Why Plant a Church in Newark?
24.8 miles.
That's the distance between my home in Pataskala and the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus. It's also the exact distance my wife Jen drove me in December 2022 to have a life-saving operation. I remember the tension, the urgency, and the quiet resolve in her voice as she made the drive.
Here's what I can promise you: Jen would have driven me even further than that to save my life.
So when the question comes up, "why are you planting a church in Newark?" the answer is the same.
There are lives at risk.
A Growing City With a Great Need
Newark isn't a small town. With a population of around 50,000 people, it's the 16th largest city in Ohio — bigger than places like Lancaster, Dublin, Reynoldsburg, and other pockets of Columbus. But what strikes me most isn't just its size — it's the need.
Though Newark has a proud heritage and a growing downtown, it also holds a heavy spiritual burden. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, nearly 62% of Newark residents are not connected to any religious congregation. Of those who do attend church, many are part of churches that are shrinking, aging, or closing. The religious landscape of Newark reflects a trend we're seeing across the country: fewer and fewer people encountering the real Jesus in the context of a vibrant, gospel-preaching local church.
We're not planting a church because Newark is cool.
We're planting a church because Newark is lost.
The Biblical Call
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he didn't give it only to individuals — he gave it to the Church. His words in Acts 1:8 still echo today:
"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Church planting is not a trendy strategy — it's God's ancient plan. From Antioch to Asia Minor to the heart of the Roman Empire, the early Church grew by planting new churches that reached new people in new places.
We at Pataskala Grace are benefactors of that command. Even if we can't trace it on paper, the reason we gather on Headleys Mill Road today is because generations ago, someone obeyed Jesus' call to go. Long before Frank Gardner and others planted Pataskala Grace a little over 50 years ago, the gospel reached Pataskala through the obedience of ordinary people who believed Jesus' words and planted churches around the world.
We want Pataskala Grace to be a church that is willing to do the same.
The Vision Ahead
Over the next year, you'll hear more about how God is shaping the vision for this new work in Newark. Just this week, Pastor Tim, Jen, and I attended a conference with over 6,000 church planters from around the world — men and women burdened with he same calling. We worshiped together. We prayed together. We learned how to shepherd new churches with courage and clarity in a world desperate for truth.
And as we looked around the room, our hearts burned for home. For Pataskala. For Newark. For the people we've yet to meet. For the stories we've yet to hear. For the lives we pray God will save.
How You Can Be Involved
Here's what I need you to understand. This isn't a side project. This is a ministry and movement of Pataskala Grace. And from the beginning, we want you involved. He's how you can step in:
Pray for me. Church planting is spiritual warfare. Pray for courage, wisdom, health, and endurance — for me, Jen, and our future team.
Pray about joining. Maybe God is calling you to be part of our launch team. Maybe he's asking you to take the 20-mile step for the sake of the gospel. Don't ignore that nudge.
Remember: Multiplication is not division. This can be hard for a church like ours who has endured difficult seasons, but sending people out isn't subtracting from our church. It's multiplying the mission. It's kingdom math. It's addition by subtraction, and it always yields eternal dividends.
Give financially. Launching a church takes sacrificial generosity. We've created a church plant fund, and every dollar given will go directly to the work of building a new gospel community in Newark.
We believe the gospel changes everything — and we believe Newark is worth everything we can give.
So the real question isn't why plant a church in Newark.
The real question is — how could we not?
That's the distance between my home in Pataskala and the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus. It's also the exact distance my wife Jen drove me in December 2022 to have a life-saving operation. I remember the tension, the urgency, and the quiet resolve in her voice as she made the drive.
Here's what I can promise you: Jen would have driven me even further than that to save my life.
So when the question comes up, "why are you planting a church in Newark?" the answer is the same.
There are lives at risk.
A Growing City With a Great Need
Newark isn't a small town. With a population of around 50,000 people, it's the 16th largest city in Ohio — bigger than places like Lancaster, Dublin, Reynoldsburg, and other pockets of Columbus. But what strikes me most isn't just its size — it's the need.
Though Newark has a proud heritage and a growing downtown, it also holds a heavy spiritual burden. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, nearly 62% of Newark residents are not connected to any religious congregation. Of those who do attend church, many are part of churches that are shrinking, aging, or closing. The religious landscape of Newark reflects a trend we're seeing across the country: fewer and fewer people encountering the real Jesus in the context of a vibrant, gospel-preaching local church.
We're not planting a church because Newark is cool.
We're planting a church because Newark is lost.
The Biblical Call
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he didn't give it only to individuals — he gave it to the Church. His words in Acts 1:8 still echo today:
"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Church planting is not a trendy strategy — it's God's ancient plan. From Antioch to Asia Minor to the heart of the Roman Empire, the early Church grew by planting new churches that reached new people in new places.
We at Pataskala Grace are benefactors of that command. Even if we can't trace it on paper, the reason we gather on Headleys Mill Road today is because generations ago, someone obeyed Jesus' call to go. Long before Frank Gardner and others planted Pataskala Grace a little over 50 years ago, the gospel reached Pataskala through the obedience of ordinary people who believed Jesus' words and planted churches around the world.
We want Pataskala Grace to be a church that is willing to do the same.
The Vision Ahead
Over the next year, you'll hear more about how God is shaping the vision for this new work in Newark. Just this week, Pastor Tim, Jen, and I attended a conference with over 6,000 church planters from around the world — men and women burdened with he same calling. We worshiped together. We prayed together. We learned how to shepherd new churches with courage and clarity in a world desperate for truth.
And as we looked around the room, our hearts burned for home. For Pataskala. For Newark. For the people we've yet to meet. For the stories we've yet to hear. For the lives we pray God will save.
How You Can Be Involved
Here's what I need you to understand. This isn't a side project. This is a ministry and movement of Pataskala Grace. And from the beginning, we want you involved. He's how you can step in:
Pray for me. Church planting is spiritual warfare. Pray for courage, wisdom, health, and endurance — for me, Jen, and our future team.
Pray about joining. Maybe God is calling you to be part of our launch team. Maybe he's asking you to take the 20-mile step for the sake of the gospel. Don't ignore that nudge.
Remember: Multiplication is not division. This can be hard for a church like ours who has endured difficult seasons, but sending people out isn't subtracting from our church. It's multiplying the mission. It's kingdom math. It's addition by subtraction, and it always yields eternal dividends.
Give financially. Launching a church takes sacrificial generosity. We've created a church plant fund, and every dollar given will go directly to the work of building a new gospel community in Newark.
We believe the gospel changes everything — and we believe Newark is worth everything we can give.
So the real question isn't why plant a church in Newark.
The real question is — how could we not?
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2025
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