Redeemer Fellowship Celebrates 5 Years!
An update from Joel Shorey, Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship, Newark, Delaware, USA…
Ephesians 3:10 - “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known…”
Redeemer Fellowship celebrated our five-year anniversary on September 9 this year. God has been very good to us as a young church family in Newark, Delaware. As I think about the past five years and all that God has done, I can’t help but pause and celebrate the gift that church planting is and how powerfully God uses it for his glory.
I don’t even mean to celebrate a particular way of church planting (though I wouldn’t want to do it with any other denomination than Sovereign Grace!). But rather, I want to celebrate the act of church planting in any form. Whether in perceived ‘strength’ or ‘weakness’; whether with 30 or 300; whether near or far; the planting of new Gospel preaching churches is a primary and powerful way that God continues to do his good work in this world and in our lives.
Church planting multiplies the manifold wisdom of God.
This is what we have seen at Redeemer Fellowship over these last five years. We were planted in 2018 with 28 adults and about 20 kids, and the fact that we exist today is a testimony of God’s grace. I say that because I know deep down inside of me, that we are not an impressive people. That’s not false humility. That is simply the truth. Redeemer Fellowship is a simple church, with simple leaders, and a simple church family.
But this is why the manifold wisdom of God is multiplied through church planting. Because as weak people come together, and in prayerful dependence upon God seek to be the church together, God’s wisdom and power are manifested to a watching world.
When God miraculously provides a place for us to meet, that shows the wisdom and power of God.
When God sustains a new church plant through a global pandemic, that shows the wisdom and power of God.
When more than 50 people are baptized and church membership multiplies by nearly ten times, that shows the wisdom and power of God!
When God connects us to a campus ministry at the University of Delaware and we have the opportunity to lead and disciple 40-50 college students, that shows the wisdom and power of God!
When God allows there to be significant ethnic diversity within the local church, that shows the wisdom and power of God.
When a small local church sacrificially gives in order to replace that broken refrigerator or to purchase 10 acres of land for a future church building, that shows the wisdom and power of God!
When such a simple group of people live in prayerful dependence on the Lord (which is the only way to do church planting!), that shows the wisdom and power of God.
We don’t need any new church planting tricks or gimmicks. By God’s grace, the simple act of planting churches is enough. He’s designed it that way. Church planting is not easy, but church planting is simple. We are called to delight in Christ, love one another, proclaim the Gospel, and serve our community – and to do it all with a deeply dependent prayerfulness. That’s it!
Whether we see quick growth, incremental growth, or even at times, loss of growth, if we are faithful to believe God’s Word, to pray boldly for the Spirit’s help, and to live out the Gospel, God will use church planting to accomplish his purposes in profound ways.
As Redeemer Fellowship continues to grow and mature, we are thankful that we don’t have to be super creative. Our mission remains simple. As we look forward to the next five years, we pray earnestly that God will allow us to send out many from among us to do more of this simple work of church planting throughout Delaware and beyond.
Soli Deo Gloria!
