Montana - Day 3

Our four hour road trip this morning took us from Great Falls through the Blackfoot Indian Nation, along ice-covered roads on the edge of Glacier National Park, and through the Rocky Mountains to Kalispell. Just when we thought we had seen everything Montana had to offer, we’d drive around a curve and see something spectacular. God’s creativity is clearly evident in these mountains and rivers. I’m sure the locals aren’t as awe-struck as I have been over the last couple of days...but then again, I’m like them when I’m at home. I need to stop and enjoy the beauty of what God has given us in Middle Tennessee more often.

Once in Kalispell, we spotted moose (or is it mooses...or maybe moosi) everywhere - a moose statue in front of the bank, a moose statue in front of the sporting goods store, a moose statue in front of the pizza place, a moose statue’s head in the lobby of our hotel...this town loves moose statues!

But the reason we traveled to Kalispell was to talk with Pastor Daniel Lambert of Easthaven Baptist Church (he had an elk head and a mule dear head in his office, but no moosi). He told us about his church’s vision for sending people out to minister to the lost through church plants. They are doing so locally (literally planting another church in Kalispell), throughout Montana and around the world.

In the Kalispell church plant, Easthaven sent 120 of their 450 members to start the new church and to make sure they would make an impact on the part of the community they were trying to reach. He said they were scared of the negative impact that would have on their congregation and their budget, but knew that God was in control and that “when He guides, He provides”. Within 6 months, their giving was back on track and within a year their attendance was surpassing 500.

But Easthaven isn’t just throwing darts at a map to decide when and where to plant churches, they have a strategy...and their strategy is catching on. Tomorrow we’ll talk with another church planter who has worked closely with Pastor Lambert in developing the AA Church Planting Strategy in Montana.