Skip to content
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • The Alabama Baptist
  • The Baptist Paper
  • Log In
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Donate
The Baptist Paper
The Baptist Paper
  • SBC 2025
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds
  • SBC 2025
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your state news
  • Classifieds

Church planting residency program in TX springs forth 24 new churches

  • July 25, 2023
  • Southern Baptist Texan
  • Church Life, Featured, Latest News, Texas
Brandon Gilbert, with microphone, celebrates with the New City team that will launch a church plant in Austin in 2024.
(Photo courtesy of the Southern Baptist Texan)

Church planting residency program in TX springs forth 24 new churches

Redeemer Church in Texas started as a plant of Southcrest Baptist Church in 2008 and within two years was planting churches itself. By 2023, the family of churches planted by Redeemer — known as the Redeemer Network — consisted of more than two dozen congregations.

One might say Redeemer was planted to plant.

“By fall 2023, some 24 churches were planted by us or by our ‘grandchildren,’” said Brandon Gilbert, Redeemer of Lubbock senior ministry director of college and residency. Already an elder, Gilbert came on staff full time in 2020 when the church shifted its focus to planting in college towns.

Recent plants soon to launch in conjunction with the Redeemer Network and the North American Mission Board include New City in Austin and Doxa Church in Tucson, Arizona. New City, in particular, has benefitted from partnership not only with the Redeemer Network, but also with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s church planting partnership with NAMB called Send Network SBTC.

“We love the SBTC. We love NAMB. Our missions align, and when we can, we partner,” Gilbert said, adding that sometimes other congregations partner with Redeemer Lubbock on specific plants. For example, Coastal Community Church in Galveston is extensively involved in the new Tucson church plant pastored by Chris Cummings.

Such partnerships provide resources and funding to help plants get going. NAMB’s assessment process to screen potential planters complements that of Redeemer.

“There’s not a lot of differences,” Gilbert said, “but the two assessments allow for different sets of eyes. We want to create the healthiest church plants we can.”

The program

Potential church planters who qualify for Redeemer’s program are invited to spend two years at Redeemer Lubbock or another network church as church planting residents. There is no charge for the program, but residents must raise support for living expenses.

During the residency, participants live near the network church they serve. A few are bivocational; most raise support or save money to enable them to serve without other obligations. Generally, no more than two residents are assigned to a church: ideally, one first-year and one second-year resident serve a single congregation at the same time.

There are boundless opportunities for participants to gain practical knowledge.

Residents meet weekly during the school year in cohorts to go through the two-year curriculum. Twice a month, they gather to meet with Redeemer Lubbock Pastor Dusty Thompson in what Gilbert describes as a “free for all” session to ask questions of the senior pastor who himself was once a planter.

“There’s lots of job shadowing,” Gilbert said.

Summers see the residents serving in the church’s seasonal ministries. Residents do not meet with their cohorts over the summer but have one-on-one time with their supervisors at church.

Residents also attend four retreats over the length of the program: two with their spouses and two with other network pastors. The spouse retreats are “marriage intensives,” as church planting is a family commitment, Gilbert said. “The wife and family must be on board.”

A more narrow focus

Most churches in the Redeemer Network follow what Gilbert calls an “opportunistic” model of planting. He gave as a general example a planter who loves his hometown, receives training, and returns there to start a church as the opportunity arises. But since 2019, Redeemer Lubbock residents have focused specifically on planting in areas near colleges, as the network has realized the potential that exists in those settings.

“The college campus is the most strategic domestic mission field we can be part of in Texas, the South and the Southwest,” Gilbert said. “Now we recruit church-planting residents who have the same heart to start college churches.”

Redeemer Lubbock intentionally approaches men who are already doing significant work in college ministry at churches, schools, ministries, or other organizations, Gilbert said.

“We recruit those guys to come to Redeemer, embed into the Redeemer staff, be part of everything our staff is part of, and work heavily with college ministry — preaching, discipling and leading classes,” he said.

As the resident completes the program and heads to a college area to plant, Redeemer also recruits team members from its large base of Lubbock-area college students and recent graduates to help.

Justin Smith, pastor of the Send Network SBTC-supported New City Church plant in Austin poised to launch in 2024, said of his experience in the Redeemer Network residency program, “I learned a lot from doing a residency with Redeemer Network. More than anything though, I was taught how to be a healthy church planter, pastor, husband, father, and ultimately, a disciple.”


EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jane Rodgers and originally published by the Southern Baptist Texan.

Share with others:

Facebook
X/Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest News

  • Developing story: Multiple people injured in Kentucky shooting
    Developing story: Multiple people injured in Kentucky shooting
    July 13, 2025/
    0 Comments
  • When should you see a therapist?
    When should you see a therapist?
    July 13, 2025/
    0 Comments
  • First person: 10 reasons why unchurched people may find your small group uncomfortable
    First person: 10 reasons why unchurched people may find your small group uncomfortable
    July 12, 2025/
    0 Comments

Sign up for the Highlights

Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month.
Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

Related Posts

Developing story: Multiple people injured in Kentucky shooting

A developing story out of Lexington, Kentucky, indicates multiple people have been injured, including a state trooper, after a situation developed reportedly during a traffic

When should you see a therapist?

Remember all those things that happened back then — the things that you “just don’t think about?” Yeah. They’re still there.

First person: 10 reasons why unchurched people may find your small group uncomfortable

The healthiest churches I know have small groups that are intentional about reaching non-believers. They set that goal, and they seek to reach lost people and then disciple new believers. At the same time, though, I’m reminded of reasons unchurched or newly-churched folks may be uncomfortable attending your small group.

Free training available for churches to address sexual abuse

Many churches have begun using background checks to help prevent abuse, but fewer are trained in reporting potential abuse. Lifeway Christian Resources and Clear Investigative

Want to receive news highlights throughout the week? Sign up here!

Email is required Email is not valid
Thanks for your subscription.
Failed to subscribe, please contact admin.

About

  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us
  • Our Story
  • Our Team
  • Our Partners
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Contact us

Explore

  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • State-specific news
  • Archive
  • Opinion pieces
  • Sunday School lessons
  • Persecuted Church
  • Podcasts
  • Videos

Submissions

  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy
  • Story suggestions
  • Your Voice/Letter to the Editor
  • Photos / Videos
  • Corrections/other
  • Submission Policy

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
  • Subscribe
  • Renew subscription
  • Gift a subscription
  • Start a new member subscription
  • Start a new group subscription
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Hosted Church
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Request free trial
The Baptist Paper
Address:
3310 Independence Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
Copyright © 2025 TAB Media Group
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ
  • Privacy/Terms of Use
  • Help
  • FAQ

Email:
news@thebaptistpaper.org

About

  • Our Team
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Donate
  • Photo Galleries
  • Contact us
  • Hosted Church
  • Our Team
  • Advertise and Promote
  • Classifieds
  • Donate
  • Photo Galleries
  • Contact us
  • Hosted Church

Explore

  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your State News
  • Persecuted Church
  • Editorials
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • Submit your news
  • Latest News
  • Trending
  • Your State News
  • Persecuted Church
  • Editorials
  • Opinions
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • Submit your news

Subscribe

  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate
  • Manage your group
  • Manage your account
  • Subscribe
  • Start a new subscription at the group rate

Log Out?

Lost your password?

Log In

Lost your password?

Log in

Become a part of our community!
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy/Terms of Use

Reset password

Recover your password
A password reset link will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy/Terms of Use
Back to
Login
×
Close Panel