Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

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H ave you ever wondered
how a church comes into be-
ing – not necessarily the building
that houses the church but the
congregation, leaders and mission
that come together to create a
spiritual journey for all involved?
If you engage in regular worship at a local church, there’s
a good chance your own church
was “planted” by another. This
phenomenon, known appropriately as “church planting,”
has taken root more than ever in East Cooper.
“When a church has been established for a long time,
it might not attract newer members,” said Chad Moore,
senior pastor at the Church at LifePark in Mount Pleasant.
“When you plant new
churches, you reach
a group of people
that hasn’t yet been
reached.”
LifePark, about
six years old and
located near Park
West, is one example
of church planting in
the area; not only did
it begin as a plant of
First Baptist Mount
Pleasant, it’s help-
ing new churches get
placed as well.
Just how many
churches can one
church sprout? Ask Steve Wood at St. Andrew’s Church in
Mount Pleasant, who came to East Cooper as an associate
pastor for St. Andrew’s – he’s now the head pastor – and
has helped start enough new churches for an entire dio-
cese, of which he is now the bishop.
“We’re part of the Anglican Church of North America,
which came from the Episcopal Church – but 16 years ago
this diocese did not even exist,” said Wood, pointing out
that the Mount Pleasant campus of St. Andrew’s now has
an office dedicated to planting churches, as well as numer-
ous parish members who are passionate about planting.
Even St. Andrew’s is not just one campus nestled inside
the Old Village of Mount Pleasant. The church has sprout-
ed three more locations in the Lowcountry – Park Circle,
downtown Charleston and Goose Creek. Each campus, ac-
cording to Wood, delivers the St. Andrew’s message – with
different pastors at the helm – and shares the St. Andrew’s
style of worship.
“Because St. Andrew’s was healthy, we started three
satellite churches as well as other churches for our dio-
cese,” Wood said. “We now have the reputation of being a
church planting diocese. There’s a huge need to plant and
establish churches and to help struggling churches as well.”
I asked how the leaders of St. Andrew’s typically aid a
struggling church; Wood replied that it’s necessary to “meet
with the leaders, understand the church’s purpose or mis-
sion and try to get the church refocused on it.”
Sometimes, though, a church has simply reached the
end of its existence. When that happens, it’s optimal for a
new church to receive any resources that are left over.
“Every church has
a life cycle,” affirmed
Moore. “For example,
First Baptist Awendaw
could not continue
as a church, thus its
resources were given
to First Baptist Mount
Pleasant – then First
Baptist Mount Pleasant
grew LifePark, as well
as the Church at Sewee
Bay.”
A similar passing
of the torch occurred
when Unity Baptist
Church, formerly
on Whipple Road in
Mount Pleasant, bestowed its resources upon LifePark’s
newest plant, King’s Cross Church.
“LifePark is now a church planting church,” Moore
pointed out.
Both Moore and Wood spoke about the “call” that a
spiritual leader feels to begin a new church and how that
call helps other leaders decide who will guide a fledg-
ling congregation. Moore and Wood each came to the
Charleston area to lead their respective churches and now
find it fulfilling to help other pastors do the same with
new plants.
“Chip (Robinson) was an associate pastor here
(at LifePark) and felt called to pastor a church,” said
Moore. Now he’s leading King’s Cross.”
“When it comes to church planting, we consider the
By DenIse K. JaMes
This was the first sunday service at the Church at LifePark in 2010.
Photo courtesy of the Church at LifePark.