Multiplication Stories
Aaron Rooks
Pastor, Every Nation Lexington
Aaron and his wife Jasmine and are originally from Nashville, Tn and moved to Lexington in May of 2021 to plant a church. Both Aaron and his wife came to faith in college, even though they grew up in the church, and they felt the call to full time ministry while serving as student leaders at our Every Nation Campus chapter at Austin Peay State University. Upon graduation from college Aaron and Jasmine went into youth ministry where they served there from 2015 - 2020 before moving to Cincinnati to do a church planting internship. During that time Jasmine worked as a children's ministry director. Aaron and Jasmine currently serve as church planters in Lexington, Ky while Aaron is pursuing a master degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. Their heart is to see a church that is multiethnic and multigenerational. Outside of the church, Jasmine homeschools several of their kids and does freelance blogging. She is hoping to pursue graduate work soon in mental health counseling. In their free time they enjoy family movie nights and trying new restaurants.
Ric Thorpe
Bishop of Islington, Diocese of London, England
As Bishop of Islington, Ric Thorpe oversees London’s church growth strategy to plant 100 churches in London by 2020 and 200 city-center church-planting churches around the country by 2030. As a church planter himself, Ric delights in working alongside his wife Louie to make disciple-making-disciples in new and re-vitalized churches. “My main work is culture change,” Ric said. “I’m trying to help people imagine themselves more as a missionary church, as opposed to just sustaining what has always gone before.” Ric helps churches discover and pray into God’s vision for their future, whether that’s growing themselves, planting a new church, or re-vitalizing declining churches. If their goal is to re-vitalize an existing church, he talks about “honoring the past, navigating change in the present, and building for the future”. His goal is not just to have a growing church, but churches growing everywhere.
Mike & Myra Watkins
Missionaries with Every Nation in Central and Eastern Europe
Mike and Myra Watkins studied at different universities in North Carolina, but they shared a lifelong passion for what was at the time, the Soviet Union. The couple moved to Lviv, Ukraine, in 1993 to reach the Slavic people for Christ through church planting, working with people and leaders who would later become part of Every Nation. Today, Mike and Myra serve with the European regional team in a developing area of central and eastern Europe, offering training, coaching and consulting for churches and new church planters.
Ricardo Gomez
Executive Director for Impact Latin America
Ricardo graduated from Asbury Seminary with a M.A. in Theological Studies and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies in 2003 and 2007, respectively. While at Asbury Seminary, he met his wife Beth. In 2006, the couple accepted their first placement as missionaries in Santiago de Chile and in 2013 accepted a position at Colombian Biblical Seminary where he served for five years. In April 2018, he was named the Area Director for Latin America with the Free Methodist Church and in 2019 co-founded Impact Latin America, which he serves as Executive Director. Ricardo and his wife have two children and live in Medellin, Colombia. Ricardo also currently serves on the Asbury Seminary Board of Trustees.
Bishop João Carlos Lopes
Bishop in the Methodist Church in Brazil
Bishop Lopes has served as a Bishop in the United Methodist Church in Brazil for 24 years. He received an M.Div. and Doctor of Missiology from Asbury Seminary in 1989 and 1990 respectively. In addition to planting churches in Brazil, Bishop Lopes has equipped pastors to plant churches in Peru, Panama, Kenya and Manchester. “We hope that many leaders, pastors, and Latin Americans, especially Brazil, will make themselves available to plant new churches,” Bishop Lopes said. “To me, effective evangelism comes with church planting, because when Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples,’ he also said, ‘Baptize and teach them.’ Where does baptizing and teaching take place? In communities and in churches.”
Manik Corea
Global Executive of the New Anglican Missionary Society
Manik Corea, Global Executive of the New Anglican Missionary Society and church planter,For the past 12 years, Manik and his wife Maple have lived and worked in Bangkok, Thailand, as cross-cultural missionaries. In 2012, they began to plant All Nations Bangkok, a small, yet vibrant bi-lingual NAMS base community and church. Having raised up leadership for All Nations, they are preparing to return to Singapore to establish a global office and base for NAMS there. As Global Executive of NAMS, Manik leads the day-to-day missionary and indigenous work with the aim of helping plant new communities of faith through intentional disciple-making.
