God has blessed our region with such a strong, passionate, motivated team, and it is always exciting when we get to add to our ranks those who are like-minded and equally committed to Kingdom expansion in the Northeast. For this reason, I am honored to introduce you to our newest Northeast team member, John Cope, who began serving in the role of Send Network Director, Pennsylvania/South Jersey on March 16. This new position is designed to maximize multiplication across the convention, and it oversees all of Pennsylvania and South Jersey including Send Pittsburgh and Send Philadelphia.
To say John brings experience and value to our team is a significant understatement. Having grown up in Arkansas, John served as a student pastor there for 16 years before taking on an executive pastor role in Lakeland, Florida. A few years later God began drawing him toward church planting, then one phone call from a connection in Pennsylvania opened the door for ministry in the Northeast. As John puts it, “I almost said no, but God said yes.” He and his family moved to Pennsylvania in 2001 and began meeting in a home for Bible study. Since then they have continually grown and are currently in the process of planting their eighth church. As John transitions into this Send Network Director role, he will stay on as senior pastor of Keystone Fellowship in a part-time capacity.
In addition to his extensive pastoral experience, John brings into this role a strong relationship with the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey. He says he is most looking forward to working together with the convention, pouring into pastors, fostering a discipleship movement, and witnessing multiplication in the area. He believes that his pastoral background will give him in-roads to explain things to those both in the convention and in Send Network from a pastor’s perspective, which will ultimately be a great asset when it comes to building rapport and connecting well with a variety of individuals across Pennsylvania and South Jersey.
John currently lives in Landsdale, Pennsylvania—about 20 miles north of Philadelphia—with his wife, Teresa. They have three adult sons, two of whom are church planters themselves (one in the same area, as part of the Keystone family of churches; the other in Florida, near Orlando) and a third who serves as an international missionary in the Middle East. When he finds free time, John enjoys spending it with his wife, children, and grandchildren (eight, with one more on the way!), watching sports, and traveling.
John is going to be such an incredible addition to our already strong team, and I am thrilled you will all have the opportunity to work alongside him and learn from him. Welcome to the team, John!
