Reverend Deon Archer never thought about planting and pastoring a church. But in his final year at The College of Biblical Studies, an urban inner city church planter, Dave Dozier, asked him a question that would plant an unshakeable seed in Archer’s heart. Through Dozier, fellow church members, and coworkers, God would confirm that He was, in fact, calling Archer to plant and pastor a church.

Archer was ordained by The Good Shepherd Missionary Baptist Church and went on to intern for three years at Higher Expectations Church under the leadership and training of Bryant Lee. Through the internship, Archer was equipped for pastoring and church planting in the urban inner city. He then joined the Houston Church Planters Network (HCPN), which further trained him for two years. In 2018, he was commissioned by Higher Expectations Church and HCPN to plant a church, which would become Redeeming Word Community Church.

The Team Grows

As Archer started working towards officially launching Redeeming Word Community Church, the Lord sent a team of people to join the launch team through various means. Archer had been discipling a young man through a community group a Higher Expectations Church, who prayerfully joined the launch team with his wife.

Other members were high school classmates who reconnected with Archer after he preached the funeral of a mutual friend’s mother. Other members came from a community Bible study conducted at Deerbrook Senior Living. Even more people came from Archer and his team knocking on doors to share the gospel in their community. By the time they launched the church, they had 37 adults and multiple children, which has since grown to 45 adults since the launch.

Serving the Community

Archer and Redeeming Word Community Church desire to impact the community around them by getting involved with local schools and ministering to families in the community. Through local schools, they hope to provide tutoring and give away school supplies. They plan to mentor male students who are in the fifth grade as well as provide ESL and GED training.

They desire to start a food pantry and provide boxes of food for children in need. Finally, they plan to start a prison ministry.

Navigating the Waves of Ministry

As with any ministry, there are highs and lows. Redeeming Word Community Church spends a lot of time counseling those in their church as many have suffered trauma in the past. They are faced with the challenges of absentee fathers in the community and people’s hearts are hardened.

But we know that the gospel triumphs over all things, and provides healing and hope for a community in need. The Lord has shown grace to Redeeming Word Community Church through a good relationship with the local school and providing a place to host a community group. One church member started a homeless ministry, providing monthly manna bags to the homeless in their community. And in a six-month period, the Lord has saved five people through the church’s ministry and these new believers will be baptized.

Ways You Can Pray

Reverend Archer connected to UBA through Bryant Lee and hopes to collaborate with UBA in leadership development.

Together, we are praying for God to save two hundred people in the community surrounding Redeeming Word Community Church and that the church would find a place they can call home in the community.

Personally, Archer asks for prayer concerning discipline in his health. He and his wife, Shiwanna, are also prayerfully considering adoption.