Worlds Collide

GRACE IN MOTION

It was a perfect winter day in Wisconsin.  Beautiful snowflakes gently fell from the sky on a warm afternoon that made for the perfect snow to sled, build snowmen, and enjoy God’s grace.  So Kristy and I got the kids bundled up and headed to our church to sled and play in the snow.  As we watched our happy kids playing on the quiet, serene campus of Faith Community Church, we tried to soak in every moment, knowing that those moments in this place have an end date that is approaching all too quickly.  And the world that we are walking into is drastically different. 

We were able to spend last week in Milwaukee.  We arrived earlier than we had planned on, so we had some time to burn.  We thought it would be a good idea to stop at Chucky Cheeses’ to let the kids run.  It was clear pretty quickly that we weren’t in Kansas…er…New Richmond anymore!  The place was packed, the music was loud, the crowd was diverse.    

Two weeks ago we were sledding by ourselves in wide open spaces, and yet loved by so many people.  The next week we were crammed into Chucky Cheeses’ with tons of people and yet not known by a soul.  This process is an absolute collision of absolutely different worlds.  And that’s scary.  But God is faithful and His promises are breathtaking. 

During the middle of our week in Milwaukee, Kristy got sick.  Flu-like sick.  Sick on the day before I had several meetings lined up with key people.  So now here we are, away from our support network, needing to have important conversations with people, and staying at someone else’s house.  I thought this was going to be a disaster.  But God is bigger than our biggest trials!

Unbeknownst to us,  we just happened to be staying with professional grandparents!  They’ve seen this before.  In fact, they’re currently serving with a missionary organization to provide soul care to the missionaries.  They open up their home consistently to care for missionaries who are home on furlough.  So when Kristy went down, they stepped up! 

Kristy went to lay down in the afternoon and didn’t get up until the next morning.  So Randy, Linda, and I handled the kids for the rest of that day.  And it was the best evening we had there.  So much so that by the time we started to get the kids ready for bed, I wasn’t even reading the bed-time stories.  The kids were all piled up on Randy’s lap reading “Harry the Dirty Dog.”  It was a beautiful picture of the body of Christ and a confirmation of just one of Jesus’ promises. 

Perhaps the most challenging part of our journey to this point has been facing the reality of leaving the church family that we have grown to love so deeply.  Kristy and I have wondered so many times if we would ever experience community, love, and friendship like we have here.  It seems impossible.  And we have no way of knowing what the future holds.  But we do know what Jesus has promised. 

“Jesus said to them… everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

And so we step out in faith, holding onto the promise of God.  I believe that God gave us just a small glimpse of His great faithfulness this past week.  I can’t wait to see what He has in store for the weeks to come!    

PLANTERS PROGRESS

On February 17^th I was able to preach at Woodridge Community Church.  We were very encouraged by our time there.  Many approached us asking questions about us, the plant, timing, etc.  A few even said they would be interested in helping us get started!  We were very encouraged. 

I was also able to have a Q&A time with the elders of Waukesha Bible Church.  That was an encouraging time as well.  The elders had many, great questions and it seemed like we were able to spend enough time together to feel good about developing a partnership. 

And I cannot fail to mention what a rock star my wife is!  While I am running around going to all these meetings, my wife is doing the hard, thankless, unseen work of caring for our kids.  This is no easy task with a four-year-old and two two-year-olds.  And that, in the middle of transition and unfamiliarity.  I am so grateful for my bride.  She by far has the harder job and she does it with grace and joy! 

God continues to provide lavishly.  We are now at 44% for support!  God has brought us over a huge milestone as we are now able to begin to invite people to consider moving with us.  We are so humbled by the generosity of people! 

NEXT STEPS

Things aren’t going to slow down for us next month.   On March 3^rd I’ve been invited to present our church planting plan at a launch team gathering for Torrent Church in Prescott.  We will also be hosting a vision event at FCC on March 10^th.  This will be a significant event as it will allow us to share our hearts with our church family and provide them with an opportunity to partner with us going forward. 

