Charles Spurgeon, in his book “The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life," writes:

        “Do not bring before God stinted petitions and narrow desires, but remember, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are His ways above your ways and His thoughts above your thoughts. Ask, therefore, after a Godlike fashion, for great things, for you are before a great throne.” 

In God’s amazing kindness, you and I get to come before his “great throne” and ask Him for “great things”. It’s an astounding reality, and so here are some ways you can be praying for our Global work over the next month…

1. Please pray for Dave York (Lead Pastor of Covenant Life Fellowship, OR, US) as he and his wife, Jill, head to the Philippines October 12th-21st, to serve our churches there. It will be a busy time for Dave, as he heads to both Manila and Cebu, with a full schedule containing time with pastoral candidates, preaching in two churches and two leadership summits, and facilitating a SGC Philippines Pastors & Wives Retreat. May it be a sweet time for everyone involved.

2. Please pray for Eric Turbedsky (Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Orange) and Riley Spring (Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta) as they lead our very first SGC Australia Men’s Conference, October 18th-19th. With many men signed up, please pray this will be a rich time of fellowship and learning, all under the banner of ‘Christ Our Captain’.

3. Please continue to pray for the six Pakistani Pastors who are presently in our ordination process, and meeting monthly for discipleship and discussion. These men are the leadership group of five specific churches, and representative of over four hundred. So much begins with them and so please be praying for them, and for much wisdom for the ordination committees and leaders.

4. Please pray for the SG European area, as they meet during the Pastors Conference to discuss how to strengthen their relationships and what a future European BCO could look like. As the European area grows, three churches are pursuing candidacy: Calvary Galway (Galway, Ireland - Led by Ray Clancy), Iglesia Gracia Soberana (Santander, Spain - Led by Norman Pedd),and Chiesa Grazia e Verità (Catania, Italy - Led by Giuseppe Fortuna). Additionally, Pat Tedeschi will be moving to London in the New Year to lead Oasis International Church into SG partnership. So please pray for wisdom, provision, and a strong interdependency among these SG Europe churches, as well as Ed O’Mara, as he continues to lead as our SGC Area Leader for Europe.

5. Please pray for our missionaries in Thailand, as they move towards starting a Church. Incredibly, God seems to have opened some doors and be bringing pieces together to make this a reality. With services tentatively beginning, please be praying for them, for wisdom and for much grace for everyone involved. This is a very exciting development for our work there and as our missionary recently told me, “Honestly, all I can say is this is ALL God.”

6. Finally, please pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities, workplaces and on our campuses over this next month. You don’t have to be overseas to be on mission. May we all be on mission, wherever the Lord has us today.

... Thanks friends. Together, may we take these “great things” and head to His “great throne.”

An update from Dave Taylor, Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney and Director of Global Missions for Sovereign Grace Churches...

August was a very sweet month for me, in that over a stretch of twelve days, I got to visit both Zambia & Namibia to seek to do all that I can to strengthen our work there... And what a sweet time it was!

First up was Zambia, where I was warmly greeted at the airport by Ector Makaliki (Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church) and his leadership team. I have known about Christ Community Church for many years, remembering when the late Wilbroad Chanda actually planted the church some fifteen years ago, and so to finally be with them was such a joy. I found the church to be exactly what I had expected: joyful, gracious, encouraging, zealous, gospel-centred, to name but a few.

The Sunday gathering was a highlight, to finally be with the gathered saints of CCC. Their unwavering expressiveness in song will always remain with me, what a wonderful picture of heaven they are. Likewise gathering with all of their leadership group and seeing their heart for the lost, both locally and globally was such an encouragement to me. CCC was the first church in Africa to be in full partnership with Sovereign Grace as an Emerging Nation Church, something it was a joy to remind them of and celebrate with them about.

During my stay I also got to spend some time with Zicky Chanda and her son, Penjani Chanda, as we toured the work of Covenant Mercies together, and in particular the work of Lighthouse Christian School. It’s been nearly 20 years now since this school was founded, serving over 400 children in the area, many of whom are orphans and are able to attend through Covenant Mercies sponsorships. It is an outstanding ministry and one I’m thrilled we get to partner with.

Then on my last day in Zambia, I got to open their Youth Conference, made up of young people from CCC, as well as their friends. As they camped out at a farm, it was so good to see and hear of their zeal for the Lord. It was a wonderful conclusion to my time in Zambia.

I then made my way to Namibia, where I was picked up by Josh Kruger (Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Windhoek). Josh & Lieze Kruger have lived in Windhoek for many years, relating to Sovereign Grace for well over a decade, and back in 2023 they actually relocated to the US for a year of training, discipleship and our ordination process. After a successful time in the US, they then returned to Windhoek in early 2024, where they have begun to gather a Church Planting Team together, that I then got to spend time with during my time in town.

For me personally, it took me down memory lane, to when Emma and I moved from the UK to Australia to plant Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney, back in 2010. Now in 2024, it was so special to be with Josh, Lieze and the gathering planting team.

With lots of questions and a keen ear, it was good to be able to serve Josh as he continues to put the necessary foundations in ahead of the public launch of Sovereign Grace Church, Windhoek. Josh is an outstanding leader and I sincerely look forward to seeing what God does in and through this Church in the days ahead. From everything I saw, I’d say the future looks very bright here, for which the Lord deserves all the glory.

For the Audience of One. Soli Deo Gloria!

An update from Pat Tedeschi, Pastor in Greentree Church, Egg Harbor, USA, and soon-to-be Pastor in London, UK…

Last month Greentree Church in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, sent a short-term missions team to work with the Oasis International Church in London, England. The team was led by myself and was made up of five other members from three different Sovereign Grace churches; Deb Subin and Kappy Huber from Greentree Church, NJ, James Wolstenholme, elder at Mercy Gate Church in Philadelphia, PA and Phil and Scarlett Cornell from Cornerstone Church in Knoxville, TN.

For the last 18 years, Greentree has been partnering with the Oasis Church and its founding pastor Randy Lawler. Randy and his wife Margie have headed up a work of evangelism and church planting among Muslims in London for the last 47 years. I have had the privilege of being closely associated with the Lawlers and the Oasis Church for more than two decades. 

For a number of years now the elders and members of Greentree Church have been praying for others who would come alongside the Lawlers to help them with this work. 

Pastor of Oasis Church, Randy Lawler and his wife Margie.

The Lawlers are in their late 70’s now and are no longer able to develop the work any further on their own. A few years ago, my wife Dana and I, began talking and praying seriously about the potential of making a full-time move to London to work with Randy and Margie and the church there. 

We presented this to the other elders at Greentree, to our region in the Northeast, and to Sovereign Grace’s Global Missions Director, Dave Taylor. All of them affirmed and supported us in this idea, including the goal of seeing the Oasis Church become adopted into our family of churches and other SG churches planted from there.  

You may ask, "why London?".  There are over 350 languages spoken in London, along with dozens of religions practiced there. There are over 9 million people there, and over 1.3 million of those people are from Muslim backgrounds. And then there are over 3 million others from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, and secular/atheist European backgrounds.

