Go Church Plant

LATEST CHURCH PLANTING UPDATE (Aug. 8, 2026)

We are now in a season of transition, as the lead church planter of Go Church EC is moving on to plant another church. Mike Thibodeaux will bi-vocationally take on the responsibilities of leading this new church while continuing to minister and lead in his role with Simplicity Ministries®.  Simplicity Ministries® carries the weight of paying Mike’s salary as Go Church pays Mike just a few hundred dollars a week as they are still a young church plant.  We are thankful for our newly ordained Family Life Pastor, Joshua Warren, who will help to shoulder the leadership of Go Church EC.  Joshua’s salary is paid by Go Church EC.  Zach (Mike’s son) has transitioned to the role of Worship Intern (a volunteer position) leading the worship team and worship music on most Sundays.  He also leads worship and helps with Junior High guys discipleship for the youth group on Wednesday nights.  Debbie (Mike’s wife) is serving as the women’s ministry director (a volunteer position) and leads a women’s discipleship group on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday nights each week. 

SINCE THE LAUNCH OF GO CHURCH – EAST COUNTY 

The attendance has been around 100 people.  Mike Thibodeaux, his wife Debbie, and Zach lead worship most Sundays with Mike also doing some preaching (Those messages are posted here: Messages.)  Mark Ford, the lead church planter, was responsible for preaching and giving leadership to the church plant until his last Sunday, July 19th, 2026.

Mike has also given leadership to launch the church’s community groups (called Go Groups).  In January of 2025, 5 groups were launched.  We currently have 4 with an average attendance of 48 since Easter.  One of those groups is Next Gen for men and women around 18-29 years old, out of high school, and have never been married.  Mike and Debbie co-lead this group with another couple and have add an average attendance of 11 young adults.  Three of these have been saved since the launch of Go Church.

Mike has also given leadership to the startup of the youth ministry at Go Church.  Debbie is a youth volunteer helping to disciple girls.  Mike has been training a young man, Josh Warren, who is serving as the youth ministry intern this year.  Mike and Josh share the teaching and discipleship of the teens at this time.  The youth group is currently very small with about 9-10 teens and a total of 5 adult volunteers.

Many of the Go Church men have been a part of MOS.  Currently, we have 24-30 Go Men that will be meeting several times through the summer in preparation to involve more men from Go Church in MOS this fall.

THE GO CHURCH LAUNCH – Oct 6, 2024

Go Church Core Team did a complete set up and tear down on Sunday, September 15, in preparation for the public launch of weekly services on Sunday, October 6.  Mike Thibodeaux, with the support of the Simplicity Ministries’® board, began a partnership with lead pastor and church planter Mark Ford to plant a church in the East County area (Boring, Damascus, Estacada, Sandy, and Southeast Gresham).

This church plant falls under Simplicity Ministries’® local ministry project objectives of finding ways to partner with churches, associations, and in this case, a church planter, to see local evangelism and discipleship established and expanded. (The added bonus for our family is Go Church EC will now be our new home church.) God has brought together such a great team of people for this plant. After more than a year of prayer and labor, Go Church EC launched on Oct. 6, 2024.

Friends and partners, please join us in praying for this new church plant.  We long to see God move in powerful ways in the salvation of the lost and revival His people! Thank you.