Greg Willson

We’re following the call to plant a church.

We are joining God’s mission in Manchester, England by planting a church. We want to be a part of seeing the people of Manchester come to know the light of Christ by planting a church that plants churches. We have a heart for those who define themselves as outsiders, who have been disenfranchised or forgotten by the church. We also love seeing people who are already following Christ get involved with those who aren’t, seeking the peace of their city.

God has led us to plant Redeemer, a church in a neighbourhood called Chorlton, in south Manchester. It’s a wonderful place, artsy, bohemian, many coffeeshops and pubs, but also in need of the gospel.

Below, you can find out more about our mission and learn a thing or two about us. If you’re interested in joining in and planting a church with us, you can learn about that, too. I also write about church planting, read those posts here.

Planting a new church means seeing new people come to faith. It means invigorating existing believers and mobilizing them for ministry. The church is the nexus of our lives, where everything comes together, where those without hope come to know hope. We want to see more people create more churches. This is not a small endeavor and requires steps.

The first step was to get training. In 2014 we knew there was a call to plant, but we also knew we needed more discipleship and equipping towards that end. I was a Church Planting Resident at Riverside Community Church in downtown Columbia, SC (learn about Columbia here). During our time there, we got the discipleship we needed and learned about church planting in the context of a plant itself. I was involved in all sorts of ministry positions: leading a Small Group, preaching, leading music on Sundays, helping develop leaders, forging new opportunities to interact with the city, among others. I also went through Acts 29’s pre-assessment program for church planters.

The second step is to move towards planting. We moved to Manchester, England to work with Grace Church Manchester. Our goal was to plant a new church in the city together. We continued to grow in learning more about our new city, her people, and God’s plans. We want to see new believers brought into this new community and existing believers re-energized to minister in new ways. This is where the plans for Redeemer were born.

The third step is where we are now. We planted Redeemer Church, and now we’re working to see the plant to blossom and grow into a self-sufficient church. It reproduces its own leaders and is able to financially sustain its own ministries. We would put the structures of the previous step in action in order to eventually reproduce.

In the fourth step, as with all healthy families, plants and animals is to reproduce. We want to plant a church that plants churches. We want to be able to send people into new areas and bring the light of the gospel. We know one church can’t do all the work of ministry, there must be many.

In front of Manchester’s Central Library

Greg and Christina met while in high school in the suburbs of Jacksonville, Florida. They both eventually went to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Greg graduated with his undergrad, Christina with her undergrad and Masters degrees. They got married in 2005, and Greg began a pastoral internship while at Creekside Community Church. The next step was Orlando and Greg received an M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary. Christina was a teacher and librarian at a middle school. While in Orlando, Greg also worked for Orlando Grace Church, first as an intern, then a pastor. 

After sensing the call to church planting, but realising the need for more training, they moved to Columbia, SC. Greg took on the Church Planting Resident role at Riverside Community Church and Christina was the Library Media Specialist at local middle school.

They now live in Manchester, England with their son, Colin, and are planting Redeemer, a new church in Chorlton, Manchester.

Join the Support Team.

We need your help! It takes community to build a community. Not everyone will have the calling, gifts or opportunity to plant a church, but everyone can be involved in the process. You can also read more about where the money goes.

We need to raise money for the plant. As a new church, resources, including finances, aren’t generally plentiful. We are currently raising money for the first few years of the plant. This includes stuff like my salary, hiring rooms for Sunday gatherings, being generous and hospitable to new neighbours, as well as general admin level stuff for the church.

Would you like to join up with us?