FARGO, N.D. – Motorcycles thundering up the I-29 corridor attract attention. When Christian bikers take to the road this summer, they’ll be attracting attention for Jesus as they share the Gospel through their witness and give away copies of the Bible. And it’s all part of H.I.S. – the Heartland Interstate Strategy.
Roaring out of the Midwestern Seminary’s parking lot on Friday, June 19, and stopping at key cities along the way, Missouri Baptists are headed ultimately to Fargo, North Dakota. A “Show and Shine” Motorcycle Rally is scheduled for Monday, June 22.
Some 20,000 out of Fargo’s 210,000 citizens own motorcycles and hotrods. Tim Brown, a church planter in Fargo says, “Nobody is working among bikers. Red River Valley Fairgrounds is the place to start.” Biker families will also be welcomed by using inflatables, face painting, clowns, balloons, food prepared by MBC’s Disaster Relief, prizes, and the chance to win a custom built Café Racer motorcycle.
Brown and his wife, Michelle, moved from a biker church in Memphis, Tenn., to Fargo to start LifeChurch two years ago. “These people do much more than southern hospitality. But, even though they’re nice and friendly, they don’t let you inside their homes. Fargo is one of the best places to live, but it also has alcoholism and abuse behind closed doors.”
Fargo has become a media victim with TV shows and a movie that portrayed the people as bleak characters. “People here don’t say, ‘don’t ‘cha know.’ That’s more like the way that people in Minnesota talk.” Brown pointed out that Fargoans are Lutherans of all stripes – from the most liberal to the most conservative. “The Church here is irrelevant. Half of the people are not part of any church group.”
There are five Southern Baptist churches in the area and all five are at capacity. Together they total about 100 people in a city approaching a quarter of a million. According to Brown, the people are affluent and educated; smart. They are very moral, but lost. “Prodigals know they’re lost,” Brown said. “But these are more like the older son [in Jesus’ parable]. They say, ‘Why do I need what you’re selling me?’ I can’t use ‘Christianese,’ but refer to myself as a believer or follower of Jesus.”
The winters are long and Brown can’t ride his Honda VTX five months out of the year. But when the summer months come, the bikes are out and it is a very bike-friendly place – motorized as well as the pedaling kind.
Brown believes that Missouri Baptists should care about Fargo. “We believe in cooperation and investing in pioneer work. This place is certainly not saturated with the gospel. We see LifeChurch as an incubator for the next five to 10 years. We want to grow our own indigenous church planters. Churches that rely on outsiders tend to be weak and dependent on support. People here don’t know Baptists. There’s no footprint.”
The Show and Shine Rally will provide common ground, an attractive environment to evangelize while enjoying a mutual interest. Brown identified three outcomes:
1. Exposure in the community. When motorcycles gather, it’s a people magnet.
2. Opportunity to test the waters. Learn how to move forward.
3. LifeChurch is ready to start an alternative service after gauging interest.
Brown pointed out that LifeChurch doesn’t need money; they need prayer and partners. Teams of evangelizers are needed there. And disciple-makers are needed that move out to raise up multiple churches. “We don’t need to reproduce a Southern model of churches. We need people who will assimilate as Fargoans. We want them to lead people to Christ and disciple new believers. We need to raise up local leaders.”
Doug Schildknecht, pastor, Buckner First, and Missouri Baptist Convention Evangelism/Discipleship Strategist Mark Snowden have teamed up with funding from NAMB to provide biker-styled New Testaments. “During the ride,” Schildknecht said, “we are stopping at H.I.S. hub cities, which include St. Joseph, Mo.; Omaha, Neb. / Council Bluffs, Iowa; Sioux City, Iowa; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Fargo, N.D.”
Schildknecht, is also co-president, Missouri Baptist Biker Fellowship and recommends registering to participate in the H.I.S. I-29 Motorcycle Road Trip here: http://mobaptist.org/his-road-rally.
Pray for bikers traveling from Kansas City to Fargo this summer. And if you sign up to go, you’ll be literally taking the gospel on the road.