Church Planting Sunday: God is on the Move

This past Sunday was one I won’t forget. The Spirit of God moved among us in a powerful way as we celebrated Church Planting Sunday at Mission Church. It was a reminder of who we are a people sent on mission for Christ’s Kingdom.

Looking Back with Gratitude

I shared how, back in 2018, God stirred my heart and our family made the move back to North Carolina. We left good jobs and started praying that God would use us to plant a gospel-centered church in Morganton. In 2019, we gathered a small core team. By March 1, 2020, we launched Mission Church. Not exactly ideal timing, but God’s faithfulness has been steady through every twist and turn.

I told our church family that Mission’s story isn’t about anyone’s skill or creativity. It’s about God’s kindness. He has provided at every step. He’s written a story of grace that keeps unfolding. And as much as we want to celebrate that, we also want to keep asking, “What’s next, Lord? Who are you calling us to reach?”

A Church That Goes

When we talk about church planting, it’s not just about buildings or new ministries. It’s about people meeting Jesus. Every believer carries that call. I preached briefly from Matthew 28, the Great Commission, and reminded us that Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” rests on His declaration, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

This mission doesn’t depend on our ability, it rests on Christ’s authority. The church doesn’t just do missions. The church is mission. The church is the vehicle by which God is unfolding his kingdom agenda. Each of us is sent to bear witness to the risen King wherever we live, work, and play.

A Conversation with Dr. Josh Rice

Then I had the joy of introducing my friend, Dr. Josh Rice, a missionary in Japan. Josh and his wife, Laura, have spent the last several years learning the Japanese language and culture, raising their four kids, and serving with a vision to see a gospel movement among the Japanese people.

Josh shared how God called him to Japan fifteen years ago. It wasn’t an instant story, it was a long, patient journey of closed doors, waiting, and obedience. He described Japan’s deep spiritual need. Out of 120 million people, less than one percent are Christians. In some towns, you could count the believers on one hand. Beneath the beauty and technology lies a deep emptiness. As Josh said, Japan is “a feast for the eyes and a famine for the soul.”

Hard Soil, Faithful Hands

Josh talked about the slow, often unseen work of missions, how fluency takes years, and how cultural barriers make relationships fragile. Yet his conviction was clear: God is moving, even when progress seems invisible. His family is learning to trust that one conversation, one act of love, one friendship can plant seeds that might not bloom for generations.

He said something that struck me deeply: “Japanese pastors often look to missionaries to do the evangelism for their churches. But the gospel spreads when everyday people share it.” That’s the kind of movement we pray for, revival where ordinary believers boldly live out their faith.

The Spirit Stirred Our Hearts

As Josh spoke, you could feel it the weight of God’s presence. Our church wasn’t just hearing a report from across the world; we were being called into the story. We talked about sending small teams not to build projects, but to pray, to stand on Japanese soil and ask God to break spiritual strongholds and encourage weary missionaries.

Josh described his own practice of hiking to a high place in his town a hill dedicated to a local deity just to pray and declare that Christ alone is King. It was such a deep and powerful reminder of our call to stand in the gap, to plead for the Lord to work among us and push back darkness.

Praying for the Rice Family and Japan

At the end of the service, we gathered around Josh, laid hands on him, and prayed. The whole room joined in—some came forward, others stretched out hands from their seats. We prayed for his family, for their children to find friends, for provision and protection, and for the gospel to take root in Japan.

We prayed for revival, that God would move Japan from famine to feast. That families and students across that nation would see the joy of Jesus in the Rice family and long for it themselves. We prayed that one day we would hear stories of the Spirit’s fire spreading through cities, villages, and train stations.

From Morganton to Japan and Beyond

As I look back, I can’t help but think, this is what Mission Church was planted for. To be a people who gather to worship and scatter to witness. To celebrate what God has done and to keep saying “yes” when He calls us to go again.

God is writing a story bigger than any one church or city. The same Spirit who planted a church here in Morganton is planting seeds of life across the world. And what a joy that we get to be part of it.