Julian Belk & Garrett West

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I lived in Austin, Texas, for eight years before attending TMS. It’s where I met my wife, Lesley, began serving in my local church, and understood that—while I was eager to teach God’s Word—I needed to be equipped to teach the Word accurately. After discovering John MacArthur’s teaching on Grace to You, I began looking for that kind of teaching in Austin. Sadly, we quickly became discouraged by the small number of Austin churches committed to faithful expository teaching. In thinking and praying about this, God cultivated in me a desire to pursue pastoral ministry. I began transitioning from over 20 years of being in the business world to full-time ministry.

In 2021, we moved to attend TMS with a longing to return to Austin to serve the Lord and His people, where we also desire to grow our family. Over the last few years, my wife and I have been going through the adoption process, but that was put on hold because my wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, and the agencies would not allow us to continue until she was in remission. Praise God, she is cancer-free, and we will continue pursuing adoption if the Lord wills when we return to Texas.

Austin, Texas has been one of that fastest growing metro populations in the nation, “currently 2.5 million people.” Since 2013 the metro has grown by over 50,000 people per year, and in 2025 statistics project that 91 people per day are moving to the Austin metro. And by 2040, 750,000 new residents are projected to move as well. With this mass migration, Austin has become one of the largest mission fields in the nation with data showing that nearly 75% of the population of Austin is unchurched. And a majority of the remaining 25% belong to churches that do not preach the "True Gospel" of Jesus Christ.

Austin has historically been hard ground; some have said this is where church plants "go to die." But Austin is a city in transition, as people from around the United States and the globe flock to the area to work in its many growing business sectors. Also, regardless of how difficult the gospel field has been in the past, we believe that God's Word is sufficient to save the most wretched sinner (Psalm 19:7). Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

Garrett West and I became dear friends at TMS and developed a desire to serve together in church planting. Providentially, we met Eric Dodson (2014 graduate of TMS) and the church he pastors in the Austin area Grace Community Baptist Church. Discussions with Eric have confirmed that the fields in Austin have become ripe with population growth, making it a prime opportunity for church planting. Eric, the elders of Grace Community Baptist Church, and the Elders Council Handling Advance (ECHA) here at GCC are committed to supporting church planting in the Austin area and are launching a new initiative called Grace Advance Texas. Lord willing, the first plant by Grace Advance Texas will be led by Garret and me. We desire to move to Austin following graduation and serve under guidance from Eric and ECHA as we develop a core group, get to know the community, and launch a church in January 2027.

Julian Belk

When my wife Ashley and I left the Midwest to attend The Master’s Seminary, we were uncertain of our plans after seminary. The church we left (where we met and got married) was planted right before we began attending. In our nine years there, we saw firsthand the difficulty of starting a church. It required wisdom, prayer, and trust in the Lord. We wondered if God might use that experience in future ministry.

I met Julian Belk at TMS. After revealing I was born in Dallas, he told me he moved from Austin with his wife Lesley. As the semesters went on, God blessed me to take nearly every class with Julian and to serve alongside him in ministry. When Julian shared his desire to return to Texas and the ministry opportunities in Austin, it seemed God had been preparing us for years to go there together. After visiting Austin twice in 2024, I was astonished by the visible life of the city, its unprecedented growth, and its great spiritual need. In a 30-mile radius from the city center, there are 2.5 million souls in the greater Austin area, with only a handful of churches preaching the true Gospel. Julian and I are excited to partner with one of these churches, Grace Community Baptist Church, pastored by Eric Dodson (2014 graduate of The Master’s Seminary).

Pastor Eric is a gifted preacher and shepherd, known by the elders of Grace Community Church and the faculty of TMS. Eric, his elders, and the Elders Council Handling Advance (ECHA) here at GCC are committed to planting churches in the Austin area in a new initiative called Grace Advance Texas. It is Julian and I’s goal to plant and pastor the first church of this new initiative in early 2027. Julian will serve as the primary teaching pastor, and I will serve as the associate pastor, focusing on discipleship, counseling, evangelism, teaching, and administrative-oriented tasks.

Julian, our families, and I long to go to Austin to proclaim the saving message of Christ. Yet, sinners will not hear the Word unless some are sent (Rom 10). Please support us with prayer. Also, would you consider standing with us financially in this needed venture? Pastor Eric and his church have already sacrificially set aside some money to partially support us. Other TMS and like-minded churches in Texas want to support us as well, but we need your support as well. Please pray for us and consider how you might give to this new work in Austin.

Garrett West