I had somebody ask me how I arrive at the designation of churches on the sidebar as impact churches. Well, the first thing that’s important to realize is that any church, regardless of size, is an impact church from a Kingdom perspective when they are faithful to Jesus, lead people to Him and serve their community through His love. 

            I have a few criteria that always come into play.  I look to make sure that the churches hold to orthodox theology, including the Triune nature of God, the primacy of the gospel of Jesus and the authority of Scripture.  I look for a strong commitment to fulfill the Great Commission, with a Kingdom perspective.  I don’t agree with every detail of every church’s faith and practice, but these “first order” issues are vital.  Having said that, not all of these churches are Southern Baptist.  The Kingdom is bigger than us and honestly, not all SBC churches would meet the first order criteria.

            Of course, this is a completely subjective list.  It’s made up of churches that are sparking interest in my own heart and mind in this season.  By the end of the year, it could be a different list!

            So, why these churches in this season?

                        The Church at Brook Hills is an SBC church in Birmingham, AL. They have a remarkable commitment to disciple-making - both locally and globally, with a very cohesive strategy.  “Secret Church” is an innovative event that combines intensive Bible teaching, prayer and missions.

                        First Baptist Church of Leesburg is an SBC church where I served for almost 6 years. They are a pioneer in ministry-based evangelism and community ministry that meets the real life needs of people (alchoholism & substance abuse, poverty, homelessness, family stress, medical care, etc.), and have begun to use media in some very creative ways. 

                        Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, AR has taken the ministry evangelism idea and expanded it to practically mark every aspect of the church’s life, from small groups to community-wide ministry projects.  This independent evangelical church is committed to being an “irresistible influence” for Jesus in their community.

                        Imago Dei is an independent evangelical church in Portland, OR. They want to make God’s Kingdom come alive in all aspects of this secular city, want to be involved with the broken, have an intriguing ministry to artists, as well as a desire to express beauty as a Kingdom value.

                        Mars Hill Church in Seattle is an independent evangelical church in one of the US’ most unchristian cities that is reaching young, driven, secular people by the thousands.  They thoughtfully and intentionally connect with the unique culture of their city, call Christians to live as missionaries in the culture, and have fostered a burgeoning church planting movement called Acts 29. 

                        Northpoint Community Church is an independent evangelical church in Atlanta, GA that creates intentional environments to draw unchurched people to a relationship with Jesus.  All their lifestage ministries follow the same pattern of increasing intimacy (foyer, living room, kitchen) and they have done fabulous, original thinking in the areas of small groups and children’s discipleship. 

                        Perimeter Church is a PCA church in Atlanta. Their commitment to place discipleship at the core of the church’s life is helpful. Perimeter also pioneered some early multi-campus ministry approaches to reaching an entire city with the gospel.

                        Redeemer Presbyterian is another PCA church, this one in New York City. They are the undisputed leader in evangelical urban ministry, have a strong commitment to multiplying congregations and have done some genuinely unique thinking about workplace ministry that is reaching secular people.   

                        Summit Church is an SBC church in Durham, NC that has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five years-from a slowly dying, traditional program church to a rapidly growing, high-energy church.  They are reaching college students in the Research Triangle with a mix of biblical teaching, creativity and challenge to take risks for the gospel here and among the nations.

                        University City Fellowship is an independent church planted by some friends of mine in Charlotte, NC. They meet in a movie theatre, use significant creativity and intentionality in all their ministries, and focus on building relationships in a powerful way. That approach is helping them make a significant impact on students, young adults and families.

            And finally, Victory Baptist Church-our church family. We are in a metro area with an urban center, a major university and dozens of suburban communities. Lexington is consistently ranked one of the most desirable areas in the nation.  Our people live, work and go to school all across metro Lexington and in many Central Kentucky communities.  We are so strong in loving relationships and have so many people who have a real passion to follow Jesus and make a difference for Him. 

I believe we are uniquely positioned for a major impact on the 369,000+ people in our city that attend nobody’s church on Sunday-and may not know Jesus at all. Still, we have a lot thinking, growing, learning, adjusting, creating, risking, loving and reaching to do as we “lead all people to know and treasure Jesus above all things.” 

Along the way, we can watch and humbly learn from our brothers and sisters in other places. We can’t copy them, but we can be spurred on and encouraged by them to become the best church we can be for the people we have been called to reach and the Jesus we are privileged to make famous in our generation.