The RiverTree Project is currently just a dream. A dream to see a network of new churches started all over the state of Iowa that will invite people (especially the next generation of adults) to go deeper with Jesus in their spiritual journey.

This disciple-making, church-multiplication dream has been growing in the heart of Erin & LeAnn Bird.  I (Erin), a lifelong Iowan, see a deep need for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be embraced by my fellow "states-men" (and women). And as a pastor, I long to see these people connect with a local church.

These desires have been combined with a connection to an obscure Old Testament passage, Ezekiel 47:1-12 (from which "The RiverTree Project" gets its name).  Based on the four times the prophet Ezekiel walks through a river, the RiverTree Project dream is to start a church that will invite all people into a simple four-process pathway (Gather, Grow, Give, Go) toward Christlikeness.

But the dream doesn't stop there. As people in this church "Go‚" they will help start another RiverTree Project church. Then together these two churches will start a third, and so on, until the great state of Iowa is saturated with gospel-centered churches that are sending people into their neighborhoods, workplaces, and around the world to share about the great love of God.

So that's the dream. Of course there are many things that still need to come together to make this dream a reality:

• a year of training as a "Leadership Resident" at Restore Community Church in Kansas City
• discovery of which community in Iowa we want to start the first RiverTree Project church
• raising the necessary funds to support our family, the launch of a new church, and the support of that church until it is self-supporting
• and much, much more!

But there's one more thing missing in this dream - you. Please look around the website, learn more about this dream, and discover how you can "Go Deeper" with The RiverTree Project too.