Longleaf Church

I met Jared and Lindsey Gilstrap yesterday

at the Catalyst conference near Atlanta.

About 13,000 people attended this conference

for Christian leaders.

Many participants, like the Gilstraps,

were in their 20s and 30s.

We met at lunchtime outside the hockey arena

where the event was held.

Jared and Lindsey have been very busy recently

            as part of the launch team of Longleaf Church

                        in Warner Robins, Georgia.

Longleaf Church opened its doors to the public last month,

            after about two years of preparation.

Longleaf is a Strategic Partner

with North Point Community Church,

the multisite megachurch in the Atlanta area.

North Point was founded by Andy Stanley in 1995

and is now the third largest church in the USA

with 23.000 weekly attenders.

Andy Stanley will preach by video at Longleaf

80% of the time, with the other 20% of the sermons

preached by Longleaf’s pastor, Jeff Jeffords.

Jared and Lindsey told me that about 30 churches

are Strategic Partners with North Point Church.

Longleaf was required to raise $100,000

and build a monthly tithing base of $20,000

in order to be a North Point Strategic Partner.

Though some may object to this kind of church planting,

I see the beauty and wisdom in it.

Check out Longleaf’s website HERE,

and North Point Strategic Partners HERE.