Our Why:
Expand Northwest exists to partner with kingdom workers to connect people to Jesus and his church by encouraging leaders, training disciples and planting churches from the Northwest and beyond.
Our hearts break for people who are far from Jesus! According to city-data.com, there are an estimated 1.5 million people in the Portland Metro that identify as religiously unaffiliated. According to Thomas Rainer, eight out of ten churches in America are in decline or are plateauing. According to the Joshua Project, 33% of the world’s population have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus. Because we want to connect as many people to Jesus and his church as possible, we seek to partner with kingdom workers to expand God’s kingdom.
Our Story:
In 1956, a group of Jesus followers from several different churches partnered together in the state of Oregon. The purpose of this partnership was to expand God’s kingdom and reach people for Jesus by collectively gathering resources to help build new church buildings and raise up new pastors in the Portland Metro area. As a result, an Oregon nonprofit organization was birthed known as the Northwest Christian Evangelistic Association (NWCEA). Over the last sixty-five years, the NWCEA has partnered with local churches and other church planting organizations to help start over twenty-five new churches, as well as to train reproducing disciple makers and encourage pastors and leaders.
In 2020, the name of the organization changed to “Expand Northwest”, all with the same mission to connect people into a relationship with Jesus and a healthy local church, but now with a much larger vision. Because of the conviction to go into all the nations, Expand Northwest seeks to partner with kingdom workers from the Northwest and beyond with the intention to expand God’s kingdom in the Northwest, America, and the world for the glory of God.
