Planting churches in our area
This is an exciting and challenging time for church planters. Ellis Baptist Association (EBA) is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (DFW), an exciting place to plant a church. DFW is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. People are moving to the area because of jobs and affordable housing. The majority of EBA churches are in Ellis County which is located south of Dallas. Many of the new residents in Ellis County commute to jobs in Dallas or Fort Worth. The increased population in the northern portion of the county requires an intentional and strategic effort in church planting. Each town is quite unique and provides a particular appeal that lures new residents. These new residents are moving to Ennis, Midlothian, Red Oak and Waxahachie which makes for a young population (32 average age). This growth brings some challenges that impact church planting. As an association of local churches we call “Shotgun”. We want to “ride shotgun” with the church planter. We want to be in the front seat with them. Responsibilities do come with “riding shotgun”. We want to help them see problems that are before them. We want to help them navigate. We are not telling them what to do but we want to read the map together. If they’re driving and we’re riding shotgun then it means we can’t take a nap while they’re driving. If you want to learn more about church planting with EBA, please contact Richard Cody at richard@ellisbaptist.org or (972) 937-9320 or Aaron Clayton at aaron@remedy-church.com .
