Risen Stories: Meet Cara!
Cara Brock is a Concord native, leaving briefly to attend the University of South Carolina. After graduation, she returned home and took a job in a warehouse for student fundraisers. She has now worked in publishing and design at a denominational office for six years. She spends the rest of her time being at the beck and call of her three cats and senior corgi.
How did you come to faith in Jesus?
I come from a long line of solid Christians, so I grew up in the church. Because of this, I always believed that Jesus is who he said he is – Lord and Savior. While the Lord led me to baptism in middle school, I didn’t truly make my faith my own until I left for college. The onus was now fully on me to join a church, study the Word, and find fellowship. Finally, for the last eight years, God has blessed me with a mentor and discipler who has poured much of herself into my life. This relationship has been paramount to my growth in Christ.
Why do you feel church planting is important?
Data has shown that church plants are typically more successful than long-established churches at reaching new believers. While decades-old churches can be solid and thriving, new membership tends to come from transfers, rather than new believers. Church plants more often draw in those who are young in the faith, or those who have not yet accepted Christ. If a church plant has Jesus as its Cornerstone and a healthy, biblical foundation, overtime it will mature these new believers. The prayer then is that they will one day go out and plant even more churches. Planting churches is by nature a way of obeying the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Why did you decide to join Risen Church?
While I had been blessed to be part of a wonderful church, the distance was proving prohibitive for true fellowship and connection. While researching local churches on the 9Marks website, I checked out Risen Church and saw that they were having an interest meeting that week! What I learned there was enough to commit.
Risen’s mission in itself was sufficient to be on board: “We are a family of disciples, advancing God’s Kingdom in Word and Deed - for the glory of our Father, through the gospel of His Son, by the power of His Spirit.” I’m particularly pleased with the focus on the expositional teaching of God’s Word, and having it be central to all facets of the church. Concord is ever-expanding, so the gospel of Jesus Christ should be expanding along with it.
