Our hope is to see PCA churches and presbyteries in the Midwest function as an Alliance where we are committed to working together towards this vision, contributing resources to one another, praying for one another, fostering cooperation, and coordinating our efforts with one another in order that we might plant churches and renew existing congregations.
With over 70 million people the Midwest region is a large, diverse, and significantly unreached mission field. Roughly 15% of the people attend any church at any time. That’s approximately 10.5 million leaving almost 60 million functionally unchurched. Almost half of this population is in 11 cities.
Over the last 35 years, we have seen a lot of progress in the planting and developing of churches that are reaching and discipling these people and serving as salt and light in the diverse communities of the Midwest. During this time frame, we have grown from a small, scattered group of churches to 232 churches and missions totaling roughly 46,000 people. We have gone from 6 presbyteries to 15.
For years we in the Midwest have bonded together and worked hard to pray for, encourage, and resource one another; to “strive side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Many churches outside the Midwest have graciously and generously provided resources for planting churches in what has been a frontier region of the PCA. While we still retain a strong sense of Midwest identity and cooperation the reality is that we have now multiplied into various sub-regions, presbyteries, and networks.
Many of our churches and presbyteries are more committed to and mobilized for church planting than ever before and there are church planting networks that are resourcing and spearheading the planting of new churches. We now see a small but growing ethnic, socio-economic, and generational diversity in Midwest leadership and churches including African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Asian Indian as well as Anglo. We have the denominational seminary within our bounds, and several have started local seminary and leadership training programs.
It’s time for what we might call “new wineskins” that will enable us to better fulfill the Great Commission and to strive together for the faith of the gospel in the Midwest. The Midwest Alliance positions us for “greater things” in the region!
Contacts:
Ted Powers, Director
678-641-1250
tpowers01@outlook.com
Ann Powers, Administrator
331-444-2595
apowers01@outlook.com