Rev. Andy Webb, ONA Board Chairman
If you have walked with Christ for any length of time, you’ve probably had the experience of making a prayerful, biblically sound decision—only to have others tell you it was unwise.
You’re not alone. Many “promising” young men in church history met strong resistance when they sought to serve Christ. John Calvin and Martin Luther both faced fathers who pushed them toward law, not ministry. Missionaries, too, have been told by well-meaning friends to avoid “dangerous” fields.
The famous Scottish Reformed Presbyterian missionary John G. Paton met such resistance when he announced plans to take the gospel to the cannibal-inhabited New Hebrides. In his autobiography, he recalled an older believer warning, “The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!” Paton replied:
“You are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms… if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.”
Despite such opposition, Paton—and many like him—pressed on. The Lord used their work to bless generations.
Today, I see similar hesitation toward church planting. Men are discouraged from pursuing it, and churches are told it is “unwise.” When I became a church planter—and later, when the congregation I planted 23 years ago resolved to plant another church in a nearby city without a Reformed witness—we heard the same cautions: too small, not enough money. But we were convinced the Lord was calling us, and that his provision—not our resources—would determine the outcome.
Since beginning the work, we have already seen God supply what we needed and provide us with a gifted and experienced church planter, Rev. Tim Phillips.
So I want to encourage men in ministry: consider whether the Lord might be calling you to plant a church. The task is hard, but the blessings are eternal. And to churches wondering if “now” is the right time—step forward in faith. The church in Antioch might have seemed too young to send Paul and Barnabas to plant churches, yet they obeyed, and the fruit remains to this day.
As chairman of ONA, I invite you to join us in striving to bring the gospel to the people of America. The Lord still blesses such faithful steps!
