A 5 Points Church Residency Investment

Partner with Ian in making disciples in Athens and in his preparation to help plant churches where Christ is least known.

Ian is actively making disciples while being trained by qualified elders. Your partnership supports gospel ministry in Athens, strengthens a local church, and prepares a future missionary-pastor to carry Christ’s good news where He is least known.

Tax-deductible Monthly support preferred Direct residency support
Give Now → Explore the Vision ↓

The Neighborhood in Athens

5 Points is a dense ministry field of neighbors, students, and internationals. See why more gospel-centered local churches are needed here, what Ian is doing now, and why this residency is strategic.

A Strategic Sending Base

5 Points Church is planted in the heart of Athens.

The 5 Points neighborhood is an immediate ministry field with thousands of neighbors, students, and internationals within walking distance of a gospel-centered local church.

43Kpeople within 2 miles
63%do not attend church
25-30KUGA students disconnected from church
~2.5Kinternational students nearby
119Kpeople within 5 miles
26.5%local poverty rate
Potential Planting Destinations
High Concentration of Post-Christian Worldviews
Critically Unreached
Zero Gospel Access
A Strategic Sending Base
not to scale
Representative markers
Joshua Project · Stratus · IMB
Neighborhood View
5 Points Church worship locationsWorship and weekday ministry presence.
INTL
International housingGroups from critically unreached and zero gospel access areas.
SEND
Sending churchesPrince Avenue + Watkinsville First: thriving, gospel-centered, missional churches.
Other Baptist churchesNearby churches for local context.
Markers show where 5 Points gathers and serves in the neighborhood.
Partner financially →

The GospelThe Message at the Center of This Residency

Him we proclaim... (Col. 1:28–29)

The Him we proclaim is Jesus Christ—the eternal Son of God, through whose life, death, and resurrection God accomplishes salvation for sinners. If people’s eternity is at stake, this is the most important message to carry everywhere.

Sin Repent & Believe Recover & Pursue
Interactive diagram · Select any symbol or use the on-screen or keyboard arrows
God's Design

There is an eternal, all-powerful, holy, and loving God. We were made for relationship with Him.

He created the heavens and earth, then He created us to know Him, enjoy Him, love Him, and glorify Him.

Select a circle, arrow, or figure to follow the story

01 — Personal Testimony

From darkness to a life
spent making Christ known.

My Story & Calling

Jesus changed the direction of my life.

Growing up, my family went to church, but we did not know Christ. After my parents divorced, we stopped going entirely. I was nine years old, angry, anxious, and lost. By middle school, that pain had turned into secret addictions and substance abuse that followed me into high school.

But at 16, desperate to escape that darkness, I walked back into a church. I heard the gospel, repented, and everything changed. Jesus broke my chains of addiction.

Read more

I began leading friends to Christ, gathering students for Bible studies, and asking how my entire life could serve the cause of Christ. Ministry in Boston and a summer in South Asia clarified that calling: I am convinced that planting healthy churches is the biblical method God has chosen to gather, disciple, and send His people. I want to help plant churches that make disciples and endure, and my yes to planting among the least reached, no matter the cost, is on the table.

Before going to the ends of the earth, I need maturity, wisdom, and hands-on formation. That is why I stepped into a pastoral residency at 5 Points Church: to be formed deeply while laboring faithfully right now.

Ian Kim preaching
Portrait of Ian Kim The Path
Redeemed by Christ At 16, Ian heard the gospel, repented, and found freedom from addiction, along with deep satisfaction and joy in Christ.
Burdened for the Lost Ian became deeply burdened for the spiritual lostness of his peers, began sharing Christ, saw early fruit, and started discerning a call to ministry.
Drawn Toward Church Planting Through local ministry and exposure to church planting, Ian became convinced of the power of healthy churches to make disciples, endure, and multiply.
Awakened to the Nations Time overseas exposed Ian to the reality of unreached peoples, deepened his burden for the nations, and began clarifying a long-term desire toward global church planting.
Being Formed Now Ian is pursuing rigorous preparation through active ministry at 5 Points Church as he continues discerning how God may use him in church planting among the least reached.
See the pastoral pipeline

02 — Evidence: Why Formation Matters

Why this investment cannot waitSee the evidence for the necessity of the pastoral pipeline

The need is urgent.
Formed and faithful leaders are the answer.

Athens is a real mission field. It is also a proving ground. Ian's residency addresses the deeper bottleneck: pastors, workers, and planters formed deeply enough to endure and multiply.

