Our hope is to help populate heaven.  We believe that new churches are one of the best ways to reach new people.  Did you know for example that the average church in America sees only one adult conversion per year per 100 people in attendance?  Early in the life-cycle of a church, reproduction of the faith happens at exponentially higher rates than in the later years of a church's development.  Author and church-planter Tom Nebel writes, "In years 0-3, it takes 3 attendees to reach 1 person for Christ.  In years 3-10, it takes 7 attendees to reach 1 person for Christ.  In churches older than 10 years, it takes 89 attendees to reach 1 person for Christ."

 

In 1998, Rev. Mark Foster began training to plant a church in northwest Edmond.  In February 1999, he began knocking on doors of the growing neighborhoods, calling friends and new move-ins, and sending letters to the people of the community.  Mark, his then pregnant wife Chantelle, and their 2-year-old son, connected with people in their new area and began Bible studies in their home.  By August 1999, they had reached enough people to begin weekly worship in rented facilities.  On September 9th, 2001, with more than 100 members, Acts 2 United Methodist Church became an officially recognized chartered church of the United Methodist Church of the Oklahoma Conference.  The young church had the great opportunity to worship for five years at Cheyenne Middle School in the "cafetorium" while using classrooms for Sunday School and the teacher's lounge for the nursery.  On July 2nd, 2006 the first worship facility was opened at 4848 West Covell at the corner of Pennsylvania and Covell.  From beginning to building, the church was able to raise funds and pay-off the 35-acre tract of land where the church now stands.  Today, nearly 400 people worship at Acts 2 each weekend.  The church has three full-time clergy and numerous part-time staff.

 

However, we know that we too will be a 10-year-old-church soon.  We want to make sure and not lose our edge in being as effective as we can possibly be for Jesus Christ.  So, Rev. Mark has continued to train working with the best minds in creating new churches.  Mark is currently working with Jim Griffith as a coach for church-planters in New Mexico and Kansas.  Mark is a regularly featured speaker at the New Church Leadership Institute for the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church.  Mark is also doing doctoral level work with the "god-father" of church-planting Dr. Bob Logan of Los Angeles, California.  Mark has completed the courses "Releasing Your Personal and  Church's Potential" and "Birthing and Multiplying Reproducing Churches" which include a comprehensive church-planting strategy.

 

So, if you are serious about starting a faith community that honors Jesus, we would love to talk with you. If you want take the leap into the greatest adventure of your life in watching lives change by the power of God, then you have found the right people who have both seen it and lived it.  We are making plans now to begin new United Methodist Churches in areas that are currently under-served.  If you know of people who do not yet know or follow Jesus, we would love to talk with them.  It is our hope to connect people to the GRACE (God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense) of God.  We hope to share God’s grace in new places and to new faces.  We do not desire to pull someone from another church.  We do desire to create faith communities to serve neighborhoods or areas that do not yet have a church.