The Lord called me to River City Reformed Presbyterian Church in 2021. I was initially called as associate pastor to Rev. Howard Wheeler, who had been laboring with this church plant since 2016. What is really remarkable is that he did this while pastoring another congregation (Pottsville Associate Reformed Presbyterian in Pottsville, Arkansas, one hour away) and while serving as a hospice chaplain. Given the demands of Rev. Wheeler’s schedule and commute, he and the provisional session determined to call an associate who would eventually be a solo planter, and I came on as the associate and then became a solo planter in 2023. Like any ministry, church planting is not without its challenges. And yet at the same time, the Lord is faithful, and there are many encouragements.
Our story is one that is really not groundbreaking. We have not done much that would be considered remarkable by worldly standards. This has simply been a story of the Lord blessing the ordinary means of grace. God in his kindness has allowed us much flexibility with our current meeting location, which has given us the opportunity to hold both morning and evening worship services since 2024. The reception to the ministry of the Word has been an encouragement, as the congregation loves the Word. Our evening service has been especially wonderful. There are other like-minded congregations near us that do not at present have evening worship, so some of the people from those congregations come to our evening service. This has served as an encouragement to our congregation, and it has allowed us to build more connections with the other congregations. It has been a reminder that we are not on an island but that we have others around us committed to the same things.
In addition, we have had Bible studies for men and for women and a biweekly prayer meeting for the whole congregation. During the years of 2022–24, our men’s group studied the Westminster Confession of Faith. It was some of the most fruitful discussion I have had in any study. We held officer training in 2025, and in 2026 we installed two elders and two deacons as the church was organized. We are grateful to the Lord for his kindness.
It should be stated that church planting is at times marked by trial and error. For a church that has not been established for long, there are aspects of the ministry that we have had to figure out over time. While Lord’s Day worship has been a nonnegotiable, some other ministries we have had at times we now no longer have. We have paused some ministries and restarted them later. There have no doubt been challenges in discovering what was best at what time and in what context. But the key things have remained. At one time, we had only one worship service on the Lord’s Day, and now there are two because Lord’s Day worship has been the most highly prized ministry.
All this said, for lack of a better term, our “ministry philosophy” has been quite simple. We have sought to prioritize, albeit imperfectly, the ordinary means of grace, hospitality, and outreach and evangelism.
First, we have sought to prioritize the ordinary means of grace. God has ordained the means that he ordinarily uses in the lives of his people and to call the elect to himself: the Word, prayer, and the sacraments. The Holy Spirit of God gives power to the reading and the preaching of the Word, and it is, after all, God’s Word. The Word is central in the worship service, primarily in reading and preaching but also in the sung psalms and hymns, in public prayer, and in the sacraments administered. The Lord is pleased to hear our prayers, and Christ spiritually meets with his people in the Supper. When an adult or infant is baptized and when the Table is administered, we see a picture of the gospel. At this point, there are many things we could look at and say we do not have—a youth program, for example. We are not averse to youth ministry properly done, but the ordinary means of grace are universal. Every person, regardless of their background or age and stage, needs the ordinary means of grace.1
While on this theme, I should mention what a special joy it has been to introduce more psalms for singing in worship. The Scripture tells us to sing psalms (see Eph 5:19 and Col 3:16). Many people do not come from Reformed and Presbyterian backgrounds and had no prior experience singing the Psalter. One of the things that has most encouraged me has been the receptivity to the Psalter and the enthusiasm to sing psalms. During our evening service, we seek to introduce a new psalm each month, which we refer to as the psalm of the month.
Second, we have sought to prioritize hospitality. This is an important aspect of church planting. It is important that people be welcomed. It is our desire that all people to whom we minister know that they are valued and to welcome them in. One way we have sought to do this is by hosting a weekly coffee hour at our home after morning worship or by opening our home for meals and for people to drop by. Others in the congregation have shown hospitality, whether by having people in their homes or by meeting with people for dinner during the week to encourage one another. It has not been our goal to prioritize highly specific programs to reach a certain type of person (not that programs are inherently bad or to be avoided), but it has been a goal to seek to meet the needs of the members and visitors that the Lord brings. Again, we are continually having to grow in this area, but it is our hope that hospitality be a core priority.
Third, we have sought to prioritize outreach and evangelism. Little Rock is a surprisingly unchurched city. According to a poll, 49 percent of the population of the Little Rock metro area has claimed no church affiliation. While it is not as unchurched as some parts of the U.S., there are still many who do not know Jesus Christ among us, and it is not difficult to find people to interact with who do not embrace the gospel. So outreach and evangelism are a priority. There are a few ways we have sought to prioritize outreach and evangelism. One way is through personal interactions with people who the Lord has naturally brought into our lives, and I have sought to do some of my work from coffee shops, libraries, and other public places. Another is by setting up tables at local festivals and farmers markets and at the local university’s orientation. Through the university outreach has also come a regular university Bible study during the school year. With this said, we do not always see fruit from evangelism and outreach. It is easy at times to grow discouraged when there are not many visitors or when those we invite do not come to worship. We have had to remember that God is at work in his ways, even when it is not always according to our timing.
Again, we are grateful to the Lord for his work in the congregation and here in Little Rock. There is nothing that I or any of us can take credit for. It has been his doing, and he has been kind enough to use us, though unworthy vessels. We are grateful for his kindness to bless and to use the ordinary means of grace for his sovereign purposes. We are grateful for the people that the Lord has brought and that they care about the Lord’s work and the ordinary means as well. There are many good things that people can find in other churches that we do not presently have. People have stayed out of their love for this congregation and because of the ordinary things that the Lord has used.
Note
- For an excellent ordinary means of grace ministry philosophy, see Ligon Duncan’s “The Fifteen Talking Points for Church Planting and the Future of Ministry.”
©James Ritchey. All Rights Reserved.
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James Ritchey
James Ritchey is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and studied at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS (2018). James serves as pastor at River City Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Little Rock, AR.
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