Half-jokingly I refer to Alexandria, Virginia pastor Garrett Kell as one of Mark Dever‘s young Calvinist firebrands. Dever, longtime pastor of the highly intellectual Capitol Hill Baptist Church, mentors rising clergy and sometimes dispatches them to “reseed” dying congregations.
Kell, a West Virginian raised United Methodist and converted to Christ in college, was dispatched eight years ago to dying Del Ray Baptist Church outside Washington, DC. His ministry there has resulted in a growing and diverse congregation of mostly young families.
In my interview with Kell, we discuss why his church is growing in largely non-churchgoing Northern Virginia. He rightly credits God, but I’ll credit him as God’s capable and willing instrument.
You will enjoy this encouraging conversation.
Comment by Gary Bebop on June 24, 2020 at 6:11 pm
Another splendid conversation that accents the significance of keeping “on point” in offering the historical gospel of Jesus Christ even at a moment when radical culture warriors are demanding signs of submission to their agenda. Will these new church plants be able to walk the narrow path under new conditions?
Comment by John Smith on June 25, 2020 at 7:51 am
I don’t bother with the videos so I’ll limit my comment to the introduction. “Raised UM and then converted to Christ” seems such a typical tale in all the mainline denoms. Could this not be their root problem?
Comment by Jeff Winter on June 29, 2020 at 12:28 pm
That’s me. Raised Presbyterian (PCUSA) and became a Christian at the age of 23.
Comment by Larry Waddell on June 26, 2020 at 9:59 pm
How is Calvinism the gospel? Are Methodists now going to accept TULIP as truth?
Comment by John Smith on June 29, 2020 at 4:51 pm
Well, we could go into Calvinism and Methodism, even a sidetrip into TULIP. At the basic level one cannot hold to both is the simple truth but it misses the point of the conversation. The point is that none of the “Seven Sisters” including Mr. Kell’s Methodist and Mr Winter’s Presbyterians are preaching and teaching Christianity and their children are having to find it outside. Is it any wonder that all are in a precipitous decline and that the 18-28 demographic is a wasteland?
In all the arguments about social justice, which music, the imperative of youth programs, ministers, outreach which have done nothing perhaps we have missed the simple preaching of the gospel?
Comment by Marshall Jones on June 29, 2020 at 5:33 pm
Garrett Kell is not in the PCUSA (Presbyterian Church USA — one of the seven sisters mainstream denominations).
He’s part of the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America — not a mainstream liberal denomination). Their membership continues to grow:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian_Church_in_America#Membership_trends
Comment by John Smith on June 30, 2020 at 1:09 pm
He is now out of the 7 sisters but was raised UMC and the comment from Mr. Winter indicates he was raised PCUSA also one of the 7. It is to that which my comment relates.