Gailyn and Becky Van Rheenen: Mission Alive
Mission Alive was initiated in 2004 by Gailyn and Becky Van Rheenen to equip church planters, provide church planter care, and work with churches to plant churches in the urban contexts of North America. They bring 14 years of experience as church planters in Africa and 17 years as teachers and mentors of missionaries at Abilene Christian University. God has worked through them, their board, Dr. John Cooke (Mission Alive’s new Director of Church Planter Care), and coaches and mentors to plant three churches in 2005 and five in 2006 in such diverse places as Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Fort Worth, Forney (a growing area East of Dallas), Lexington, and Savannah (an emerging suburb of east of Denton, TX).
The purpose of Mission Alive is "to discover, equip, place, and nurture church-planting leaders who will plant Christ-formed churches in suburbs, city centers, university contexts, and poverty areas with unbelievers as the primary target." Christ-formed churches focus on the gospel, how the gospel is formed within us, and how gospel connects with contemporary culture. Christ-formed churches grow like the early Christian church - radiating God’s light in darkness (2 Pet. 2:12).
Each church planting family in Mission Alive is coached to bring together a team of bi-vocational ministers to plant a new church via evangelism, nurture new Christians to maturity, and equip developing leaders.
In amazing ways God raises up gifted, spiritually-ready church-planting leaders who are equipped as church planters through labs and coaching and nurtured through spiritual shepherding and retreats. Partnering individuals and churches are discovered who both spiritually and financially support the church planting.
Christ-formed churches are characterized by distinct practices:
- Telling the story of God’s salvation
- Walking intimately with God reflecting his love and holiness
- Growing in Christ within Christian community
- Overcoming sin and Satan
- Cultivating spiritual friendships with searchers
- Equipping for works of ministry
- Practicing hospitality
- Serving the poor, sick, and oppressed
- Fellowshipping all of God’s people (Gal. 3:28)
- Living for the sake of the world
2 Cor. 4:7 describes Christ-formed church planters. They consider themselves fragile clay lamps through which the light of the Gospel shines. They should never picture themselves as prestigious powerhouses, jars of gold, silver, or bronze. The mission is not theirs, for self glory. The mission is God’s, for His glory!
Despite Jeremiah’s difficult ministry, the word of God burned “like a fire” in his heart. He could not hold it in (Jeremiah 20:9). Likewise, we believe that God’s Mission in North America must come Alive. The fire of God’s word must once again burn in our hearts.
Click here to go to Mission Alive's website