4,500
Churches close every year in the US
Every closing is a community left without a gospel witness — and a pastor who wasn't equipped to last.
1,500
Pastors leave ministry every month
Barna Group
Most left because they were sent before they were ready. Formation is not a luxury — it's what makes ministry sustainable.
50%
Of pastors would leave ministry if they could
Barna Group
What keeps a man in ministry is deep roots, not just skills.
#5
The US is one of the world's largest mission fields
A mission field in crisis — and the perfect place to be forged, proven, and spent for the gospel before being sent to the ends of the earth.
5%
Of US churches are actively multiplying disciples
Barna Group
Multiplication requires pastors trained to disciple others who disciple others — exactly what Ian is being prepared to do.
3.5%
Of the world's churches have a formally trained pastor
P2P Networks
Unhealthy churches and false doctrine are the direct result of sending men without formation. Trained pastors must become the norm.
2x
Higher failure rate for untrained church planters
Redeemer City to City
Every dollar invested in Ian's formation now prevents a failed church plant later.
85%
Of pastors worldwide lack effective theological training
Reaching & Teaching International
The greatest bottleneck in global missions is the absence of trained men. Your gift directly addresses that gap.

The Burnout Problem

"There are now more full-time senior pastors over the age of 65 than under the age of 40. 75% of senior pastors are fifty or older. There are plainly not enough younger pastors, missionaries, and evangelists to replace the aging, graying, retiring, and dying generation of Christian leaders."

— Barna Group / Proclaim & Defend

Formation is the antidote to attrition.

Why This Matters for Ian

Ian is not just being trained — he is already doing it. As Pastoral Resident of Youth & Outreach, he is launching youth ministry from scratch, leading community outreach, and being forged daily by qualified elders. The man built here is the man sent to the nations.

Rooted here. Sent there. Finishing well.

Worshipers gathered in prayer, Voice of the Martyrs Canada

The American crisis and the global crisis have the same root cause.

Too few trained leaders. Too few churches equipped to form them. Too few resources committed to sustaining the work. Ian's residency — where he leads youth ministry, drives community outreach, and is forged by qualified elders — is a direct answer to all three. Right here. Right now. In Athens, Georgia.

3.59B
People with little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ
Joshua Project, 2026
7,168
Unreached people groups — over 42% of the world's population
Joshua Project, 2026
3,216+
Frontier people groups — nearly 1.9 billion with almost no gospel response
Joshua Project, 2026
<3%
Of global missionary work reaches the 85% of unreached peoples in the 10/40 Window
Joshua Project, 2026

Background image used with permission from Voice of the Martyrs Canada multimedia resources

Yes, Ian is currently being forged for the darkest frontiers; but he is also being poured out NOW for the gospel.

03 — The Church Ian Is Training With Has a Mission.

Building a durable gospel presence
in a neighborhood marked by
spiritual darkness.

Athens, GA is a strategic cultural hub with a clear need for faithful, gospel-centered ministry. The fields are ready for harvest, and Ian is already laboring in the work.

63%
Do not attend church
The majority of this community has no gospel-centered church in their life
25–30K
UGA students disconnected from any church
A major campus population within reach of a faithful local church.
2,500+
International students in Athens
Including students from nations with limited gospel access, within walking or bus distance of 5 Points Church.
43K
People within 2 miles
A concentrated ministry field with a lack of gospel-centered churches. 119,000 people live within a 5-mile radius.
80%
Under age 42
Young, transient, secular — 65% are single. Spiritually adrift with nowhere to go.
70%
High schoolers face economic insecurity
Families in crisis, with no gospel witness within walking distance.

A Gateway to the Nations

International students are already within reach.

Thousands of international students come to Athens from across the world, including nations with limited gospel access. From the University of Georgia, students can walk or take the bus to 5 Points Church — placing a faithful local church within practical reach.

2,500+
International students from 125+ countries
65–75%
Come from the 10/40 Window
Walk
A local church is accessible from campus on foot
Bus
Students can also reach 5 Points Church by bus

The 10/40 Window

Of the world's 8 billion people...

42% Unreached
15%
43% Reached
3.59B people

will be born, live, and die without ever once hearing the name of Jesus Christ.

Live inside the 10/40 Window 90%
Of missionaries serve here 3.4%

90% of the unreached. 3.4% of the missionaries. This is the window Ian is being prepared to reach.

The Strategy — Ian's Focus Area #1

The Strategy:
Outreach.

A neighborhood with few gospel-centered churches. Thousands of international students from the least-reached nations on earth. Families facing economic instability — which is linked to spiritual, emotional, and physical need — with few willing to come.

