In just under two years since launching, New River Fellowship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has witnessed a powerful move of God. 

The church has seen 57 people come to faith in Christ—transformations that church planter Chan Kilgore describes as unlike anything he’s seen in nearly 25 years of ministry. “I haven’t seen anything like it in the amount of time we’ve experienced,” he shares. “The kind of conversions we’re seeing are undeniably a work of God.”

Chan recounts stories of a man from an LGBTQ+ background who gave his life to Christ, knowing it could cost him his closest relationships, and a couple living together who came to faith and chose to get married after conviction from the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit is just moving in ways that we cannot explain apart from the grace of God,” Chan says.

Another story is that of Daniel. Once enslaved to addiction himself, Daniel now uses his past to connect deeply with men trapped in the same struggles. In partnership with New River Fellowship, he leads a faith-based recovery home where many have come to know Jesus and be baptized. Daniel shares, “I don’t know exactly when or where God will take me next, but I feel a strong call to plant a church through Acts 29—a church that replicates the kind of love, truth, and discipleship that pointed me to Jesus and held me back from the gates of hell.”

Fort Lauderdale is a challenging mission field. As part of the largest metro area in Florida, it is home to more than six million people. Yet, less than 2% attend an evangelical church on any given Sunday. The city is known for its spiritual apathy, post-Christian culture, and a transient population chasing the “good life” in the form of wealth, pleasure, and self-fulfillment. Many arrive hoping to leave behind brokenness, only to discover it follows them. “If a 170-foot yacht named Not Enough doesn’t satisfy the human soul,” Chan quips, “perhaps nothing under the sun can.”

New River’s impact is rooted in their unique approach to evangelism—what Chan calls “story-formed evangelism.” By listening deeply to the story beneath the story, members are trained to enter the brokenness of people’s lives with the hope of the gospel. This method is bearing fruit, especially in Fort Lauderdale’s spiritually broken culture.

Chan believes the church is just getting started. He’s already seeing new believers rise into leadership roles, and he’s praying that hundreds more will come to Christ. “When you shine even a flicker of light into the darkness here,” he says, “it seems so bright.” This is what being a part of a network on mission looks like—gospel transformation, one life at a time.