Much of the world is represented in this one city! A significant percentage of these are from the least-evangelized people groups in the world. So there is a significant opportunity to bring the Gospel to many who have had little or no opportunity to hear a clear teaching of the message of Jesus Christ.

An Oasis Church worship service.

At this point the Oasis Church is made up of primarily Iranian refugees who have left Islam and converted to Christianity. Randy and I have a vision to see the outreach of the church extend to many other nationalities and people groups that are in the community of the church.

Lord willing, Myself and Dana are hoping to move to London in January 2025, where I will be a pastor along with Randy and will be involved in preaching and teaching, leadership development, and growing areas of outreach and discipleship. Dana will be involved in areas of women’s ministry, hospitality, and worship. 

For the last six months, Randy and I, along with our SG Europe Area Leader - Ed O’Mara, have been working to plan and strategize to get us there and to carry out this ministry vision for the Oasis Church. 

Iranian believers sharing their testimonies before being baptized.

The apostle Paul wrote, "How will they call on him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:14).

For years this verse has preoccupied my thoughts, prayers, and ministry. Although there are faithful gospel preaching churches in London, there are still millions of the least-evangelized people groups who have not yet heard the Gospel. We are so excited to be in a family of churches that wants to be a part of reaching these people groups!

As we prepare to go, we would so appreciate your prayers, with three primary prayer requests in mind:

1. That the Lord will provide visas to move there.

2. That the Lord would provide all of the finances that we need to live and develop the church ministry.

3. That the Lord would bring others who might be willing to come and join us in this work.

If you would like to receive updates on the ministry of the Tedeschis in London, you can click here.

Pat and Dana Tedeschi from Greentree Church, New Jersey.

An update from Carlos Contreras, Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and National Leader for SGC Mexico...

God’s grace was again manifest in our recent Fieles Pastors and Leaders Conference in Juárez, Mexico. As in past years, our goal of serving Latin American leaders by preaching on biblical themes relevant to helping us serve our Lord faithfully in ministry was wonderfully accomplished. Our theme this year was “The Pastor’s Call to a Godly Life” with the participation of our guest speakers that included Dr. Mike Bullmore from Kenosha, WI and Pastor Juan Sanchez from Austin, TX who served us well by preaching and teaching a workshop each. We also had our own Executive Director, Mark Prater who preached a very encouraging message on "The Praying Pastor" and Jeff Purswell who opened and closed our conference with two excellent and challenging messages. 

I am amazed by the number of our attendees who have made coming to our Fieles Conference a yearly occurrence, but whom are not pastors of a Sovereign Grace church. Some have mentioned to me that they consider their time here as a yearly retreat, returning home refreshed and encouraged. This is one reason why this conference exists, not just to equip national pastors from our own family of churches, but also to give by grace to others, what we have received by grace so richly over the years. So many leaders throughout the world have never experienced the grace, encouragement and teaching that we have been so graciously gifted by Christ for decades! Fieles is a means for Sovereign Grace to give to others from the abundance of our legacy.

One highlight of our time was the launching of the newest Spanish Sovereign Grace Music worship album, Conocer a Dios, which is the Spanish version of the recent Knowing God album in English. Fabrizio Rodulfo who serves alongside Bob Kauflin in Sovereign Grace Music, gave a wonderful introduction to the album and we were able to teach and sing several songs from the new album during our worship sessions. SG Music in Spanish is one of the most powerful means that God is using to allow Sovereign Grace to bless and serve the Spanish speaking world with the gifts with which he has blessed us for so many years. It is having a very broad and amazing impact throughout Latin America. 

We also took the opportunity on Saturday to ordain two new pastors from Gracia Soberana Ciudad Juarez. Edgar Flores, a recent graduate of the SG Pastors College and Cuauhtemoc Campos who has served now for several years as our executive pastor, were ordained the day after the conference with the participation of local pastors as well as Mike Bullmore and Mark Prater. This was a wonderful local celebration with many guests that stayed over from the conference.

We have made the decision to not host a Fieles Conference in 2025. This will allow us to take a whole year to pray, evaluate and plan for the future as we also try other events and venues to serve the many churches spread out in Sovereign Grace Mexico. We ask that you pray for direction and wisdom for our National Leadership team as we consider these plans. We hope that by doing this, we will be more effective in serving present and future leaders in our country as well as in others.

Soli Deo Gloria!

An update from Josh Montague, SGC Pastoral Candidate at Cross of Grace Church, Chaska, USA, and Director of Expository Training at Training Leaders International…

In early September, Greg Dirnberger (Sioux Falls, SD) and I, traveled with five other instructors to a conference center southeast of Manila to train 30 Filipino pastors and pastors-to-be in understanding and communicating Scripture.

Half of this group is affiliated with Sovereign Grace and thus shares a central value of expository preaching, meaning that the message of the sermon should be the message of the biblical text. As SG continues to expand in the Philippines, the need for pastors who faithfully preach the gospel of Jesus Christ from any part of the Scriptures also grows. Dave York (Roseburg, OR), Dave Taylor (Director of Global Missions), and others have invested hundreds of hours in training these pastors theologically and many have now been ordained as elders. Yet further training in biblical interpretation and communication is necessary as these men seek to faithfully lead the church in the Philippines.

The first of nine courses taught in partnership with Training Leaders International, where I serve as the Director of Expository Training, is entitled ‘Knowing God, Scripture, and Ourselves.’ Three of the highly interactive lessons in this course cover the nature of the Scriptures: (a) their trustworthiness and authority, (b) their diversity (different styles of writing, different time periods, different authors, etc.), and (c) their unity in pointing to the reconciling work of Jesus from Genesis through Revelation.

One pastor is scheduled to preach Exodus 30 in his church later this year. Early in the week, discussion began regarding how this passage full of taxation codes and rules about tabernacle furnishings for Israel’s worship could possibly point to Jesus. It’s not obvious or simple, but as we discussed Israel’s worship, the holiness of God, and the surprising access granted to his people through the sacrificial worship in the tabernacle, some themes and ideas began to emerge. Jesus (God-in-flesh) also displays God’s holiness. Jesus also shows God’s desire for relationship with his wayward people. Jesus ultimately provides the sacrifice necessary for that reconciled relationship through his death. Israel’s relationship with God was a foreshadowing of a better, permanent, once-for-all sacrifice. This pastor will now be joyfully and confidently preaching Christ from Exodus 30 in a few weeks!

That’s just the start of this training. Eight more courses will continue this December and every 2-3 months for the next two and a half years. I will be joined in each of these trips by a pastor in the Midwest-Northwest region. And Lord willing, the effects will spread even further! These Filipino pastors, many of whom flew in from other islands like Mindanao, Cebu, and Negros, will take what they’ve learned and train other church leaders in their areas.

Please keep this expository training in your prayers. Pray that the skills learned will enable them to faithfully preach Christ from all of Scripture. Pray also that the transformative power of God’s word shapes their lives, their familles, and their churches. Finally, pray that a rich culture of biblical preaching and teaching will continue developing among Filipino (and American) pastors as these men train and study together over the next few years.

