What can I say? The All Access Conference was a tremendous blessing to me and for the many that attended. Church of the Highlands was an incredible host, Brian Houston did a fantastic job, and we were honored by Jonathan Falwell and many other main session speakers and workshop speakers who each did an amazing job. Thanks be to God for ARC and the team that He has brought together for this ministry to plant 2000 churches by 2020. I want to let the attendees to have the final say about the conference on today’s blog. Add a comment on this blog and tell me about your experience. Here’s one:

“Just a word to say how much I and my staff enjoyed the conference this year. It was awesome and really confirmed our direction and fired up everyone on the team. I look forward to getting to download all the workshops and listening to the them all when they are available. Thanks for asking me to be a part of the ARC it is a blessing to me and my church.”

Olathe Life Fellowship Church in Olathe, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City is a thriving life-giving and relevant ministry. I thank God for Timmy and Jana Gibson and the testimony of their lives as they have planted and built an amazing local church. Olathe Life is one of the early ARC church plants that have set a high standard for church planting and has helped many other ARC churches and pastors find success in launching churches.

Timmy and his family are dear friends of mine and to many other ARC pastors. The church was vibrant in worship and very relational. Timmy and Jana thanks for your hospitality and the work you are doing in Olathe.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to welcome you to my new blog page. Enjoy!

I am with John and Luke Bolin this week filming some videos for the upcoming ARC conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Yesterday, April 1st, Greg Surratt and I sat and reminisced about how ARC began. It was wonderful to recollect all the bits and pieces that brought a church planting movement into existence. It made me realize just how much God was bringing us together in a sovereign way. Greg is a joy to work with in this vision even though he is not from Louisiana.

In those early days God brought Dino Rizzo, my brother Scott, Rick Bezet, and Chris Hodges together with Greg and I to ask, “What if?” Now, “what if” has become “what now?” After 59 new church plants and the possibility of 30 this year, we are asking God for His direction for the future. We still believe that we will plant 2000 churches by 2020 and that ARC churches will have a huge impact on world missions. So, pray with us and believe with us for the great things that God wants to do through ARC. I also want to thank the ARC Leam Team for all that they do to make church planting on this scale a reality. Thanks to:

• Stovall Weems
• Rob Ketterling
• Matt Fry
• Randy Bezet
• Rick Bezet
• Scott Hornsby
• Chris Hodges
• Greg Surratt
• Dino Rizzo
• John Sibeling
• Joe Champion

Scott and Tech Team

Ronnie and Gayle Bennett

Scott, Buck Hornsby, Hank Henagan, Ronnie Bennett

At Bluff Creek

Charlene and I spent the last week in Birmingham, Alabama with family and friends. On Wednesday March 19th Michael Smith and I visited EQUIP to meet with Tom Atema, Doug Carter and Nadya Rodoslavova concerning the upcoming European Coordinator’s meeting in Prague, CZ. I am thrilled to hear the great reports of the Million Leaders Mandate training throughout Europe. 231,000 leaders are being trained throughout the continent and the Country Coordinators made it all possible. We will be in Prague to celebrate what all they have done.

While in Birmingham we had the chance to be in the Easter services with Pastor Chris Hodges at Church of the Highlands. What an experience! Over 11,000 people packed out all of their services and campuses. Pastor Chris and Tammy shared on the importance of what Christ did by being raised from the dead…giving us hope for a new life from all that holds us back. The resurrection of Jesus is the basis for our new life in God…free from all that was death to us. Also, John Larson, Brad Parsley and the COH band and choir lead us in fantastic worship. John did a special song that was brilliant. Way to go John.

A great week with family and the family of God…can’t beat that!

I spent this weekend with Keith and Julie Boyer in Reunion, Colorado at Crossroads Community Church. Keith has done an incredible job in this very small suburb of Denver. He has garnered a wonderful leadership team with amazing potential for growth and evangelism. All around town were signs in people’s yards identifying themselves as members of Crossroads Church. The worship, the well organized services and the people inspired me and gave me the sense that this will be a church that will impact this area of Colorado in the future as it is beginning to do now.

Sunday evening I met with Jeremy Jacoby and Mark Larson with the Lutheran Church in the area. They have become dear friends over the past couple of year. Jeremy has launched a Lutheran Church in this same area and is having amazing results. Mark is the Regional director of mission for the LCMS and is planting churches all over the region in the years to come. Mike Ware of Victory Church, a life-long friend was also there on Sunday evening. Mike pastors an explosive church in the Denver area.

What an amazing couple…Peter and Carolyn Haas. These guys are my heroes. Substance Church is just turning 3 years old and has already reached over 800 people in the University of Minnesota, St. Paul campus. I was thrilled to see the growth in the church and hear the vision that God has placed in Peter’s heart for reaching thousands in this fast growing city. The church is a dynamic example of what ARC churches attempt to accomplish. Evangelism, great worship, world missions, and discipleship are done with great enthusiasm and excellence. I recommend Substance Church to anyone who wants to learn how to do church the right way. This church has it going on.

I had the chance to visit with Tory Forina and his wife Elisabeth, Rob and Becca Ketterling and get reports on all that God is doing with them. ARC is blessed to have this group in our midst as examples of courage and commitment to the success of the local church. Thanks to the Lord for all of you.

What a wonderful time visiting family and preaching at Fellowship Church in Zachary, Louisiana. My Brother Scott and his wife Merriann are the best host and hostess in the country. It was great to see the explosive growth of the church and see the maturity of this ministry. Just a few years ago Pastor Scott responded to the voice of the Lord to move his church from Clinton, La to the booming town of Zachary. The result has been great growth from 100 to 700. Amazing worship and organization that brings honor to the Lord. Scott, it was awesome to be there with you. Not to mention all the cajun food including Buck’s crawfish boil and the skeet competition.

While in Baton Rouge we had the opportunity to visit Bethany World Prayer Center and the “Remnant Conference.” Pastor Larry Stockstill shared his heart for bringing pastors back to the holiness of God through repentance. The meeting was great and for me a time to reflect on God’s call on my life to live honorably before Him. I saw many friends and fellow pastors there. One highlight was to spend time with my long time friend Hank Henagan.

Charlene and I visited Stovall and Kerri Weems in Jacksonville, Florida this past weekend where I had the opportunity to speak at their marriage weekend and Sunday services. WOW! This church is explosive in worship, attendance, and in the presence of God. Everything there is just plain fun. There were over 1,700 in attendance in their Super Saturday service and they packed-out the building twice on Sunday…not to mention the other off-site campuses.

Stovall has done an incredible job building a dynamic life-giving church in this sunny city in northern Florida. The energy in the services, the intensity with which the people worship and the “all out” pace that the Celebration team serves is incredible. It was fantastic!

We also had the privilege to see “Watoto” from Kampala, Uganda. This is a choir made up of AIDS orphans from Uganda that have been adopted by this mission. My heart was stirred for missions all over again as they sang with all their heart “I am not forgotten, God knows my
name.” Incredible.

Thanks Stovall and Kerri for a weekend we will never forget.

Billy