Then I’ll be in Milwaukee the week of March 18^th.  The Milwaukee LEAD team wanted all the pastors from our denomination to meet and engage in a prayer walk through our target neighborhood.  I’m anticipating God doing big things through that prayer time. 

I will also be meeting with the elders of a key partner church to discuss how we can work together to start this new church.  This is great church led by faithful men.  I’m looking forward to seeing how God leads us to partner! 

Thank you so much for your partnership with us.  I thank God that He is allowing us all to do this together.  Your prayer and support means the world to us.  We cannot and do not want to do this without you!  Thank you!   

Beyond my grasp

GRACE IN MOTION

Aren't you glad that we worship a God who is beyond our ability to understand?  Aren’t you glad that we worship a God whose love runs deeper than our greatest failures? 

Lately I have been caught up in the paradox of trying to work with all of the strength that God provides.  How exactly that plays out, I have no idea.  Much like I can’t understand how God cannot be contained by the universe, and yet dwells within our hearts through faith in Jesus.  There is much about God that I cannot wrap my mind around, and I’m glad that we will have eternity to try!    

One of the unfortunate by products of raising support, for me anyway, is that so much of my attention can be self-focused.  I spend so much time telling people about me.  I tell people about what God has done in my life, what I believe He’s called me to, and ask them to join my team.  It is so easy to twist this thing and make it all about me.  And when that happens, the consequences spill out onto the rest of my life.    

Recently, my wife arranged an incredible surprise to celebrate my birthday.  She invited old friends of ours from college to spend the evening with us.  She arranged for a nice dinner out followed by a night filled with football.  It could have been perfect.

The evening could have been filled with joy, love, and good memories.  But I just didn’t let that happen. Being around a friend from college, I spent the evening acting like I might have in that stage of life.  Arrogant, self-centered and inconsiderate.  So much so that when Kristy asked if I wanted a piece of the birthday cake that she made for me from scratch, I said “no, you know I don't like that kind of cake” in front of everyone.  Argh. 

Thank God that I have such a forgiving wife!  And thank God that He lets us see little glimpses of our sin and feel some of the pain that our self-centered love can cause.  Through this God has made it perfectly clear to me that He is going to be the One who will plant this church!  And He has also made perfectly clear that He loves me like crazy.  Literally like a crazy person!

Who else would continue to pursue us when we so consistently push them away?  Who else would offer themselves up to pay for the price that our mistakes have cost?  And yet, this is exactly what God has done for us on the cross. 

In order to extend free grace to us, Jesus paid the eternal price of our sin.  It is in this crazy love that we now stand.  It is because of this crazy love that I can joyfully say with the Apostle Paul, “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake...But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Praise God that His love and mercy surpasses our comprehension!  Praise God that we get to stand in that love – forever – and extend that love to everyone around us through the gospel of Jesus!

PLANTERS PROGRESS

God has continued to stir in the hearts of people to lavish incredible generosity on us.  To date, we have received 34% in pledges for the support that we need to relocate. 

On December 28^th, Kristy and I went through a second church planter’s assessment.  This time with the Acts 29 Network.  On January 5^th, I received an email detailing our full recommendation by our assessors!  We are extremely grateful for the time we were able to spend in that process.  Our assessors offered us great perspective and demonstrated authentic care as they asked probing questions about our ambitions for our church plant as well as questions about the health and stability of our marriage. 

We have also received some encouraging news on the sale of our house.  It’s not a done deal, by any stretch, as we needed to pursue a short-sale.  However, the bank has requested information demonstrating that we have been officially called to relocate to Milwaukee.  Please pray that God would give us favor with the bank.  

NEXT STEPS

February 4 – 6, I will have the opportunity to attend the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference.  I am anticipating that this will be a time of significant of refreshing as I’ll be able to connect with leaders that I have been serving with over the past several years as well as the leaders that I will be serving with in the years to come. 

