New Year, New Chapter

Some exciting news on the future of our church!

Hello reader, Happy New Year!

This post is a little more personal than normal and directed a bit towards the context in which I pastor. However, I think what I’m writing about today has some universal application if you are in ministry or think about theology for the church.

Our church building, trees ablaze with autumn color.

The “new year, new me” proclamations generally end with a “thud” after about week 3 (just ask your local gym). But I do have some news going into this new year that will last a little longer.

After a multi-year discernment process, we announced that the church campus I pastor is going to be sent out as an independent church¹ in two years!

For those who don’t know the story, I came on staff at my current church 5 years ago to start this new campus in West Milford. We launched with a huge turnout and I was beyond excited for what was happening. However, we had launched 3 weeks before the pandemic! (I’ll write about my personal journey during those frustrating months another time.)

Almost two years later we had a much more modest relaunch and began faithfully re-gathering whoever came back plus a much smaller core team. It has been challenging at times, wondering if this would work and if COVID really ruined the opportunity we thought this was.

However, God has gathered people together in our church in often inexplicable ways and a people have slowly begun to form.

As things were beginning to take shape, I remember the conversation with Rob, the lead pastor of our church, about two years ago when he first floated it as something for me to think about and consider.

Rob has always been open handed with what would become of this campus from the beginning and he planted the seed of an idea for us to become our own church within our denomination.

Waiting on the Lord’s Timing

However, even though the idea piqued my interest and we thought it might be a good idea, the timing didn’t seem quite right. We were still gathering some momentum, people were still figuring out who we were as a church community, and we needed to be sustainable both financially and spiritually.

And further, we were not yet sure I was called to lead this as it’s own church. The timing wasn’t right. We had to wait.

But if you’re anything like me, the waiting was excruciating.

Fast forward to a year ago and my wife and I intentionally began to ask God if West Milford was where we were called long term. Slowly over the last year, we were consistently struck by how much God has been at work in this town and how we have continually been drawn into relationships with people that are clearly a work of the Holy Spirit’s movement.

It became evident last summer that we were certainly being called to stay here long term and lead this church, but the picture emerged slowly.

I think that slow waiting for the Lord’s timing has been a gift.

When we announced to our church over the last three Sundays our intentions to be sent out, there has been a resounding “yes” from the church body. (At least everyone I have talked to so far!)

I’m not sure we would have received such a convincing affirmation two or three years ago and I think the Lord knew this. Waiting on God’s timing is everything.

There is too much anemic vision casting in churches these days. Too much “strike while the iron is hot,” or “we can’t miss our opportunity” kind of attitudes.

Certainly there are moments to respond quickly to need and crisis, but more often than not, I believe much American church leadership has grown accustomed to doing things in our own timing. This process has convinced me otherwise.

Waiting for Jesus

This past Sunday as we began 21 days of prayer and fasting for the future of our church, I talked about waiting for Jesus.

I talked about the well known story in John 6 of Jesus coming to the disciples walking on water in the middle of a storm. I was struck by the translation choice of the New Living Translation in John 6:16-17a:

¹⁶“That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. ¹⁷ But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back…”

It is possible that they weren’t supposed to wait any longer for Jesus than they did, but as I consider this new venture our church his striking out on, I considered the disciples move differently: what if they got nervous in their waiting?

What if they were concerned that it was getting dark and, knowing that unexpected storms often rise up quickly on the Sea of Galilee, didn’t want to be caught at night in one.

I resonate with this dilemma.

I am often nervous that I’m waiting too long, that I missed my moment or that people will walk away because I was not more decisive in my leadership. Yet the perceived nervousness of the disciples here suggest that going ahead without Jesus is what gets us into trouble.

Note that once they recognize Jesus coming to them on the water they were “eager” (v. 21) to let him in the boat. Perhaps realizing their mistake, the disciples knew they needed to course correct.

John notes that suddenly they arrive at their destination.

It is possible that storm would have still come up if they had waited for Jesus and had him in the boat. But they would have been with Jesus.

I’d suggest that if we wait for Jesus, we are always in the destination we are meant to be.

What’s Next?

The next two years will involve a number of transitions from a new church name, to forming a board, and crystalizing who we are as a church community.

We are starting that process by waiting on Jesus. We began 21 days of fasting and prayer on January 6 as we seek God for the future of our church.

I’m excited. I have a sense of anticipation I don’t know that I’ve ever had in over 15 years of ministry.

To those of you who subscribe to this Substack and we’ve not met, if you’re the praying type, my church and I would covet your prayers over the next two years (and beyond!)

This is no small thing we are doing and it’s going to need to be a work of God for it to go where it needs to go.

Pray that we wait on Jesus well, that we are shaped by His practices and ways, and that we are driven to do this all for people in His world.

Thanks for reading!

1. I say “independent” but I don’t mean non-denominational for those wondering. We are part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and will continue to be a church in that denomination.