David Jackson’s legacy of church planting in New England

Editor’s Note: Dr. David Jackson is a North American Mission Board employee who has been assigned to serve as the BCNE’s church planting director and strategist since 2014. Beyond the scope of this role, he has worked in many areas of church planting in the Northeast for nearly 30 years. NAMB has recently reassigned him to a new role as Replant Specialist for the Northeast, effective July 1. While we will miss having Dr. Jackson in our office as a member of our team, we support the new work he will be doing. If you are aware of any churches that have closed or are facing imminent closure, please have them contact Dr. Jackson at djackson@namb.net.

As a seminary student and the part-time pastor of a church going through the revitalization process in the early 1990s, David Jackson hadn’t given much thought to planting churches. But when he attended an event on reaching Californians, God laid an unexpected call on his heart.

“I attended, thinking I would learn ways to help us engage our community better and connect with them effectively for Christ. But the first way organizers shared was ‘plant a church,’ and God pierced my heart with that statement,” Jackson said. “I knew it was why I had come to the event!”

A step of faith

Jackson’s first step was to preach a series of sermons to his congregation about the importance of planting a church. But when the people were unmoved, Jackson “agonized in prayer” over what to do next.

“God clearly shared that He wanted me and Joye to plant a church,” Jackson said. “So then and there we started making plans to plant churches wherever God led us. Our prayers and pursuit of God’s will led us back to the South Shore of Boston where we planted two churches and saw the second church plant give birth to five others.”

David and Joye took a step of faith by moving to Boston with their 18-month-old daughter while still in the midst of the long approval process with the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board).

“When we arrived in metro Boston, we had people tell us to go back to California,” Jackson said. “But we just smiled and knew in our heart of hearts, God had sent us here for His glory and for our good.”

Planting on Boston’s South Shore

God was faithful to provide for every one of the Jacksons’ needs, from finances to a sending church to an apartment to approval and funding through the Mission Board. The first church Jackson planted was in Norfolk County, which was the most populous county in the United States without an SBC church at the time.

“We didn't have all the resources and knowledgeable experts on church planting in those days. In a real sense, we were pioneers,” Jackson said. “We visited neighbors, went door-to-door with information about our new church's programs to meet felt needs in the community, and held outdoor outreach activities, like block parties and kid's clubs.”

The Jacksons’ sending church sent a couple of families to help, and eventually a core nucleus formed. The church began meeting in Quincy on Sunday evenings and later started worshiping on Sunday mornings. Eventually Jackson planted a second church in Weymouth and, over the course of six years, saw that church plant five more churches.

From planter to planting strategist

At that time the Greater Boston Baptist Association asked Jackson to become their first-ever church planting strategist, coordinating church planting efforts inside I-495 and down through the Cape. Much of Jackson’s focus was on recruiting potential church planters.

“We had to take the initiative on virtually every prospect,” Jackson said. “I can still remember the time Dr. Ed Stetzer called me (he was church planting professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky at the time), and I told him I had one resume of potential church planters for us here in Boston. ONE! My, how times have changed, and that's an answer to faithful prayers of many, many servants of God over the years.”

Jackson saw 22 churches planted in the Boston area during the three years he served in this role. In 2001, the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware asked Jackson to head the church planting efforts in their two state area.

“The work was very similar to what we had done in Boston, only on a greater scale...and it was much easier, as the spiritual soil there was softer,” Jackson said. “Maryland/Delaware was ahead of NAMB at the time in cutting-edge church planting processes, so we jumped right in with group retreat assessments, equipping events for planters and multiplying churches, coaching, spousal care and support. It was a golden era in our convention's life. We ended up seeing over 400 churches planted during the 13-1/2 years we served there.”

An impact throughout New England

Jackson suffered a heart attack in August of 2014 which changed his perspective. Determined to use his remaining time making the biggest impact possible, Jackson agreed to come back to New England at NAMB’s request.

While serving as the BCNE’s church planting director and strategist for the past six years, David and Joye (the church planting administrative assistant) have developed a ten-year pathway for church planter development from recruitment and assessment through strategy and decision-making.

“During this time, we’ve seen around 150 new churches started outside of those in the Boston area,” Jackson said. “I’ve also had the privilege of worshiping with over 100 of them in person, and I’m so proud of our planters for their Gospel-focused ministries, along with the church planting catalysts, who have been integral.”

30 years in church planting

Throughout this time, Jackson has considered it a privilege to work with church planters throughout New England.

“I have loved coming alongside planters and churches who desire to plant churches and being able to help them live out their God-given calling and potential,” Jackson said. “It has been so satisfying to encourage, equip and empower them in what God wants them to do and be. From a satisfaction perspective, nothing has made me happier than living out God's calling on my own life to the best of my ability.”

As Jackson has lived out this calling in many ways over the years and seen church planting methods and trends come and go, God has taught him some overarching lessons about church planting and the Church. One key thing Jackson always tries to remember is that a church planter’s job is serve God and to train disciples who train disciples. The actual work of growing a church is in God’s hands.

“Your service to the Lord is never in vain. No matter what the world calls ‘success’ or ‘failure,’ God says all faithful work for Him makes an eternal difference,” Jackon said, citing 1 Corinthians 15:58.

Kimber Huff is the communications coordinator for the Baptist Convention of New England.