Success Stories

On June 15, 2014, the Park Place Baptist Church in Montgomery, IL was a 147 year-old American Baptist congregation with a dwindling membership, insufficient resources, a pastoral vacancy, a baptismal filled with church records instead of water, and a tired remnant of dedicated members. Uncertain about how to proceed, the congregation partnered with Sam Hamstra…

Three congregations  have come together on one mission: to reach the teenagers of their congregations and community with the love of Jesus Christ. The Federated Church of Sandwich, the United Church of Sandwich, and the Union Congregational church of Somonauk have embarked on a unique journey. In a remarkable statement of unity in Christ, these…

This past Saturday (Jan 4, 2014), I had the privilege of leading a worship workshop with the wonderful people of the Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Sheboygan, WI.  About twenty people gathered. The group included vocalists, instrumentalists, audio technicians, and video technicians. In addition to working hard and stretching ourselves out of our comfort zones,…

Vanu Kantayya, a member of the ChapterNext team, as well as an amazing woman of God, was ordained as Pastor during an inspiring service led by Pastor John Sprecher of Rock Church in Rockford, IL. The service took place on November 17. Vanu is the Teaching and Connections Pastor of Rock Church. As a member…

This past summer ChapterNext had the privilege of playing a role in the installation of three pastors, each serving a congregation within the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Out in the Central Valley of California, Justin Carruthers (pictured to the left) was ordained and installed as the Co-Pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church…

Recently, I had the privilege of participating in the 46th Assembly of the American Baptist Churches (ABC) of the Great Rivers Region. A few hundred folk gathered at the Holiday Inn in Mount Vernon, IL for a spirit-filled time of fellowship, discipleship, and worship. When all was said and done, we were refreshed and renewed…

The friendship between Sam Hamstra, founder of ChapterNext, and John Armstrong, the founder of the Acts3 Network has led to a partnership between the two ministries.  The relationship was made official when the board of the Acts3 Network recognized ChapterNext as an “Associate Partner.”  As such, ChapterNext enjoys a “reciprocal, on-going relationship with ACT3 Network…

Last year, after about five years of dabbling in church consulting, in general, and in pastor search consulting, in particular, I stepped into this work full-time. Now, about one year later, I look back and thank the Lord for His unimaginable blessings and for allowing me to serve His bride in this way. In the…

It was a beautiful day to fellowship with the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. This vibrant and young congregation, led by co-pastors Dr. Leroy Mitchell and the Rev. G. Joseph Mitchell, gathers in a beautiful facility just blocks from the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. Rev. G. Joseph Mitchell (pictured on the…