Liberti Church | Center City

• Jared Ayers
• Feb 4, 2010
• Series: Church Profiles

Planter Profile: Jared & Monica Ayers

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church

I had been a staff pastor in mega church settings for 8 or 9 years. For the last couple of those years, several wise mentors and friends encouraged my wife Monica and I to consider planting churches in a center city context. We spent a couple of years praying, wrestling, discerning, seeking guidance, doing research, interviewing church planters, and seeking input from others. As of the summer of '07, we had a settled sense that God was calling us to plant a church in a center city context, probably in a city in the northeast or northwest (as these are the least Christian places in the US). But we had no timeline, destination, or plan.

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

Money- right before moving, we had a church that was going to give us $70,000 pull out. God has been faithful, and we've moved ahead and seen the church bear fruit, but even now we operate on a shoestring budget and are in need of some more financial support.
-Transience- because of our center-city context, we see people moving around a lot. We've already lost a couple of people even in our first few months to job changes/transfers
-Family in the city- my wife is not from an urban background, so that transition has been hard for her. And most of the people who live where we're planting are single professionals and hipsters. So there are not many other families around.
-Myself- my heart is naturally an idol factory, and I am constantly prone to pride, selfishness, foolishness

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

I have a few friends who planted with a29, and were drawn to the twin commitments to gospel and mission. The network here in Philadelphia has been nourishing while we've ventured into something, which is often isolating and lonely. The diversity of churches in the local network (center city, gentrified neighborhoods, blighted neighborhoods, blue collar neighborhoods, and Indian neighborhoods) has been a great apologetic for the unity the gospel creates.

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

-pray, pray, pray
-be growing in, love, cherish, hang tightly onto the gospel
-bring your wife into the conversation, and don't force your dreams on her
-get input from wise followers of Christ who love God and love you enough to be honest with you
-the miracle of your own conversion should give you hope that God can and will save anyone he wants
-get a coach
-develop a team, invest deeply in leaders and lost people
-don't plant until you're absolutely convinced that if you do plant and it doesn't "succeed," Jesus will still be more than enough for you
-think honestly about why you're doing what you're doing

What is your philosophy of community in your church and what does that look like practically in your church? Of evangelism?

We try to orient our community around the gospel, expressed and embodied in neighborhoods.

Since our "home meetings" are oriented around the gospel, we try to cultivate welcome to non-Christians, honesty, confession, transformation, and multiplication.

Since they're oriented around neighborhoods, we challenge people to connect with a home meeting in their particular neighborhood, so they can worship Jesus, serve Jesus, etc. with people in their own 'hood.

How do you pastor your family?

I strive, by the grace of God, to model and teach the gospel to them. so i repent to them, we talk about the gospel together and try and integrate it more and more into the life of our family. we pray together, talk about Jesus together, etc.

we also try to practice the rest the gospel gives us together. One day a week, I cease work for us to enjoy God and each other.

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

Relational networking- we challenged our launch team people to intentionally integrate their friendships with each other and the people they lived with, worked with, etc., and to pray for and seek opportunities to share the gospel.

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

-Seeing a few folks come to faith in our first few months
-God's provision in surprising and unlikely ways
-his sustaining power in our family life and marriage through this whole venture
-his provision of facilities and resources for us that we could not have anticipated

How can we pray for you?

Pray for: growth in grace and faithfulness for Monica and I; many people to be drawn to Christ here; boldness for our church in proclaiming the gospel; new connections with lost people; financial resourcing- we still need more support

Church Profile:Liberti Church

Launch Date: 3.1.09

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

We desire to be a part of a movement of the gospel in and for the city of Philadelphia.

We seek the renewal of the city of Philadelphia through the gospel by expressing:
-worship
-community
-mercy

What is your philosophy of community in your church and what does that look like practically in your church? Of evangelism?

We try to orient our community around the gospel, expressed and embodied in neighborhoods. Since our "home meetings" are oriented around the gospel, we try to cultivate welcome to non-Christians, honesty, confession, transformation, and multiplication.

Since they're oriented around neighborhoods, we challenge people to connect with a home meeting in their particular neighborhood, so they can worship Jesus, serve Jesus, etc. with people in their own 'hood.