“The DNA of multiplication oozes from our pores.”
Katie Lance, co-pastor of Thrive Church in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, believes wholeheartedly in church planting — and the importance of Church Multiplication Sunday (CMS), an initiative of The Wesleyan Church to provide vision and funding for church planting as a whole. This year’s CMS takes place on June 9, Pentecost Sunday.
She and her husband, Randy, who serves as co-pastor at Thrive, arrived at the church in 2017. Back then, it was known as Eaton Rapids Wesleyan Church and was closing. The Lances restarted and relaunched the church in September 2017.
Since then, the Lord has been using Thrive to change lives in Eaton Rapids. According to the Lances:
- An atheist who began attending the church joined a life group. After a couple of months, she announced she was agnostic and was searching for more. In the last few weeks, she proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ and will be baptized on June 9.
- Terry is a biker, very crass and rough. He was isolated, lonely, surviving life in all ways. He was invited to come to church, and he came. He began to be personally discipled by a group of men in the church. He cannot read but joined a life group to grow in his knowledge of the Word and to be with others. The church gave him Bible on CD. After two years and two months ago, he gave his life to Christ. He was baptized Easter Sunday. His heart of stone has melted away to a heart of flesh, and he has been set free.
- Treasa had never before taken steps into leadership. She had been in the church for years. The Lances identified her natural leadership abilities and began to pour into her. She stepped into the position as ThriveKids ministry director. Legally blind, she never lets anything stop her. She is amazing in leading and teaching kids about Christ. She got a job working at the community teen center and at the high school cafeteria so she could intentionally connect with the youth in the community. Her influence on the staff and the students is powerful and transformational.
The Lances took a major step of faith in relaunching Thrive, and these lives and many others have been made new in Jesus. This is why the couple will continue to champion Church Multiplication Sunday. Even now, as a young restart, Thrive has launched a missional community in nearby Charlotte, Michigan.
“One of our core values is intentional multiplication, on every level,” said Lance. “Disciples making disciples, churches planting churches and other modes of multiplication movements.”
CMS is a priority. Last year, Thrive gave its entire CMS offering to two, local Wesleyan church plants — the amount was nearly double to what is given to Thrive weekly. Thrive leaders are praying about who should receive this year’s offering.
The Lances encourage every Wesleyan church to be a part of CMS.
“CMS is the third largest celebration of the year for us, following Easter and Christmas,” said Lance. “We discuss multiplication every single week from the front. Randy and I found Christ in a church plant — and we have seen the effectiveness of church planting and fresh multiplication movements within a community and truly believe in it. We want our people, and all people in other churches, to be encouraged and understand that you don’t need to be a megachurch to have a multiplication focus and to take part and have an impact on the multiplication of the kingdom. Everyone has something to contribute, especially through prayer. Multiplication mindset is not an option for us. It was important to Jesus, so it’s pretty important to us.”
“Church Multiplication Sunday (strategically held on Pentecost Sunday) is a great way for churches everywhere to engage in the church multiplication movement and celebrate the new faith communities God is using to draw people into the kingdom of God,” said Dr. Ed Love, director of Church Multiplication for The Wesleyan Church.
Learn more about Church Multiplication Sunday and how your church can be a part of it. Watch as to why CMS is important to Thrive Church.
