Our History

The church has two primary purposes.  One is evangelism and the other is edification.  We, the body of Christ, have been called to reach the lost and to teach the saints.   In one of these areas, the church falls woefully short.

I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior at the age of 26.   I was so excited the day it occurred and I couldn’t stop wanting to hear messages to learn more about Jesus Christ.   I was a part of good church and formed some great relationships with new friends.   During this time I met my wife and soon began a family.  I was in a great season of life.

As time went on, I sensed that there was something more that should be occurring.  I wasn’t sure what ‘it’ was, but I felt my spiritual cup was not full.   I was blessed to visit a ministry that was different.  This church and their ministries were going deeper in the Word of God…..not merely teaching about salvation, but focusing in on this thing called “discipleship”.  I was being challenged; held accountable; and shown more of the Word of God.   I felt that I had been missing out on so much…wow…as good as salvation is (and it is)…discipleship is just as important!!

I introduced my friends to this teaching ministry and learned that they too were just as hungry as I was.  What had been happening?  Why hadn’t I been exposed to this biblical component?  As I began to look around, I quickly found that many people were, and still are just like I was.  Saved but asking the question… “now what?”

In observing the church in the United States over the past 25 years, there seems to be a pursuit for church growth for the sake of numbers.   A desire to have the biggest buildings and the largest choirs, on the largest church campuses.   We have equated numbers with productive evangelism and spiritual growth.   On many occasions, ministries have chosen gimmicks and fads to draw people to the church as opposed to relying on the power of the gospel message for salvation, and the power of the Holy Spirit for sanctification.  

While many are attending church, and some are truly accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, very few are being discipled.   The question I often heard from members in church was the same question that I had once asked, “now that I am saved…now what?”

I observed that there was low percentage of congregations with an intentional strategic plan to disciple their members.   As the age-old adage states, ‘churches were growing a mile long but only an inch thick’.   

It was during this time and observing these trends that I founded ABIDE ministries.  It became our desire to teach others to become more Christ like so that they could realize the abundant life that Jesus spoke about.   Now that we have become new creatures in Jesus Christ, we need to grow in this newness.  Matthew 28:19-20 says that we are to make disciples, which means discipleship doesn’t just happen, it occurs relationships.   It is our relationship with God; through His Son Jesus; and empowered through His Spirit; in conjunction with our interactions with each other, that we grow into all that God has called us to be.  

We are truly convinced that the Word of God can transform the hearts of men and thus transform a world that desperately needs to know about the Savior.  God has chosen to work through the Church to accomplish this.  We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2Peter 3:18).