How the Colson Fellows program strengthened a young pastor in Arkansas during a time of chaos
Walnut Street Baptist Church stands just off the highway in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In the church’s 111-year history, God has sustained Walnut Street Baptist. He continues to do so today, even through the cultural upheaval of the last several years. In the chaos of 2020, amid COVID-19 lockdowns, racial tensions, and political upheaval, one of Walnut Street’s pastors, Grey Falanga, recognized a troubling trend:
“Everything was perceived as a catastrophe. It seemed like we had lost our minds. We bought into what the culture was saying—that the world was on fire and there was no hope.”
Grey found himself searching for a way to articulate the hope of the Gospel in light of the specific issues his congregation grappled with—from racial tensions to political disagreements and more: “As a young pastor, I had all these people looking at me, asking, ‘How do I deal with this?’ I found myself searching for something to offer answers, because I knew this thinking wasn’t biblical. Rome isn’t burning. Everything isn’t a catastrophe.”
Grey’s story resembles that of many pastors and churches today who are disoriented because of the rapid changes happening around them. That’s why we launched the Colson Fellows Church Affiliate program. This initiative was born out of our experience with what has now become thousands of individual Christians participating in the Colson Fellows program. These thoughtful believers are concerned about the state of culture and are struggling to find answers.
In 2023, Walnut Street leaders considered how they could equip their congregation to live faithfully in an election year. Grey and four other pastors on staff joined the Colson Fellows program in 2023 and launched their Church Affiliate at Walnut Street Baptist Church in 2024. Their objective?
How do we pass hope to our people to not buy into what the culture and the media say, and to live out the biblical hope that Christ has determined our cultural moment? God has determined for us to live in this day and this time, which means that He gives us a purpose for this time. There’s a lot of hope that comes with that truth.
Through the Church Affiliate program, church members participate in the Colson Fellows program, led by leaders from their church who have already completed the program. While the Colson Fellows program reaches individual Christians across the country, the Church Affiliate initiative serves church congregations with robust worldview training.
As Grey told me, “If four people in my church are struggling with questions about an issue,” whether it’s Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ issues, or something else, “I know that’s only a sliver of the people in my church who are struggling with the same questions.” Alongside these on-the-ground issues, Grey cited the staggering statistics about basic evangelical beliefs in the U.S. According to LifeWay research and Ligonier Ministries, 43% of Evangelicals in the U.S. believe that Jesus was just a good teacher. If such a large percentage of U.S. evangelicals don’t believe a foundational matter of historic Christian orthodoxy, how much less are they equipped to deal wisely with issues of sexuality, race, marriage, and politics?
Before he’d even finished the Colson Fellows program, Grey started using what he’d learned to instruct his congregation. The program quickly shaped his preaching, helping him challenge his congregation to think deeper.
To some extent [as a pastor], you’re supposed to be the expert in everything, but I’m certainly not an expert at much of anything. That’s why I’m so grateful for the Colson Fellows. They’re bringing in people who have thought critically through some of these tough issues and handed them to me in a way that is accessible at the level of everyday people.
Serve the Church
The growth of the Church Affiliate program means more pastors and congregations can be strengthened in a Christian worldview. This includes churches of all sizes, because the Church Affiliate program can flourish in places where a national Colson Fellows cohort could not (such as rural areas). Because Affiliates are sustained by their own church’s participants, they can thrive in a city church of 1,000 or a rural country church of 100 people.
But the ultimate testament to the value of the Church Affiliate program is the increased clarity, confidence, and courage among churches and pastors across the country (and the world). Pastor Grey said it best: “This is not the time for us to freak out and lose our minds. This is time for us to dig in, stand on the foundation that Christ is risen indeed, that He is Lord of all reigning supreme, and that He’s determined for us to live in these days.” Amen!
Do you want to equip your church members to live out their faith in our rapidly changing culture? You can, and you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to help you. Explore the Church Affiliate program by visiting colsonfellows.org/churches.