The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, home to nearly 8.5 million souls, faces societal challenges that plague communities nationwide — including high rates of divorce, single parenthood, drug addiction, material and spiritual poverty, and loneliness.
Now, Josh Howerton, pastor of Lakepointe Church and host of the “Live Free” podcast, has announced a sweeping initiative to address these issues in families, North Texas communities, and around the world.
During a multi-campus vision night Thursday, Howerton unveiled the program, which draws direct inspiration from Isaiah 58:12: “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”
Lakepointe Church describes the two-year discipleship initiative as aimed at repairing gaps in families and communities. The program has five goals, including providing Scripture in native regional languages to 1.5 million people who have never had access to it before — with a specific focus on Northern India, a region that has seen significant immigration to North Texas. It also aims to deliver the gospel to 1.2 million incarcerated individuals across all U.S. prisons through a partnership with God Behind Bars Ministry.
Senior executive pastor Tim Smith highlighted the initiative’s alignment with North Texas’s growth: “We often say we’re a kite caught in a hurricane of grace. North Texas is experiencing explosive growth, and that fast growth gives us an opportunity to make a difference in neighborhoods, in schools, in families.”
A sermon series focused on the initiative will begin October 17 and culminate with Commitment Weekend on November 14-15, when Howerton will challenge the congregation to go into “the breach” with him.
