Church Downtown will be transitioning to a formal church plant named Ascension Reformed Church. In this article, I want to give two reasons for why we are planting this new church, explain our name, and invite you to consider joining in this new effort, as the Lord leads.

The Great Commission

A number of years ago, the elders of Christ Church established the goal of planting twenty churches in forty years in Moscow, Idaho, and on the broader Palouse.

Christ Church has planted Trinity Reformed Church, Valley Covenant Church (Lewiston), King’s Cross Church, Christ the Redeemer Church (Troy), and Living Stone Reformed Church. Additionally, Trinity Reformed Church has planted Emmanuel Reformed Church and Valley Covenant Church has planted Palouse Fellowship. This means that in total there are now seven CREC congregations in our area and a dozen church services. This represents around 10% of Moscow, with about 2,800 like-minded congregants in a town of 27,000 (not including Troy and Lewiston churches).

King’s Cross Church has taken up this same vision and mission, with a goal to plant ten churches in forty years, including one church in our first five years. A year ago we took the first step in this direction, establishing a second service downtown at the Nuart Theater (our first worship space as the original Christ Church Downtown!). Now we are transitioning that service into a church plant, sending from King’s Cross Church myself as minister, David Talcott and Matt Winckler as parish elders, and Stephen Grammer and Mark Stewart as deacons.

Our desire is to make Moscow, Idaho a Christian town, that is, a town filled with joyful Christians who are submitted in all of life to the gracious reign of Jesus Christ. This may sound audacious, but we are just seeking to obey our Lord.

Prior to His ascension, Christ gave His apostles and the church marching orders, in what we now call the Great Commission. He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18–20).

We are promised in Scripture that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” and that “from the rising of the sun, even to its going down” the Lord’s Name will be great among the nations (Hab. 2:14, Mal. 1:11). Therefore, in all of our work here in our families and church community, we are simply believing His promises for our own city and nation, as we do for the whole world.

This work in Moscow will not be accomplished by one church, but by many laboring together. Often when discussing church planting, we typically imagine reaching the next town over (or a city far away) for Christ. In those cases, the point of starting a new church is clear—that town needs a faithful, gospel-proclaiming church and we have the families and resources to establish it. But what about planting new churches alongside your current church in the same town? What is the point of this?

We must understand that the work of the Great Commission is the work of planting and pastoring local churches. We are not simply called to make individual disciples, but to gather together into visible bodies that are part of the one Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12). We see this reality play out in Scripture regarding the early church. As the church quickly grew in size in each city, the believers practically could not meet all in one place by the thousands (at least not regularly). Therefore, synagogues, lecture halls, and homes were used as gathering places for worship. Each of these congregations was individually called a church, and yet despite their separation from one another on one level, they still were constituted as one church in that particular city (Acts 5:11, 8:1). Therefore, the concept of multiple local churches is a biblical one. It is part of God’s plan. Whenever an unbeliever comes into contact with a Christian, they are coming into contact with a member of a specific local congregation (or they ought to be). And each local congregation, as Dr. J.I. Packer once put it, is “called to fulfill the role of being a microcosm of the church as a whole.”

It is also strategic to spread out into many congregations in a single city. A study once showed that 1% of a city’s population will attend church if there is 1 church per 10,000 residents. If the number of churches in a city increases to 1 per 1,000 residents, 15-20% of the population will now attend church. And if the ratio reaches 1 per 500, over 40% of the population will attend church. A resident may or may not have heard of your particular church. But if your church planted five others in different areas of the city, the chances of them coming across a like-minded church naturally increase.

Lastly, establishing additional churches is good stewardship of God’s people and resources. When we multiply pulpits, we are multiplying preachers of the gospel. We are calling men—ministers, elders, and deacons—to take their stand on the walls of Zion, to shepherd another precious flock, and to further cultivate the gifts of the Spirit for the blessing of God’s people. If a church has qualified, equipped, and called men who are eager to lead and serve, it honors the Lord to “send them out”—even if that is just across town—for the sake of His Name.

In summary, the idea of church planting is not ours but the Lord’s. He desires to see not just one megachurch but many local congregations proclaiming the gospel, caring for the needs of the body, reaching their city, and praising His Name across the earth.

Church Size

Speaking of megachurches, we should recognize that church size is an important dynamic. In God’s providence, some congregations grow to be very large, and others remain relatively small. All things considered, if a church is being faithful in its context, this is not a moral issue.