Thanks to the generosity of the Sovereign Grace Asia-Pacific Development Fund and the Midwest-Northwest region for making this training possible.

Dr. Joshua Montague (D.I.S., Western Seminary) has served with Training Leaders International for the last ten years and lives in Carver, MN where his family is part of Cross of Grace Church. To read more about Josh’s work in training global pastors, you can subscribe to his newsletter at https://joshmontague.epistle.org/subscribe or email him at josh.montague@trainingleadersinternational.org

Class of 2024 students with their wives (Left to right: Richard and Claudia Rodriguez, Nick and Jenna Richardson, Gil and Melanie Balch, Emerson and Tati Soares, Arturo and Sara De La Fuente, Mario and Diana Figueroa).

An update from Jeff Purswell, Director of Theology for Sovereign Grace Churches and Dean of the US Pastors College.

If you had wandered past the Pastors College classroom just a few months ago, you likely would have detected a medley of English, Spanish, and Portuguese echoing from our Louisville, Kentucky location. The “US” Pastors College hosted its most global class to date, the class of 2024, which graduated in June. Two of the six students traveled to us from outside the United States (Mexico and Brazil), while two of the four Americans hailed from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. And yet, despite the vast diversity of background and culture, these six men and their families formed a tight partnership and brotherhood that vividly displayed the gospel’s unifying power.  

Class of 2024 students enjoying some fun and games.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a PC class bond more quickly than these six students. Laughter filled the classroom from orientation day to graduation, and these men opened up their lives and hearts to one another from the very beginning. What a privilege it was to watch them link arms together, diving headlong into a year of rigorous theological study and discipleship, all for the purpose of fruitful gospel ministry.

Class of 2024 PC wives event.

Equally impressive were their wives. It was the first time we’ve ever brought in translators for our monthly PC wives’ meetings, and we needed two translators each time — one for Spanish and one for Portuguese! All the wives radiated exceptional courage and sacrifice over the year, which in God’s kindness, produced a harvest of godly fellowship and growth.

We witnessed deep friendships form across cultures as these families cared for one another throughout the year. It was not uncommon on a Sunday morning to see the bilingual PC kids translating for those who only knew Spanish, as they all played with children from Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. The PC families gathered every month for a potluck, sharing dishes from home, playing games, and building memories.

C.J. Mahaney addressing the class of 2024.

And yet, it wasn’t mere friendship that bonded these families together. All the hard work of intentionally pressing through cultural and linguistic barriers was motivated by one all-encompassing, eternal factor: their shared unity in Christ, given as a precious gift through our Savior’s work on the cross. It was this blood-bought unity that made Graduation day — always bittersweet — especially poignant. We were made deeply aware that God Himself had brought this PC class together, not only to display the unifying power of the gospel but to equip these men for faithful ministry in different corners of His harvest.

Welcoming the Australian PC families when they arrived in Louisville on August 8 (class of 2025).

Please pray for these graduates, as they labor joyfully back at their home churches in Brazil, in Mexico, and throughout the United States. And please be praying for our current class of students as well, representing yet more international investment, with two Australians joining our seven American students. We long for this season of intense study and training to produce in them an ever-deepening hunger for God’s Word, a steady growth in joy and godliness, and a robust, enduring partnership for many years of fruitful labor in our churches.     

PC Class of 2025 (Left to right — Back: Austin Loke, Mikey Roman, Leyton Adams, Titus Miller, Asher Donohue. Front: Zach Taylor, Joel Seric, Erik Schmaltz, Brayden Peterson).

John Piper famously writes,

            ‘Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, millions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.’

I believe Mr Piper is right. Missions exist because so many people in our neighbourhoods and nations have yet to receive their invites to the incredible marriage supper of the Lamb. And in His incredible kindness, He’s entrusted us with the privilege of giving out those invites, to every tribe, language and nation.

We’re eager then to keep giving out the invites, and so here’s how you can be praying for us in the month ahead…

1. Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities, workplaces and on our campuses over this next month.

2. Pray for Pat Tedeschi and Greentree Church’s Short-Term Missions Team as they head to London, UK, to work with Oasis International  Church, 13th-23rd September. The team will be involved with leading church services, youth events, small group discipleship, neighbourhood evangelism, and building relationships with the church members. Greentree has partnered with Oasis Church for the past 18 years, with the work primarily involving outreach to Muslims and the least evangelised people groups in London. Please pray for much grace and favour for this trip.

3. Pray for the Philippine Pastors Institute as they restart up again for another academic year, starting on September 21st, then meeting every Saturday for the next nine months. There are 14 students currently registered for the school, covering basic biblical theology, and the Sovereign Grace seven shared values. It’s the hope that through PPI Sovereign Grace Philippines, in particular in the Mindanao region, will continue to be faithful in the gospel for many generations to come.

4. Pray for Sovereign Grace Church of Parramatta as they celebrate their 5th Anniversary on Sunday 15th September, and Lord’s Grace Church of Seoul as the celebrate their 14th Anniversary on Sunday September 8th. May they know the Lord’s smile on them as they look back and remember His goodness to them over these years.

5. Pray for Trinity Fellowship Pastors College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as they celebrate the graduation of nine students this month. Please pray for each of the students as they consider next steps beyond the PC, and for Josh Pannell and Michael Granger as they continue to move this wonderful work forward. The Lord is doing great things through this Pastors College.

6. Please continue to pray for the Ark Church in Dnipro, Ukraine asking God to continue to protect them, and to use them to meet practical needs, and to offer gospel hope to those around them who have been impacted by the war. There are so many coming to them now, so may His grace abound.

... Thanks friends. May we do all we can to keep giving out these invites.

An update from Jacobis Aldana, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Bíblica Soberana Gracia in Santa Marta, Colombia…

“And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly” (Acts 6:7) 

When we first started hearing terms like “biblical churches,” “gospel centrality,” and “expository preaching” in Colombia, no more than 12 years ago, it sounded strange; it seemed novel, yet appealing. We never imagined that one day this would become common language and that, years later, churches would proudly bear the title “Biblical Church” on their signs. 

After a long process of transition as a church in Santa Marta—which is a story for another time—in 2018, the Lord allowed us to plant a church in Barranquilla: Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad (City Biblical Church). Ángel Miranda and I were convinced that one of the most important cities in the Caribbean (the northern region of Colombia) needed more churches, but especially churches that could interpret the reality of their surroundings, their culture, their society, and that were deeply rooted in the gospel.

The church in Barranquilla was born and grew during the pandemic. In December 2020, we ordained its two pastors, Ángel and Alejandro, and by 2022, nearly 200 people were attending.

But our hearts beat (and still beat) with a desire to see more churches planted in the Caribbean, so, with the help of Joselo Mercado and Sovereign Grace Churches, we started a conference called “Centrados” (Centered). The purpose was to promote the centrality of the gospel as a concept and its application in various areas of life, leadership, the church, and in aspects of worldview.

