Reaching across generations through new church start

Revive Zoe, a church start in Grand Prairie, celebrated its two-year anniversary in September 2022. What started as a small group of 30 people meeting in Pastor Luis Torres’ living room has expanded to 125 worshippers, split between two worship services each week.

“It’s been a journey, it’s been two years of church planting, but we’ve seen the Lord work in glorious ways,” Torres said.

Since its launch on Easter 2020, Revive Zoe has seen 30 baptisms and 40 people give their lives to Christ. Torres credits the church’s growth to following the Lord’s will and creating a unique, bilingual space for worship.

Torres was working as a youth pastor at a Spanish-speaking church before he and his wife left to plant Revive Zoe. He explained that during his time there, he noticed that, while the older generations preferred speaking and worshiping in Spanish, many of the younger congregants preferred English. Torres saw a need to bridge the gap between the two generations, providing a space for both to come together and feel included.

Grand Prairie is a diverse area with a booming Hispanic population, but that was not why the church initially settled there. In fact, Torres had originally looked to plant the church in Arlington, but the Lord provided a building for them to worship in Grand Prairie, Torres explained.

“The Lord led us to Grand Prairie. When we didn’t have a building, God opened one here,” he said. “That was a sign to us.”

The building, a converted storefront nestled behind a sandwich shop, barbershop and tax services store, has now become too small for the growing church, and they are looking for places to expand.

“It’s been a true blessing for us to be a part of what God is doing here in the city,” Torres said.

With new residents coming to Texas by the thousands, new church plants are essential to keep up with the growing spiritual demands.

“There are a lot of people moving to DFW alone, and we believe, that in that moment of their transition, a good, solid church plant can help reach those people and plug them into a church, into a body, and really bless them,” Torres said.

Furthermore, Torres explained that church plants can often reach their communities in creative, out-of-the-box ways because they do not look like a traditional building. For people who are hesitant to engage with the Church, a nontraditional building can feel more approachable.

In order to better reach those around them, Revive Zoe has put on free car washes, fed people affected by the February freeze and gone to a laundromat and paid for others to have their laundry done. No matter how the congregation is serving, they take the time to share the gospel with everyone they interact with.

Torres was first connected with Texas Baptists through Chris Hughes, pastor of City on a Hill in Garland, and Mac Shirley, pastor of Authentic City Church in Arlington. Torres explained that being part of the state convention helped Revive Zoe connect to resources and a network of support.

“We got connected with Texas Baptists because we know we cannot do this alone… ”we’ve been able to go farther, faster because of Texas Baptists,” Torres said.

The Texas Baptists Church Starting ministry is supported by the Cooperative Program. These funds allow church-starting strategists to connect with church starters across Texas, providing support and resources as they begin their ministries.

As Revive Zoe celebrates two years of ministry and looks ahead, Torres has started a new series, “Rise Up,” to help the congregation catch and carry the vision of the leadership. Torres challenged church members to “rise up” and do what the Lord is calling them to do.

“Our vision is for people to be revived and our mission is for people to rise,” he said. “There are lives at stake in this community and they need to be reached.”

To learn more about Texas Baptists Church Starting, go to txb.org/churchstarting.