New Things on the Horizon

Central Plains Classis, RCA, was a group of 13 churches in January of 2018. “We were not being the people God expected us to be…11 of our churches were declining rapidly and we had attempted two new church plants in 20 years, both of which closed,” says Dale Assink, Classis leader.

“God expects MUCH FRUIT. So, we set out to discern what the Lord wanted to do through us. We wanted His vision, not our vision or our best intents. Out of that process came a vision to become a classis of 25 ministries and 5,000 disciples by 2025. We assembled a well-equipped Multiplication Team and went ‘all in’ on being faithful to that vision. 

Well….today we are a classis of 37, many of whom are new to the RCA and are attracted by our polity, theology, and relationships. The majority of the new organizing congregations are Hispanic plants. Central Plains has become a beautifully multicultural classis and may become international. 

The classis is currently in discussion with more leaders and churches who are expressing interest in joining the RCA and Central Plains Classis. The wonder of the potential growth is that a number of these new churches are located in Argentina. We have joined with Classis de las Naciones, RCA Church Multiplication, and RCA Global Mission with a vision of not only credentialing leaders and planting churches in other countries but also to resource and train them to become full RCA classes.

The Lord is providing incredible, unprecedented opportunities for creating new pathways for future RCA identity and growth. It all started on our knees, confessing that we were not who God wanted us to be, only to discover HIS vision for what He wanted to do… and our existing leaders’ humble, faithful response. The Lord is providing much fruit, indeed.”

Dale Assink, Classis Leader for Central Plains, RCA