At the 2022 conference in Barranquilla, we welcomed people from different cities across the country, especially from the Caribbean region. Among them was a group of about eight people who found out about the conference through social media and traveled from Sincelejo (four hours away) to join us. They told us that they had been praying for about eight years for a church to be planted in their city, but they saw it as something very difficult. Sincelejo is a city of about 350,000 inhabitants where there were no biblical churches exerting any influence at the time. We had been praying for these opportunities; we dreamed of seeing at least one biblical church in each Caribbean city (there are seven cities), so their need and our desire made us quickly understand this as God’s leading.

The conference was in December 2022, and in February 2023, I travelled to meet with some members of the group in Sincelejo who had attended the conference. We listened to them more closely, toured the city, knew what the Lord wanted, but still didn’t know how to make it happen. So, I started traveling once a month from Santa Marta (six and a half hours away) and we began a virtual meeting where we studied the Bible on Thursday nights.

In May 2023, Ángel and I travelled together for the first time, and that is how Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad and Iglesia Bíblica Soberana Gracia began our cooperation to make the church in Sincelejo a reality.

In July 2023, the Lord brought conviction to Ángel to relocate to Sincelejo and become the planting pastor. Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad, where he served as pastor, decided not only to let go of one of their pastors, but to support part of his salary for two years. Likewise, from the Sovereign Grace Churches, we received the promise of additional support, enough to trust that the Lord would take care of the rest.

In August 2023, the trips became more frequent (two Sundays a month), and we continued to sustain the Thursday Bible study virtually. In December, we held a conference where Manolo Quintal was our guest. At this point, we realised that we not only had desire, but we now also had significant momentum.

By early 2024, Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad was sending one of their pastors or leaders to preach three Sundays a month, and the church in Santa Marta covered the other Sunday, therefore covering all four Sundays of the month. Finally, in June 2024, Ángel said goodbye to the church in Barranquilla, moved to Sincelejo with his family, and was formally installed on August 18, 2024.

This has been exciting.

We have no doubt that the hand of the Lord has gone before us, has brought conviction to our hearts, the desire to see His Kingdom grow, and what is needed to make it happen. Our dream now burns even more intensely than ever.

We desire to train more church planters with a clear vision of the gospel and the church, but also of missions and the understanding of the cultural reality that surrounds us.

We desire even more biblical churches in the Caribbean, not only in urban contexts but also in rural areas, where the impact of the biblical gospel is almost non-existent.

We desire to continue organizing events that serve as meeting points for many who, perhaps, are praying like those in Sincelejo, but whom we do not yet know. 

We desire that not only in the Caribbean but throughout the country, we can see more churches being born with robust theology, but also with the clarity of the gospel necessary to apply it to the various areas of life.

But, above all, we need the Lord. We need to keep our faces to the ground, recognizing that the gifts are from Him, the flock is His, the strength comes from Him, and the glory is all His!

As we serve in Global Missions, music so often goes ahead of us. It’s often what people hear first, and so the following is an update from Bob Kauflin, Director of Sovereign Grace Music, on the wonderful success of WorshipGod 24…

From July 24-27, over 1300 people gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to participate in our 18th WorshipGod conference. The theme this year was One with Christ: How our Union with Christ Affects Everything.

While WorshipGod is a Sovereign Grace conference, the majority of participants come from churches of all types. That’s largely because our songs are sung by local congregations throughout the world. But this year two Sovereign Grace churches together sent almost 100 people to WorshipGod! That helps explain why we had almost twice as many attendees as in 2022. 

WorshipGod is designed for those who plan, lead, serve, or participate in their Sunday gatherings. That includes musicians and pastors, but also songwriters, tech personnel, and anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of congregational worship. As an encouraging reminder of the riches we’ve received in the gospel (2 Cor. 8:9), we love to give stuff away. So this year everyone received a copy of Ask Pastor John, and we had a blast surprising people with books, instruments, and musical gear.

Around 250 people signed up for the pre-conference Master Classes, which focused on technical skills for bass players, drummers, pianists, guitarists, and vocalists. We also offered a general class on Habits of Grace, taught by David Mathis. 

During the conference, we explored the meaning and significance of our union with Christ. In three of the main sessions, we were privileged to hear from John Piper, HB Charles, Jr., and Mike Bullmore. For the remaining sessions we were served by three Sovereign Grace pastors, Josh Blount, Devon Kauflin, and Jared Mellinger. Mike Bullmore spoke for many when he began his message by saying, “If Sovereign Grace keeps producing preachers like this they are in great shape for years to come.”  Shout out to Jeff Purswell, dean of our Pastors College, who has been training and inspiring us in this area for decades!

The singing at WorshipGod conferences is loud. Really loud. We experienced passion, joy, reverence, celebration, tears, and more as different Sovereign Grace musicians led us. And the volume didn’t diminish when Jonathan & Sarah Jerez and Fabrizio Rodulfo added Spanish to the mix!

On Thursday night we sang through the 13 songs on our most recent album, Knowing God, and heard the stories behind them. It was fantastic. But when we sang “Crown Him with Many Crowns” at the end of the night, it felt like the roof was going to come off! A number of people referenced that as one of their conference highlights.

Along with the times of worship in song each session, we asked some friends to share their own Songs and Stories with us. Caroline Cobb treated us with some of her songs from the Psalms. My son, Jordan, shared 3 songs he's written with other writers from Getty Music. For the last one, "Come Unto Jesus," he invited 4 of his 5 siblings to join him. Definitely one of my highlights. Skye Peterson and Ben Shive introduced us to a few songs they've written together. Colin Buchanan, co-writer of Jesus, Strong and Kind, brought his at times hilarious and always theologically sharp songs for kids. Adam Wright of The Corner Room was back again singing his finely crafted, beautifully performed Scripture memory songs. And our own David Zimmer and Nathan Stiff shared three songs that aren't on an album yet, but a number of people thought should be! We’re working on that. It was a joy hearing from so many other songwriters who share our love for theologically driven, Christ-exalting songs for local churches. 

At the top of our planning document we posted this mission statement for the conference: WorshipGod exists to give people the opportunity to see and participate in the ways our biblical values shape our gatherings. So along with musical leadership and teachings in the main sessions and seminars, the Sovereign Grace Music staff (Bekah Heid, David Zimmer, Grace Nixon, Fabrizio Rodulfo, and Devon Kauflin) seek to model the gospel-rooted joy, humility, faithfulness, and excellence that characterize our meetings. But our labors were greatly amplified by the 50+ volunteers and part-time workers from Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville and Covenant Fellowship who served before, during, and after the conference. 

And that’s how it should be. Because as I reminded everyone before they left, Jesus didn’t come to build a conference. He came to build his Church. And from all I could tell, that’s what he enabled us to do at WorshipGod24. 

Here’s a short video of some of the highlights. Enjoy!

An update from Abelardo Munoz, a Pastor in Gracia Soberana de Ciudad Juarez…

On Wednesday, August 7th, Mexico's Council of Elders and National Assembly of Elders gathered for the very first time at Iglesia Gracia Soberana of Ciudad Juárez.

The 4-hour meeting was conducted by our national leader, Carlos Contreras, and was attended by all the delegates of the Council of Elders, and 23 of the 25 elders who make up the National Assembly of Elders. These men represent a number of different churches and regions across Mexico.