In the mid-1800’s, Charles Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle in London could seat 5,000 people (and did). We still read Spurgeon’s sermons today, and so it is understandable why so many saints were attracted to his ministry. I also know of godly and gifted pastors, such as the late Bob Jennings in Missouri, whose faithful congregations never grew very large. And we must always remember in humility that heaven will be filled with nameless jungle pastors who sacrificed more for Christ and His people than the countless popular preachers we have today.

There are many blessings that come with large churches, as Pastor Toby preached last year. They have the resources to construct buildings, adorn corporate worship with beauty, and concentrate resources for internal and external ministry.

At the same time, it is understandable that some saints find it harder to connect with others in larger churches, and so they naturally seek out smaller fellowships where they can develop more meaningful relationships. While it is our obvious prayer that Ascension Reformed Church will grow both in faithfulness and members, it is true that we will be a smaller congregation when compared to Christ Church or King’s Cross Church, and that can be a strength when it comes to community. But of course we must always remember that when King’s Cross Church began, many new members stated that the smaller size attracted them—and that accomplished creating one of the largest churches in our denomination!

Additionally, while we have grown accustomed to multiple services in Moscow out of necessity, it is my opinion that we should ultimately prefer establishing new congregations as we have the men to lead and the resources to do so, which allows one local body to worship all together at the same time. Especially when any church is imagining three services… only Pastor Doug has the energy to do that!

Therefore, if the Lord blesses all of our various efforts at church planting on the Palouse, we should imagine a landscape filled with a few larger churches alongside a number of smaller ones, each accomplishing God’s particular purpose for them in our city.

Why ‘Ascension’?

So why Ascension Reformed Church? Pastor Toby and I spent about two months kicking around church names, and the planting elders likewise considered a few top names over the past month. We arrived at the name Ascension for the following bullet-point reasons:

• Christ’s ascension is an essential, but sometimes overlooked, part of His salvific work and mission.

• When Christ ascended, He was enthroned as King, seated at the right hand of the Father, poured out His promised Spirit upon the church, and gave gifts to men (Eph. 4:7–16).

• Christ’s ascension is a comfort to every believer.

• Christ’s ascension is taught at length in the Heidelberg Catechism (more than any other part of the Apostles’ Creed).

• It is a meaningful, strong, and theologically rich name.

• It is a historic church name.

• It reminds us of the Great Commission and our eschatological confidence in Christ’s kingship.

• It is a fairly uncommon and memorable name, without being too out there.

You Are Invited

If any of the above intrigues or excites you, you are invited to join us at Ascension Reformed Church. You are welcome to visit for worship and encourage us with your presence, or you are welcome to jump right in. But a warning first.

A few people have asked me what our particular “vision” at Ascension will be… and the best answer I can genuinely give is to continue the work and vision of Christ Church and King’s Cross Church. This is not a lack of vision, but a glad inheritance and desire to continue the work that has been established here for decades in Moscow.

I have lived in Moscow for nearly ten years, studied under Pastor Doug and Pastor Toby, and I am grateful for everything I have learned and continue to learn from my fellow pastors. It is actually painful for me and my family to leave King’s Cross Church to establish this new church—which is a good thing. Therefore, if you are looking for something new, radically different, or one further step away from certain pastors or teachings—you will be disappointed.

Of course, I do recognize that the particular personality and interests of a minister will influence a congregation. And as people gather together, they take on a unique identity, and each church will find itself called to various new ministries given opportunity and gifting. All of this is good. It is great. And I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for this budding congregation. As Pastor Doug has taught, we are not seeking to be just another bottle of Coke from a Coca-Cola factory, but rather wine from another corner of the same vineyard, with our own unique terroir.

But it really is our desire to maintain strong unity with our sending church and broader church community. We will share the same liturgy as King’s Cross Church, except for the sermons (I will be preaching through Philippians for the first two months). When we particularize, Pastor Toby will remain a pro-tem elder at Ascension, and I likewise will remain a pro-tem elder at King’s Cross. And until particularization, your membership will remain at King’s Cross Church, and there is no issue with testing the waters as you desire over the next year.

So as the Lord leads, consider joining us in this new effort for the kingdom here in Moscow. We will begin worshiping as Ascension Reformed Church on August 2nd, 9:30am, at the Nuart Theater.