Location:

Bentonville, Arkansas

Planter:

Jerad Sears

Katy and I have been in part or full time ministry for 13 years. For 3 years we did youth ministry in Malvern while attending Ouachita Baptist University. For the last 10 years we have served at GracePoint Church in Bentonville, first as the youth pastor and more recently as a worship and arts pastor. I am a native to Bentonville, and have seen massive change in the landscape of my city. As God was opening up relationships in the growing arts community, we realized that our city was changing from a predominantly suburban, white, 2.5 kids, Walmart slow-moving town to a more urban environment with many different subcultures of people moving in. Our heart has been pulled in to these new neighbors and friends that need the church to look different according to their culture and rhythms of life. After wrestling with God for 18 months, we realized we cannot stay where we are and must enter into this mission field. So we moved into a low income neighborhood, I began working different jobs in the city, and have begun training people in a house church model.

This community is called Narrative. We want to engage the city in a missional posture through incarnational living and seeking the welfare of the city through starting a business that meets the needs of artists. We have started with about 40 missionaries who have met since May 2015 and are committed to engaging their cultural context, and making disciples who will gather in different homes that express the lifestyle patterns of the culture they're reaching. We believe the Holy Spirit has equipped every believer with everything they need to plant the gospel, make disciples, and grow a church. We believe in Kingdom work, and are not out to "fix church". The bride of Christ must look different according to context, and so we want to come alongside the church and minister together, committing to Kingdom work.

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