the Brothers of Cyrene

Despite the challenges we are equally excited about the possibilities, having set our sights on the future, refusing to focus or dwell on a past that can serve no purpose other than to divide. Mark 3:25 states it best, “if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Our desire is for those of the household of faith to stand in solidarity with us as we attempt what others believe to be an impossibility; to plant solid, impact churches in black America at a rapid pace working through the local churches and the state fellowships.

The vast majority of the brothers that make up the Brothers of Cyrene have served or retired from the military and because of this we have a great understanding of mission accomplishment. However any good soldier realizes that if the mission is accomplished then the objective must be achieved. To accomplish this goal there must be a practical plan.

Kenneth Taylor served in the military as a helicopter pilot and flies Life-Flight out of Mississippi. He has been working on the Nehemiah Initiative for years, taking the blueprints that the prophet Nehemiah used to rebuild the wall at Jerusalem and making them applicable for today. We have adopted the Nehemiah Initiative as a road map to rebuild the spiritual walls in black America, while at the same time addressing the social problems that have plagued our communities.

Phase One: We call this the assessment phase, which has been completed. Assessment has been taken of both the spiritual and physical condition of black America. Anyone can look at black America and see that something is terribly wrong, the situation is tragic, the spiritual walls are in disarray and we lay the blame at the feet of sin and disobedience.

Nehemiah 4:6 “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.”

Phase Two: Solicit help of others who not only understand the situation, but also realize the urgency that’s involved and are willing to form an allegiance in a united effort to address the problem.

If the Nehemiah Initiative is going to be successful, we must enlist the pastors of predominantly non-black congregations to search their congregations for African- American families who will be enthusiastic to start an outreach in the form of a Bible study to the African Americans in their communities under the leadership of the local church.

If such a family does exist, we encourage the pastor and the family to allow us to come along beside them in the planning stage of this outreach with the hope that this outreach will build a nucleus with the expectation of the birth of a new church. The family does not need the call of God into the ministry upon them as a pastor just as long as they can teach the Word of God.

God can use them to build a nucleus of people in preparation for the call of a pastor. This will be a function of our website where information can be deposited and retrieved in helping locate a pastor for that new work. Let’s say that a predominantly non-black congregation doesn’t have an African-American family yet and still want to start an outreach. Through our website we can help that church locate such a family.

Consider the possibility if five hundred churches were to start an outreach in the form of a Bible study and let it run its natural course with no pressure or premature timeline. We believe that solid, impact churches will be established in the black communities at a pace not seen in our time.

Nehemiah 4:17 “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.”

Everyone everywhere can participate so that the burden can be distributed equally through our local churches and the state fellowships. The Brothers of Cyrene exists for the sole purpose of connecting people and planting churches. It must be reiterated we are not a movement but a hub for depositing and retrieving information in an effort to plant churches.

The Brothers of Cyrene support no work financially nor are we a clearinghouse. The only support that‘s accepted is for the administrative upkeep of our website, distribution of material and writing letters to raise money on behalf of the new work which will be directed to the sending church or the state fellowship.

Once the church is established, the Brothers of Cyrene once again if asked, will come along beside that new work and share ideas as to how to address both the spiritual and the social problems that plague the community.

Nehemiah 9:3 “And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.”

There are other components of the Nehemiah Initiative but ultimately, this initiative is designed to bring people together, plant fundamental, independent, autonomous Baptist churches, and reach black America by addressing both the spiritual and social problems.