Mississippi pastors catch a vision for Phoenix

By Tanner Cade
Communication Services Director

A group of thirteen Mississippi Baptist pastors traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, in February on a vision journey with the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) Missions Mobilization department.  

Chad McCord, Missions Mobilization director, described this particular trip as a unique relationship between the Magnolia state and the Grand Canyon state. 

“Phoenix is an opportunity to connect Mississippi churches to Mississippians sent out planting churches among places of great Gospel need.”  

MultiplyPHX is a ministry focused on making Jesus known in Phoenix by engaging the city, making disciples, and planting churches. The team of four families includes many Mississippi roots as well as connections to Blue Mountain Christian University.  

“When we think about vision journeys, I’m thankful for the way our convention does it,” said David Williams, Associational Mission Strategist at Lincoln County Baptist Association. 

“Sometimes we only have a few days to give,” continued Williams. “We can come and we get sort of an overview and a synopsis of what’s going on in the areas of ministry and the opportunities to where you and I can plug in.”

Immediately after landing at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, the MultiplyPHX leaders allowed the Mississippi team a chance to take in the whole Phoenix area — known as “the valley” — on top of Dobbins Lookout Mountain.

At first glance the view was breathtaking, but it quickly put into perspective the Gospel need in the area. Andrew Chesteen, pastor of First Church, New Albany, shared his thoughts as the team started to piece together the missional opportunities available. 

“They said it was 90 square miles (the whole area of Phoenix) and in that 90 square miles there’s five and a half million people,” Chesteen explained. “And from the statistics they gave us, that 87% of those people are lost and that among the five and a half million there’s one Southern Baptist church for every 19,400 people.”

After grasping the view of the spiritual reality, the team headed down the mountain and spent the rest of the trip in North Phoenix, in a community called Anthem.  

The MultiplyPHX team led by Kyle Rosas and Lee Davis shared the multigenerational community’s vision tabbed as “life in abundance.” The vision of the city leads to an open call to Gospel opportunities. 

“We had the opportunity yesterday to meet a lady that was walking a dog here in the park,” said Williams.  “That’s the openness that’s here that you and I can participate in and feel free to participate in a beautiful community. These are people that desperately need to hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The first church plant through MultiplyPHX will be King’s Church in the heart of Anthem.  A large portion of the vision journey centered around the vision for the church, which will soon begin hosting vision nights in anticipation for a launch later in 2024.

“We need to bring the Gospel to Anthem and to partner with King’s Church and to bring our churches, to give money, to give support, and to pray,” said Justin Anderson, pastor of Pine Grove Church, Picayune. “We can be partners in the Gospel and to bring the Gospel and the love of Christ to Phoenix.

“Oftentimes we want to get ahead of ourselves, but Kyle and Lee are taking a biblical approach and doing the things necessary to plan a healthy, sustainable, and multiplying church to reach this area.”

Jonathan Guerry, pastor of Heucks Retreat Church, Brookhaven, expressed his desire to see his church partner with the church planting efforts in the Phoenix area.

“It’s a great opportunity for folks in my church and across the state of Mississippi to partner with some guys that are born and bred in our state who have been captured by what God has called them to do here and support them and making sure that we continue to invest resources and people in the kingdom of God,” said Guerry.

If you have questions about partnering with MultiplyPHX or future vision journeys, contact Chad McCord, director of MBCB’s Missions Mobilization Department, at 601-292-3394 or cmccord@mbcb.org.

Financial support for MBCB vision journeys is provided by your giving to the Cooperative Program and the Margaret Lackey State Offering.