I am a church planter-evangelist to black America. I am out of the Harvest Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida. At the present I am planting a church in Thomasville, Georgia, called the Berean Baptist Church. I see a great need for new Bible-believing churches to be planted in the black community. I also realize that nearly ninety percent of black Americans are religious but lost. When I read about the Jim Jones tragedy some years ago, my heart was crushed when I found out that the majority of the people were black. The really sad thing is that, so many of them probably came out of a traditional church before they went into that cult.

After reading about the tragedy, I felt like Paul when he stated in Romans 9: 1-2: "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart."

And also when he said in Romans 10:1-2: "Brethren, me heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."

By God's grace, allow me to share with you some things I have learned in my years as a church planter:

1. Despite what many have said, white ministers can very effectively minister to black people.
2. In order to be an effective church planter, or pastor for that matter, you must earn the right to be heard by showing genuine love and concern for the people.
3. In church planting, it is definitely best to go after the men and their wives first, as opposed to going after the children first.

If the Lord tarries His coming, I will expand on these things as well as a host of other things in this column. I hope you will join me.