The Multiply2030 church planting and revitalization initiative was a Holy Spirit-inspired directive. When North America General Presbyter Bishop Dr. Brian Sutton introduced the vision to the state and regional bishops, I immediately became excited about its potential.
The Church of God of Prophecy began as a church-planting movement, and throughout our history, the desire to establish vibrant local churches has remained at the heart of who we are. I believe church planting and revitalization are essential if we are going to leave a spiritual legacy for future generations of young men and women who will call the Church of God of Prophecy home.
When I was appointed state bishop of Alabama in October 2022, I wanted the Lord to help us embrace and fulfill the vision of Multiply2030. And God began opening doors.
One aspect of the Multiply2030 vision is recognizing that empty church properties can become opportunities for new ministry. Independent congregations that share the vision and mission of the Church of God of Prophecy may find a spiritual home in places where one chapter of ministry has ended and God is ready to begin another.
We saw this happen in two wonderful Alabama communities, Elkmont and Hartselle. Another important part of this renewed focus is providing a safe place for congregations that may have become disconnected from the Church of God of Prophecy in years past. We witnessed a beautiful example of this in Red Bay, Alabama, when the church there felt it was time to reconnect with the CGP after nearly 30 years of separation.
When asked what led to that wonderful reunion, Bishop Smith shared something that captures the heartbeat of this entire initiative: CGP leadership was not looking for buildings or money. We wanted him and the people. That is what this is about. Yes, Multiply2030 helps grow the Church of God of Prophecy, but ultimately, this is kingdom work. It is about people, relationships, ministry, and reaching communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Alabama also witnessed a more traditional church plant in Russellville under the leadership of Pastor Zach Isom. That congregation is making a tremendous impact. One of the principles of Multiply2030 is that churches should plant churches, and the Russellville congregation became a testimony to that vision when, after only a year, they were able to plant a daughter church in Phil Campbell.
But there is another Multiply2030 story that is especially close to my heart. It is the story of Restoration Church in Bay Minette, Alabama, which officially became part of the Church of God of Prophecy family on August 30, 2026.
An Ending That Became a Beginning
More than a year earlier, I had faced the difficult decision of closing our local church in Atmore, Alabama. The church was located on the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation but had always functioned as a traditional congregation. Our pastor had served faithfully, but ultimately the church was no longer sustainable.
Closing a church is never easy. You cannot help but feel the weight of history, ministry, prayers, and people connected to that place. But sometimes what looks like an ending becomes the beginning of something God is preparing to do.
Not long after that difficult decision, I received a call at the state office from Bishop Don Stanton, the wonderful pastor of our church in Twilleytown, Alabama. Around Alabama, we affectionately call Brother Stanton “Chief” because of his Native American ancestry. He carries a tremendous heart for Native American people.
When he heard about the situation at Poarch, he wondered if this could become a doorway for reaching the Poarch Creek people. Area Presbyter Bishop DeWayne Smith helped plan a revival, and a ministry team was assembled. A connection was established with a tribal leader and his son, Brother Cedo Coon, a Pentecostal firebrand preacher. That revival was phenomenal. Something happened there that was bigger than a meeting. God kindled a passion in our hearts for the Poarch Creek people.
During this journey, a young man named Brother Dakota Barlow, a member of the Poarch Creek Tribe, was set forth as a lay minister and became the pastor. The story reached a beautiful moment at the 2026 International Assembly when the Poarch Creek Church flag was presented.
The man carrying that flag was Brother Trevor Daughtry, a cousin of Pastor Dakota Barlow.
Brother Trevor had also been at that revival meeting at Poarch. At the time, we could not have known everything God was putting together.
A God Appointment
Pastor Trevor Daughtry pastors a wonderful independent congregation, Restoration Church, in Bay Minette, Alabama. One morning, I felt the Lord pressing me to contact him and arrange a breakfast meeting. I drove down to meet him, and what happened that morning can only be described as a God appointment.
We talked about South Alabama. We talked about ministry. We talked about the needs of the region. Most importantly, we both opened our hearts and listened to one another. Somewhere in the middle of that breakfast, a bond began to develop. Looking back, I believe God was establishing a covenant relationship between us. Neither of us had any idea that the relationship being formed around that table would eventually lead to the momentous occasion of August 30. We simply knew that God was doing something.
Pastor Daughtry has a phrase he likes to use when he senses God at work: “I feel the goosebumps.” Well, that morning, we were feeling the goosebumps of heaven. We did not know where the journey would lead, but we knew God was in it.
