Planting New Generation Fellowship in San Antonio was a lesson in patience for Joseph Garza. Even though he knew he was called to plant, Joseph served in youth ministry for ten years, all the while surrounded by good planting pastors that encouraged, motivated and inspired him. Joseph eventually went on to receive his degree in church planting and revitalization from Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Joseph recognized that there is a great need there to reach the lost. “There’s a large demographic not being reached and that’s where our heart was,” says Joseph. “God placed a burden on my heart for San Antonio.”

Like many planters, Joseph ran into one major challenge in the process – finances. Needing money to help get New Generation Fellowship off the ground, Joseph turned to the Church Multiplication Network’s Matching Fund. “The Matching Funds helped us maximize our launch in our initial grand opening and allowed us to make a bigger splash,” he says. “Without that money we couldn’t have reached our maximum potential and had the impact that we did.”

On January 17, 2010, New Generation Fellowship held their grand opening service at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a new movie theater in town. Joseph and his team saw 210 people in attendance on launch day and now have an average of 170 attendees each week since the launch.

Joseph is finding that many who attend New Generation Fellowship are largely unchurched. “A lot of these people are super raw,” he says. “Some are strippers, drug addicts, alcoholics and post-moderns.” Having grown up on the streets, Joseph believes he has been specially equipped to minister to those in the San Antonio area. “By God’s grace He’s given me the heart of what a young couple or a guy in San Antonio needs,” he says.

As he looked for ways to connect with his target audience, Joseph opted to use some mainstream outlets to get the word out about New Generation Fellowship. “We use the hip/hop radio station to advertise as well as social media. Everything [we do to reach out] is through secular means,” he says. “We’re constantly in that type of culture.” Joseph has even found opportunities to connect with people in the everyday things such as interacting with people in coffee shops and the art district. “A lot of the people who have been drawn to our church are friends and coworkers that God has given us relationship with.”

With so many attendees coming from an unchurched background, Joseph was pleased to find that their feedback was positive. “They’re saying they never thought church could be so exciting and that they didn’t know they could come to God just as they are,” he says. Joseph attributes a lot of this to the authentic atmosphere his church provides. “They’re telling me it doesn’t seem fake or plastic. That’s what a lot of people in their 20’s and 30’s want,” says Joseph. “If they can trust you, they can trust your God.”

In the four weeks since New Generation Fellowship launched, 97 people have made first-time decisions for Christ. They have even watched as entire families have begun to follow God. “Michael and Laura have four kids. They just got off drugs about six months ago and this is the first time they’ve been clean from drugs,” says Joseph. “The first thing they decided after they got off drugs was that they wanted to attend church, get their marriage solid, get their family right, and get their finances right. And they wanted to do that with God.” Michael and Laura heard about New Generation Fellowship on the radio and decided to check it out. They came to church on day one and have been there ever since. “As of right now they’re the most committed volunteers we have. They’re the first ones there and the last to leave,” Joseph says. “Here are two former drug addicts that just want to serve the Lord and they have this positive attitude and energy. If I could have 50 volunteers like them I’d take them!”