New church planting strategist at work in St. Louis
By Allen Palmeri
Staff Writer
October 4, 2005
JEFFERSON CITY– Rick Biesiadecki, 36, brings fresh ideas to the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) church planting team as a new church planting strategist in the St. Louis area, according to MBC State Church Planting Director Jerry Field.
Biesiadecki comes to the MBC from the Atlanta metropolitan area, where he was serving as a church planting consultant with the Georgia Baptist Convention. Since 2000, he has served as a church planter/pastor with NewRock Church, Covington, Ga. His MBC service began Sept.16.
“He just brings a whole different perspective,” Field said. “With a team that has a lot of tenure together, the danger you run is becoming stale and only being able to think in the same directions. Bringing in someone like Rick, who is younger and comes out of a different experience, brings a whole new set of ideas.”
Biesiadecki holds degrees from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va., and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C., and is “a very high-energy kind of guy,” who is “Southern Baptist to the core,” Field said. His training includes times of service at First Baptist Church, Snellville, Ga., and First Baptist Church, Atlanta. He also served First Baptist Church, Durham, N.C., as minister to youth. Field said that with his blend of excellent people skills and strong technological expertise in the area of computers, Biesiadecki should be able to minister very effectively.
Biesiadecki is being encouraged to focus on some of the population growth along the Interstate 70 corridor west of St. Louis and on into the city. He will attempt to find ways to partner with directors of missions in church planting initiatives.
“Right now, the growth that is beginning to emerge is north of I-70, with St. Charles and Wright City being the south boundary, from there north to Troy, kind of a triangle,” Field said. “It’s going to be strategic for us for him to be up in that area.”
Ben Hess will continue to work in the St. Louis area as an MBC church planting strategist through what has become a transition period, Field said. Hess has been the lone MBC church planting missionary in Missouri’s largest city, but the MBC has determined that another specialist is needed in addition to Hess to facilitate even more church plants out of the area.