Why Plant a Church?
In recent years, church plants have shown to be a significant way to initiate outreach in a community. They are sometimes more effective at evangelism and reaching new people for Christ than existing churches. New churches also tend to be more welcoming to people who’ve had negative experiences in the past or have left the church for various reasons. As more and more people in our community are “dechurched,” we believe a church plant could encourage them to consider Christ again-or perhaps for the first time.
Partners
King’s Cross Church
For nearly a decade, King’s Cross Church of Defiance, Ohio, prayed about starting a church in Putnam County. Early in 2023, the core group in Columbus Grove began working with King’s Cross to plan for the church plant, and KCC’s leadership provided oversight, training, and support throughout the process.
FEC
King’s Cross is a member of the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches, a small denomination based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The FEC has provided financial and logistical support, as well as training and resources for the core team. The lead church planters will receive their ministry credentialing through the FEC.
Synergy
Within the FEC, the Synergy Church Planting Network was established specifically to facilitate the planting of new churches by identifying and developing future church planters, and by fostering cooperation among existing churches. Synergy was behind the initial planting of King’s Cross, and they’ve been involved to support the start of Emmanuel.
How to support Emmanuel Church
If you’d like to support Emmanuel Church and this initiative through FEC, you can make a tax-deductible donation through their website. Physical checks can be made out to “FEC” or “Fellowship of Evangelical Churches” and sent to 6535 Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46835. Please reference “Emmanuel Church Plant” along with your gift.
Counseling
We are pleased to offer biblical counseling services free of charge for those in our church as well as the surrounding community. Marilyn Smith is certified with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and meets during the week at our church building with those seeking care and counsel. For more information or to request a first meeting, please contact the church.
Missions
We have the privilege of supporting ministry efforts in our community, region, and around the globe. Locally, we contribute to CG LifeWise, the Lord’s Pantry, and Youth for Christ. We also partner with the Synergy Church Planting Network and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. And we have the joy of supporting missionaries serving in Central Asia, Ecuador, Germany, and Iraq.
Give
To support the ministries of Emmanuel Church, you can make a tax-deductible donation through the Fellowship of Evangelical
Churches website linked here or physical checks can be made out to “Emmanuel Church” and mailed to 210 S. High St. Columbus Grove, OH 45830.