A Vision for South Alabama
I am certain there are important details I am leaving out, but the story of what God has done is remarkable. South Alabama is an area of tremendous potential for the Church of God of Prophecy. Over the years, the region has experienced the loss of several congregations. Although Alabama has historically been a strong CGP state, the southern part of the state had only five active congregations. How grateful we are for the precious pastors and congregations who remained faithful and kept the work alive.
South Alabama needed, and continues to need, the vision of Multiply2030 to become a reality.
After much conversation and prayer, Pastor Daughtry decided that he wanted his personal ministry to come under the covering of the Church of God of Prophecy. After consulting with the state board and the area/district presbytery, and receiving counsel from our North America General Presbyter, Dr. Sutton, we approved Pastor Daughtry’s licensure as an ordained minister and appointed him South Alabama Director of Church Planting and Revitalization. He excelled in that role.
God began opening doors. Pastor Daughtry connected beautifully with our pastors in South Alabama and began developing strategies to see new churches established and existing ministries strengthened. Today, Bishop Tim Douglas, the new state bishop of Alabama, is continuing to lead the way, listening to the Holy Spirit and believing for an even stronger future for ministry in South Alabama. But God still had another surprise waiting for us.
The Phone Call
It was a Tuesday, just three weeks before I would transition from Alabama to begin serving as state bishop of Kentucky. Bishop Tim Douglas was at the state office as we worked through transition preparations when my phone rang. It was Brother Daughtry. I put the call on speaker. Brother Daughtry told us that after talking with the board of Restoration Church, they had decided they wanted the congregation to become part of the Church of God of Prophecy family. There they were again. Those holy goosebumps.
Bishop Douglas and I looked at one another, and after the call ended, we simply took some time to rejoice. God had been working all along. The revival at Poarch. The relationships that developed. The breakfast meeting. The conversations. The prayers. The covenant relationship.
The open doors. None of these moments stood alone. God had been weaving them together into a story that we could not see when the journey began.
Finding a Church Family
Pastor Daughtry brought 18 people from Restoration Church—including many members of his board—to the International Assembly. They were deeply moved by what they experienced and by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Daughtry later told me that one thing particularly impacted him: our willingness to share the pulpit with the Church of God in Christ General Overseer and other honored guests from outside the Church of God of Prophecy. That mattered to him because Pastor Daughtry is a kingdom-minded man. He saw something beyond an organization. He saw a church family with a heart for the greater kingdom of God.
I believe everyone should experience an International Assembly. There is something powerful about gathering together and seeing firsthand who we are as a global church family. For Restoration Church, that experience became another important step in the journey. Then came August 30.
Welcome Home
We gathered at Restoration Church in Bay Minette and made it official. Restoration Church became Restoration Church of God of Prophecy. Bishop Tim Douglas received new members into the Church of God of Prophecy. Four lay ministers were set forth, and in proper business, the congregation set forth Pastor Trevor Daughtry for bishop ordination, which is planned for Alabama’s next state convention.
What a day! It was a celebration of much more than organizational affiliation. It was the celebration of relationship. It was the fruit of prayer, trust, openness, and a willingness to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. After sharing a meal with the congregation, Kim and I had to leave to catch a plane back to Kentucky. But the story did not stop when we left.
Several from the congregation traveled to the Poarch Church and saturated that ground in prayer in preparation for its official launch service. Think about that for a moment. A church had closed. A door opened to reach the Poarch Creek people. Relationships were formed. A young Native American minister stepped forward to pastor. A connection was made with an independent pastor. A covenant relationship developed. That pastor came under the covering of the Church of God of Prophecy and began helping lead church planting and revitalization efforts.
Then his entire congregation chose to become part of the Church of God of Prophecy family. And now members of that congregation were traveling back to Poarch to pray over that great work.
That is Multiply2030. It is not merely about adding churches to a list or putting another dot on a map. It is about people finding one another in the providence of God. It is about churches planting churches, ministries being revitalized, relationships being restored, and congregations discovering that there is room for them in this family.
Most of all, it is about recognizing what God is already doing and having the courage to join Him in it. Sometimes God closes a chapter only to reveal that He has already begun writing the next one. Sometimes He starts with a difficult decision, a telephone call, a revival, a breakfast, or a new friendship. And sometimes, somewhere along the journey, you begin to feel those holy goosebumps and realize: God is up to something. There is no better way to end this story than the way it deserves to be ended: to God be the glory!
