Church planter Brent Williams baptizes a church member in a tub in the commons area of the library where the church meets. Williams said it takes about two hours to pump in enough water from the bathroom sink, "but it is worth it."
One cold Anchorage night Brent Williams arrived at Brian’s parent’s house to find Brian’s dad had a gun to his head.
It had been about a year since the leadership of Mobberly Baptist Church of Longview, Texas, had sent Williams and his family to Anchorage after developing a vision to plant a church in the city. In October 2010 they launched True North Church, which continues to see new people beginning a journey toward Christ. Others are collectively growing in a walk of biblical obedience, including seven who have been baptized.
Brian is one of those seven. After his dad attempted suicide, Brian began meeting with Williams and attending church services. Eventually he told Williams he had surrendered his life to Christ the night Williams shared the Gospel with his father.
Mobberly’s involvement in Alaska began when Joe Parnell, a church planting strategist, had a friend who invited him to bring a team up on a mission trip to Anchorage. The Texans quickly fell in love with the city, so the church continued to send teams. After much prayer, Parnell and other church leaders began developing a vision, desire and strategy for the city.
Since 2006 Mobberly has sent several teams to Anchorage, including six in 2010. They plan to send four more this year.
“Without them, we couldn’t be here; not just financially, but spiritually,” Williams said. “I’m just amazed that a church in Texas, 4,500 miles away, loves people of my city with such a great passion, even though they’ve never met them.”
True North Church hopes to follow the reproducing example Mobberly models through planting a church by October—the first anniversary of its launch. Parnell said Mobberly hopes to plant one church (that will in turn plant a church) each year for the next 10 years. Currently they are beginning work in South Dakota and discussing the United Kingdom as the location of their next plant, as well as exploring other options for future plants.
“For years we’ve done mission trips where we go and lead people to Christ, but too many times we’ve just left people there with nothing to hold on to,” Parnell said. “God’s way of doing that is to create a church.”
A church leader may hesitate to consider church planting for fear of his congregation’s response, but Parnell insists if God is leading, then the support will come.
“I’ve never seen our people react with such excitement. They are giving money to (church planting) without taking money from their regular giving,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of how people are going to react. Most of them will … feel like they’re a part of a church that’s really doing something.”
Mobberly plans to gradually phase out of its direct involvement with True North Church. However, Parnell insists they will always have a connection with the church plant. This means more to Williams than he can express.
“They’re willing to do whatever it takes, whenever it’s asked to see churches planted in Alaska. It’s just amazing,” he said. “I stand in awe of how big God is and what He does when He really changes people’s hearts. He’s grabbed hold of the leadership of Mobberly … they’ve conveyed this to their people, and they’re willing to do it. I do not have enough words to describe my joy.
“We do not feel alone. We’re not isolated. We know there’s a church that is spiritually and financially behind us 100 percent.”
Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer who lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband.
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