Montana Missional Communities
Loving God by Living Community and Serving the World
A New Work in the West
Montana is one of the least churched states in America.
There are few Baptist churches overall, no Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship congregations, and
only one CBF church within
hundreds of miles of the state. However, with the help of the national CBF
and partnering Baptist churches, a missional-oriented moderate
Baptist congregation is being birthed in
Billings this summer.
A second church plant is slated for
Bozeman in 2009, and additional churches are planned for the years
following.
Ryan and Courtney Tucker are the church planters for the Billings church. They have stepped out in faith, confident that God will provide. Bruce Gourley, Interim Director of Mercer University's Center for Baptist Studies and long-time Montana resident and entrepreneur (and former campus minister), is supervising the Billings church plant and future plants.
How We Started
In the fall of 2007, Ryan contacted Bruce to seek guidance about
God’s call on his life, and a unique conversation began. Bruce and
Ryan found a synergy about new ministries in
The initial conversation centered on the
planting of a single church. However, in response to the leading of
the Holy Spirit, a greater vision to reach the state of Montana
using a Community Group Church approach supported by the Internet,
moved the conversation to a new plateau. A vision of planting a
minimum of three churches in Montana by the year 2010 emerged.
Settling on the name "Montana Missional Communities," the goal is to
reach the Post-Christian culture in key areas of the state:
The Need for Partners
Montana Missional Communities is seeking missional-minded partners - churches and individuals - who would like to join us in the vision of ministering to persons who don't yet know the love of Jesus Christ. Learn how you can be a Montana Missional Communities Partner.
A Word From Ryan
This past week as I read the story of Israel’s flight from the Egyptians and the time they spent in the wilderness following Moses, God reminded me of the journey of faith! The journey of God’s people will always be a story of faith, faith to take the first step and each and every step which follows over the rest of our lives. The decision to move our family to Billings, giving up the relative security of our lives, took more faith than I realized Courtney and I possessed. Arriving in Billings we found ourselves alone and afraid, but through faith we followed the call of God to plant a church.
We are now at a point where God is collecting other people, our newfound brothers and sisters of “The Journey.” Yet again we find ourselves summoning more faith, faith to dream the big dream of a church in a place where previously this church did not exist. It requires faith to believe God will use eight of us to join His work in Billings, Montana, and glorify Him. It requires faith to believe God has others who are a part of this plan waiting to join this journey. We only have to seek them, to find them. Faith! Enough said.