Welcome to This New Edition
of the Reseeding America Magazine
Thank you for taking the time to look through this new edition of the Reseeding America
Magazine. We trust you will find helpful information concerning what God is doing
through this ministry. All ministries have been affected by the events surrounding
COVID-19. The Reseeding America Ministry is no exception. Our missionary church
planters have struggled the past two years, but I appreciate their faithfulness to push
forward and persevere despite the restrictions and mandates. Please pray that their
ministries can be rebuilt and that people who have stayed away from their churches
will return.

In this issue, one will find articles relating to our ministry in 2022, but in the middle
of this issue, we will give you a look back on what God did as we moved forward
in ministry during those unpredictable days of 2021. I am thankful for a God who
poured out His grace and gave wisdom to our BIMI USA missionary church planters
during the era of COVID.

Our theme for this year is taken from the book of Esther. We are thrilled to see that
God is using our missionaries and church planters to impact communities and towns
across America with the Gospel as they plant new churches. Others are having a
positive effect on their areas as they restart churches in decline. The 2022 theme for
Reseeding America is For Such a Time as This.

As always, we appreciate all feedback that you may want to give us as you read this
issue. Comments, suggestions, and input may be emailed to Bob Larson at blarson@
bimi.org or you may send me an email at USADirector@bimi.org.

Reseeding America is a ministry of Baptist
International Missions, Inc., assisting local
churches and their missionary church planters
in the starting of new churches and the restarting
of churches in decline across the United States.

www.reseedingamerica.com 2
Reseeding America – Spring 2022
USA Director
Rev. Bob Larson
423-605-6098 USADirector@bimi.org



By Bob Larson
Thankfully, we are on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic! It has been a
long two years for churches and ministries. During these past two years, I have
received letters and phone calls from numerous churches across our nation that
need a pastor. Many of the calls come from struggling and small churches that have
no pastor. Churches that were struggling before COVID are now desperate in their
search for men to fill their pulpits. Some men of God fell ill to COVID and can no
longer gain the needed strength to pastor their churches. At this writing, we are
trying to assist over 70 churches that need pastors.

The need for pastors is on the increase. Many times when a congregation loses
their pastor, the church will struggle to find a replacement. Since the search for
new leadership can take time, some members begin to leave. The church then must
find a pastor who will accept a call to restart the church and possibly work a secular
job or have some form of support because they can no longer pay a full-time man.

“Where are the laborers?” I have been praying and asking the Living God to raise
up men who would answer the call to restart churches in decline.

Restarting a church may seem a lot less attractive to a church planter than planting
a new work. Many church planters do not want to pastor a church in decline or
that has closed. After all, God has called the church planter to plant a church not
restart a church. Some churches are less willing to support a man who is restarting
a church, making it much harder to raise necessary finances. Restarting a church is
also church planting. One of the main differences between restarting a church and
starting an infant church is that one is started in rented facilities and the other is
started in an existing church building with no mortgage. It is the same ministry!
Independent Baptists plant in any given year no more than 115 to 130 new churches
nationwide. To keep up with the present population, we need to be planting 500
Reseeding America – Summer 2022 3