Arlington Baptist Church

So many incredible things have happened over the past month that we hardly know where to begin! God continues to provide in ways that leave us amazed. He has brought more families and individuals to our Launch Team, provided additional financial support, supplied needs through our Amazon Wish List, opened doors, answered prayers, and reminded us again and again that He is faithful!

Right now, there is so much happening behind the scenes at Arlington Baptist Church. We are in the middle of Launch Team Trainings, CPR and First Aid Training, budgeting, planning, preparing, and laying the groundwork for the days ahead. There are a lot of moving pieces, a lot of decisions to make, and a lot of work to be done—but through it all, one truth continues to rise above everything else:

GOD IS FAITHFUL!

He continues to blow us away with His grace, mercy, provision, care, generosity, and love. Every step of this journey has reminded us that this church belongs to Him. He is building it. He is providing for it. He is bringing the people together. And He is preparing the way before us.

He is a good, good Father, and He only does what is good!

We are so excited to share just a few of the ways we have seen His faithfulness over the past month. Thank you for praying, giving, encouraging, serving, and walking alongside us. We cannot wait to tell you what God has been doing!

Building Update

Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is coming along beautifully, and they are getting close to completing all of the remodeling and repairs! Once the work is finished in the next few weeks, our Launch Team will begin gathering for services there at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary!

This transition will certainly be bittersweet for us. Over the past four months, we have loved the intimacy of gathering in our home with this incredible team. We have worshiped together, prayed together, studied God’s Word together, shared meals together, laughed together, and watched God knit our hearts together as a church family. These are days we will always treasure!

At the same time, we are ready for what God is doing next!

We are incredibly excited to move into the Seminary and begin worshiping together in the space God has provided. These next few months will give us an opportunity to prepare, learn, troubleshoot, make adjustments, and get everything ready before our official launch!

God has been faithful every step of the way, and we cannot wait to see what He has in store for Arlington Baptist Church in the days ahead! We are thankful for the partnership with Mid-America! 

Leadership Update

As Arlington Baptist Church continues to take shape, we want every part of our church—including how we are led—to be grounded in Scripture and dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Our leadership structure can be summarized this way: Spirit-Inspired, Elder-Led, Deacon-Served, Committee-Operated, and Congregation-Approved. Above all, Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church, and our desire is to seek His will, follow His Word, and depend upon the Holy Spirit as we lead and serve together.

Arlington Baptist Church will be led by a plurality of elders who share the responsibility of providing spiritual leadership, biblical teaching, prayer, shepherding, and oversight for the church. Derek Ewalt will serve as Lead Pastor and Elder, alongside Mark Bowman and Wayne Vandersteeg, who will serve as lay elders. I love these men and am so thankful for them!

While our elders will provide spiritual leadership and direction, they will not carry out the ministry of the church alone. Deacons will serve the practical needs of the body, committees will help carry out and oversee various areas of ministry, and the congregation will have an important role in approving significant matters in the life and direction of the church.

We believe this model allows us to honor biblical leadership while recognizing that every member of the body has a role to play. Our prayer is that we will always be a church led by godly men, served by faithful servants, strengthened by the gifts of our members, accountable to one another, and most importantly, completely dependent upon the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Vision and Mission Update

As we prepare to launch Arlington Baptist Church, we want everything we do to flow from a clear biblical mission: Glorify God. Edify People. Multiply Disciples and Churches. These are more than three words on a logo or a phrase we repeat—they describe who we believe God has called us to be as a church.

GLORIFY GOD — Isaiah 43:1–7
First and foremost, we exist for the glory of God! Our worship, preaching, ministries, relationships, decisions, and lives should point people to Him. This church is not about us—it is about Jesus! Our greatest desire is that God would be honored and Christ would be exalted in everything we do.

EDIFY PEOPLE — Ephesians 4:12; Matthew 22:39
We want to be a church where people are loved, encouraged, equipped, and built up in their faith. God has called us to love our neighbors, serve one another, bear one another’s burdens, and equip believers for the work of ministry. We do not simply want people to attend church; we want to see people growing together as faithful followers of Jesus.

MULTIPLY DISCIPLES AND CHURCHES — Matthew 28:18–20
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. We want to be a church that shares the Gospel, makes disciples who make disciples, raises up leaders, sends people out, and ultimately helps plant other churches. Our prayer is that what God begins in Arlington will extend far beyond Arlington as the Gospel advances from one person, family, community, and generation to the next.

Glorify God. Edify People. Multiply Disciples and Churches. That is the mission before us, and by God’s grace, we pray it will shape everything Arlington Baptist Church becomes!

Praise Update

God has been so good to us through the help of your giving!

• Praise God for His faithfulness! He continues to provide, guide, and open doors at every step.

• Praise God for our growing Launch Team! We are welcoming three more people this Sunday and are grateful for every person and family He has brought together.

• Praise God for the Seminary! Renovations and repairs are nearing completion, and we are getting closer to holding our first services there.

• Praise God for financial provision! He continues to provide through churches, families, individuals, and friends who believe in what He is doing.

• Praise God for our tax-exempt status and church bank account! We are thankful for this important milestone and the ability to receive gifts directly.

• Praise God for providing resources to hire a part-time Worship Leader! Now we are trusting Him to lead us to the right person.

• Praise God for our Launch Team Trainings! We are growing together, preparing together, and laying a strong foundation for the future.

• Praise God for every Amazon Wish List item that has been purchased! It has been incredible to see needs met through the generosity of so many people.

• Praise God for our new website! It is another small but exciting step toward establishing Arlington Baptist Church in the community.

• Praise God for what is still ahead! We believe the same God who has faithfully brought us this far will continue to lead, provide, and use Arlington Baptist Church for His glory!

Prayer Update

Here are a few specific ways you can continue to pray:

• A Worship Leader.

• Pray for our Launch Team as we continue training, growing together, and preparing spiritually and practically for launch.

• Pray for our transition to the Seminary as renovations are completed and we begin holding services in our new space.

• Pray for continued provision as we purchase equipment, prepare ministry areas, and meet the financial needs leading up to launch.

• Pray for the people of Arlington that God would prepare hearts, open doors for Gospel conversations, and allow us to build meaningful relationships throughout the community.

• Pray for wisdom, unity, and God’s direction in every decision we make—that above everything else, Arlington Baptist Church would Glorify God, Edify People, and Multiply Disciples and Churches.

Thank you for praying! We have prayed for you! 

God bless you,

Derek Ewalt