By Susan Kane
Church Multiplication

At the age of fifty-three, Rev. Jim Brooke never thought he would be planting a church. Yet after leaving a pastorate he had served for nine years, during which time he increased weekly attendance from four to 125 and navigated a building project, that is exactly what he found himself doing in late 2005.

As the state church planter for the Oklahoma Church of God, Brooke was responsible for targeting areas throughout the state for possible new church plants. At that time, his focus was on the town of Norman, a small, but growing, community south of Oklahoma City. Although Norman was home to the University of Oklahoma, two previous congregations had failed over the years. The community was full of young families, however, so it was a prime opportunity for a new plant. When the search for a planter was unsuccessful, state minister John Boedeker approached Brooke. “He said, ‘Jim, I think you should plant a church in Norman,’” shares Brooke. “At the age of fifty-three I had accepted the fact that I was probably too old for church planting. Then I realized that John had successfully planted a church in Florida at the age of fifty and I began to open up to the idea. Soon, I felt the calling to do so.”

Once Brooke had embraced his new calling, he began to formulate the vision he wanted the new church to have. As a grandfather of six, he felt a tremendous burden to do all he could to ensure that his grandchildren were raised and nurtured in the faith of God. This burden had become especially urgent as he saw how much the culture was shifting farther and farther away from God. Building a core ministry that would intentionally equip families to nurture faith in their homes was the direction Brooke wanted the church to take. “I felt the most important thing I could do was leave a legacy of faith to my family. Soon, God gave me the name of a church devoted to seeing this happen in the life of every family.” And Legacy Church was born.

As the church has prepared for its launch during the two years since that day, God has provided an even greater legacy for it to leave. Legacy Church has been invited by Focus on the Family to be one of ten churches across the country to participate in a pilot campaign titled “Focus on Your Family.” The campaign, which will eventually consist of thirty churches in the pilot phase, is designed to help families take back the responsibility to be the primary spiritual resource to their children. “This ministry effort is to rebuild into families the passing of faith from generation to generation,” states Brooke. “We will build our other ministries, such as children, youth, and adult, around this foundation.” There will also be an effort to mobilize grandparents to be models and mentors to their children and grandchildren.

With plans to officially launch in the fall of 2008, Legacy Church has started meeting in homes using marriage and parenting DVDs that are a part of the six-week campaign. The goal is to build a core group of fifty families through small groups prior to the launch. This core group will also consist of another pastor and a worship leader. Yet the ultimate goal of the church is to be a multiplying church, planting other churches with the same vision of building great families on the foundation of God’s Word. “The rest of the story has yet to be told,” says Brooke. “God will determine our course, and God willing, we will invest the rest of our lives in this effort.”