As a church planter I get a lot of questions such as, where is your new church? When are your services? Who comes to your church? I wish I could answer these questions, but beginning a new church takes time. One of the biggest questions that has lingered has been, What is the name of the new church? As a planter, I don’t get to answer this question because the name of a church is the bishop’s prerogative.

However, planters can always make suggestions. As you may know, I belong to the Anglican Diocese of the South (ADOTS), which means my bishop is Foley Beach (also the archbishop of the ACNA). At a recent clergy retreat, I had the opportunity to update the bishop on our progress and suggest a name for our mission. He graciously approved! It is with great excitement and joy that I share with you the name of our church planting mission: Mission Saint James!

St. James is also known as James the Just and it is easy to see why. He is not impressed by claims of faith and knowledge that do not take action to serve the vulnerable, especially widows and orphans (1:27). As the brother of our Lord, James knew what it looked like to love one’s neighbor as himself. He writes about suffering (1:2-3, 12-15, 5:7-12), prayer (1:5-8), humility (1:9-11, 4:13-17), living the Word (1:19-25), bridling the tongue (1:26, 3:1-12), showing partiality (2:1-13), faith in action (2:14-26), wisdom (3:13-18), seeking righteousness (4:1-12), and wealth (5:1-6). These concerns are an antidote to contemporary Christianity in the United States today. Mission Saint James will strive to make James’ concerns our own in our approach to worship, discipleship, community, and ministry.

While our ultimate aim is to eventually become St. James Anglican Church, we are excited to spend the next season of our church planting adventure as an official mission within ADOTS and the ACNA. As we approach the summer months, please be in prayer for our team as we seek the lost, pray for the hurting, and share the love of Christ with the city of Jackson. If you would like more information on Mission Saint James or would like to join our Sunday JAM meetings, please email me.