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Unusual Partnership Leads to Formation of New Congregation
Two years ago, Canon Dr. Michael Green and the Rev. David Drake weren’t looking to plant a church together. However, after a series of events and God-ordained encounters, both said “yes” to a clear call from God to move to Raleigh, NC, to pastor an orthodox remnant group of Episcopalians from several area churches that had begun to meet together for Bible study and prayer. Dr. Green serves as Canon Missioner and Drake now serves as Rector of Holy Trinity Church which was inaugurated on September 12, 2004. The Church was without clergy leadership for a year before Green and Drake began in the summer of 2005.
“I was entering my final year at Trinity Seminary in the fall of 2004 and my wife Kristin and I were planting a church in Boston,” said Drake, aged 37. “While attending a conference in Thailand in September of that year, I met a man from Raleigh who challenged me out of the blue, ‘So when are you going to move to Raleigh and help plant a church?’ At the time I thought he was crazy. But over the course of the next few months, I was asked to consider moving to Raleigh to work with Michael and help build Holy Trinity. God made it very clear that we were not being called to Boston after graduation. While initially I was disappointed, now I couldn’t be more thrilled that God called us to Raleigh.”
After graduating from Trinity in May of 2005, things began to move very quickly for the Drake family. “I graduated, moved my family here, bought a house, bought a car, sold a house, sold a car, Kristin gave birth to our third daughter, and I started my new job at Holy Trinity all in about six weeks,” said Drake.
Dr. Michael Green, 76, is considered one of the most influential Anglican evangelists and Christian writers living today. An Englishman born of an Australian mother and a Welsh father, Green has written over 50 books, been Principal of a Theological Seminary, served as a Rector in the United Kingdom and taught at Oxford University and Regent College. He and his wife of 49 years, Rosemary, were happily living in the UK enjoying their 13 grandchildren when he was asked to consider moving to the States to co-lead the newly-forming church plant.
“We arrived in September 2005 with two suitcases each and everything was provided for us, including a furnished house,” said Green, “The generosity within this congregation is incredible.”
Under the co-leadership of Green and Drake, the church grew from 100 to 220 in six months. This rapid growth presented organizational problems which had to be quickly addressed. “We’ve had to combat the mentality that clergy do everything,” said Green. “We’ve put a lot of effort into training up the laity in the congregation to do evangelism, discipleship and pastoral care.”
Holy Trinity has developed a six-week course on the basics of Christianity called the Foundations Course. The sequence of talks includes the heart of the Gospel; assurance; prayer and bible reading; church and fellowship; the Holy Spirit; and, witness and service. The format allows people to discuss topics in small groups. The group leaders do one-on-one follow up with participants as well.
“We’ve had a steady trickle of people coming to Christ,” said Green. “We’re getting people coming alive from an Episcopal background and unchurched people coming to Christ. We are helping many people with a lot of head knowledge transform biblical understanding into a personal living and active faith.”
Rosemary Green is currently training the leaders of newly-forming Fellowship Groups (home groups). Group leaders are encouraged to incorporate Bible study, personal sharing, and caring so that people really get to really know each other and take care of each other’s needs. “We try to cross-fertilize these groups generationally, instead of grouping singles or those with young families together,” said Mrs. Green, “One group has a 78–year-old widow, a divorced man, and a teenager in it. Those that have come in are loving it!” And about half the church has come in!
Holy Trinity Church is made up of people from various Anglican and other traditions coming together. In order to serve the diverse needs of the community and the congregation, one solution was to start an evening service which is less formal, has a more contemporary worship style, and is sometimes more evangelistic, in addition to the Sunday morning service which uses the prayer book liturgy and a more traditional worship style. These Sunday services are held in the chapel of St. David’s School, a private school in the North Hills area of Raleigh. The congregation is already outgrowing this rental space and is looking to find a permanent home which will allow for more growth.
Holy Trinity Church is situated fairly close to the North Carolina State University campus. Several months ago, Dr. Green did a public debate with an atheist professor on the N.C. State campus which attracted 1,800 students and faculty. The next night, Green delivered an evangelistic address entitled “How can I get to know the living God?” which was also well attended, and led some students to the Lord. “We will continue to do this kind of thing, and through it publicize the evening service and try to really pull in a good number of the university community in the months to come,” said Green.
The unusual partnership of Drake and Green has challenged both men to learn how to work as a team to lead the church. “While it hasn’t always been easy, it is clear that God is using both of our gifts to build up the body of Christ and equip the saints,” says Drake. Since his ordination to the priesthood by Bishop Frank Lyons of Bolivia in May of 2006, Drake is assuming the duties of senior pastor while the Greens continue to teach, preach and train. The church is looking to hire a music director, a youth director, and an assistant rector over the next year, and the Greens are now trying to discern when, where and to what God might be calling them next.