Cincinnati, Ohio—With only one evangelical church for every 10,875 people, Cincinnati needs to see a movement of God like never before, said Travis Smalley.
The North American Board Send City missionary said Kentucky Baptist churches could be the catalyst to start that movement.
“It starts with a fundamental call to the Great Commission,” Smalley said.
Smalley will lead a church planting vision tour of the Queen City Sept. 28-29.
During the two-day Cincinnati Send City Vision Tour, pastors, directors of missions and ministry leaders will learn about potential missions partnerships in the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky metropolitan area.
“This vision tour is about connecting pastors to church planters,” Smiley said, and seeing to it that new churches have the resources needed to reach people for Christ.
According to the North American Mission Board, less than 14 percent of Cincinnati’s 1.6 million residents are affiliated with an evangelical church. More than half identify with no religious body at all.
Smalley said NAMB has designated more than 100 communities in and around the metropolitan area as sites for new church plants. So far, about 20 churches have been started.
Smalley, pastor of Lakota Hills Baptist Church in West Chester, Ohio, has had his hand in coaching five of the new churches.
“Jesus has commissioned us to take the gospel to ends of the earth, and one of the most effective ways to do that is planting churches.” (KBC)
Robin Cornetet