• The Lord has blessed Exilic abundantly the past 11 years and we feel that we are currently primed to take this step of faith for God’s glory and kingdom.

• We believe that church planting is the best and most proven method of Gospel expansion and saturation. (see article by Tim Keller, “Why Plant Churches?”)

• Exilic has an inward vision that centers depth - Being fully formed to embody Jesus’ head, heart, and hands

• Exilic also has an outward vision that centers breadth - Being a church planting church. 

• We believe that church planting is the best strategy for our church as well as for the greater metro NYC area, country, and world. Rather than consolidating our resources and becoming a mega-church in midtown Manhattan, we want to leverage our resources outward for strategic expansion of God’s kingdom. 

PLANTER VS. PLACE

• While there are church planting needs everywhere, our strategy is to plant when we have the right planter. This means that there may potentially be greater needs in certain areas, but we want to prioritize supporting the right planter. We feel that God is leading Pastor Gene to this task and that is an important part of why we are planting in NJ.

EVANGELISM

• We see a need in North Jersey for more churches. The population of Bergen County is almost 1 million people and is rapidly growing.

• The Asian American population in Bergen County is 160,000 and is the fastest growing demographic in North Jersey. 

• The AA population in Bergen County parallels Exilic’s racial demographic.

LEADERSHIP: Pastor Gene will be leading the NJ plant. This will mean that Genie will also transition away from leading Exilic Kids in Manhattan. The rest of the full-time staff will stay intact.

There is zero obligation to join the NJ plant, even if you reside in NJ! However we welcome all who reside in NJ to prayerfully consider if they’d like to be a part of a group that helps with the launch and welcome newcomers!

Plan (Q1-Q2 2026)

• Establish core team & begin searching for a worship space

Promote (Q3-Q4 2026)

• Invite members to vision sessions where we will fully present the timeline of the plant and invite members to join.

Propel (Q1-Q2 2027)

• Launch

  • Soft launch

  • Hard launch

This new church plant will have the same DNA, mission, and vision as Exilic, so it will look and feel the same as the mothership, which is why it will likely be called Exilic NJ.

City on a Hill serves a different demographic in an adjacent neighborhood. We are supporting Pastor Jay’s calling and vision to reach a community that looks very different from Exilic. Exilic NJ would be a plant that has the same DNA, culture, and community as the planting church.

• Exilic NJ will be funded and governed by the session of Exilic until it is ready to organize into a particular church (have ruling elders to govern itself). 

• Every church plant comes at a cost to the mother church. However, this is something to celebrate and not lament. A church plant will involve a sacrifice of leadership (staff, session, and diaconate), a financial commitment (initial funding and oversight), and a disruption of community (members joining the church plant). But just as the birth of a child comes at a cost to the mother, the joy is far greater than the cost.

While we will remain connected and foster a symbiotic relationship, we do hope that you will commit long term to one or the other, rather than cycling between the two. 

Yes, we want to continue to reach more people in Manhattan, even as we church plant in NJ. Three services will ensure that we can accommodate for ongoing growth in midtown.  

Yes! Church planting is part of the outward vision at Exilic so we hope to be a church-planting church. We hope to faithfully discern when and where we will plant in the future.