Emmaus Church | Portland, OR

• Cole Brown
• Apr 7, 2010
• Series: Church Profiles
• Categories: Church Planting Articles

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church 

I lived 21 years of my life in Portland without ever hearing anything about Jesus or his gospel. When I finally heard the gospel at the age of 21 and God saved me I almost immediately wanted to take the gospel to the neighborhood where I never heard it. Being a new convert I knew I could not do that immediately so I spent the next 7 years training for that possibility. As the years progressed this internal desire became an obvious external call and I started the process of planting Emmaus.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in planting your church (and/or currently facing)? 

The biggest challenge I have faced in church planting has been financial. It is exceedingly difficult to become self-sustaining in the inner-city as rent is expensive and many congregants are struggling financially. The financial challenges limit the number of hours that the leaders can pour into the plant and this makes it more difficult to reproduce ourselves.

What advice do you have for men who are wrestling with the decision to plant? 

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to make sure you have more experienced men whom you invite to speak into your life and into the life of the church. I did not have this initially and I wish I would have.

How did you become involved with Acts 29? What have been the biggest benefits of being in the network? 

When I was moving towards planting the church I heard of the Acts 29 network from a friend who attended an Acts 29 church. My wife and I visited an Acts 29 bootcamp and immediately knew that this was a network we wanted to partner with. The biggest benefits of the network have been the supportive relationships and the training resources.

How do you pastor your family? 

I pastor my family by serving them as Christ has served me and by doing everything I can to keep the gospel before all of us at all times.

Outside of the Bible, what is the most helpful book you have read for church planting?

Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

How can we pray for you?

Pray that the men in our church would follow God's call to lead the church, their families, and their neighborhoods for his glory.

Church Profile: Emmaus Church
Launch Date: September, 2009
Location: Portland, OR

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

Our mission is to be drawn to Christ by the gospel, developed in Community through the gospel and deployed into culture with the gospel.

What is your biblical perspective on authentic community, and evangelism? How is this practically seen in your church? 

We believe that the most effective apologetic is a united community of diverse people who would never otherwise be united apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ. This community apologetic is seen when we gather corporately on Sundays, in homes as missional communities, and throughout the city as we work, play and live.

What are some examples of God's grace that you have seen in your life and/or the life of your church? 

God has been gracious to us in more ways than we can count. One of the evidences of his grace that we're most grateful for is the multicultural makeup of Emmaus. As we prepared to plant the church we prayed often that God would unite the ununitable at Emmaus as a sign of the true power of the gospel. He has graciously answered that prayer and while we would love to see this happening even more we are immensely grateful that it is happening as much as it is.