Last year, a good friend of mine and I were discussing the future of his church. They were struggling, yet had a clear vision to reach their community. Randy Bryan, a church planter, and his wife Debbie, were doing all they could to reach the people of San Marcos, Texas. The opportunities were huge, yet the church was still struggling. Although Randy can preach well, it drained him rather than invigorated him. He told me “Bil, I’m more interested in reaching our community than being the senior leader and visionary.” I suggested he pray about joining ranks with our church, and he began to pray (and get excited) about the possibilities. That was two years ago, and since joining our church, his campus has tripled in size! Here are a few other benefits of becoming a part of the baf team: Randy and Debbie no longer feel alone in leadership. The move helped stabilize them financially. The vision was almost immediately caught by most of the people. The best part: hundreds of new people have found a home in Bay Area Fellowship, San Marcos. It is amazing what can happen when only Jesus gets the credit. Randy and Debbie are doing an amazing job! Pastor John Atkinson (our multi-site pastor) pours into them, provides encouragement, and I provide the vision. Put it all together and you get changed lives! If you are a church planter, or a church, that is struggling with not reaching your full potential, and you are open to becoming a Bay Area Fellowship campus, shoot us an email at jccatkinson@gmail.com This doesn’t mean that you are failing. It means that you are making a strategic partnership, to reach more people. People in the mission field do this all the time. They partner with others (stateside) to be able to have a larger impact in their community. Randy and Debbie could’ve kept going without us, but I’m glad they saw the potential. We now call it a “God-thing.” If you are seriously considering talking with us, here are a few things to consider: 1. You can be a location, regardless of where your church is..in Texas, out of Texas, in the U.S. or out. 2. You must agree with the vision of BAF and it’s leadership. 3. Instead of leaving your church plant, why not stay and be a campus pastor and continue the same great relationships you have, while relieving yourself of the vision-casting/regular teaching role (you still teach every 6 to 8 weeks, minimum). 4. You can help get the church healthy, and if you still decide to leave, then you are leaving the church in good hands (although we really hope you stay!). 5. Joining together means you are no longer on an island, but rather you have a group of pastors who want to share what works/doesn’t work with you! I pray that God’s will happens through this blog post. Who knows what God may have on the other side of our obedience to Him. It’s not about our church or your church…it’s about the Kingdom. Bil Cornelius Founding pastor, Bay Area Fellowship, and campus pastor of the Corpus Christi campus.