Multiple Denominations Come Together to Plant Assemblies of God Church

The small south-central Nebraska village of Bertrand is home to a unique church plant that started with cooperation from several different denominations.

“I’m very excited about it,” says Joe D. Wilken, pastor of River of Life Church. “It’s been amazing to see how God has put steppingstone after steppingstone in place.”

When the AG mission held its first service last December, it brought together three denominations.

Calvary AG of Lexington is River’s Parent Affiliated Church. Lonestar Cowboy Church in Farnam is part of the Church of the Nazarene.

Lonestar’s pastor, Greg Boller, had considered opening a new campus in Bertrand, but instead chose to support Wilken’s work.

In addition to providing volunteers initially, Boller encouraged attendees living far from Farnam to visit River if it were closer to them.

The third denomination involved is the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). The LCMS congregation that used to meet in the building offered it for no charge. The only requirement: that River maintain the property and pay utilities and insurance.

This is the first AG plant with three denominations involved that he is aware of, says Nebraska Ministry Network Superintendent Toby J. Schneckloth, 50.

Schneckloth is excited about the possibility of such partnerships reaching underserved communities.

“Our Nebraska vision is titled, ‘Grow Big Red,’ with the goal of reaching 10 percent of the state for Christ,” Schneckloth says.

“We’ve identified 80 target cities where we’re praying that God would help us develop an AG presence in the future” he adds.

The potential can be seen in Bertrand. Two people accepted Jesus as Savior in the mission’s first six months, and three have asked about baptism.

Wilken plans a baptismal education class in June. The first Sunday school classes will follow in mid-August.

After seeing about 90 people at its launch service, Sunday attendance averages 60 to 65.

“We’ve seen multiple people inviting others and bringing other people to church with them,” says Wilken, 56, who also works for a nonprofit, Christian-based company.

“We have a lot of people who are twice-a-month folks. If everybody who comes were there on the same Sunday, we’d have 85.”

This interdenominational effort is exciting for Calvary too, says pastor C. Rex Adams, 48. River of Life is the first-ever mission for Calvary, a congregation of about 150.

Its board had long prayed about planting in Bertrand, 30 miles southeast of Lexington, which was void of any full-gospel preaching church.

“We want the plant to reflect the community,” Adams says. “That’s why we wanted a campus pastor there. The plan is for them to be their own church in two years.”

River’s interdenominational flavor includes at least five denominational backgrounds among attendees.

But equally fascinating is how Wilken wound up as its pastor.

The story began in January of 2014, after the Nebraska native had moved to Kansas. There, a friend invited Wilken to a 48-hour men’s weekend event emphasizing the power and freedom of living for Christ.

At that point, Wilken says, he had grown lukewarm about his faith.

The first night, he lay in bed, praying. Joy filled him as he recalled his youth and times of singing and praising God at North Park AG in Holdrege.

“It feels so good to be back in Your presence,” Wilken said.

In response, Wilken says he sensed the Spirit encouraging him to draw near to God’s presence.

“That changed the whole trajectory of my relationship with the Lord,” Wilken says. That’s when I realized how real He is and how much He wants us to know Him. “What the Lord has taught me since 2014 is it’s all about Jesus and loving others.”

After returning to Nebraska in 2018 with this revitalized spiritual awareness, Wilken sensed God leading him into ministry.

He began teaching Sunday school at Calvary, leading Bible studies in his office, and filling local pulpits. Also, he and friend Tracy Hock co-founded Nebraska Men’s Encounter.

This biannual event meets at The Crossing Retreat Center, a facility owned and operated by the Nebraska Ministry Network.

In February of 2022, a Lutheran church asked him to speak one Sunday. Three months later, he became interim pastor and stayed until a fulltime pastor arrived in December of 2024.

Wilken’s preparation for planting River of Life included attending a Church Multiplication Network (CMN) training last September in Texas.

Wilken says the CMN event affirmed God’s call to start the new work. Other verification came from various individuals offering financial support totaling several thousand dollars after they heard of Wilken’s plans. Because of such assistance, River of Life has only used half of a Nebraska Ministry Network grant of $20,000, with the funds administered by Calvary AG.

Initially, the church needed considerable clean-up since it had been closed for six months.

“I don’t know how many calls I made, but I came up with donations of $10,000 to clean, fix, and repair things before we could hold services,” Wilken says.

“Today I can mention needing something from the pulpit and get a call two days later, asking if we still need it. In mid-May, we had gutters installed on the building.”

Adams is thrilled to see a church coming to life in a place that had lacked an evangelical presence.

“We’re excited about people hearing the gospel of grace and taking part in a vibrant church,” Calvary’s pastor says. “We’ve got a lot of good, hard-working people in Nebraska, who need to hear about grace and realize they can’t earn their way to heaven.”