The Shadow
Rev. Dr. Kirby Spivey, III, of Roanoke, VA, is currently serving as Pulpit Guest Speaker for some area churches and believes God has given him “a vision for a ministry in the Alleghany Highlands, called REACH.” Rise. Evolve. Aspire. Create. Hope.
Spivey pastored at New Beginnings Ministries in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, from 2012 until 2020. After the border shut down (due to COVID-19), his father being ill, and some other “complexities of life,” he decided to “stay on this side of the border.”
“I believe in my heart that a major message of COVID-19 was for the church to be the church outside of the walls of the building. Therefore, we must envision new ways of doing things/ministry/worship,” said Spivey. He explained that REACH is a separate ministry from his pulpit ministry in that “it takes the church out of the church”
Spivey believes “that so many people need the fellowship and community and even the inspiration and empowerment that has come through the church. But a lot of people are not connected to the church anymore that way. Rather than expecting people to come to church, we are trying to bring church to the people.”
In this manner, he is interested in pastoring churches, plural, “because what is required and what is needed is in the region,” said Spivey. His vision is “not just for an enclave of people or just one singular community but for what is needed across the region.” His goal is “to be stationed in churches and then provide partnership through those churches to create a network to be able to do the most possible ministry and work that we can in those particular communities,” added Spivey.
His goal does not have to be mergers, per se, but it could. He believes churches could “literally work together as Kingdom participants. To achieve this, “each local congregation would take care of their community’s needs and membership, sharing resources to have a larger impact.”
Spivey would like to see these Kingdom participants distribute the word using social media and streaming platforms. “Ultimately, I believe it’s time to test the scaffolding of the Temple (our buildings) and allow the Spirit to move freely. To REACH,” added Spivey.
“Community has changed,” said Amanda Spivey “and so the idea behind REACH is to bridge the communities together through God’s Word. We once went to a church in our community and now people travel to churches, in some cases,” added Amanda.
Spivey is currently developing an online social media ministry, connecting the different regions where he ministers and organizing different community service projects in the area. This will enable community service outreach to bring some revival and life to the people and as that happens, it will come back to the church, as well,” said Spivey in conclusion.
He currently serves as Pulpit Guest Speaker at the following churches: Rising Mt. Zion, Gala; Sharon Baptist, Big Island; Pilgrim Baptist, Roanoke; Morningside Baptist, Rocky Mount; and First Baptist, Clifton Forge. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Blessed to Bless Today and Adjunct Professor in Africana Studies at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg. He hopes to work with students at Washington & Lee, Ferrum, Liberty, and Roanoke colleges soon.
Spivey has served as Children and Youth Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, Queens; Christian Education Director at St. Paul Community Baptist, Brooklyn; Assistant Pastor, Mt. Pisgah Baptist, Brooklyn; and Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Ministries, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Spivey’s are parents to seven young men and currently reside in Roanoke, VA. They can be reached on Facebook and at Pastor_KSIII on Instagram.Dr. Kirby Spivey, III Shares Vision For His Ministry.
