I thank God for churches like Dimond Boulevard Baptist Church in Anchorage, Alaska. Under the leadership of Pastor Matt Grimm, the church is seeking to maximize its ability to reach its neighbors with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Last year I visited with the church’s leadership team and utilized ABWE church advancement tools to evaluate the church’s outreach activities and better understand how to reach the people who live within its sphere of influence.

A couple of weeks ago I returned to teach an evangelism seminar rooted in ABWE’s Heart, Mind, Soul model. This model helps laypeople approach evangelism in the context of building authentic relationships with people who are different than they are. Once again the response was positive, and the church continues to adjust its priorities and focus to elevate outreach and discipleship among its members. All this is being done with an eye on a future church plant to reach those who have no relationship with God.

I pray more churches will follow this same path. If you are interested in more information, please contact me at cjewell [at] garbc [dot] org.

Clare Jewell is national church planting coordinator for Regular Baptist Churches.