The Myers Park Initiative
Church planting in Charlotte’s Historic Core Community
Called to Church Planting
God has called Greg and Christie Salazar and their family to plant a PCA church in Myers Park—a historic neighborhood just south of downtown/Uptown Charlotte and home to the PCUSA’s denominational university, Queen’s University—in order to reach four groups of people:
- Unbelievers—People who have never heard or do not believe the gospel.
- Dechurched—People who used to go to church and left.
- Unchurched—People claiming to believe, but do not go to church.
- Under-churched—People in churches that no longer preach the gospel.
We are going as missionaries to take the gospel back to a place that once heralded it, to raise up a missionary team to partner with us in piercing the darkness with the light of Christ, and to plant a church that seeks to be faithful to Scripture.
Learn the story of how God called Greg and Christie to plant in Myers Park.
No Longer the Bible Belt
- Did you know, the last 25 years have witnessed the fastest and most dramatic shift in church attendance in the history of our nation’s 250-year history?
- In last 25 years, 40 million adults, who used to attend church, have stopped going entirely.
- 500,000 people in the Charlotte metro area have stopped going to church (for these statistics above, see Jim Davis and Michael Graham’s book The Great Dechurching. See Ligon Duncan’s interview with Jim Davis on his book. ).
- 83% of people in Charlotte do not hear the gospel preached on a weekly basis.
Why Church Planting?
The most strategic and effective way to change someone’s eternal destiny is by
- Planting a church in close proximity to where non-Christians live, work, and play.
- Building relationships with, extending love to, and sharing the astonishing good news of the gospel of Jesus with everyone, but especially non-Christians, in that community.
- Cultivating a mission culture within the new church plant that empowers every member of that new church to give themselves to sharing Christ with non-Christians.
What will this new church look like?
A Kingdom Partnership Opportunity
We are asking you to prayerfully consider making a kingdom-investment by partnering with us through prayer and financial partnership Through church planting the Kingdom of God advances and pierces through the dominion of darkness, as people come to know Christ and experience the forgiveness of their sins (Col. 1:13–14). Prayer for this church plant is nothing less than waging spiritual war to see the Kingdom of God advance in Charlotte and specifically Myers Park. For the Kingdom to advance in Myers Park are seeking churches and individuals to financially partner with us in this strategical work. We need to raise at least half of our total expenses through external giving—an average of $250,000 per/year for five years. Our budget was developed in consultation with Geneva Benefits (a ministry of the PCA), members of the Central Carolina Presbytery Mission’s Committee, and the church plant’s oversight commission of elders.
Seeking Kingdom-Partners in Phase One Goal
The PCA requires us to raise $250,000 in pledged/committed financial support prior to moving to the field (one year of external giving). Therefore, we are asking you to prayerfully consider making a kingdom-investment by partnering with us in reaching this Phase 1 Goal of $250,000 in pledged/committed financial support so that we can move to Charlotte and begin ministering on the ground there. We would love to personally share the vision for the Myers Park plant with you and to give you the opportunity pray about partnering with us financially, potentially in one of the following ways:
Three Ways to Give
Give Online
You can give directly through Mission to North America to an account set up specifically for Greg and Christie and the Myers Park Initiative. MNA will send you giving statements each January and does not charge us any processing fees!
Give By Mail
Send a check or money order payable to MNA. Mail check to:
Mission to North America
PO Box 890233
Charlotte, NC 28289-0233
Designate the recipient and church plant with an accompanying note, indicating Greg Salazar-#1989 and Myers Park Mission Church.
Text-To-Give
Text-to-Give is way to give to our account with Mission to North America you might find convenient.
To give, text “MNA 1989” to the phone number 76959 and follow the prompts.