;)
Aren't there enough churches already?;)
If you're reading this far into our web space, you're likely already convinced that the "number" of churches isn't the main concern, but the focus of those churches--their mission, and how they carry it out--which is most significant.
;)
Metro PhiladelphiaBut even if two churches share a common vision and mission, and are actively trying to carry it out, the lower nine counties of South Jersey have more than three million people, of which only a fraction claim something like a traditional "evangelical" commitment to Jesus and His Gospel.
Beyond this demographic look at the spiritual landscape of South Jersey, there are a number of reasons why now is a strategic time and place to start a new church, ;)
Figure 1and a new Gospel church planting movement (see figure 1).
It must be remembered also that Philadelphia is a major port city and transportation hub in the mega-city region of the Northeast. South Jersey is culturally, economically, socially, and demographically integrated into this metropolitan area.
Additionally, people are moving to Gloucester County in ;)
Figure 2record numbers (see figure 2). Population density and new residents are two significant factors which make South Jersey a spiritually strategic area to begin a new church movement.
And over all of this is the realization that many in this part of God's world are unchurched, dechurched, or overchurched, and are in a place where many will respond to a biblically faithful, culturally contextual expression of the timeless truths of the Gospel of Jesus.