I have been invited to preach at Woodridge Community Church, just outside of Milwaukee On February 17^th.  I have also been invited to present our church planting plan to Waukesha Bible Church on February 24^th.  So Kristy and I will be packing up the fam and spending that week in Milwaukee. 

Other than that, we’ll continue to raising support. Once God brings us past the 40% mark of our support, we will be able to begin processing with people the potential of God calling them to join this work. 

So there are big things in store!  Please continue to pray that God would advance the Kingdom in our hearts as He moves His work forward at His time!  Thank you all for your prayer and support!  We do not want to do this without you!

Running Down A Dream

GRACE IN MOTION

A battle rages on.  It’s around the corner, in the future, and in our hearts.  Life presents many unavoidable obstacles that we simply cannot plan for.  But I am finding one of my greatest challenges to be in my heart.  Because God is committed to revealing His glory through us, He continues to cut off the junk in our hearts that hinders His light from shining.  And because God is merciful, He tends to only cut off one nasty branch at a time.  Pursuing my dreams has revealed a nasty tendency in my heart. 

It is a great and necessary risk to pursue your dreams.  At least for a Christian.  Jesus consistently challenged His followers to this.  He told us to carry our cross, die to ourselves, and proclaim the gospel to the end of the earth.  None of this can happen apart from people taking significant risks.  Following Jesus does not match our cultural ideals of safety and comfort.  It means living a life of faith.  And living by life faith requires taking risks. 

Part of the risk will be circumstantial. We are leaving what has become our home to plant a church in Milwaukee.  Planting a church in an urban center presents both my wife and me an opportunity to pursue our dreams.  Our hearts long to invest our lives in way that will leave a legacy for the glory God.  We long to see the gospel proclaimed to 1,000’s, to shape the next generation, to influence the culture, and to feed and clothe the hungry and homeless.  So we are leaving much comfort, security, and the church family that we love to pursue our dreams, and hopefully much more.      

This has revealed an intense struggle inside of my heart - my pride.  When I dream about what God might do through us in Milwaukee, my heart can swing between two ends of a pendulum.  On the one hand, I dream about what I would define as success.  In these dreams, I would lead a church that grows uncontrollably, plants churches like crazy, and has a significant, positive influence on the culture in Milwaukee and even the Midwest.  In these dreams, I become a hero. 

But if I wait a few minutes, my dreams will turn into nightmares.  My heart can just as easily overflow with fear and anxiety, worrying about failing completely.  What if I work tirelessly for years without seeing fruit?  What if believers won’t get on board with the vision God has given me?  What if I simply can’t execute that vision?  What if no one comes to Christ?  In these nightmares, I become a failure. 

The common factor in each of these scenarios is pride.  The difference is whether my pride manifests itself as dreams of success (arrogance) or nightmares of failure (insecurity).  Both are equal but opposite versions of pride that have been pushed to the surface of my heart by taking the risk of pursuing my dreams.  So what’s the solution?  How can anyone overcome this mess?  At the possibility of oversimplifying a complex problem, I believe that God provides two primary ways out.    

First, instead of pursuing a dream, we need to pursue Jesus.  We must strive to follow whatever path is causes us to experience the most of God’s heart and His grace.  Life is not about experiencing avoiding failure or experiencing success; it’s about experiencing the presence and power of God.  Which brings me to our second way out. 

We should not define success or failure by Western metrics. Our ultimate success is secured for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Could any of us possibly be included in any greater success?  Through Christ we have been given victory over sin and death.  Because of His death in our place on the cross, God looks on us and says – loved!  Approved!  Accepted!  Forever!  Is there anything that any of us could ever accomplish that could ever rival Jesus’ success? 

When I pursue Jesus instead of a dream and define success in terms of grace instead of performance, then I am free to work.  From this perspective I can strive with all of the strength that God provides because my desire is to glorify His name and not mine.  So striving in grace is what I shall do! 

