A Family of Churches: Strengthening Church Plants Through Gospel Partnership

In the small town of Lawtey, Florida, LOGO Church is bringing the hope of the gospel to a community in need. Under the leadership of Pastor Kris Elkins, LOGO—Love God and Go Tell—is faithfully reaching people in a place where brokenness and hardship are part of daily life. But they are not doing it alone.

First Baptist Church Hilliard, along with several other churches in the Northeast Florida Family of Churches, has come alongside LOGO Church to provide ongoing support—not just financially, but relationally and strategically. Pastor Ryan Mason of First Hilliard explains the heart behind their partnership:

“We are not only working to build a thriving church locally but are also intentionally partnering with others to extend the reach of the gospel. We want to see churches strengthened and supported—not just with funds but with real, tangible encouragement and involvement.”

LOGO Church’s journey highlights the reality that some church plants, especially in economically challenged and transient communities, require long-term partnerships beyond the traditional four-year launch model. While national organizations like SEND Network and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) provide essential resources and frameworks, the responsibility for sustaining church plants ultimately rests with local churches. Missionally vital and vibrant churches supporting new and revitalizing churches is not just a strategy—it’s a biblical model.

A Broader Family of Support

First Hilliard is not alone in this commitment. Other churches within the Northeast Florida Family of Churches—including First Baptist Callahan, First Baptist Boulougne, and River Road Baptist Church—are playing key roles in strengthening LOGO Church’s ministry. Pastor Shane Stutzman of First Baptist Callahan articulates why this kind of partnership is so vital:

“We want to help strengthen the work of the church. When we help other churches, we help the message of the gospel to go further than any one person or church can do. We like to call it ‘spiderwebs.’ The impact goes out farther than we will ever know. That is our prayer.”

This kind of collaboration—churches investing in churches—amplifies the impact of the gospel in ways that no single congregation could accomplish on its own.

Restoring a Time-Tested Framework

For many years, churches planting and strengthening other churches was the norm. Denominational structures existed to assist, not to replace, the local church’s role in multiplication and support. The Northeast Florida Family of Churches is working to re-establish this framework, where churches take ownership of sending, supporting, and sustaining gospel work in their own region.

Chris Reinolds, Mission Strategist for the Northeast Florida Family of Churches, emphasizes the importance of this model:

“When local churches collaborate to plant new congregations and sustain gospel works like LOGO Church, they are re-establishing the frameworks that made our convention strong decades ago. This is how the church was meant to function—not in isolation, but in partnership, locking arms to advance the Kingdom in our communities.”

LOGO Church’s story is a reminder that church planting doesn’t stop at financial support. True partnership means prayer, presence, and participation in the work God is doing in another congregation.

So here’s the question for every church:

What would it look like for your congregation to not just support a church plant, but to truly come alongside another church, share in their burdens, and be part of their gospel impact?

The future of church planting is not just in launching churches but in sustaining them. As churches in our region invest in one another, we strengthen the mission of the gospel and ensure that its reach extends far beyond what any single congregation could accomplish alone.