While these meetings help us grow relationally, they are also a means for us to come together to make crucial decisions relating to the polity, governance, and leadership of Sovereign Grace Churches in Mexico. These gatherings allow us to achieve so much in a short window of time.

For the Council of Elders, we were able to address a number of items on our agenda. We voted unanimously to confirm Carlos Contreras as our national leader, as well as for members for our National Leadership Team and National Polity Committee. We also separated our churches into two provisional regions; the 'North/Central' region and the 'Bajío' region, and appointed regional leaders for each. Financial matters were also discussed, and approval was granted for our 2025 budget.

For the National Assembly of Elders, similarly we were able to nominate and confirm men as members of the National Conflict Resolution Committee and National Ordination Committee. With joy, we were able to officially approve two church plants; one in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, and one in Huajuapan, Oaxaca, and were thrilled to hear updates from both church planters. Both churches meet in the homes of these two men and have an average attendance of 15-30 people. The next step for these churches is to find a suitable location big enough to accommodate the growth they expect in the coming months. We are looking forward to officially presenting these churches as Iglesias Gracia Soberana of Reynosa and Iglesias Gracia Soberana of Huajuapan.

While these meetings are necessary in helping us move forward together as a nation, we do not forget that each of these elders represents individual churches. These individual churches are made up of men and women whom Christ died and whose lives have been graciously redeemed.

Please continue to pray for SGC Mexico, in particular the elders who serve on the Council of Elders and National Assembly of Elders. May God be glorified as they press on together in His glorious mission!

An update from Leo Parris, US Global Missions Coordinator for Sovereign Grace Churches, and Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania…

Short-term missions trips aren’t the primary way God calls his people to fulfill the Great Commission, but when planned carefully in connection to ongoing partnership, they can catalyze global awareness and mission in our local churches. Many SG churches engage in short term missions trips.

Here are some snapshots of some of the trips that have taken place in the last few months:

Lord’s Grace Church Conference and VBS of Seoul, South Korea

For many years, Cornerstone Church (Knoxville, TN) and Trinity Church (Athens, TN) have partnered to send a missions team to Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul, South Korea—our only Sovereign Grace Church in the country. Each year, the pastors on the team hold a conference for the adults in the church, while the team runs a Vacation Bible School. This trip also serves to bring a fairly isolated church into the relational richness of Sovereign Grace Churches.

Rancho 3M of Guadalupe, Mexico

In Juarez, Mexico, Carlos Contreras has led our Sovereign Grace Church there for several decades. This wonderful church is not only the leading church of the Sovereign Grace Mexican Nation, they also partner with a wonderful orphanage called Rancho 3M in nearby Guadalupe. This orphanage seeks to rescue young people whose lives have been torn apart by the violence and sex trafficking in their community. Rancho 3M hosts several teams from SG each year, as well as providing internships for those who want to serve at the orphanage for larger blocks of time. Several SG churches send teams to this location, and more opportunities are available to interested churches.

Christian Camp of Playa Azul, Costa Rica

In the small and impoverished village of Playa Azul, Costa Rica, a beautiful and vibrant local church, Iglesia Biblica, exists that also serves as a community center and Christian camp. They have slowly built this camp through the collaboration of many churches over the past ten years. They continue to receive teams to do construction projects on the campsite and also to improve the small community of Playa Azul.

As a church pursuing partnership in Sovereign Grace Churches, that has planted another candidate Sovereign Grace Church, this is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen partnership. Over the years, they have seen the church double in size, ordain a new elder, and send out a church plant. The teams that visit this location typically focus on construction projects and strengthening the partnership of this church with Sovereign Grace Churches. More opportunities are available to interested churches.

Various Youth Camps of Covenant Fellowship Church

Covenant Fellowship Church (Glen Mills, PA) holds an annual Youth Camp for their youth that is a highlight of the year in the life of their church. Over the years, they have learned that taking these Youth Camps “on the road” is a wonderful way to bless other communities. They do this on a bi-annual basis in the Summer. 10-12th graders, parents, and young adult leaders are divided into teams to lead young people in other places in games, discussions, and worship services that aim at a clear proclamation of the gospel.

Covenant Fellowship has sent youth missions teams to Zambia, Ethiopia, and Uganda to serve Covenant Mercies Sponsorship programs, as well as to other churches in more isolated areas who have a sufficient number of young people to hold a camp.

Greentree Church to Oasis International Church in London, England

For many years, Pat Tedeschi has led a team from his church to London to visit Oasis International Church each Fall. This church seeks to reach many of the Islamic immigrants living in London.

Pat is now relocating to transition into leadership of the church there, as well as move them towards adoption into SG, something they are eager to do. Greentree Church plans to continue to send supporting teams to strengthen this ongoing work through outreaches. Greentree is eager to incorporate other SG members into this annual trip.

Greentree Church to a Guatemala Pastors College and Training Center

Kyle Huber, lead pastor of Greentree Church travels each summer to Chichicastenango, Guatemala to teach at ASELSI (Association for Equipping the Saints International). ASELSI is a training center that seeks to equip indigenous pastors to lead healthy churches. Located amidst widespread poverty, ASELSI also maintains a medical clinic, a therapy clinic, and a school for children with special needs. Greentree teams serve in each of these areas as well as helping with service projects on the ASELSI campus. These trips typically involve evangelistic opportunities at the clinic and through home visits. Greentree is eager to incorporate other SG members into this trip.

It’s been a great summer, and I pray that God continues to allow us to engage in short-term missions because of the way it enhances our partnership. And as we engage in short-term missions, I pray even more that God would raise up more long-term missionaries, and deepen and widen connections between our churches across the globe.

At the SGC Pastors Conference last year I played a short 4 minute video of some of the Global Missions highlights from 2023, and ever since then, I’ve had a number of folk ask me if there’d be something like this that could be played and used at a local church level.

Well, good news, there is now!! The following video is a gift to your church to use as you see fit. It is without a date and so should give you a timeless snapshot of so many of the highlights of our work around the world.

I trust it blesses and encourages your congregation. God has been so faithful to us as a family of churches!

In addition, if you’d like to get more people in your church signed up for this newsletter, then here’s a graphic you can use with a quick sign-up QR Code.

What a joy it is to highlight the great work of our Saviour across the world, and how kind He is to let us play our part.

One of the most striking quotes from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that I believe conveys both his strong burden for evangelism and his great heart for the lost, is as follows. He writes…

             ‘If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies, and if they would perish, then let them do so with our arms wrapped about their knees imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled – then let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.’

For all of us, even now, there are so many in our neighbourhoods and nations that don’t know Jesus. They are far from Him and on a collision course with Hell. Yet we know a Saviour who can change their lives in a moment. Who can turn their lives and destinies around in a moment. For we can’t save them ourselves, but we can point them to a Saviour who can!!

So here’s how you can be praying for us in the month ahead, as we seek to win the lost to Jesus…

1. Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities, workplaces and on our campuses over this next month.