It’s been several months since I’ve updated this blog.  Now that God is providing a support base of prayer and finances for our church plant, I intend on updating this blog on a monthly basis.  My hope is to point people to Jesus by providing transparent updates in regards to our progress as well as my experience in it.  I will write three sections: Grace in Motion, Planter’s Progress, and Next Steps.    

I just concluded the “Grace in Motion.”  In that section I want to encourage you toward God’s heart by letting you know what He’s doing in mine.  In the “Planter’s Progress” section I will make people aware of the steps that have been taken since the last blog and how God has continued to show Himself faithful.  In the “Next Steps” section I will let people know…well…what our next steps are. 

PLANTER’S PROGRESS

At this point in the planting process our primary concern is raising support.  We need to raise support in three ways: prayer, people, and finances.  We have been carried by the prayers of faithful people.  And we have been encouraged and humbled by the generosity of faithful people.  To date, God has stirred in the hearts of people to provide 16% of the support that we need!  We praise God and thank His people for their extravagant and sacrificial provision.  When we reach 40% of our support I will be able to officially invite people from our current area to consider moving with us to Milwaukee.  Please pray that God would bring us to that milestone quickly and increase a love for Him in the hearts of His people through their support! 

NEXT STEPS

On December 28^th Kristy and I have our church planter assessment with Acts 29.  This is a critical step in the affiliation process with that church planting network. 

Toward the end of January or beginning of February we will be part of a “Vision Night” for our church family.  During the event we will tell the story of how God has led us to plant a new church and cast the vision for what we are believing Him for in the days to come.  The Vision Night will be the way that we are able to open the door for people from our church family to consider partnering with us. 

Finally, we will continue to raise support.  During the next phase of building partnerships I will be returning to the place where I was given my first exposure to life in the church; Spring Valley Wisconsin. 

Thanks for your prayers and support!  May the God of all grace supply your every need and surpass your every dream!     

Resolution

The last step in our process of determining if God is calling us to plant a church is complete.  On Tuesday, Kristy and I were assessed by five pastors, including two from our church network and three from our denomination’s network in Milwaukee. 

We were asked to describe each other with five adjectives, share how God initially got a hold of our hearts, and take a timed Bible knowledge test.  In addition, I preached a sermon, presented my philosophy of ministry (church planting strategy) and went through a role playing exercise where I asked a major donor to partner with us financially. 

We received feedback with each component of the assessment.  The assessors freely asked us many questions.  Nothing was off limits.  They asked us questions about our finances, strategies, and more.  These men did a great job of caring for us by asking hard questions and giving us honest feedback.  I’m grateful for our experience! 

After we had presented everything we were asked to, the assessors spent a good amount of time in discussion as to my fit as a lead church planter.  Our denomination has an incredibly healthy process for giving recommendations to church planters.  There are basically four outcomes a potential planter can receive from this assessment. 

One is “not recommended.”  This is the result people receive when they are either not gifted as a lead planter or in a position in life where, for a variety of different reasons, they simply aren’t equipped to be a lead planter.   With this, the light is red. 

The second is a “recommendation with strong conditions.”  In this outcome, a potential planter receives a “yellow light.”  A lot can be unearthed during the assessment process.  For people who receive this outcome, they are approved to plant, but there are some things they need to work through before getting started. 

The third outcome is a “recommendation with minor conditions.”  This means that the light is yellow, but it’s leaning toward being green.  People who receive this outcome are approved to plant but have some things that they need to work through as they engage in the initial stages of planting. 

The fourth outcome is a “recommendation without conditions.”  This is a green light to plant.  While no person is perfect or complete, these people are determined to have the necessary skill set, experience level, and general health to be the leader of a church plant. 

By God’s grace, we received a “recommendation without conditions.”  The assessors gave us some suggestions; including a book to read and people to talk to.  But in the end, the assessors confirmed what our elders had sensed – God is calling us to plant a new church in the city of Milwaukee!  The church network in Milwaukee has been very encouraging and has openly and consistently expressed their excitement for us to join them in advancing the Kingdom in “The Good Land.” 

