Immanuel Church Planted Cornerstone for God’s Glory
By Rev. Dana Smith, Pastor, Immanuel Congregational Church, Chelmsford, MA
Two Students Discerning God’s Call
After our time at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, my wife, Kristen, and I both felt called to global missions in France. Most ministry opportunities there involved church planting, so we spent a summer in Montreal learning about that ministry. Our experience revealed that we were not called to plant churches. Instead, we are called to pastor established local congregations. Still, we believe that healthy churches, should replicate, as the Lord leads. As the Senior Pastor at Immanuel Church (CCCC) in Chelmsford, MA, I still have a vision of planting, should the Lord so lead.
Two Other Discerning Students
Jonathan and Monica Romig also met at Gordon-Conwell. (Monica served alongside me when I was an Associate Pastor.) I enjoyed watching Jonathan and Monica diligently seeking to discern God’s call. During an Elders retreat at Immanuel, I asked them to give a presentation they had developed during a church-planting course. Jonathan did not want his research to collect dust, so he asked if I knew of any areas near our church that would benefit from an evangelical church being planted there, thus making his research useful for Immanuel. I recommended the town next door, Westford, MA. At the time, this beautiful Boston suburb had two evangelical churches; one had fewer than ten people, and the other was trying to relocate to another town. The presentation went well, and the following year we called Jonathan to be our Associate Pastor.
A Church in Distress
The aforementioned church of less than ten people was a struggling CCCC church. Their interim pastor called our Area Representative, Steve Burkett, to ask how a church goes about closing its doors for good. Steve was aware of Immanuel’s desire to plant in due season, so he called and asked if we were still interested. Several conversations with the Elders ensued, followed by months of conversations with the good people at the church in Westford. The result was that we purchased their building for the amount they had remaining on their mortgage. In the meantime, the Elders turned their eye toward our Associate and his wife, Jonathan and Monica, the two who had “just happened” to do research on planting a church in, of all places, Westford!
The Birth Process
There was no question that God was calling us to plant this church. However, we had just enough research and training to make us dangerous. Enter NEX, New England Multiplication, and my former mentor from Montreal. Through their direction and after much prayer, we chose Jonathan to partner with one of our Elders, Andy Bradshaw, as we “hived off” 35-40 people to plant a daughter church in Westford.
It’s a Girl!
While this venture will technically be a ministry of Immanuel, the believers in Westford have freedom to minister in ways that may or may not resemble how we do things at Immanuel. Their first public worship service was held on October 3, 2015. What a thrill to meet our new daughter, Cornerstone Congregational Church, and to watch them embark on their mission to make disciples of Westford and its surrounding communities!
How God uses us to tell His Story
I marvel at God’s providence. So many joys and heartbreaks marked the past decades of ministry for my wife and me, the Romigs, Immanuel Church, and the former church in Westford. And yet, looking back, God, Whose strength is made perfect in our weakness (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9), was writing several chapters of this story of Kingdom expansion. What story will he continue to write through the ministries of Immanuel and Cornerstone? That remains to be seen. Whatever it is, we know the end of the Story, don’t we? Until that day, we carry on with so many things conspiring against us, and yet we do not lose hope. We minister, plant, and proclaim Christ and Him crucified, not by might, nor by our own power, but by His Spirit (cf. Zech. 4:6).
Carry on, brothers and sisters. Go and make disciples, in obedience to our Lord, and consider doing so by planting a daughter church. There are certainly sacrifices involved, yet we exist not for self-preservation, but for Kingdom expansion.
