Haynes School of Ministry
Haynes School of Ministry isn’t a seminary or Bible college. Rather we are new project by New England Urban Church Planting (NEU) dedicated to training men and women to plant healthy, Christ exalting churches in New England’s inner cities with a domestic missionary model—a new school of ministry.
Haynes School of Ministry’s mission is to provide rigorous theological training, on the ground experience, and assessment through churches in New England’s inner city neighborhoods to men and women in partnership with churches across the US.
What is Our Domestic Missionary Model?
Since the late eighteenth century, the church has been sending and supporting men and women for gospel work and church planting in unfamiliar places, where they cannot expect the financial support of locals. While there may be objections to the work of some missionaries of the past 230 years, we can agree that the church has customarily supported missionaries financially for their full careers. And those missionaries expected and were trained for a cross-cultural experience. This two-factor model should be applied to inner-city church planting.
We need our hearts and minds enlightened to see that the American church can support and sustain inner-city churches, just as we do global missionaries. The church has birthed intrepid missionaries for hundreds of years who find a way to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission—can she not do the same for those in the inner city?
The only ministry training programs that offer training, experience, and assessment for inner city church planting in the US.
We help men and women in the US who want guided, hands on training to prepare for inner city church planting.
Training
Learn through guided training in and through the local church.
Experience
Hands on experience of church life in inner city neighborhoods
Assessment
Better understand God’s call on your life through staff and church leadership assessments.
Who was Lemuel B. Haynes?
We’ve named the school after Lemuel Haynes. His godly and faithful example of pastoral ministry in New England is inspiring for all prospective pastors. Haynes was born in 1753, raised in Massachusetts, and was the first black man to be ordained in the US. He’s often referred to as "the Black Puritan."
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Haynes’ Bio
Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833) was born in West Hartford, Connecticut into poverty and instability with an unknown father and a mother that gave him up for others to raise. At five months old, he was given as an indentured servant to a family in Granville, Massachusetts. He grew up under the providence of God and sought to live by this mantra: “I make it my rule to know something more every night than I knew in the morning.” He committed himself to the study of the Scriptures and was the first black man ordained for gospel ministry in the U.S. on November, 29 1780. He served as a pastor in Connecticut, Vermont, and New York.
Haynes’ Legacy
Since Haynes’ first sermon, he proclaimed that sinners must repent and turn to God. While he was faithful to the gospel, he also stood at a critical point of American history. He sought to persuade others of what true liberty and justice looked like according to the Bible. The cultural pressures and hostility of the day did not deter Haynes from ministry in the church or in the public light. All the way to his bed-bound last days, he spoke of the glory of Christ and the joys of eternal life with Him. As his tombstone reads:
"Here lies the dust of a poor hell-deserving sinner, who ventured into eternity trusting wholly on the merits of Christ for salvation. In the full belief of the great doctrines he preached while on Earth, he invited his children, and all who read this, to trust their eternal interest on the same foundation."
Continuing Haynes’ Legacy
Haynes’ legacy as a faithful preacher and public figure is one we admire and wish to honor. We have named our ministry school after Haynes for two reasons. One, he proclaimed the true gospel of Christ to sinners. We need leaders who are faithful to Christ and His Word to serve in our inner cities. Two, he was a whole man meeting the whole moment. He didn’t choose the circumstances of his life, nor the issues of the age, but he publicly stood firm in the strength of Christ. We need leaders who are willing to stay steadfast in the face of the issues of our inner city communities.
Meet Our Team
Matt served in pastoral ministry in five churches ranging from the early stages of church planting to young/growing to healthy/thriving to revitalizing/replanting. He and his wife, Ashley, are originally from the Midwest, and are excited for life and ministry in New England along with their four children. Matt holds an M.Div. in Pastoral Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Tim Zulker is the Executive Director of New England Urban Church Planting. In 2003 he founded what would become NEU Church Planting with a vision to see the church in New England grow through evangelism and church planting. He was one of the planters of Godspeed Church in East Providence, RI in 2005. Prior to founding NEU Church Planting, Tim had been in campus ministry, serving with Princeton Christian Fellowship at Princeton University from 1983 to 1994 and then with Cru at Brown University from 1994 to 2003. Tim holds degrees in English Literature (MA) from Boston College and Christian Thought (MA) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Susan graduated from the University of Hartford with a BA in Sociology and from St. Joseph’s College with a Bachelors in Social Work. Susan has also completed studies with the Professional Christian Coaching International.
Jonathan Lugo came to NEU Church Planting just as NEU was beginning and at a time when COVID threatened to slow our church planting efforts. He and his wife Tere sensed God leading them to move from their home in Puerto Rico and plant a church in New England. Prior to moving, Jonathan had planted one church and pastored another for five years in Puerto Rico. Jonathan, Tere, and their three children moved to RI in May of 2021. He began a two-year pastoral apprenticeship while starting to build relationships in Central Falls, RI. By the fall of 2023 Iglesia Cristiana Centrados en el Evangelio was born.
Luke and his wife, Sara, have had five children—Jane, Jack, Hudson, Annie, and Rosie. Both Luke and Sara grew up just outside of Detroit. Luke completed his seminary education at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where they were members at Third Avenue Baptist Church. After seminary, Luke was part of the pastoral team at a church in Northern England before moving to East Providence to become the lead pastor at Godspeed.
Kevin was born and raised in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology where he was also a team captain, Big Ten champion, and 3x NCAA All American wrestler. Kevin and his bride, Bre, have been happily married since 2014 and have one daughter, Lois. After graduating college, they both worked in campus ministry with Athletes in Action, serving at the University of Minnesota, Puerto Rico, and Brown University before Kevin came on staff at Godspeed. Kevin is working on his Masters of Divinity through Reformed Theological Seminary.
Explore Our Programs
Three unique programs that will provide training and preparation for church planting.
One-Year Internship
Come live and work in New England’s inner cities and explore if you are called to ministry.
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Academic
Cohort
Join a regional cohort of students at Grimké College focused on missions to the inner cities of New England.
Church Planting Residencies
Prepare to join a church planting team in New England.
Come train and serve with us
