SEND Network, a church-planting movement, stated that the establishment of 13 churches in Las Vegas is "a strategic move" in a fast expanding "high-profile city."
"Welcome to Las Vegas-the fields are white here with many people who don't know the Gospel," said Josh Carter, one of the church planting coaches under SEND.
"You used to think 'well to do that you have to go to a place like China or another country to share with people who don't know Jesus," he observed.
Carter told CBN News that "the overall majority of people, I guarantee you-especially if they're from the West coast, have never had someone sit down and explain who Jesus is."
Las Vegas, according to him and other Southern Baptist church planters, is a "pre-Christian" society with a significant number of individuals who are unfamiliar with the Scriptures and the Church.
Considering this type of mentality and culture, church planters have developed a new kind of strategy, using social media as the starting point.
"That literally is the front door for people," explained Carter. "They're going to check you out. They're going to follow you."
Moreover, he said that places such as Las Vegas, with its mixed culture and flexibility, provide an excellent avenue for the Gospel to be preached.
"This city has the best opportunity to multiply churches quicker," he added.
Another important component is the development of "one-on-one relationships." During the lockdowns, however, this posed a challenge to church planters.
A missionary mindset will be required in this city, as well.
After arriving in Las Vegas in August 2020 with the support of the SEND network to establish a church, Joseph Gibbons and his wife Kristen were immediately faced with a challenge. The opportunity to connect with neighbors was hampered by oppressively hot summer days that confined most people inside.
However, after some time, they found the splash pad parks in Las Vegas where folks were willing and eager to engage in Bible talk.
They also started to build relationships and meet others who were interested in learning more about the Bible and were ready to discuss it with them.
The couple also placed a great value on giving back to the community, visiting a local high school and asking how they might assist it in its endeavors.
Favor City Church started to develop as a result of this, even while the outbreak was still ongoing.
Joseph Gibbons explains that when the number of gatherings was limited to 10, he and his colleagues responded, "Great, we have six."
Favor City Church, according to CBN News, is part of a surge of Southern Baptist church plantings that are heading the right way in their respective communities.
2,000 new churches each year, according to Daniel Yang, a church planting specialist and director of the Send Institute, is needed to keep up with the number of churches that are closing as well as the rising number of people.
So, the need for church planters is much more pressing now than it has been in the past.