So, what happens from here?  We are not leaving tomorrow, thank God!  There is a lot to do!  I will do everything I can to finish well here at Faith Community Church.  I also need to wrap up my degree through the Antioch school.  Further, I’ll need to raise a salary as well as the operational expenses for the church.  And we still have a house to sell. 

We don’t know exactly how the process of relocating is going to go. It is my prayer that we will be in Milwaukee in the fall of 2013.  During my first six—eight months on site I will network, serve the city, and train the team that God provides. I will work tirelessly to develop the necessary infrastructure and biblical leadership systems to care for the church and the city.  If God wills, we will launch publically on March 30^th, 2014.  This will allow us time to test our leaders and systems before the Midwest goes on “summer vacation.”  During the summer we will make the necessary adjustments in order to be fully operational by the grand opening on September 14th, 2014.        

 

Thank you for your prayer and support.  It is with great excitement and deep pain that I write this.  In so many ways, we have grown up at this great church.  There is nothing in us that wants to leave this place.  But we are very excited to go.  We do not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future!  It is with confidence in His promise that we move forward in Faith! 

And the verdict is?

Last night we engaged in the most significant step in seeking God’s call on our lives to leave the home we love to start a new church in a new city far away from our home and family.  Together with the elders we processed how God was leading us and Faith Community Church and came to a conclusion.  More on that in a second.  I certainly don’t mean to minimize any of the steps that have been taken or the final step in the process.  What has happened so far has been challenging, meaningful, and encouraging.

In the late summer/early fall of last year, I began to sense God calling me to plant a church in an urban center.  It is challenging to discern if God is calling you to take a step like that.  Martin Lloyd Jones said that “a man should only enter the Christian ministry if he cannot stay out of it.”  While this isn’t the only indication in the discernment process, it is a key one.  And for me, for the past year, I have had a hard time envisioning myself doing anything else other than planting a church in an urban center. 

The next step I took was researching cities with a population of more than 500,000 people.  My main criterion for evaluation was to see which cities had the least number of gospel-centered churches per capita.  That led me to take a closer look at San Diego, Portland, Phoenix, and Milwaukee.  We also gave some consideration to a few cities overseas, but decided that wouldn’t be a wise move given our current family situation, i.e. three intense little Polish kids!   

In the end, it seems as though Milwaukee has as much need, if not more, for a movement of gospel-centered churches that are for the city as anywhere else in the country.  Further, Milwaukee seems to be the most natural fit.  If we moved to any of the other cities, I will have a steep cultural learning curve.  But if we move to Milwaukee, it will take no work for me to cheer for the Brewers and enjoy Miller High Life! 

With my research pointing us in the direction of Milwaukee, the elders then directed us to take a sabbatical in Milwaukee to see first-hand if we’re cut out for urban ministry in general and Milwaukee specifically.  If you want to see how the sabbatical went, just keep scrolling downJ  After the sabbatical I submitted a report to the elders detailing our experience. 

As you might imagine, over the course of the past year, we took many more steps.  We’ve read several books, attended a seminar, watched other seminars online, have had many conversations, and spent much time in prayer.  All of this as well as other details I’m sure I’m forgetting brings us to our conversation last night with the elders. 

Having already read our reports, they were well prepared to dive more deeply into specific issues.  They asked what our draw was to the city, rightly expressed concern about my about my inability to slow down, and most importantly, asked if we are sensing God’s call to plant a church in Milwaukee specifically.  To this, we both answered yes. 

The elders then, each in turn, expressed their sense as to what God is doing with us in this situation.  They unanimously affirmed what we believe, that God is sending us to plant a gospel-centered church in Milwaukee. 

In painful but joyful unity with the leaders of our church, we are now going to take the last step in the process.  On Tuesday, September 11^th, Kristy and I will go through the church planter assessment procedure required by our denomination.  The elders have determined that if the assessors give us a green light, then on September 12^th, we will begin the process of preparing to leave the town and church family that we love, to plant a new church in a city that we are falling in love with. 

