What is Outreach America?
OutReach America identifies, equips and coaches disciple makers and church planters. We work with students, churches and campus ministries to reach out through discipleship and church planting in North America.
We believe that disciples of Jesus actively participate in the kingdom of God through “making and maturing” disciples. The process of discipleship leads to the renewal and starting of new churches.
This program works with students at Harding University to train them in three main areas:
- Spiritual Disciplines
- Living as a Disciple of Jesus
- Church Planting
FOR STUDENTS
- A Prayer Movement: Join other students in prayer on our campus
- Discipleship Cohort: Join others students in living discipleship
- Church Plant Team Formation & Coaching: Dr. Carl Williamson provides coaching for teams that are planting churches in North America
- University Credit Course: BMIN 3040 "Evangelism & Church Planting"
FOR CHURCHES
- A Prayer Movement: Join Harding alumni and friends in prayer for North America
- Church Renewal Coaching: Dr. Carl Williamson provides coaching for churches in North America who are seeking to revitalize the mission of the local Church.
- Harding Student Connections: We work to connect students with potential careers and the opportunity to work with the local Church.
- Retreats & Seminars: Dr. Carl Williamson offers retreats on Spiritual Disciplines, Discipleship and Church Planting
Testimonials
“The Lord’s Church has always needed to stick to the foundational truths and purposes of our Lord who built it and the Spirit who grows it — now, more than ever. Our engagement with Outreach America has kept those foundational fires burning in Beaumont, and even beyond, in the region known in Southern California as the Inland Empire. This organized effort has been a catalyst for us as a congregation to keep discipleship in the front of our minds. And the dozens of students and professors from Harding we have met who are learners and teachers of the Way have a special place in our hearts. We are truly thankful.”
—Greg and Vilde Downing (Beaumont Church of Christ)
“Carl has taught me discipleship through discipling me himself. He has invited me to be part of a discipleship cohort, connected me with students who don't know Christ and helped me practice spiritual disciplines that have benefitted my own walk with Christ.”
—Landon Genry
“In my time at Harding, I have grown as a disciple of Jesus through my time with Dr. Williamson and fellow students who have a passion for loving God and loving people. Our time spent together in scripture and various spiritual disciplines — as well as game nights and other fun times of fellowship — have given me a greater desire to know God and an increased focus on helping others become his disciples.”
—Grant Fitzhugh
“Carl and Alicia exemplify what disciples are made of. I got to spend a semester in Carl's Evangelism and Church Planting Class and during this time they mentored and showed great care for each of us students. They demonstrated a beautiful example of what it means to be a disciple with their character and from that experience I was able to become a better disciple myself.”
—McKenna Lewis
“Outreach America has been helping us ever since we decided that South Florida would be our mission field. We really appreciate the continuous support and encouragement that we’ve received.”
—Maikon and Tatiane Borba
“Dr. Williamson has been very influential in how I view and pursue disciple-making. He is a doer of the Word and strives to live out discipleship every day. For him, it is not a concept but a way of life. Over the past year and a half that I've known him, he has been intentional to meet with me over lunch or after class and encourage me to live out our mission as Christ followers. I look to him as a mentor and important voice for how I should go about making disciples in my life.”
—Noah Hernbeck
"[Because of] COVID-19, God is teaching our team to adapt and to be ‘tactically creative’ in the execution of our disciple-making efforts. As a result, we work heavily on Zoom and other social media platforms to prayerfully reengage connections with those whom we already have relationship."
—Jennifer and Derek King
