The community around “Eighth Baptist” had reached its peak in 1962. Since then, people have moved to newer suburbs, and the neighborhood was experiencing its second demographic shift. The first shift in the late 70s integrated the community as African Americans moved in. The second shift is more recent. Over the past five years, a large population of Venezuelan refugees has begun to call the neighborhood home. In addition, there are now two Hispanic grocery stores in the community, and the first Hispanic mayor has been elected.
Through all the change, “Eighth Baptist” has been a source of stability in the community. The church busses were community staples on Wednesdays and Sundays before COVID. The church reached its highest attendance in 1971. They baptized 63 people that year, launched several new ministries, and had plans to build a new sanctuary. However, the church slowly began to decline around 1976. People began to move to the newer suburbs just outside the metro area, but they faithfully drove back weekly for worship. They loved each other, the fellowship, and the memories of the amazing things God had done there. The church’s decline was so slow that no one in the church noticed it. Decades passed, and the church family grew older together.
The church has tried to reach the people in the community. Their outreach events are well attended, especially their fall festival, but the people in the community will not come to worship. Occasionally, a family will visit, but they look around, see the empty pews, and leave to find a church with people who look more like them. The church members have prayed for growth and tried their hardest, but nothing has worked. Last Sunday, their pastor, an 83-year-old retired missionary, announced that he is retiring from the church due to health reasons. Some of the members are thinking about closing the church, but no one wants to be the one to suggest it.
Two towns over, a sister church is experiencing different problems. A Hispanic pastor who connected with the church on a mission trip has been leading a small Bible study in the fellowship hall. This Bible study has grown to almost 75 people, and the church is struggling to contain both congregations. The Hispanic pastor and his church are praying that God will open the door for a permanent home for their ministry. They have the full support of their sending church, and the pastor has been trained and endorsed by the State Convention to plant a new church. God has moved amazingly, and they are excited to see where He leads them next.
The members of Eighth Baptist do not realize it, but they are prime candidates for a Replant. A replant is the rescue, redemption, and restoration of a church at or near the point of death, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God and the good of the community. Eighth Baptist is past the point where the church can be Re-visioned. Still, the church members’ years of faithfulness have given them a unique opportunity to pass the torch of ministry and their facility to a different group of Baptist disciples. The members of Eighth Baptist remember how God worked in their great revival and believe that they may see a similar, or greater, work in the new Hispanic church.
See, Eighth Baptist had spent years praying for God to send revival, for the salvation of the people around the church, and fresh vision and ministry on their corner. God was answering their prayers in His own way and in His own time. The members of Eighth Baptist had a decision to make. Would they allow God to work while they can see and celebrate, or would they hold on to what they know until the last person turns the lights out? They chose to open their doors to the Hispanic church, and God has blessed them. The new church has already baptized 40 people this year, and every Sunday, several members of Eighth Baptist gather for Sunday School in their old classroom. They do not understand all the conversations, but they have learned to say, “Gloria a Dios!” and celebrate how God is moving.
Through Replanting, communities are reached, and new churches are birthed. There are church planters and new churches praying for opportunities to minister in many communities around Birmingham. If you want to hear about Replanting as an option for your church, please email me at joshc@bmbaonline.org or call our office.
Note: Eighth Baptist is a fictional church, but there are thousands of real churches like it across our nation.