Saturday, February 15, 2014

H. L. Hussmann: New Life for Small Churches: Brand New Church


Bergman, Ark., has two restaurants, one school, a population of 407—and a church of 350 people.

Shannon O’Dell is the senior pastor of Brand New Church, and in 2003 he felt sure God was calling him to a city like Atlanta or Seattle. So when he received a call from Southside Baptist Church in South Lead Hill, Ark., population 88, he didn’t take it seriously.

“We didn’t even pray about it,” O’Dell says. “They asked us to, but we said, ‘no.’”

After persistent contact from the church and a Thanksgiving nap where O’Dell says God “clearly spoke” saying, “What if I want to use you to pioneer and blaze a trail in rural America?” O’Dell accepted. Thirty-one people voted him in. Keep reading

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