Thank you for supporting us in this process.  Your words and actions of encouragement have carried us.  Your prayers have protected and directed us.  Your love has inspired us.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

   

On the road again

Baker’s Square.  East Side.  Tuesday, 11:30 AM.  “Milwaukee is a microcosm of the issues faced in America.”  Political polarization, pockets of extreme poverty contrasted with pockets of extreme wealth, unemployment, and more.  Demographically, Milwaukee is one of the most diverse cities in the nation.  Check out these stats from city data.    

Black alone - 233,325 (39.2%)

White alone - 220,219 (37.0%)

Hispanic - 103,007 (17.3%)

Asian alone - 20,553 (3.5%)

Two or more races - 13,307 (2.2%)

American Indian alone - 3,408 (0.6%)

Other race alone - 819 (0.1%)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 195 (0.03%)

2011 marked the first time in US history that minority births outnumbered white births.  America is growing increasingly diverse, which is a great thing for the gospel, and Milwaukee is already incredibly diverse.  It seems to me that Milwaukee may be one of the cities in America that God could use to chart the course for the church in America in the next generation.  The challenges of polarization and the opportunities of diversity position churches in Milwaukee to have a significant impact on the church in this generation and beyond.  Pray for the churches that are here and the ones that are yet to come! 

So where did I get this little tid-bit of information?  From one of my friends from high school.  We have had a great week in a number of different ways.  I have been able to reconnect with some old friends that I haven’t talked with in forever.  I was able to have lunch with one and help another move into a new apartment.  It’s encouraging to see familiar faces! 

This past Sunday I was able to participate in two of the four worship services that epikos engages in.  It felt pretty good to play a role in leading God’s people to worship Him.  It was also very helpful to remember what the “pre-speaking” jitters feel like!  I’m going to be preaching at Woodridge Community Church this next Sunday.  My experience at epikos helped me remember that I need to be very mindful to not bulldoze the congregation!  (Anyone remember my sermons from before 08? :-)

Other than that, I’ve been keeping on pace with meeting with people like crazy to continue to get a feel for this city.  Kristy has had a good week too.  She was able to connect with a few different pastors’ wives.  Being relationally wired, it was refreshing for her to engage in a few heart to heart conversations.  Beyond that, Kristy was able to get herself on the roster to help out at an inner-city outreach this Saturday.  She’s been itching to jump into serving out here and we’re grateful that she is going to have an opportunity soon. 

From here, we begin the bittersweet process of saying goodbye to new friends and packing up the house and van so that we can say hello to some old friends.  This is probably going to be the last blog I write for a while as we are headed home next Friday!  I’m not sure where I’m going to take this blog from here.  Far more people have been tracking with “on the move” than I was anticipating so I’m not sure whether or not I will continue to blog in the future.  If God does call us to plant, though, then I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on how that progresses through this blog.  If anyone was wondering where we are at in the discernment process, please check out last week’s post, “decisions, decisions.”   Since this will be my last post for at least a few weeks, I thought I should close the loop on the story that has probably gotten the most attention: The Neighbors Upstairs. 

It hasn’t necessarily become more comfortable sharing this duplex.  After our neighbors texted the landlord requesting that we don’t send any more cookies or notes, they emailed her saying that text was just a joke.  Odd, right?  I don’t know if that was actually the case as their body language has continued to silently scream “stay away!”  So that’s what we’ve done.  They have indirectly made it clear that they don’t really want to have a relationship with us, so we’ve respected that.  If God would open a door in the next 8 days, we’ll be sure to walk through it. 

Thanks for tracking with us, praying for us, and supporting us.  I hope that these weekly posts have encouraged you and revealed more of God’s glory!  It’s all for Him!    

 

Decisions, decisions

Part of me wishes we had a miserable summer.  I wish we would have found that urban living just isn’t for us.  I wish we would have been unable to connect with people.  I wish that pastors and ministry leaders would have given us a cold shoulder.  I wish that this city was so saturated with gospel-centered churches that there was no need for more.  If that was our experience, then making a decision would be a lot easier.  But that hasn’t been the case. 

