The Original Vision of East River Church
Five years ago, I put together this initial “vision” for a new church plant and began gathering a core group with my good friend and co-laborer, David Pryor. Since then, we’ve sharpened our focus in a few key areas and expanded on some of the foundational commitments—but the core vision has held strong. Now, by God’s grace, we’re preparing for the next phase of the church. He’s been so good to us.
East River Church: A Vision
East River Church is unashamedly committed to living out historical biblical Christianity in Clermont County, OH.
Why Clermont County?
Well, based on population density alone, most every county in the United States could use several new churches. That being said, there are some particular things which attract us to Clermont County and Batavia in particular.
First, we are Eastsiders. My wife, Emily, was raised in Anderson Township, graduated McNicholas High School, and still has family living here. I’m from Indiana but spent my late high school years into college doing ministry on the Eastside. We’ve spent the last decade “roaming” and wanted to settle down somewhere for the long haul. It’s easiest to put down roots where you already have them.
Second, there is a lot to love about Clermont County. It’s affordable small-town America surrounded by beautiful rolling hills with the amenities of a large city just half an hour away. We see it as an excellent place to slow down our pace of life, raise our family, and become an integral part of a community.
Third, we believe that we can add to what God is already doing in Clermont County. There are people that need to hear the gospel. There are Christians that need fed the Word. That’s not the work of one, two, or even ten churches. We think a reformed church committed to a streamline ministry done in the “vernacular of the people” centered in the county seat is a great way to build up the kingdom of God in Clermont County.
In summary, we are from here, we like it, and we think it needs more solid churches.
What type of church is East River?
Our hope is that, in an historical sense, East River is a boringly normal biblical church. We have no interest in reinventing the wheel or creating a “new kind of church.” This is why our commitment is to historical biblical Christianity.
We believe that, as Ephesians 4:11–16 teaches, God has been faithful to provide leaders to grow His Church throughout the ages. We want to be a church who embraces and benefits from this gracious work of God. So while Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith and practice, we do intend to use old church statements as helpful guides. We believe this will be one way we can steer clear of theological fads and remain unashamedly committed to the teaching of Scripture.
The particular form this church will take will depend on who God brings to it. A church isn’t the personal kingdom of a pastor, no matter how benevolent he may be. The leadership of a church is plural and shared by design. No man possesses all the gifts that are required to form and bring a church into maturation. Thus, the vision and growth of a church is both the product of the congregation and its elders board. A church is a collaborative effort and only time will reveal its final shape.
That being said, there are a few foundational commitments we desire to see implemented in and through the ministry of East River Church:
We are committed to simple verse-by-verse preaching through the books of the Bible and therefore teaching the whole counsel of God’s Word.
We are committed to ministry (e.g. preaching, worship, etc.) that is in the vernacular of the people and therefore accessible to the average person.
We are committed to affirming that God alone is Lord of the conscience and thereby protecting the individual’s conscience from being bound by the commandments of men.
We are committed to intentional community and discipleship that is sensitive to the needs and responsibilities of families.
We are committed to a catholic view of the church by which a spirit of charity and unity is maintained towards those we differ with but who are nonetheless brethren in Christ.
These five commitments aren’t comprehensive but they are representative of the sort of church we’d like to see planted and grown in the heart of Clermont County.
When?
It just depends. Church plants tend to go through a few stages before “formally” starting. In one sense, we can start right now. A strong church is birthed by prayer and formed by conversation. This is the stage which we are in currently. It’s an exploratory phase.
The next stage would be to have some get-togethers to break bread, worship, and talk things over with potential “core group” members. This usually takes weeks but sometimes months. You can begin some form of public worship once a core group is established. This may take the form of a monthly gathering until critical mass is achieved or an immediate move to weekly services.
Again, it all depends on the Lord’s blessing.
Our family is taking the first step by telling people our hopes and buying a house in Clermont County in the next several months.
BTW, one of the areas where we eventually made a change was in how we communicated our commitment to a catholic view of the Church. We noticed that many locals consistently misunderstood the term, assuming it referred to the Roman Catholic Church, when we were using it in its historic, creedal sense—like in the Apostles’ Creed. At first, I pushed back and defended the word, but over time, I chose to use the phrase generous orthodoxy instead. It communicated more clearly what we meant and removed an unnecessary barrier. Later on, through discipleship, we could introduce the historic meaning of the word Catholic and use it more selectively. Some might call that too much of a compromise. I don’t. My goal is to disciple people into the substance, and if there’s a better word that helps them grasp it more readily, I’m going to use it.
Thats really neat. Its nice to be able to look back and see how God has moved.
You can't go wrong (by God's grace, that is) with a good conservative Bible church, Michael.