Terminus is a collective of…
churches that equip Christians for a global city age.
Our goal is to equip like-minded churches in urban environments who engage the culture with the gospel.
Each Terminus church is committed to the authority of Scripture, the centrality of the local church in God’s mission, and the urgency of engaging the nations in the world’s urban centers.
We resource baptistic churches through training (cultural apologetics, counseling, care, etc.) and financial grants to help strengthen and sustain gospel mission in global cities. We promote interdependence in mission among our collective of churches, rooted in the conviction that Great Commission work must be church-shaped, city-focused, and culturally engaged.
Millions are moving to cities.
We partner with healthy, like-minded churches that are committed to multiplying gospel efforts in global cities. Urban contexts require greater financial investment; from rent to restaurants, the cost of living presents a barrier for churches.
What We Believe
Theological alignment clarifies church partnerships.
While Terminus seeks to be charitable with all churches faithful to the gospel, we partner with those who share a set of biblical convictions.
The following supporting documents guide our doctrinal and theological vision for ministry.
- All churches in the collective need to align with our statement of faith.
- Portfolio Churches (i.e. those who received funding) also agree to adhere to the statement from the Southgate Fellowship | Affirmations and Denials Concerning World Mission.
- The following core commitments shape our organizational values.
Our Convictions
1. We Pray
We are a praying network. We gather to intercede for the advance of the gospel in the cities of Terminus churches. Therefore, we pray for those sent out from these churches to serve in our cities and around the world. We believe prayer is not supplementary; it is the primary means by which God accomplishes renewal in our cities. Through corporate prayer in our congregations and across our network, we depend on God to move.
“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest…” Matthew 9:38
2. We are Church-Shaped
We encourage planting and strengthening churches because we believe the local church is God’s primary agent of mission. Our focus includes:
- Locally Contextualized Churches: Sending workers to raise local leaders and plant contextually faithful churches in the various cultures of our cities.
- International Language Churches: Reaching the nations through multilingual congregations in global cities where global lingua francas function as other common languages (ex., English in Kuala Lumpur, Arabic in Berlin, etc.).
Every Terminus church exists to be a Kingdom outpost, establishing gospel witness in both familiar and cross-cultural urban contexts.
3. We Prioritize Cities
God is gathering the nations into the cities of the world. We go where the people are: urban centers of influence, complexity, and opportunity. Cities shape the ideas of the world; they are places where culture is formed and exported. To reach the nations, our churches must be equipped to both faithfully connect with and courageously confront the dominant cultural narratives shaping our cities and beyond. This is why Terminus churches are committed to seeking the welfare of our cities by displaying a vision of the New Jerusalem to come. We will be deeply embedded in the life, culture, and challenges of their city, bringing the hope of the gospel to every corner.
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you…” Jeremiah 29:7
4. We Send Our Own
We don’t outsource missions; we own it. Terminus churches are committed to identifying, assessing, training, and sending their own members to serve locally and globally through:
- Short-Term Opportunities that inspire vision and strengthen partnerships
- Mid-Term Assignments that provide contextual learning, field training, and project-specific goals that lead to the long-term impact
- Long-Term Sending of elder-qualified pastors and deacon-qualified missionary team members who are deeply rooted in local churches and sound doctrine
- The Three-Party Enterprise of Faithful Mission: We believe faithful Great Commission work is a three-party enterprise: the sending church, the missionary, and the receiving church must all be aligned and collaborating. When these three are working together in partnership, mission advances with clarity, accountability, and long-term health. Without that alignment, mission can drift into disconnection or dysfunction. At Terminus, we are committed to cultivating this kind of integrating, church-centered sending in our churches.
5. We Believe in Macro-Partnerships
We collaborate with like-minded, church-centered networks and organizations that share our convictions. These macro-partners help us steward resources, avoid duplication, and strengthen the global church together. Our partnership reflects our belief that the Great Commission is too big for one church, but not too big for the Church.
6. We Share Our Resources
Terminus Churches generously share people, tools, finances, and ideas. From training and theological formation to entrepreneurial initiatives and redemptive investments, we steward what we’ve been given for the good of others.
Terminus mobilizes trusted advisors and experts to provide consulting and coaching for our churches in critical areas such as missiology, training and development, faith-driven entrepreneurship, cultural apologetics, counseling, and more. This equips Terminus churches to send faithfully, develop leaders carefully, and engage their cities effectively.
Together, we’re building church-centered ecosystems of sustainability in cities where churches thrive, leaders grow, and generosity fuels gospel mission.
7. We Seek Kingdom Renewal
We don’t just plant churches; we pursue renewal. Terminus churches seek to bring the grace, justice, and mercy of the gospel into neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and communities. Our people scatter every week to live out the values of the Kingdom in word and deed: doing good, loving neighbor, and bearing witness to Christ.
We long for cities where the vulnerable are protected, beauty is cultivated, justice is pursued, and Jesus is known.
Terminus mobilizes trusted advisors and experts to provide consulting and coaching for our churches in critical areas such as missiology, training and development, faith-driven entrepreneurship, cultural apologetics, counseling, and more. This equips Terminus churches to send faithfully, develop leaders carefully, and engage their cities effectively.
Together, we’re building church-centered ecosystems of sustainability in cities where churches thrive, leaders grow, and generosity fuels gospel mission.
Our Team
Billy Bean
Executive Director
Ben Dockery
Director of Strategic Engagement
Payton Terrell
Coordinator
Advisors
Dan Strange
Strategic Advisor for Culture and Contextualization
Michael Crane
Strategic Advisor for Global City Research
Board
Barrett Fisher, Chairman
Brad Smith, Treasurer
Jennifer McClish, Secretary
Jeff Brink
Billy Bean
Partnerships: Portfolio Churches + Strategic Resource Partners
Terminus is a collective of churches held together by partnerships. Find out more on our Partner Page.
The future of the global church will be shaped in the world’s great cities. By investing in Terminus, you are strengthening churches at the front lines of culture, influence, and mission.
Join us in resourcing leaders and congregations whose reach will far exceed their size. Your financial contribution fuels lasting kingdom impact.