Our Purpose
What We’re Here to Do
New Brunswick needs Gospel churches. Hope Restored Mission’s purpose is to see that need met.
In order for that to happen, new churches must be started, existing churches need to be strengthened, and small churches have to be sustained for long-term ministry. While we’re not yet in a position to do all these things right now, our prayer is that God will grant the people and resources that would allow us to maintain the three-fold emphasis described here.
Starting New Churches
We estimate that New Brunswick currently has somewhere around 300 evangelical churches. However, as explained previously, we probably need close to four times that number for the province to be fully reached with the Gospel. New churches are needed right now to “catch up” with current and future population growth; they are also needed to replace not only the many that have already closed, but also those that will close in the future. New churches also tend to be the most effective at reaching their communities with the Gospel.
Strengthening Existing Churches
Even if their numbers are not yet sufficient, there are many evangelical churches in New Brunswick and thousands of born-again followers of Christ. However, bad theology continues to make inroads even in many Bible-believing churches, and many Christians have only a weak relationship with Jesus and a shaky grasp of sound doctrine. And even new church plants will be vulnerable and weak for years after starting. So it’s simply not enough to start new congregations; it’s absolutely crucial to see existing churches stabilized and strengthened. Renewing and revitalizing existing churches would greatly increase their impact on their neighborhoods, and provide much-needed bases from which to plant new churches.
Sustaining Small Churches
Half of New Brunswick’s population lives in rural regions. Especially in these places, many small churches struggle to provide a full-time living wage that would properly support a pastor and his family. There are numerous communities that are simply too small for a local church to ever become “self-sustaining” in the way that many urban churches can aspire to. And yet these communities need a stable, permanent Gospel witness too. What if we approached small-town and rural ministry the way we approach overseas missions—committing to support a Gospel work indefinitely, seeking to reduce or avoid a burden on those being reached as the Apostle Paul aspired to in his ministry? Whether it’s pulpit supply, respite care for a small-town pastor and his family, a permanent part-time salary to supplement a small-church salary, or visiting mission teams and work parties to help a small congregation do what it otherwise couldn’t do itself, sustaining the ministry of small churches will foster their longer-term stability and increase their effectiveness.
