Church Planting
New churches are needed in every community across Oklahoma. New churches are needed in the large cities and in the sparse rural areas. New churches are needed in the panhandle and across the prairies. New churches are needed in every corner of Oklahoma.
At first the need for new churches in Oklahoma may not be obvious. For quite some time Oklahoma has been known as the “buckle of the Bible belt” with a “church on every corner.” Yet, those descriptions are misleading and they do not truly reflect the realities of Oklahoma’s present spiritual climate. Consider these facts:
-It is estimated that as many as 80% of Oklahoma residents do not attend any church.
-In 1900 there were 27 congregations for every 10,000 residents. Today, that number has dropped to 11 churches for every 10,000 residents.
-The population of Oklahoma grew by over 300,000 residents between 1990 and 2000. During that same time period Oklahoma Baptists shrank by nearly 5,000 resident members.
While these trends are discouraging there is good news. Last year BGCO partnered together to start more than 50 new churches! These new congregations are working aggressively to win all kinds of lost people to Christ. These new congregations are reaching people across a wide range of both cultural and language barriers. There are churches for Hispanics, Bikers, Cowboys, Koreans and many more. All different types of churches are working to reach the various people that God is bringing to Oklahoma.