Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. We exist to help the presbyteries and congregations of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church to start new Presbyterian and Reformed congregations throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. This simple statement of purpose gives clear direction to both the Committee and its staff about how biblical ecclesiology works itself out in the OPC. We hope you will enjoy what you find here.
Establishing New Churches
The sessions, congregations, and presbyteries of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church have developed a godly passion for establishing of new churches. They have come to expect that their Church will plant a number of new mission works each year; that new men will be needed to fill the ranks of those who serve as pastors in her growing number of congregations; and that significant dollars will need to be expended in the divine direction of her expansion. The Committee on Home … Continue
A Cactus on the Roof
The other day I saw a prickly pear cactus growing on the roof of a trailer home. That, my friends, is church planting in Arizona. Just when you think the ground is too hard, the sun is too hot, and the drought is too long, God puts a cactus on the roof. In 2008, you would have thought planting an Orthodox Presbyterian church in Tucson, Arizona, was impossible. There was no core group in Tucson, and in all of Arizona … Continue
Vineyard Across America
Pastor Brent Evans of Momence OPC in Momence, Illinois, writes: “Part of my work a while back was to prepare a sermon on Genesis 23. There Abraham confesses, ‘I am an alien and a stranger among you.’ This confession that he makes by faith (Heb. 11:13) helps me as I reflect on where we are as a congregation. God has been establishing us, and yet we need to press on! “We are thankful for the establishment that comes from having … Continue
Working in New England
Back in 2009, Gallup published its most recent “State of the States” comparison, showing the most and least religious of the fifty states in the union. As a church planter, I have to confess that it did explain a little bit to see my adopted state of New Hampshire finishing high on the list—of the least religious states! When asked if religion is an important part of their daily life, only 42 percent of Vermonters answered positively, which was the … Continue
Only the Lord Can Do It
When our daughter went through customs at the Calgary airport this summer, the agent asked why she was entering Canada. “To visit my parents,” she replied. “They live in Airdrie.” “Why did they move there?” the agent inquired. Good question. Why? Airdrie, a city of over 43,000, is just north of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. It started out in 1889 as a railroad village; the Calgary and Edmonton Railway was then being constructed. Today it is a scenic bedroom community and … Continue
The Engine is Running Again!
It’s happening again, just like it was happening a few years ago. The moving vans are rolling again throughout North America, carrying new church planters and their families to their ministries at a rate of more than one per month. That wasn’t happening for a while. The “church-planting engine” of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was quiet for more than a year. In 2008, God enabled the presbyteries of the OPC to start twenty new mission works. But in 2009 only eight … Continue
Gastonia, North Carolina
Reformation OPC was planted with a vision to reach Gaston County, North Carolina. What began with three households has grown to eight, averaging 35 for morning and evening worship. They have had a steady flow of visiting families and continue to pray that God will expand both their congregation, and … Continue
Huntington, New York
God has richly blessed Trinity Church in this Long Island community of Huntington over the past several months. Four new families are visiting on a regular basis, and one has asked to come into membership. The congregation has given to the work with extraordinary generosity. Pray for Pastor Ben … Continue