The Antioch Program
Watch this overview video above to get an idea of the Antioch Program.
For the last two years I’ve had the privilege of sitting in a room with other Sovereign Grace pastors as we studied Scripture, prayed, and strategized about how to advance the gospel beyond our own local churches. And as I’ve done this something powerful often happens.
One retreat in particular I was fighting some persistent health issues and discouragement about mission in our local church. Spending three days thinking and praying about mission felt like it might only add to a sense of frustration or burden. But in fact, the opposite happened.
As we spent time around God’s Word and as brothers in Sovereign Grace led us in teaching and discussion the mission that might feel vague and overwhelming began to feel much more specific and concrete.
As we spent time in prayer and ministry to one another my sense of excitement for God’s mission and faith for playing a part in it grew.
As we spent time around good meals (many of them!) I no longer felt isolated or alone in pursuing the mission, but felt I was linking arms with other brothers and churches.
The Antioch program was created exactly for these reasons.
The main piece of the Antioch program is a retreat for pastors in Sovereign Grace focused on equipping churches at the intersection of ecclesiology and missiology to be sending churches. It’s called “Antioch” because we want to see our churches become Antioch churches in the model of Acts 11-13. The retreat is followed and supported by coaching from a trained church planting coach in Sovereign Grace and the project will wrap up with a meeting just before the 2024 Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference.
Our hope is to see Sovereign Grace churches intentionally, effectively, sacrificially, and consistently pursuing church planting and mission work. We believe every church regardless of its size, location, and resources can participate in this work. It will not look the same in every context but should be marked by the same consistent faithful pursuit.
As we gathered in 2022 and 2023 God met us and we’re seeing God do some amazing and encouraging things in churches as a result. That only builds our anticipation for what God could do in the future.
Find out more at our Church Planting Info Mtg. at the Pastors Conference - Wednesday, Nov. 15th from 3-4 pm.
Our next planned Antioch retreat is March 2024. Please let us know if you’re interested, and we’d love to get you more information.
Also, I just wrote an article in the recent SGC Journal on the church in Antioch and what we can learn from it.
Ricky serves on the National Church Planting Group with Sovereign Grace Churches, leading the Antioch Program, and is the lead pastor at Cross of Grace Church in El Paso, TX.