David Reddish
Lead Pastor of The Crossing at 480
David Redish, pastor at The Crossing at 480, wasn’t content to rock his way to retirement. Instead, he and his congregation of Baby Boomers planted a church near the University of Kentucky campus to reach Millennials and Generation Z through celebration, camaraderie and teaching.
Manny Carlos
Bishop and Chairman of the Board, Victory Church, Philippines
Manny Carlos serves on the leadership team of Victory Church, a multi-site church in Metro Manila, Philippines, as Bishop and Chairman of the Board. As part of the Every Nation Ministry church planting movement, the team’s goal is to transform the nation and world for Christ by reaching students at the top two universities in the country, the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University. Half of these graduates become national leaders.
George Wasson
Lead Pastor, Faithpoint Church
After being called into ministry from a corporate career, George completed his DMin at Asbury Seminary. He cultivated a willing heart that led him to respond to a call to plant a church in Floyds Knobs, Indiana where he continues to serve as lead pastor.
Brian Taylor
Pastor & Church Planter, Bethel Cincinnati Church
In a city historically plagued by racial tension, Brian Taylor is working towards reconciliation through his thriving multiethnic ministry. The church is working with city officials to address issues of systemic racism and work towards lessening inequalities in housing and education.
Don & Marla Bettinger
Missionaries & Church Planters in Taiwan
Don and Marla seek to build bridges into the community, often using English classes and hospitality as a way to befriend, introduce and disciple others in Christ through their work with One Mission Society.
Bryan Collier
Church Planter & Lead Pastor of The Orchard
Bryan started The Orchard with a group of 24 people who met in a furniture warehouse in Tupelo, MS in 1998. Today, The Orchard ministers to thousands of people across seven sites and in three separate communities.
Stephen Joseph
Pastor of the Indian Evangelical Church
As a young man, Stephen Joseph made a living delivering newspapers. After saving him from a terrible motorcycle wreck God called him to be a Good News boy. Now, Stephen is the Pastor of the Indian Evangelical Church (IEC), pastors a church in Guntakal, and oversees 49 pastors who currently minister within a radius of 130 miles as part of Grace Endearment Mission Services (GEMS). He hopes to see at least 100 churches planted every 10 years.
Iosmar Alvarez
Senior Pastor at Fuente de Avivamiento UMC
Iosmar Alvarez emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba with the American dream of a lucrative job, a nice house, and church attendance on Sunday. When he arrived in the U.S. in 2001, God called him to lead and serve among the Hispanic people. Now, he is the senior pastor of Fuente de Avivamiento in Lexington, KY, and CEO of Disciple 21 Church Planting Network. His goal is to plant 2500 churches by 2028, using traditional and non-traditional methods, to make disciples for Christ.
Carolyn Moore
Planter and Pastor of Mosaic United Methodist Church
Carolyn is the founding pastor of Mosaic and has been serving this ministry since 2003. She is absolutely in love with the people of Mosaic (and she’s pretty sure they like her, too). The challenge of building an authentic missional community is the thing that gets Carolyn up every day.
Winfield Bevins
Director, Asbury Center for Church Multiplication
Winfield Bevins refers to himself as an accidental church planter. In fact, Winfield planned to be a professor, but God changed his direction with a phone call. A friend called and asked if he’d be interested in starting a church in Outer Banks, NC. In faith and prayer, Winfield and his wife answered the call.
Anderson Moyo
Senior pastor of Sheffield Community Church, UK
Anderson Moyo follows in the footsteps of William Carey, often called the father of modern missions. As Senior Pastor of Sheffield Community Church in the United Kingdom, Anderson re-introduces discipleship, leadership development and missions into the life and culture of the diasporic church, rather than simply creating another program.
Christian Selvaratnam
Church Planter, Leader of G2
On a retreat, God promised Christian Selvaratnam that he would make him famous for his spiritual children. As church planter and leader of G2, a café style approach to church planting, Christian trains church planters using the ancient model of master, apprentice and interns.