Community outreach gathering in Athens

Ian's Specific Role — Youth Ministry

Within the broader outreach field,
one group carries an especially urgent need:
the next generation.

Ian is responsible for evangelizing and discipling middle and high school students, connecting them to the durable life of a local church.

Ian with youth group — 5 Points Church, Athens GA

Next-generation crisis in local schools

Clarke Central High School — 1,842 students
0.27%
Only 5–10 students involved in FCA. 3,506 behavioral incidents this year. A 1:16 faculty ratio. 65% of students face economic instability.
Clarke Middle School — 652 students
2 of 20
On the boys' soccer team, only 2 out of 20 players are regularly involved in a church. These students need stable, spiritual guidance.

Voices from the field

There are barely any believers here…

— Student

This school is so dark spiritually, and there is barely anyone to walk my faith journey with.

— Student

Our child started a home Bible study for the high school — the majority who came had never stepped foot in a church.

— Parents

We knew it was a sacrifice to move into Clarke County for gospel mission. We knew there was a lack of Christian community for our kids. But we trust that God will do a work.

— Parents

The Strategy — Ian's Focus Area #2

The Strategy:
A gospel-centered,
outward-facing youth ministry.

Teenagers with little connection to a local church. Students who have never stepped inside one. Kids facing economic pressure without a stable spiritual anchor. Ian is being trained and deployed specifically for them — evangelizing at Clarke Central and Clarke Middle, discipling students toward maturity in Christ, and building a durable gospel community.

04 — About Ian’s Role

Laboring in Athens.
Preparing to be sent.

Ian speaking at 5 Points Church Ian leading worship
01
Being Forged.
01

Spiritual

Character before competency: being shepherded toward deeper love for Christ, personal holiness, accountability, prayer, and integrity.

02

Theological

Rooted in God’s Word: growing in theology, biblical interpretation, preaching, teaching, and confidence to handle Scripture faithfully.

03

Formational

Christ formed in him: life-on-life formation that presses beyond knowledge into deep, lasting transformation of heart and leadership.

04

Practical

Learning ministry by doing ministry: leading, discipling, planning, caring for people, and gaining wisdom alongside experienced leaders.

05

Missional

Sent for the sake of the Gospel: being prepared to see neighborhoods and nations through the mission of Christ.

02 — Now
Actively Spent.
01

Youth Ministry — Evangelizing and discipling broken middle and high school students at Clarke Central and Clarke Middle

02

Local Outreach — Serving economically insecure families in the 5 Points neighborhood

03

Life of the Church — Worship, discipleship, international student ministry, teaching

04

Missions Mobilization — Cultivating a global vision and helping believers discover God's heart for the nations

03
Ready to Be Sent.

The formation happening in Athens is not the destination — it is the launching pad. Ian desires to help plant churches where Christ is least known and worshiped. He believes durable, accountable missions should rest on four essential supports.

Ian's vision for durable sending

01

A healthy sending church — a strong local church providing oversight, prayer, and enduring partnership.

02

An equipped sending organization — trusted on-field support, care, and accountability.

03

A vibrant Christ-centered team — healthy laborers pursuing the mission together.

04

A clear church-planting strategy — a durable gospel presence among unreached peoples.

Potential sending partners:
IMB · Reaching & Teaching · Pioneers · The Navigators · Christar

“I am committed to laboring with all the strength God provides so that my life may be spent for the Great Commission. It is an honor and a joy to do this with 5 Points Church now, and wherever God sends me next.”

— Ian Kim

05 — Financial Stewardship

Every dollar for eternal purposes.
Fully accountable.

Ian is serving in this ministry full time. Your partnership provides the salary that sustains his work: active ministry in Athens, rigorous pastoral formation, and preparation to help plant churches where Christ is least known.

100% Direct Impact
All funds go directly to the church, which places Ian on their official payroll. Every dollar goes toward his cost of living, training, and ministry expenses.
Tax-Deductible
Donations are fully eligible for writing off as charitable donations. 5 Points Church is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Full Transparency
You will receive a monthly email newsletter detailing exactly how your contributions are being used for the glory of Christ.
Ian's personal reflection on the biblical stewardship of money

What could be redirected for eternal purposes?

Scripture reminds us that we brought nothing into the world and cannot take anything out of it. Ordinary spending is not inherently wrong. But even a thoughtful redirection of discretionary spending can sustain ministry that bears lasting fruit.

$3,945 Average annual household spending on dining out, delivery, and takeout
$3,609 Average annual household spending on entertainment
$2,001 Average annual household spending on apparel and related services

None of these purchases are inherently sinful, and we can all enjoy God's good gifts. But what could we redirect now for eternal purposes? For some partners, generosity begins with a simple question: what portion of what God has entrusted to me could be redirected toward the advance of the gospel?