2. Pray for our new Director of Church Planting, Joel Shorey, Sr. Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship, Newark, DE, asking God to give him wisdom, discernment, and grace in helping us plant more churches in the United States, so that so many more may hear about Christ.

3. Pray for the Fieles A Su Llamado Conference in Juarez, Mexico, August 7-9, 2024, asking God to encourage, equip, enthuse and strengthen the pastors and wives attending from Mexico and Latin America. Pray also pray for Carlos Contreras as he leads this strategic conference.

4. Pray for our new 2024-2025 Pastors College students and their families from 2 different nations who will be moving to Louisville, KY before classes start at the end of August, asking God to provide for them and to give them grace to grow over the next year while at the PC. That may be prepared well to bear much fruit upon their return home.

5. Pray for Brian Kiama, a 2022 Trinity Fellowship Pastors College graduate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as Jonathan Leslie, a US Pastors College graduate in Indianapolis, US, as they move their families to Nairobi, Kenya, later in August for Brian, and September for Jonathan, to plant a Sovereign Grace church in Nairobi, asking God to provide all they need to advance the gospel in Kenya.

6. Pray for me, Dave Taylor, as I head to Zambia and Namibia, 9th-20th August, to encourage the pastors there, serve the Church in Zambia, and spend time with the Church Planting group in Namibia, as they prepare to ‘go live’ and launch.

   … ‘If Hell must be filled – then let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.’

An update from Jomarie Aquino, Pastor of Cross of Christ Salvation Gospel Ministries (CCSGM) Dasmariñas City, Philippines...

It has been a remarkable journey for CCSGM Dasmariñas City since its inception, and we are thrilled to share the incredible ways God has moved in our midst over the past twelve months. From humble beginnings to significant milestones, our church community has experienced profound growth and blessings. 

Our story began with the first worship service on July 23, 2023. Initially, we gathered in the afternoons, but as our congregation grew and the Lord continued to bless us, we transitioned to morning worship services. This change has allowed us to come together earlier in the day to praise and worship the Lord, setting a joyful tone for the rest of the week.

Before we share the significant events that transpired this year, we would like to share the challenges where the grace of God sufficiently helped us and led us to fully trust Him in everything.

One of the significant challenges we faced in our church planting work was securing financial provision to cover the expenses for our weekly gatherings and mission works. However, as our faithful God always does, we have witnessed God's grace working through the hearts of everyone, leading us to give our tithes and offerings faithfully and joyfully. This generosity is a direct result of the Gospel of Christ taking root in our lives, prompting us to contribute to the work of the church for God's glory. Through the grace of God in our giving, we have been able to meet our financial needs and continue expanding our ministries. 

Another challenge has been encouraging volunteers to serve in the church while being considerate of their responsibilities outside the church. We have been blessed to see many people stepping up to serve the Lord, using their gifts and talents to support various ministries. Additionally, we have received full support from church leaders and members of our CCSGM-SGC family, who have made themselves available to assist and use their God-given gifts for our community. This spirit of collaboration and dedication is a true blessing and reflects the unity and love within the body of Christ.

Many of our attendees came from churches that preached the "Prosperity Gospel". This presented a challenge as we sought to faithfully preach God's Word and shift the focus to the true Gospel. Through consistent and faithful preaching of the scriptures, we have seen God's grace powerfully at work. Many have embraced reformed theology and developed a deeper love for Jesus. This transformation is a testament to the power of God's Word to change hearts and minds. Additionally, these transformed believers are now reaching out to their family and friends, pointing them to Jesus by preaching the gospel that saved them.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing (The Gospel of Christ):

At the heart of every event and gathering, the Gospel has been preached faithfully. Our mission is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we encounter, and this commitment has been evident in all our activities. Whether through regular services or special events, the message of salvation remains central to our purpose.

Our commitment to outreach is demonstrated through regular home visitations every Friday and Saturday. These visits allow us to connect with church members and their families, offering support, prayer, and fellowship. It's through these personal interactions that we can truly live out the love of Christ and build deeper relationships within our community.

In a beautiful display of unity and generosity, we partnered with our brethren from 주님의은혜교회 (Lord's Grace Church) South Korea for a special gift-giving event on January 29, 2024. This collaboration not only brought joy to many families but also demonstrated the global nature of the body of Christ. It was a powerful reminder that we are all connected through our faith, regardless of geographical boundaries.

April 27 marked a significant milestone in our church history with the celebration of our first wedding. This joyous occasion not only united a couple in holy matrimony but also highlighted the growing sense of community and family within our church. Such events are a testament to God's blessing upon our congregation and the relationships being formed.

Expanding Our Mission:

The Lord has opened an exciting new door for us in Trece Martires City. What began as a simple visit to a church member's home one Saturday quickly turned into a new mission opportunity. The member invited their neighbors, and what was intended to be a friendly visit transformed into a chance to preach the Gospel. For nearly three months now, we have been conducting weekly bible studies every Saturday, teaching both adults and children in separate classes.

As we continue to see God at work in Trece Martires City, we are now planning to establish a home church service in the community. We are actively seeking a suitable location to host these gatherings, with the goal of planting a new church where the local community can come together to worship and grow in their faith. This mission endeavor is a testament to our commitment to spreading the Gospel and expanding God's kingdom.

As we look back on the past year, we are filled with gratitude for all that God has done in and through CCSGM Dasmariñas City. From our first worship service to the ongoing mission work in Trece Martires City, each step of the journey has been marked by His grace and provision. Despite the challenges we faced, God's faithfulness has been evident through the generosity of our members, the transformation of beliefs, and the support from other church leaders. We are excited to see what the future holds and are committed to continuing our mission of preaching the Gospel, serving our community, and expanding our reach.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Together, let us continue to seek God's guidance, embrace His blessings, and faithfully serve in His name.

Recently on the Mark Prater podcast, Mark (Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches) shared some exciting updates on Mexico. Here’s ia clip from that conversation with Ben Kreps. The full podcast is linked below…

Ben Kreps:

Excellent. I've had the honor of spending time with some of those guys down in Mexico and in Mexico a little bit, and it is always humbling to interact with these pastors. I mean, their example is compelling. These are gifted and godly men. Just hearing Carlos talk about how that church began as a small group of believers that met in a park leading up to where things have grown, to God be the glory, and we are certainly grateful for the grace in Carlos's life. So the Fieles Conference is coming up. You've talked about it before, but people checking on the podcast, don't necessarily know what it is and actually how strategic this conference really is in Mexico.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, this is one of the most strategic conferences we do in Sovereign Grace every year. Of course, we have our pastors and wives conference in November here in the States, but this conference is just as strategic, especially outside of the states. I mean this conference, which we'll be in Juarez, as you mentioned, it serves primarily pastors and wives in Mexico. But there are several pastors and wives that travel from different Latin American nations to attend this conference because it is a conference that is not only gospel centered, it is a conference where Carlos's leadership is very intentional to equip and care for and invest into pastors and their wives so that they leave not only equipped for what they've been called to do, they leave very encouraged and cared for, and the conference because of that, the conference has just grown. Last year they completely sold out.

