“We’re the least churched area in the state of South Carolina,” Brett Myers, pastor of First Baptist Church Hilton Head Island, said.

To combat this concerning knowledge, the church started a church planting residency program. After attending this program, Geoff Lawson launched Grace Bible Church in Bluffton, South Carolina, and has already seen four people come to faith. 

For Myers, the residency program solves several issues. First, it equips men for pastoral roles, training them in preaching, administration, and more. Second, it kickstarts a sense of community for pastors as they launch their church. It provides a net of pastors that the church planters can rely on for wisdom and encouragement as they plant. In addition, by focusing on church planting, the church as a whole becomes aware of the need. “It’s given us an opportunity for our church to understand the need in our area for churches,” Myers said. “Maybe God’s calling them to be part of that team as well to go and help plant these churches.” 

Equipping Church Planters 

Lawson shared that the residency prepared him to plant Grace Bible Church. “The process of that residency not only loved on my family and me during this transition but equipped me and continued to prepare me for a lot of things that I didn’t know,” he said. Lawson also stressed that ministry and church planting should not happen in isolation but rather with other like-minded believers. “Your calling should also be affirmed through others,” he said, “and that process I went through was an affirmation process.” 

After pursuing a law degree and working at a law firm, Lawson was encouraged to follow his calling into ministry after the passing of a mentor. “I realized life is too short not to be doing what God has called you to do,” he said. From that day on, Lawson felt that God “began to unfold the continued preparation of things” to call him into ministry. He felt that his season of life working at the firm taught him about the importance of community, but was also used to draw him into ministry. 

Launching Grace Bible Church 

Through Lawson’s partnership with First Baptist Hilton Head and the Savannah River Baptist Association, Grace Bible Church launched on September 8, 2024. Thinking back on this day was emotional for Lawson. “For 10 years, I prayed that God would send me to seminary, and he did. And since then, he trained me up, and then he put it on my heart to plant, and he’s doing it,” Lawson said. “That first sprout on September 8th was a sight to see what God had done.”  

Although Lawson would still describe the church as small, he shared that they are already seeing the fruit of their labor. Four new believers came to faith and were baptized at Grace Bible Church. “That may not seem big, but in our few short weeks, four people have come to faith,” Lawson said. Seeking to expand outreach, the church has a recovery ministry and engages students on the University of South Carolina’s Beaufort campus. “Our hope is to grow and build our relationships with people in the community, to reach the lost, and to create disciples,” Lawson said. 

The Impact of Partnerships 

As the church grows, Lawson continues to utilize his partnerships with First Baptist Hilton Head, the Savannah River Baptist Association, and the South Carolina Baptist Convention. For him, the relationships created have helped support him in many ways. “When the burden seems to be heavy, they help you carry that load,” Lawson said. He also expressed his gratefulness for the residency and for the Start Network at SCBaptist. “The residency program that our Convention has is bar none the most wonderful opportunity and blessing that anybody who’s called to plant can have,” he said. 

Brett Myers also noted the influence of the local association in supporting church planting efforts. “The Savannah River Baptist Association has just got a great emphasis on church planting and it’s not just our church, other churches that have heart and desire and want to come alongside in this effort to plant new churches,” he said. He also encouraged pastors to continue calling people “from among their pews and chairs to plant” in the area. 

In addition to receiving encouragement and support, Grace Bible Church has also received financial assistance from its partnership with SCBaptist through the Janie Chapman Offering that supports state mission efforts. Each year, the Janie Chapman Offering helps fund church planting, leadership development, and evangelism efforts across South Carolina, providing critical resources to new churches like Grace Bible. For Lawson, this assistance has been invaluable. “Without the support of the Janie Chapman Offering, we wouldn’t be able to do what God has called us to do,” Lawson said. “We are forever grateful. We can do more when we work together and partner together.”