This has been a busy season for us.
We have traveled, learned, and grown - a lot! We’ve made many friends and experienced God working in powerful ways. We’re grateful for the numerous partners who have joined us in planting this church in London. A lot of this training and networking has come through The Summit Network.
We’re halfway through our residency as we anticipate the move in June.
This post provides a few updates about what we have learned this fall through church planting residency…
Where We Went
This was a busy season for us. Thomas traveled to Denver, Texas, Wilmington, and DC. In addition to this, we took a trip to London with our friends from City Church (Tallahassee).
Who We Met
During these trips we met with churches, learned from pastors and their wives, we spent time with people who planted churches years ago and people who are on their first year of the journey. We learned from network leaders, people who are very connected, and people that are lesser known in the church planting world. All of them had so much to teach.
What We Learned
Our training this fall has focused on two phases of church planting: Preparing and Gathering.
For the first couple of months we focused on preparing the vision and values of the church plant. We attended trainings focused on leadership, vision, and team-leadership. We focused on what defines a healthy partnership and how to gather a launch team to move into the city to plant.
Recently, we have focused on fundraising, team-building, and how to grow in self-awareness as individuals and a family. We spent considerable time working on healthy family dynamics for our own family and how to ensure these dynamics in our launch team. On this last trip to DC we learned a lot about the different phases of planting and what to expect in year one.
What’s Next
Residency is officially on Christmas break. We will meet again in January to enter our final phase of training. This spring will focus on the systems and structures that support a church plant. In the next few months we will solidify our launch team. This is the group of people who will covenant together to move to London and work together to help plant this church.
God At Work
There is one major idea that has been at the center of this entire season: God is at work. God has been at work in London long before He called us. God has been at work in preparing friends and partners when we could only imagine such friendships. God has been at work in building a team for London in ways we could only dream.
God has been at work in our family as well. He has sustained us through a busy season. He is continuing to financially fund this church that He wants to see planted. He has been teaching our children about calling in sweet ways as well. We will share a family update in the next couple of weeks to share more about the kiddos.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:19-20