Brian Harris has resigned as USMB church planting mobilizer to serve as the Southern District Conference minister, effective Jan. 15. The Southern District announced Harris’ appointment in a Jan. 2 email.
Harris began serving as church planting mobilizer Aug. 1, 2022.
“Although Brian only worked for USMB as national Church Planting Mobilizer for about 18 months, he made a strong impact through the building of regional MB church networks that are now primed for planting new MB churches,” says USMB National Director Don Morris.
“Brian helped us realize that a church of any size can be involved in church planting,” Morris says. “I greatly appreciate Brian’s heart for ministry, his love for Jesus and the church and his good-natured spirit. Brian loves pastors and he will do well in his new role as SDC district minister.”
During his time with USMB, Harris says he most enjoyed working with the people.
“I met some of the best people across the entire MB family from coast to coast and hundreds in between,” he says. “We have some of the greatest people to serve alongside. I have been truly blessed.”
In reflecting on the challenges of serving as church planting mobilizer, Harris says the shortage of church planters proved difficult.
“I found myself taking some steps backwards,” he says. “Initially, I thought I would be more in the ‘deploying worker’ mode. But I needed to back that up and get involved in the ‘development mode’ and even further in simply the ‘discovering new workers’ mode.”
As Harris served alongside pastors, he sensed the Lord’s leading.
“I found myself loving our pastors and praying hard for them,” he says. “When the opportunity to serve in the role of ‘a pastor to the pastors’ surfaced, I spent a good bit of time praying to God and consulting with my wife, Stephanie. I concluded that God had created in me a real passion to pray for pastors, encourage pastors and serve them. I asked the Lord to guide the process if this was his design.”
Harris is working alongside retiring minister Tim Sullivan the first two weeks of the year.
Southern District chair Jeremy Matlock says, “Filling this position and Tim’s shoes is no easy task, but God is good and sovereign. I believe he led us to the right man. Brian brings a lot of pastoral wisdom and encouragement that will benefit our pastors and churches well. I personally look forward to working more with him.”
Prior to his role with USMB, Harris pastored Pine Acres Church in Weatherford, Oklahoma, from 2004-2022.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Moody Bible Institute and his master’s and doctorate degrees from Grace Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two adult daughters.
USMB leaders are discussing next steps as it pertains to hiring the next leader for the church planting mobilizer position.
“We want to get the right leader for our national church planting mission, so it might take a little time to make that determination,” Morris says. “It’s also important that we don’t lose the momentum that has been created under Brian Harris’s leadership.”
