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Antioch Baptist, Mansfield, Texas
atrick Moses has a long commute from his home in Mansfield, Texas, to his job with Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. But that hasn’t stopped the former Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leadership scholar from starting and growing Antioch Baptist Church in Mansfield, a community Moses described as “upwardly mobile and extremely progressive.” Throw in a local barbershop and it’s a combination tailor-made for a church whose evangelistic approach focuses on using modern technology to communicate the good news. The Mansfield area is growing, and Moses said many of the families are not connected to a church. Moses’ strategy is to use e-mails and text messaging as a means to attract people who don’t attend church regularly. Most of their contacts come from two church members who operate a barbershop. Antioch held its first worship service in December 2007, targeting families moving into the Mansfield/South Arlington/Grand Prairie area of north central Texas. It has quickly become a close-knit fellowship with several families vacationing together in Washington, D.C., this past summer. A tour of colleges is planned this fall so that children and teenagers in the congregation will have the opportunity to visit the campuses of all colleges in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. “Patrick contacted me last year with the hope of starting something new in Mansfield, an area with no moderate African American churches,” said David King, CBF’s church starts assistant. “We worked with him to develop his plan and also put him in contact with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT).”
Antioch was launched with support from BGCT, CBF, several local African American Baptist churches and a group of pastors serving as mentors to Moses. CBF and CBF of Texas signed an official covenant of partnership with Antioch at this year’s Gen- Patrick Moses, a bi-vocational pastor, works with the Department of Homeland Security and as pastor of Antioch Baptist. He is shown here with Antioch’s first eral Assembly in baptism class. Memphis. While there are some financial aspects to the parting Greater Saint Stephen’s First Church in nership, it also involves connecting Moses Fort Worth, a connection that helped him with other CBF church planters in Texas become a CBF leadership scholar. and beyond. The church will hold a block A bi-vocational pastor, Moses is an party this fall, sponsored by BGCT as an18-year federal employee, having worked other way to connect people with Antioch. in several government agencies in the “CBF is committed to developing Fort Worth area. In May, he was recruited a strategy of church starting that is a to serve in a position in Washington, partnership between national and state D.C., with the Department of Homeland CBF leadership as well as new church Security. He is responsible for the law starts,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s enforcement and physical security of coordinator of congregational life. “This federal facilities located in the Washington new church start has certainly benefited metropolitan area. from this strategy. Patrick’s energy for the Moses’ wife, Ronda, is director of social work and his sensitivity to God’s spirit are services at Life Care Center of Haltom, and evident. We are pleased to partner in such recently earned a bachelor of social work at an exciting setting.” Texas Woman’s University. She is a part of Moses earned a bachelor of arts in politthe ministry team at Antioch. ical science and a master of public admin“I love transforming people, and I feel istration degree from Southern University. called to doing a church start,” Moses said. He was ordained in June 2005, just before “It is exciting to watch God create a new he graduated from Texas Christian Unichurch — a church with a new DNA.” versity’s Brite Divinity School, a Fellowship By contributing writer Sue H. Poss, partner, with a master of divinity degree. Greenville, S.C. He was introduced to CBF while attend-
CBF photo
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Photo courtesy Antioch Baptist
Church S potlight
To learn more about CBF church start resources, contact David King at dking@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. fellowship!
November/December 2008
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