A new church has begun to sprout in Lawrence under the practiced hand of a pastor who is experienced in planting the seeds of faith.

The Rev. Beau Abernathy, founder and former pastor of Christ Community Church, 1100 Kasold Drive, is at the heart of a core group of about 10 families who are starting a new Southern Baptist congregation, recently named Cross Pointe Church.

Abernathy, who led Christ Community from its inception in August 1991 until June 2001, is in the early stages of assembling a staff and laying the groundwork for the new congregation, which will be allied with the Southern Baptist Convention.

The church had its first worship service Feb. 1 in a rented space at Bishop Seabury Academy, 4120 Clinton Parkway.

The idea of forming a new congregation came as a surprise to Abernathy, who has been in ministry for 19 years.

“It wasn’t even on our radar screen until five months ago,” Abernathy said. “In October, we started to get more and more calls from people who know us and who wanted us to lead a dynamic, new church in Lawrence.”

He will be assisted in the launch effort by his wife, Myrna, who helped him grow Christ Community from a small group of families into a membership of hundreds of people.

Beau explained why he parted company with the church he founded in 1991.

“We just felt God was leading us in a different direction. God had other plans for our lives. But God used all those experiences at Christ Community Church to prepare us for the consulting ministry we went into right after that, and for this exciting, new church adventure,” he said.

The Rev. Bill Hurlbutt, Christ Community’s senior pastor, said in a telephone conversation that for legal reasons, he cannot talk about Abernathy’s departure from that church.

After leaving Christ Community, Beau said he worked as a consultant/interim pastor from November 2001 to December 2003 at three churches in Iola, Paola and Topeka.

Calls from people in the community, starting last fall, are what got the couple thinking about planting the seeds for another church.

“God just gave us the green light to start considering that possibility. The pieces have really fallen together so far; there are a few more to go, the financial pieces. But it’s a family affair. It really is. It had to be a green light for every one of us,” Myrna said.

The couple has three children: Ben, 16; J.J., 13, and Abbey, 12.

“There were several confirmations along the way. I have been praying with pastors every Wednesday at Victory Bible Church, with pastors from the LAE (Lawrence Association of Evangelicals). I asked them to pray about this, and they were overwhelmingly supportive,” Beau said.

He is using the Rev. Rick Warren’s 1995 book, “The Purpose-Driven Church,” as a five-point guide for forming the new church and defining its mission. Warren is also the author of the best-selling book, “The Purpose-Driven Life” (2002).

“It’s simple, it’s biblical, it’s effective, it streamlines church structure. You do everything around a biblical purpose. It eliminates competing distractions so you can focus on essential purposes,” Beau said of the book he’s using.

But the couple is also using their past experiences, in planting a church, as their guide this time.

“It’ll be different because we’re different. Frankly, we know our God better, and we’re more relaxed,” Beau said.