Church planting has always been at the heart of the Great Commission. New churches create fresh opportunities for discipleship and community transformation. But sustaining these gospel-centered churches doesn’t happen by accident. It requires faithful pastors and supportive partners who invest deeply in people for the long haul.
It’s a story that has been faithfully lived out by Ben Miller, Lead Pastor of Oak Hill Fellowship in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. What began as a small church plant nearly two decades ago has grown into a vibrant local body committed to raising leaders from within—not just for their church, but for future church plants across their region.
Oak Hill Fellowship’s story reflects the very heart of the Great Commission Collective: churches planting churches, leaders equipping leaders, and the gospel taking root in ordinary places through faithful people.
An Unexpected Calling
Oak Hill Fellowship began with a mission to serve the small farm communities of South Central Pennsylvania. Though their town of Quarryville has just two stoplights and a population of 3,000, God has used this small church plant for powerful gospel impact.
For Ben and his wife, Katy, Oak Hill Fellowship was not an obvious destination. Fresh out of Bible college and serving at Mission Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, they were invited to help plant a new church in a town they had never visited.
“We didn’t necessarily see ourselves in a rural context,” Ben shared. “But we just followed the Lord’s calling.”
Those early years were marked by unexpected turns—including the day Oak Hill’s planting pastor, Nate Newell, was called to pastor a church in Malaysia. Six years into the church plant, Ben found himself stepping into the lead pastor role at just 29 years old.
“It was trial by fire,” Ben said, recalling this early period. “I had five sermons under my belt. But the Lord provided.”
Through every transition, the Lord was faithful. Over the years, Oak Hill Fellowship grew into a deeply relational church. Ben has felt the community grow, and he’s grateful to see members who have worshiped side-by-side for over a decade.
“We’re so grateful for the established relationships God has given us here,” Ben said.
Finding a Family in the Great Commission Collective
In 2018, Oak Hill Fellowship officially joined the Great Commission Collective—right as our collective was taking shape.
“It was such a vital part of our ministry,” Ben reflected. “So much encouragement, strengthening, and support. It’s been a family ever since.”
He describes the Northeast Region pastors as “doing relationship really well,” often leaning on one another for counsel, prayer, and perspective.
“The relationships are the most important part of the GCC,” Ben noted. “Pastors call each other, challenge each other, walk through hard things together. It’s a sounding board.”
This relational support from GCC has spurred Oak Hill Fellowship to look beyond their local county, partnering with international work in India and coaching church leaders in West Virginia. These collaborations have helped Oak Hill broaden their horizons while still staying anchored in their local church context.
Raising Leaders Right At Home
One of the most compelling parts of Oak Hill Fellowship’s story is their innovative approach to leadership development.
In a rural region without many seminary graduates, finding future pastors, elders, and planters can feel daunting. But instead of looking outward, Oak Hill Fellowship looked inward.
“We asked, ‘Where are the men and women who will lead future church plants going to come from?’ And the answer was: they’re already here. We just need to train them,” Ben said.
This led to the creation of their two-year Church Planting Cohort, designed to cultivate emerging leaders to plant churches in Pennsylvania and beyond. Through weekly Sunday night gatherings, 5+ hours of homework per week, and rigorous theological content, this program equips participants with deeper spiritual knowledge and leadership skills.
However, the program is intentional and flexible enough to be accessible for its participants, some of whom are also working 50–60 hours per week in blue collar jobs. The first cohort began in the fall of 2024 and included 11 men, with more joining the program as it continues.
What began as a simple leadership track has now grown into a multiplying pipeline. The goal is not just to build a leadership bench for Oak Hill Fellowship, but to raise up future church planters and their teams to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Shepherding in Rural America
Rural ministry has its own culture—and its own challenges.
Community ties are strong and valued, but often surface-level and not rooted in the gospel. Outsiders, even after 17 years, must earn trust slowly. Under the quietness of farmland towns lie the same struggles seen in cities: addiction, poverty, and spiritual confusion. But they often stay hidden.
“In our region, people know Jesus—but often through a ‘God and country’ lens rather than through the true gospel. So we just keep gently speaking into what the gospel really is,” Ben said.
The harvest is plentiful in these areas, and Ben has used this context as an opportunity to collaborate with other churches in the area. He hosts a monthly pastor’s fellowship, gathering leaders to discuss discipleship, challenge one another, and shift the culture of ministry in their communities.
It is slow work. But it is faithful work, and it is bearing fruit.
Powerful Lessons from Oak Hill Fellowship
Oak Hill Fellowship Church is a reminder that:
- Faithful, long-obedience ministry in small places matters deeply.
- Future church planters may already be in your pews—you just need a pathway to develop them.
- Healthy leadership thrives on community, not isolation.
- The gospel transforms rural towns as powerfully as it does global cities.
God is writing stories all across the Great Commission Collective. Oak Hill Fellowship’s is just one—but it is a powerful demonstration of what happens when a church embraces the call to train leaders and send them out for the sake of the gospel.