A "Next Generation" Church Planter

I have been spending a lot of time with a new friend this week. His name is Josh Martin. He is serving as Worship Leader at the PowerPlant project week in Nashville where I am leading the Church Planting training.

Josh is a sharp young man. He is 23 years old, single, and he just graduated from college. He’s serving on a traveling church planting mission team this summer for a purpose. He has sensed the call of God in his life to plant a church. He simply wanted to spend a summer “on the field,” learning more details and facts, and meeting more Church Planters.

Josh has already identified the field where God is calling him. It is the town of Pullman, Washington. Pullman is the home of Washington State University. It’s a pretty big college town. And, in addition to WSU, the University of Idaho is just across the border … only a few miles away. Josh has sensed the call to plant a church to reach college students and meet their needs. He is planning to be part of a ministry team of two or more planters. Each member of the team will be sharing the responsibilities of the teaching and equipping ministries of the church. Josh, himself, brings his musical talent to the team. He is an experienced concert performer and worship leader. You can check out his music at www.purevolume.com/joshmartin .

Josh has already made application to become a Church Planter with the Northwest Baptist Convention. He hopes to hear from them soon, and he hopes to be on the field in October. He has agreed to make a 3-5 year commitment to plant this church and see it through.

Josh Martin, and thousands of college students and recent college graduates are the new faces of church planting. They are deciding that they will not … they do not have to … wait until they graduate seminary, or get married, or reach age thirty, to get involved in Church Planting. They are prepared to be the church of today. God has called. They are answering.

The Mission M Possible team looks forward to many years of working with Josh. We plan to make his church, as well as the two Northwest Collegiate Ministries on the nearby campuses, part of our NOC List (Network Operations: Collegiate). We want to encourage young people to make collegiate choices to go to places like WSU and UI as strategic, missional choices.

Josh is looking for partners in his new ministry. He is only going to receive limited support funding. And, we all know that college students won’t be dropping much cash in anyone’s offering plate. Please pray about coming on board with Josh and supporting his ministry. Contact him through his web site at www.joshmartinmusic.com or send him an e-mail to justbelieve_99@hotmail.com .

And check back often with Mission M Possible. Hopefully, we’ll have him up on the NOC List very soon. And maybe we can host a summer project week in Pullman, Washington, in 2008!

Keep praying. Keep serving. Keep seeking.

Geoff