Why?
As an analytical person, I tend to ask the ‘why’ question of just about everything. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Why did Walter White grow so quickly into Heisenberg? Why didn’t the referee say Dez Bryant caught the ball (yes, as a Cowboys fan, that one still keeps me up at night…)?
This afternoon, I attended the workshop moderated by Andy Hale and Harry Rowland entitled Church Starting: Innovative Expressions of the Kingdom on Friday afternoon at the 2015 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly. We heard church starters give answers to ‘why’ questions.
The church starters first shared why they are planting churches. Joshua James from The Restoration Project in Salisbury, Md., said his call to plant a contextually-based church came in a small voice, speaking to him, “This is where you need to be. This is the time.” Doug McKinney, also from The Restoration Project, said the Holy Spirit emboldened him with a vision during a road trip to and from Atlanta.
Michael Mills from Inland Church in Spokane, Wash., said the reason why he is planting a church is to create something with a team of friends. They “value community rather than any sort of Lone Ranger approach.”
One of the attenders in the crowd asked the church starters why they decided to partner with CBF.
James said, “CBF brings so many intangibles to the table. From accountability to support to community, CBF invests in people.”
Mills added, “It is exciting and encouraging to have CBF behind us. We found a family who is like-minded and a great fit.”
All this “why” talk also has me questioning ‘why’ in my own ministry. Why start Grace Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas? I don’t have one particular answer, but I am constantly reaffirmed by the transforming work in the lives of our wonderful people. When a new member says, “I’ve been a Christian for 40 years, and I’ve never experienced freedom like this in a church,” I am affirmed why.
When a female in our church proclaims, “I love rearing my girls in a place where they are empowered to serve as equals,” I am affirmed why. When I come to CBF General Assembly, and laugh, pray, and fellowship with like-minded family members from around the world, I am affirmed why we partner with CBF.
Have you ever asked why (or why not) God may have you and your church partner with new church starts or even consider starting a new work?
To keep up with news, photos and videos from the 2015 CBF General Assembly in Dallas, Texas, please visit www.cbf.net/Dallas2015.
Kyle Tubbs is the Lead Pastor at Grace. This post was originally published on the CBF blog. Kyle is writing for CBF as part of a monthly blog about church starting.