We have had our challenges, to be sure, but overall this has been an encouraging summer.  We’ve been received with open arms by churches and ministry leaders.  Conversations at parks have come easily.  Multiple people have said they want us to keep them posted on how God leads us because they would have interest in joining us.  I’ve been able to reconnect with a friend from high school that I haven’t talked with in at least five years and he shares some of the same dreams I do.  And while there are some 2,500 churches in this city, there are only a handful of gospel-centered churches.  And many of the churches in America are somewhere between decline and crisis.  Despite the challenges that we’ve faced, it seems as though God could use us in this city. 

On the other side of the equation, part of me wishes that we had a miserable church back home.  I wish that we were unloved and unfruitful.  I wish that we had a dysfunctional leadership team and a toxic work environment.  If that was our experience, then leaving home to plant in Milwaukee would be an easy decision.  But that’s not the case. 

We are a part of a wonderful church family that we love.  We have an incredibly healthy leadership team, an efficient and empowering ministry strategy, an established leadership development system, and most importantly, we know we are loved and we love our church family deeply. 

So where do we go from here?  We are in the great but unfortunate position of needing to choose between two seemingly good options.  We have no reason to leave, but we do have reason to go. 

It’s important to recognize that this decision will affect far more people than just our family, our church family, or the Milwaukee area.  However God would lead, the decisions we make will have ramifications that will spread throughout and beyond our denomination and across generations.  What would New Richmond Wisconsin look like had Mike Evans never left the Chicago area to plant Faith Community Church?  What would Hudson Wisconsin look like had Larry Szyman or Tim Porter left to plant a new church in a new community?  What might Prescott Wisconsin look like now that Israel Haas has begun planting TORRENT?  What might New Richmond look like with me?  Without me?  How about Milwaukee?  The decisions that we make affect far more people than just the ones directly involved.  This is why we do not and will not make decisions in isolation. 

When making decisions, the safest place to be is under the care and protection that God has established - the elders of the local church.  God has entrusted the ultimate care of his church, the followers of Christ, to the oversight of called and qualified men in a local church (Acts 20:28, Hebrews 13:17).  This is where we start.  The elders of Faith Community sent us here for the summer.  I will provide them a detailed report including a number of indicators as to our potential fit, a response from pastors and leaders in Milwaukee to my ministry strategy, and Kristy’s vantage point on our experience and plans.  At the same time I will be in conversation with the elders of Woodridge Community Church.  It’s my conviction that if at all possible, an elder council locally needs to oversee a new church plant.  In our situation, that means that we will submit ourselves to the oversight of Faith Community Church and a local church in the Milwaukee area. 

After the elders review my reports and continue to converse and pray with us, if the lights are green, then Kristy and I will go through a church planter’s assessment.  The assessment is intended to determine if a potential planter has the skill set and stability to lead a church plant.  If we get to that point and the assessment confirms what we have perceived, then we would begin taking the formal steps to plant a church.  Most likely, this wouldn’t happen until mid-September.   

If at any point in this process we would determine that God is leading us to remain in New Richmond and contribute to the work He has begun there, then that’s what we will gratefully and joyfully do.  We have not made any firm decisions.  We are very much in the middle of the discernment process.  So please pray for us.  We still have two weeks left here.  During this time I will have the privilege of sharing some of our story with Epikos Church and preaching at Woodridge Community Church.  These will be key steps in building relationships as well as giving churches exposure to me so they can have more information to be praying on as they contribute to discerning God’s call on our lives.  Beyond this, Kristy is going to connect with different organizations in the city to gain firsthand experience investing in the kinds of initiatives that we would intend to if God leads us here. 

I do not know what the future holds, but I do know this.  Regardless of where we go or what we do we will experience failure and fruit because we are being carried by a faithful God.  And because God is faithful to His Word we can have full confidence that He will continue to transform our hearts to look more and more like His – for our good and His glory!