Full Podcast link (click here)

An update from Leo Parris, US Global Missions Coordinator for Sovereign Grace Churches, and Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania…

Four years ago, my senior pastor, Jared Mellinger, approached me about spearheading our global missions initiatives at Covenant Fellowship Church. Desiring to be a good hire, I enthusiastically agreed to his proposal, but I was actually masking my inner doubts about my suitability for this role.

Me? The delco-boi who has lived his entire life in the same town, never been outside the US except to dip my toes in the water of a Caribbean resort, and has exactly 1 week of education on the topic? Yikes! But mercifully, global missions is not dependent on any of our brilliance, experience, or expertise; it rests on the faithfulness of God to continue and complete his mission. We are merely tools in the Almighty’s hands to magnify his glory among the nations, and he loves to use the weakest of people to show his power!

As I read God’s Word and a treasury of great books on Global Missions, my heart awakened to the amazing opportunity that lay before me. Now, leading global missions for my church is one of my absolute favorite things that I get to do. One particular aspect of this that I love is helping others catch a vision for God’s global work in Sovereign Grace Churches, and even consider whether God is calling them to become a missionary.

To help our people learn more about this, I invited them to participate in a 9-month class I called The School of Missions. Using Nathan Sloan’s You Are Sent curriculum as a basis, my hopes were to instill a global conscience into our people, identify leaders for our global efforts as a church, and missionaries that God wants us to send from our midst. By God’s grace, 13 people with a broad range of age and experience signed up for this class.

In the School of Missions, we walked through a Biblical theology of Missions, Church History, the Necessity of Missions, Cultural Challenges and the Priority of the Unreached, and Missionary Calling. Each time we gathered we video-called with missionaries or watched missions updates from around the world to increase our awareness of the progress of the gospel. As we learned together, we processed through the material in community, asking God to reveal how he wanted to use us in his global mission. At the end of the course the class participated in two separate missions trips: one to a Sovereign Grace Candidate church in Playa Azul, Costa Rica, and another to partner with a Sovereign Grace family working in Eurasia.

I was thrilled as I witnessed the joy of our people building new global friendships and outreaching to the lost. Putting into practice what they had learned throughout the year was a powerful experience for them. Many communicated a deep desire to return or follow closely in prayer and support the work that we had engaged with.

As we graduate our first School of Missions class, I’m grateful that several of these folks are earnestly pursuing a missionary calling, and many more are eagerly joining our church’s global missions committee to lead our church in its global endeavors.  It’s my prayer that God would continue to use this School of Missions for years to come to help to train our people to live as global Christians, and identify the missionaries that God plans for us to send.

If you want access to any of the School of Missions resources mentioned in this report, please contact me, Leo Parris at lparris@covfel.org. With so many lost around the world, in need of people to go to them with the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ, I’d love to help!

An update from Michael Granger, Lead Pastor of Trinity Fellowship Church, Ethiopia ...

For the last year, Trinity Fellowship has had ZERO space to grow. Sunday mornings are regularly standing-room only. Finding a meeting space for a church in an urban context can be difficult. We would know, our team has been looking for over a year. About ten months back we began a conversation with a Lutheran Seminary down the road because they have a conference hall that holds approximately 700+ and is not currently occupied. After months of dialogue, talk talk talk …. and more talk talk talk … and synod talk talk talk … Trinity Fellowship was approved for a one-year lease of the space on Sunday mornings.

On April 7th we experienced the answer to a year of prayer. Trinity Fellowship launched at our new location with an evangelistic sermon from John 6:37, “Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.” In his providence, the room was packed out and many unbelievers heard the gospel. We are now getting 300-350 people on a Sunday, what a wonderful God we serve!

The first quarter of 2024 has certainly been jam packed. We’ve welcomed two short-term mission teams: one from Castleview and another from Grace Miami. As for the Trinity Fellowship Pastors College, it would not be what it is without our many friends. Our professors in recent months have included Eric Bancroft, Steve Wellum, Joseph Stagora, Brian Chesemore, Bob Kauflin, Steve Bice, Jason Derouchie, Joel Bain, Mark Alderton, Tyson Ziegler, Pete Payne, and Andy Farmer.  

As for our Sunday morning services - we are nearing the end of our Ecclesiastes series entitled: Normal Life to the Glory of God. As we’ve preached through this series we are doing something new. I am splitting the series 50/50 with Amanuel (Pastoral Intern at Trinity) so that he is preaching every other sermon. The purpose is to intentionally grow him as a preacher by giving him more reps. This also builds the church into his leadership. And as leaders we’re incredibly encouraged by the response of our members to this series.

In 2018 The Telegraph did a study finding Ethiopia to be the #1 most religious country in the world. If that is true, perhaps we are especially prone to a Pharisaical mindset. Ours is a culture of legalism, asceticism, and the prosperity gospel. However, week after week we’ve received feedback of how this book is correcting thoughts and helping to organize lives. Slowly it is helping to establish a theology of suffering, and also a theology of joy; slowly it is helping to establish a gospel culture. One of the most helpful resources has been Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Whitacre's book, True Life. We highly recommend it!

Also in the first quarter of 2024, Josh Pannel (Dean of Trinity Pastors College) and I jumped on a plane bound for Europe. The purpose? An MTh module at Union School of Theology in Wales. Union officially partnered with Trinity Fellowship last year and they are so so so generously giving us majorly subsidized tuition rates.

The set-up of our program consists of block-course modules. Similar to our Pastors College, we sit in class from Tuesday-Friday and then write an essay. Our professor Clive Bowsher is the provost for the school and he lectured on Union with Christ. He recently published Life in the Son in D.A. Carson's New Studies in Biblical Theology series.

For a week I felt pastored by his lectures. It was such a refreshing time. Additionally, we felt we left Wales with a new friend. I was texting Clive last week appreciating the effect his class has had upon my meditations and he asked, "Doesn’t union with Christ make such a difference to feeling at home and bold in prayer?" I responded, “You hem me in” is the feeling. Secure in every direction I look, like St. Patrick’s prayer: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down.”

We are more aware of grace than anything else. Thank you for contributing to our awareness of grace. James 1:7 says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." If that is true, and it is, I cannot think of anyone richer than us because of you. You are a gift to us, worthy of celebrating God's generosity.

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." 
Habakkuk 2:14

Recently on the Mark Prater podcast, Mark shared about church planting. Here is a clip from that conversation with Ben Kreps. The full podcast is linked below…

Mark, before we started recording the podcast, you were talking about how at the recent leadership team retreat you had a discussion about church planting and why we plant churches. We definitely don't plant churches to merely spread the Sovereign Grace Church brand or anything like that. We actually have biblical convictions about church planting. You guys were talking about that. Talk to us about your discussion…

Assumption number 1: We want to plant churches, and here's the reason why. We as a family of churches, we desire to reflect the New Testament model of advancing the gospel by sacrificing for the mission and sending people to plant new churches to reach people that haven't heard Christ or reach an area that may not have a solid gospel preaching church. So that's a biblical conviction. That's a New Testament model that we are wanting to reflect in Sovereign Grace.

