Planting a church in an urban environment presents unique challenges, a reality Pastors Celathia and King David Cox understood firsthand.
Facing the complexities of ministering in a city, the couple sought guidance and found it at the Evangel School for Urban Church Planting in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted by World Impact.
This training proved to be a transformative experience, guiding them from feeling daunted to becoming equipped and empowered for the work ahead.
Discovering Encouragement and Shared Journeys
A significant highlight of the training for Pastor King David was discovering a sense of commonality and shared journeys among fellow church planters.
“For me, it was seeing the different backgrounds, but the commonality that we all started off at ground level as far as church planting,” he shared.
He found immense encouragement in witnessing the experiences of others: “when you see other people started just like you started and they have successful plants repetitively, it gives you encouragement.”
Building Resiliency Through Shared Struggles
Navigating the inevitable challenges in ministry requires resilience, a crucial theme deeply explored in the training.
Pastor Celathia found this segment particularly vital for their journey. She shared the impact of learning from experienced teachers who openly recounted their difficulties and perseverance, emphasizing that being in a room with those who had navigated the “pitfalls and the trouble that they had gone through, but yet they were still resilient and going forward” was profoundly helpful.
From Isolation to Genuine Connection
Beyond the planned curriculum, the training fostered unexpected personal and relational growth.
Pastor King David, who admitted to being “kind of like an isolated person,” was genuinely surprised by his enjoyment of the fellowship and communion.
“I actually enjoyed the fellowship. I actually enjoyed the communion. I actually enjoyed the connections that we had, and I didn’t expect that,” he stated, valuing the development of “genuine, authentic, or organic connections.”
For Pastor Celathia, the emotional depth of the training was a surprise. She found that engaging with specific topics was “very emotional for me,” prompting reflection and leading to “another layer of healing.”
Gaining Strategies and Embracing Mentorship
Equipped with renewed spirits and a clearer vision, the Coxes are eager to implement the strategies they learned and leverage the mentorship connections made during the training.
Pastor King David looks forward to gaining further insights from their Evangel Church Planting Coach on “how to do what I do and have success at it.”
Pastor Celathia is particularly excited about “developing strategies on how to gather mentors and even the other people that were in the room that actually stepped up to offer themselves to mentor us in different areas.”
They humbly recognized their need for guidance, acknowledging, “There’s a lot of things that we know, but we’re honest to say that there’s a lot of things that we don’t know and that we need help in areas and someone to walk us through what they’ve already gone through.”
From Overwhelmed to Empowered and Commissioned for Action
The training was not merely an academic exercise; it was a life-changing experience that solidified their commitment to their urban community and prepared them for the formal step of commissioning.
Pastor King David powerfully articulated their resolve to translate learning into action, stating, “actions truly speak louder than words… And I think what we’re going to do is put our action plan into action, actually start doing what we set as a goal.”
He expressed confidence that “getting out the word and meeting people to me can transform a neighborhood, a community, and even a city.”
Pastor Celathia echoed this determination, declaring, “We’re going to do the goals that we set in the meeting… We’re going to go forth and do the work.”
Their resolve was strengthened by the passion of the trainers, who “believe in the mission” and demonstrated “how much they care about planting churches and helping communities.”
This journey of empowerment culminated in their commissioning ceremony, a significant moment marking their formal sending out.
At the end of the weekend, during their commissioning, Pastors Celathia and King David publicly reaffirmed their commitment to Christ and His kingdom, pledging to walk as His disciples.
They willingly accepted the vital role of planting a church to represent Christ and care for its members.
They solemnly pledged to live as examples, pray consistently, and offer humble, biblically sound advice to nurture a healthy congregation that effectively shares God’s love.
From the initial sense of being overwhelmed to the affirmation and sending forth in their commissioning, the training provided Pastors Celathia and King David Cox with the encouragement, resilience, connections, and practical plan needed to confidently step into their mission of impacting their urban community for Christ.
Interested in learning more about our Evangel School of Urban Church Planting? Click here.
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