February 15, 2008 – 4:43 pm
Our season of ministry at Pathways Church has too quickly drawn to a close. I have mixed feelings as we move on. On one hand, we are excited because we came here with the dream of being sent out to plant another church. At the same time, we have many dear friendships here and it will be sad to move on.
The next few months hold a lot of transition for our family as we prepare to move to Austin and form a new faith community. Though I have no further responsibilities with Pathways, they are generously paying our salary for the next few months while we do some initial work to get a new faith community going.
We will likely remain in the Seattle area until the end of the school year, and then head to Austin to start settling in. Here are some of the things we will be working on and praying about in the months to come:
- Traveling - Later this month, our whole family will be traveling to Phoenix to visit friends and family and hold some open houses to share about our adventure with others. (We’ll post details about those open houses soon.) From Phoenix, we fly to Austin to spend some time in the city making connections and looking at some housing options. In March, I will be heading back to Austin to preach at Vista Community Church where a friend of mine is on staff.
- Support Team - Much of our time in the coming months will be devoted to connecting with friends and family who can pray for us, encourage us, and offer financial support in this coming venture. From the experience we’ve had church planting in Washington, we know all too well how meaningful it is to have others be a part of this with us, even if from a distance. If you want to be a part of our team, please contact me and make sure I have your current contact information.
- Friends and Connections in Austin - One critical ingredient in a new church is people! We have a number of connections in Austin, but they are all with pastors. That’s not exactly our target audience. At least one family we are close to is seriously weighing a move to Austin, and a few other friends are tossing the idea around. Just this past week, I was in DC for a conference. While there, I met a Baltimore church planter who has a friend who is about to move to Austin and wanting to get involved in a church plant. It is wonderful to see how God moves. Even from a distance, we know that this can be a time where we begin to connect with others who might be part of this new community.
- Shaping Dreams - I hold many ideals about how our church might look. Yet, the idea of shaping dreams for a church that is in a place where we haven’t yet lived is a little troubling to me. The church should be contextual as the Gospel shapes the culture it is in. Right now, I’m sorting through which of our ideas should hold true no matter where we are, and which need to be remain fluid to be contextually formed by the community that God gathers. (I spill my heart and many of these ideas on my personal blog. You are welcome to join in the dialogue there.)
- Finishing School - In the time we have been in Seattle, I have been working on an MA in Christian Studies at Mars Hill Grad School. My final classes finish up in early May. I can’t begin to account for the ways I have grown and been challenged in my time at the school
- House Selling - The Seattle real estate market is not friendly to sellers right now, and we will be listing our house on the market next month. We are hoping that the house can sell for a reasonable price and in timing that will allow us to make a smooth transition to a new place in Austin.
Thanks to all who are taking the time to follow us on this journey. We’ll keep you posted as things develop and how you might be able to be involved. In the meantime, we cherish the prayers that you offer for what I’ve written out above.
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