Assumption number 2: We want to plant for endurance. So we want to plant churches that will be faithful to God's word, faithful to our theological convictions and endure over time. So what that means is we're not as interested in numbers and we're not going to have these goals for numbers, but what we're interested in is planting solid churches that will be faithful and endure over time.

Assumption number 3: We plant with Sovereign Grace pastors. And what that means is we plant with men who are ordained in Sovereign Grace, who share our theological convictions, our seven shared values and our seven shaping virtues and where possible they also have some degree of pastoral experience. Now that may change based on the planter and how much experience he either has or needs, but we're just learning that guys who've got some degree of pastoral experience plant more solid churches because they've learned about pastoral ministry and that helps them plant well. Basically, Eric Turbedsky, when he was our director of church planting just unashamedly said appropriately, we plant Sovereign Grace churches a Sovereign Grace way. And that's kind of a little bit of what he was getting at in that phrase, right?

Assumption number 4: We value team ministry. That's not new to the pastors and even members of our churches that are listening to this, but where possible we'd love to send a plurality of elders more than just a solo elder. Now that's not always possible, but where we can, we want to do that. Or if we can't send a man already ordained, we'd love to send somebody who certainly is called and potentially on that ordination track because it will strengthen the church plant because pastoral teams are a reflection of the church. And so that'll be a stronger church.

Assumption number 5: We plant with denominational financial support. So in other words, we together as a family of churches, we are committed to replicating this New Testament model of planting churches so much. So we want to give our financial resources; those coming from our national resources, Sovereign Grace Central, those coming from our region. It's just one way to invest into the gospel and that allows a man to really devote his time to planting the church and not needing to find ways to earn other income.

Assumption number 6: (This is really the next logical one) We plant with vocational pastors. Now this is one that may not work outside the United States because of the economy in certain nations, guys may need to be bi-vocational. But here in the states, our assumption is we want to plant with vocational pastors again because they can focus on the work of planting and not have to worry about how they're going to support their families.

Assumption number 7: We prioritize preaching, which is again not new in Sovereign Grace. CJ has led us down that road so well. You lead your church from the pulpit and you build your church on God's word Sunday after Sunday in solid expository preaching. And that's going to build churches that endure and that's going to build strong gospel centered churches.

Assumption number 8: We value denominational preparation and ongoing care. It's why we have a Church Planting Group. Those guys exist to help you, a planter, prepare, assess, and prepare. It's one of the roles that our regional leaders play in providing care for the planters. So our denominational structures that we have in place are in part there to foster and strengthen our church planting efforts.

Assumption number 9: We prioritize cooperative efforts. So we just believe that we're going to be able to do more together as a family of churches. And so the sharing of resources and the sharing of prayer, meaning we pray for one another as we plant churches is really important. And when I talk about sharing resources, I'm not just talking about financial resources, I'm talking about people. First of all, people that may be in one church that can join another church's church planting team because they have a desire to be a part of a church plant or the sharing of pastors. You may have a location to plant but not a pastor. And so a church in Sovereign Grace sacrificially gives that pastor to that other church so he can plant a church and the gospel can be advanced. Those are huge sacrifices, but they reflect the resources that we share.

Assumption number 10: We prioritize pastoral ministry. Planters are pastors. That's something that I think Eric said. It's something that Jon has emphasized. Pastors are planters we want to plant with. Men are shepherds who will shepherd the flock of God that they begin to gather as the church plant forms.

Assumption number 11: We prioritize godly character. In other words, we want to send planters who are proven in godly character, tested in godly character and we can affirm their godly character. I think that's one of the roles of our, not only of our local churches, but our regional church planting committees, as well.

Assumption number 12: We take faith-filled risks on the right things. So I want to continue to call us to take faith-filled risks, but we've got to take risks on the right things. I won't spend a lot of time on that because I dedicated a podcast to that topic just a few weeks ago. So if you haven't heard that, listen to it. But for example, we don't want to take risks on godly character, but we do want to take risks in sending our best to further the mission of the gospel as we plant churches.

Please pray that God would give us resources, men called to plant, people wanting to be on church plant teams, and financial resources to plant churches.

In March of this year, as I sat in the CCSGM one worship service in Manila, rejoicing with 400 others in the Lord’s goodness after what had been an incredible week at Worship God Philippines. I got to hear the testimony of Rhobie Sureta, a dear sister in the Church in Cavite, and what a wonderful testimony it was!

As I rejoiced in her story, delighting in what the Lord has done in her life, it was also a wonderful reminder to me of why we do all that we do, to plant and strengthen churches all across the world. I pray her story blesses you too... What an incredible Saviour we serve!

You can watch her testimony here

Psalm 127.1 says, ‘Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.’

It’s a truthful and sobering reality. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain. We’re all just wanting and wasting our time, unless the Lord truly builds, and so as we look out on July and what’s ahead, here are some things you can be praying for…

1. Please pray for Sovereign Grace Pastors College Class of 2025. Even though the Pastors College only wrapped up graduation a few weeks ago, preparations for the upcoming class are well underway. This year the college will welcome nine students from all over the US and Australia. Please pray for them and their families, as they continue to fundraise and prepare to move to Louisville, USA.

2. Please pray for the WorshipGod Conference: One with Christ, How Our Union Affects Everything – July 24-27th. The conference will be held in Louisville, KY, and is designed to equip and encourage pastors, leaders, musicians, tech personnel, and songwriters as they seek to plan and lead congregational worship. Please pray for Bob Kauflin as he leads this conference, as well as the speakers John Piper, HB Charles, Jared Mellinger, Devon Kauflin, Mike Bullmore & Josh Blount.

3. Please pray for the 40-person missions teams that are heading to Rancho 3M (July 1-8th; 8-15th) from Cornerstone Church (Knoxville), as well as the 5 people who are doing summer internships there. Please also pray for the missions team from Covenant Fellowship Church (Glen Mills) that is heading to Iglesia Biblica de Playa Azul (July 1-8th), as well as the missions team from Covenant Fellowship that is heading to serve alongside our missionary family in Turkey (July 1-8th).

4. Please pray for Joselo Mercado as he serves in Peru this week. He and his wife Kathy will be with 150 pastoral couples at a marriage retreat of the Christian Missionary Alliance of Lima. These churches represent about 60,000 members. So please pray that as they invest in these marriages, it will encourage churches to grow families that model the gospel to a society that so needs it. In addition, Joselo will be in Miami later in the month (July 23-25th), meeting with the Gospel Coalition Spanish Council. TGC Spanish is the most visited Christian website in the Hispanic world and so please be praying for Joselo, as the council meets to talk about the future direction of this ministry.

5. Please pray for Pastor Ángel Miranda, who this month is leaving with his wife and daughter from his hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia to plant a church in Sincelejo. Although the two churches that are sending him (Santa Marta, Jacobo Aldana; Barranquilla, Alejandro Cueto) are still in the process of adoption, in their hearts, this is an SGC plant.

6. Please pray for the Ark Church in Dnipro, Ukraine asking God to continue to protect them, and to use them to meet practical needs, and to offer gospel hope to those around them who have been impacted by the war.

   … One thing’s for sure, we so need the Lord to build the house.