Wilmer church replant focused on “celebrating small wins,” Jesus as the focal point

Pastor Kevin Harris’ church shut down in November 2021 due to building foundation issues and “ended up uniting with another congregation” in Ennis. 

“We had some foundation repair people come in and just look at the overall structure of the building [and decided that] it was just better to tear it down and rebuild. We went to the city to try to get permits, [but] the land was locked. It was too small to rebuild…. So we sold the property and I ended up uniting with another congregation in the city,” explained Harris.

After, Harris was introduced to Texas Baptists, where he “did the assessment for [a church] replant” and went through Pave, Texas Baptists’ church revitalization program. 

“When I went through [Pave], that's what led me to think about, ‘Okay, this needs to be a whole replant to get some of those old, traditional ways that we were kind of sticking out and really focus on the Great Commission,” said Harris. “God laid it on my heart that we needed to replant and rename the church.” 

On Easter Sunday 2023, Harris relaunched Empowerment Community Center (Church) in Wilmer with a mission to “transform and empower lives by sharing the gospel, making and multiplying disciples and demonstrating the love of Jesus.” 

Being intentional in church planting

Harris said he chose to replant his church in Wilmer, which is “about 15 minutes” from Ennis, because he recognized the city was growing quickly. 

“We recognized after speaking with city officials and meeting people, they’re poised for all this growth that's coming. They're building houses, they're building apartments, and so we could see that, in the near future… [Wilmer] is expected to grow tremendously,” said Harris. “We want[ed] to be in that place that’s central, not too far from Ellis County and not too far from Dallas County, but centrally located, [because it’s] primed for growth.”

Once Harris went through the initial church starting assessment, he said Nic Burleson, Northeast Texas church starting strategist at Texas Baptists, and Lee Williams, Central Texas church starting strategist at Texas Baptists, “took me under their wing and began to just give me strategies,” ideas and systems to “be more intentional” with replanting. 

“The Bible says you can't put new wine in old wineskin, and so having [Burleson] to make sure that I'm focused on not reverting back to old habits or our old way of doing things… has been good for me, and understanding that all those that I've been in ministry for those ten years, this is a brand new ministry, [so] for me to be mindful that [our church is] only two and a half years old,” said Harris. 

He said Texas Baptists helped him remain “patient and consistent” throughout the replanting. 

“When you’re a small church and you're trying to be in the community and be active and pay for a building and pay for [ministry] things, having Texas Baptist alongside to sponsor and help and support, providing, equipment and different things that we needed for us [has allowed us] to function at a high level,” said Harris. 

Celebrating discipleship and baptism

Harris said the most prevalent thing he took from his time in Pave was “celebrating small wins.” 

“They have a saying, ‘Don't microwave the brisket,’ [meaning] trust in the process and not reinventing the wheel, [but] understanding that when you apply the word of God, just keep it simple and be consistent is what I got the most out of Pave,” said Harris. 

He said Pave also helped him define discipleship for his congregation. 

“[Pave taught] me how to make disciples. It really clarified my understanding of doing life with people [and] raising up leaders,” said Harris. “[Now], we're doing life together. It's made a difference, and it takes the sole responsibility off of me. Now, not only am I growing disciples, [the congregation is] looking for others to disciple… It fits the model that Jesus prescribed for us in making disciples.”

Harris has also put into practice the Pave principle of emphasizing and celebrating baptisms. He said he was shocked by the response. 

“At the beginning of the year, I just started sharing in our announcements, ‘Is anybody interested in being baptized?’ and it was shocking how many adults, some of whom were rededicating, some were first time, had never been baptized,” explained Harris. “[So], we made a big deal of ‘Invite your family, invite your friends, make it a big deal,’ and when we really began to celebrate those baptisms, every month it would be 2 or 3, 4 or 5 people getting baptized.” 

He said challenging those getting baptized to share their testimony with the church has sparked growth within it. 

“When you tell people about what you've been through and how Christ has changed your life, it has that effect to draw others. So… we encourage them strongly to share what God has done for them, and I think that's been something that's caused us to grow,” said Harris. 

This past Sunday, Oct. 12, Harris baptized three people, totaling 35 baptisms for the year. 

“Revival is getting ready to come”

Harris said, “The highlight right now for us has been prayer.” He said every Wednesday for the past “3 to 4 months,” the church has hosted prayer meetings. 

“We've just been coming to the church to pray… and the response [has been] the people [are] praying more and really understand what prayer is and how it's extremely important and vital as a believer to make time to pray,” said Harris. “It's almost like revival is getting ready to come.” 

He said that out of these prayer nights, the church is seeing more buy-in from youth as they are integrated into Sunday service. 

“We don't have an actual youth service yet because we don't have a lot of youth, but we integrate them into every service. So whether they're saying a prayer, whether they are doing a welcome, whether they are leading worship, we always put them as a part of regular service,” said Harris. “They have been responding well, getting great feedback from the youth by integrating them into the service every Sunday versus just having one specific day and time [for them].”

Jesus at the heart of ministry 

Harris said he has seen God’s provision and heart be the center of Empowerment Community Center. 

“We're a small church, about 50 to 60 people. But man, God, he provides. He makes way. And it's been fun witnessing it,” said Harris. “Going through revitalization and going through all the training for the replant, it has really given new life to our ministry now because our focal point is right. Jesus is at the heart of our ministry.” 

Nic Burleson, Northeast Texas church starting strategist at Texas Baptists, said Harris is a “remarkably coachable and teachable” leader. 

“[Harris is] willing to try new methods and step outside the box to do what it takes to help reach his community,” said Burleson. “Empowerment Community Church has become very involved in the city of Wilmer, with community events and with the local school district, which has allowed them to meet their neighbors where they’re at and positioned Pastor Kevin as someone who is a true pastor of the community as a whole.” 

Harris said he would encourage pastors considering church starting or revitalization to “get out of your own self way to really trust God… to be God.” 

“You're just a steward of the things that he's allowing and be grateful for where you are,” said Harris. “Sometimes we can be chasing the next or trying to measure our success based on other ministries and other things, but when you really sit back and you begin to watch what God is doing in the present moment, you will begin to see things that you may have overlooked in the past.” 

Harris also encouraged pastors to “inquire about joining the Texas Baptist[s]” for support and resources. 

“I would say to any pastor that's looking for an organization that is really there to support you… I seriously encourage them to inquire about joining Texas Baptist[s] because they have so many vital resources,” said Harris. “Whether it's through the Pave, whether it's through taking the assessment to see if you're eligible for a plant or to a replant… [Texas Baptists’] work hard. [They’re] always available, and I just appreciate the invaluable service that I get from Texas Baptists.” 

For more information about Texas Baptists Church Starting, visit txb.org/churchstarting.