2024 household averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys. Scripture reference: 1 Timothy 6:7.
Biblical basis for giving and receivingSee the shared calling of the supported worker and the generous giver

Scripture treats gospel support as a shared calling. The worker may ask for and receive support with integrity, giving others an opportunity to redirect finite resources toward work with eternal significance.

For the receiver

A biblical model · Luke 8:1–3 · Philippians 4:14–18

Jesus and Paul both received material support as they labored in ministry. Receiving support is a biblical model for sustaining gospel work.

The worker deserves his wages · Luke 10:7 · 1 Corinthians 9:14

Jesus and Paul affirm that those who labor in gospel ministry may rightly receive support from God's people.

Christ raises up leaders for His church · Ephesians 4:11–12

Christ gives evangelists, shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints and build up His body. Supporting ministry leaders helps sustain this work.

John Piper writes that full-time gospel ministry should normally be supported by full-time gospel wages.

John Piper · Desiring God

For the giver

Jesus commended the widow · Mark 12:41–44

Jesus watched many rich people give large amounts. Then a poor widow placed two small coins into the treasury. Jesus called His disciples over and said that she had given more than all the others: they gave out of their abundance, but she entrusted to God everything she had to live on. Her gift reveals the depth of faith and devotion that Jesus honors.

Sowing and reaping · 2 Corinthians 9:6–8

Those who sow sparingly reap sparingly, while generous giving flows freely from a cheerful heart sustained by God's grace.

Treasure in heaven · Matthew 6:19–21

Jesus commands us to store up treasure in heaven, because where our treasure is, our hearts will follow.

“When we die, earthly treasure will no longer be ours, but wealth we’ve transferred to Heaven will remain ours forever.”

Randy Alcorn · Eternal Perspective Ministries

06 — Financial Partnership

Choose the level that matches the vision.

Ian's residency is a commitment to full-time ministry and rigorous pastoral formation.

I would be honored to have you partner with me. 3 John 8 says we become “fellow workers for the truth,” and I have already seen this shared mission form and deepen friendships.

Ian Kim

These levels are suggested giving guidelines. Every faithful gift matters and is important to God.

$100 / month
Monthly Partner
Provides faithful monthly support for Ian’s ministry, training, and long-term preparation.
$250 / month
Anchor Partner
Helps sustain full-time focus for discipleship, outreach, pastoral formation, and missions preparation.
$500 / month
Sending Partner
Invests in gospel capacity now and the formation of a future missionary-pastor.
$1,000+ / month
Catalyst Investor
Advances the whole vision with leadership-level support for ministry, formation, and future church planting.

Considering a one-time gift? Enter your amount and select "One Time" in the secure form below, or contact Ian directly with any questions.

Make your secure gift right here

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Official 5 Points Church giving form · Powered by ManagedMissions

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Questions before partnering?
Ian would be glad to speak with you personally at any interest level.
[email protected] 470-362-0926

Representing a church, business, foundation, or organization?
To discuss what it could look like to become a church, business, foundation, or organizational partner in this gospel work, contact Ian directly.

Giving questions

Are gifts tax-deductible?

Yes. Donations are processed through 5 Points Church, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and are eligible as charitable contributions.

Where do the funds go?

Funds go directly to 5 Points Church, which places Ian on its official payroll. Your partnership provides the salary that sustains his full-time ministry, training, and ministry expenses.

Who provides accountability?

Ian serves under the oversight of the qualified elders and leadership of 5 Points Church. Donors also receive a monthly email update about the ministry.

Give Securely

07 — About 5 Points Church

An Acts 2 church —
from Athens to the
ends of the earth.

Our mission is to love our neighbors and advance the Kingdom of God — locally in Athens, and globally wherever God sends us. The Pastoral Residency is one of the ways we invest in raising up the next generation of leaders who will carry that mission forward.

Visit 5pointschurch.org →

5 Points Church Core Values

Committed to making wholehearted disciples.

We are committed to the Baptist Faith and Message (2001) and dedicated to making wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ in the 5 Points neighborhood, our city, and to the ends of the earth. A church that plants churches, anchored by five convictions:

Scripture is our foundation.
Prayer is our first move.
Disciple-making is our focus.
Hospitality is our fabric.
Expectancy is our frame of mind.

The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for the numerical growth of the body of Christ in a city and the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else — not crusades, outreach programs, parachurch ministries, growing megachurches — will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting.

— Tim Keller