Every movement begins with a step of faith, but it grows through shared vision, trusted relationships, and a commitment to multiplication. The Association of Related Churches (ARC) was built on that belief: that healthy, life-giving churches can work together to plant new churches and reach more people with the message of Jesus. From its earliest days, ARC has existed not simply as a network, but as a collaborative movement designed to empower pastors, resource leaders, and strengthen the local church for long-term impact.
That mission comes to life through the stories of churches and leaders who have embraced ARC’s vision of multiplication. One of the earliest churches connected to the Association of Related Churches helped shape this culture by choosing to invest outward, raising up leaders, sending teams, and continually sowing into the next generation of church plants. Decades later, that decision continues to bear fruit, visible in the lives of pastors now serving cities across the country through churches launched with ARC’s support.
A Promise Fifteen Years in the Making
Brad and Paige Straarup, pastors of Spirit Church, trace their calling back to a moment when Brad was just 18 years old, living in South Africa. It was there that he sensed God speak clearly: one day, he would move to America to plant a church. Years passed, seasons changed, and eventually God confirmed not only the calling, but the city: Phoenix.
For Brad and Paige, the confirmation came through Scripture, specifically Ezekiel 37, the vision of the valley of dry bones. Phoenix, a literal valley marked by dry land, also represented something deeper to them. It was a place spiritually hungry for renewal. They believed God was calling them to help bring life where faith had become routine and disconnected.
When they arrived in Phoenix, they knew no one. Like many planters before them, they wondered if anyone would show up. On launch Sunday, more than 650 people walked through the doors. Brad remembers standing with Paige, overwhelmed with emotion, watching a promise fulfilled after 15 years of waiting. People spoke of experiencing peace they couldn’t explain – what the pastors knew to be the presence of God.
Brad points to the role of the Association of Related Churches in that story, not only for resources, but for wisdom, strategy, discernment, and prayerful support. More than that, he credits the people of Church of the Highlands for their generosity and unwavering belief in the local church. “I’m so incredibly thankful for the people of Highlands, their love for God, for the generosity, their love for the local church, and for the love to see that local church expand,” he said. What began with one church has now expanded into a growing ripple effect across a city, and Spirit Church is just getting started.
When God Resurrects a Dream
For Mayo Sowell, pastor of LIIV Atlanta, the journey looked different but carried the same theme of resurrection. Years earlier, Mayo had shared a vision he believed God placed in his heart. Under the leadership of Pastor Chris Hodges, that vision was submitted, prayed over, and ultimately paused. The answer at the time was clear: not now.
Later, God began speaking again, this time unmistakably, about Atlanta. What once felt like a laid-down dream was being resurrected. Mayo sensed God saying that there were people who had been left for dead spiritually, and it was time for them to live again. That revelation became the foundation for the church’s name and mission: LIIV.
Mayo’s testimony is marked by redemption. Once identified by a federal inmate number, he now stands as a pastor leading people into new life. One of the most powerful moments in his journey came when a man he once sold drugs with sat in the front row during a salvation call, one of more than 1,700 lives changed through the church’s ministry.
For Mayo, being sent from Church of the Highlands meant carrying familiar DNA into a new city, a life-giving culture centered on authentic relationships and devotion to Jesus. He describes it as something he could never have planned on his own.
A Living Picture of Multiplication
These stories reflect what multiplication truly looks like: not growth for its own sake, but lives transformed, cities renewed, and leaders empowered to step into their calling. The legacy of Church of the Highlands is not confined to one location or one generation. It lives on through every church planted, every leader sent, and every community reached.
From one church to many, the mission continues. It’s proof that when faith is invested outward, the impact reaches further than anyone could imagine.
About the Association of Related Churches:
The ARC (Association of Related Churches) is a cooperative of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds who strategically resource church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. ARC exists to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus. Since its beginning in 2000, ARC has grown into a global organization and has helped plant more than 1,180 churches.
