PHILADELPHIA (BRN) – If you’re a pastor in the Greater Philadelphia region, it’s likely that your name is written on a 3×5 prayer card and tucked carefully into the pocket of newly appointed BRN Church Advancement Consultant Gibson Largent.
Largent officially joined the Baptist Resource Network (BRN) team earlier this month and will be joining Gerald Waters, also a newly recruited BRN Church Advancement Consultant, in serving the Philadelphia area. Largent will primarily care for churches settled on the outskirts of Philadelphia, while Waters will focus on churches located in the inner city.
Under Largent’s care are 29 BRN pastors, all of which he has committed to pray for on a weekly basis.
“One of the very first things I did was put all their names on a 3×5 card,” shared Largent.
He continued: “I just want them to see me as a support position, as somebody who’s willing to listen to them, definitely pray for them, point them to resources when they need them and ask for them [and] just sort of [be] an outside friend that’s a designated listener.”

Largent has served the Greater Philadelphia region since 2007, when he first moved to Pennsylvania to start the process of planting Ridgeline Community Church in Telford, Pennsylvania. Over the years, he has served in a variety of roles, both in PA and beyond.
Starting in 2000, Largent got his feet wet in ministry by serving in his home state as the campus pastor of a church plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“It was a multi-campus model and I was the campus pastor, which meant I did pretty much everything, except for preach on Sundays,” explained Largent.
Four years into his campus pastor role, Largent added evangelist to his resume. He quickly fell in love with the work of an evangelist and started to pursue that role full time, while serving as an associate pastor on the side.
“What gives me the greatest energy and enthusiasm, even today, is if I get to spend a couple of hours with somebody who’s not yet a believer, or who is a brand new believer, and try to help establish them in the faith and then walk with them,” said Largent.
During his time as an evangelist, Largent mostly worked one-on-one with churches to develop their evangelistic strategy, rather than some of the more traditional duties of an evangelist, such as planning revivals or supply preaching.
“I would meet with a pastor or leadership team, and we would work on how to best reach their city and formulate a strategy based on the members of their church, size, age, availability, gifts, resources and immediate challenges in a community,” said Largent.
Largent continued his work as an evangelist until 2013, when he planted Ridgeline Community Church. However, his ascent to the northeast started long before the doors of Ridgeline would open.
While Largent was working in Oklahoma, his college roommate, Aaron Harvie, was busy planting Riverside Community Church in Warrington Township, Pennsylvania.
Prior to his graduation from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007, Largent sent numerous copies of his resume back to places where he and his wife had previously lived, including Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas. To his dismay, Largent received no callbacks nor job offers.

However, a persistent Pennsylvania friend kept Largent’s line busy, calling for nearly a year and offering a church planting position in the Greater Philadelphia area. Eventually, Largent gave in to Harvie and made the move in 2007.
When Largent and his family arrived at Riverside, the church had just launched their first church plant in West Chester, known as The Journey Church. Following the Journey Church came Trinity Church in 2011, and then in 2013 Riverside officially launched Ridgeline Community Church in Souderton, under the leadership of Largent.
During his time at Riverside and Ridgeline, Largent continued to pursue his love of evangelism by partnering with the North American Mission Board (NAMB). From 2006-2012, he served as the Evangelism Response Center Trainer for NAMB. Later, his role changed to be the NAMB Church Planter Trainer for PA/South Jersey.
Through these roles with NAMB, Largent became well acquainted with the BRN and some of its leaders, including Dr. Larry Anderson, director of church advancement and evangelism, and Dr. Kyle Canty, send city missionary for Philadelphia.
These long-time connections, and his clear heart for his fellow pastors in the Greater Philadelphia area, led Largent to his current consulting role with the BRN.
Along with his consulting position with the BRN, Largent still serves as the senior pastor at Ridgeline Community Church, works for an international disciple making ministry, teaches a class at a local Christian school and is a husband and father.
He and his wife, Julie, have been married for 26 years and have four children together, three daughters and one son. Their oldest daughter, Kennedy, works as a teacher at Faith Christian Academy, while Ellie and Grayson both attend college and Lilly is starting her ninth grade year.
In his free time, Largent enjoys golfing, duck hunting, pheasant hunting, competing in triathlons, and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners every chance he gets. Recently, he added training for a marathon to his list of hobbies.
BRN churches or pastors in the Greater Philadelphia area who would like to connect with Gibson Largent are able to do so by emailing him at gibsonl@brnunited.org.
How to Pray for Gibson Largent and his family:
- Pray for Gibson to steward his time well and to balance all the responsibilities the Lord has given him with excellence.
- Pray for Gibson as a husband, father, and pastor. That he and his family would adjust well to this new position.
- Pray for Kingdom growth. That the Lord will guide Gibson as he cares for pastors in the Greater Philadelphia area and that God will continue to grow His Kingdom there.
- Pray for Ridgeline Community Church as it continues to grow and share the love of Christ with its community.