OK, God, can we trust you?

Where God guides, God provides. If God was truly leading me and my family to move to Stokesdale and start a new church, he would have to make some provisions along the way.

First we needed a stream of income. The wave of church planting was in its infancy, and there were not many avenues for funding. I had to find the right channels and ask the right people. With the Lord's help, we found financial help to get the ball rolling. Our local association of churches, the Baptist State Convention of NC, and three local congregations agreed to provide monthly assistance for our first year. 

In some ways the money was the easy part. More importantly, we needed people. But first we had to move into the community.

 

Now buying a house is never easy. But we had no equity, having lived in parsonages for ten years. And I had no job either. I was planning to create a job. These are not stelar points on a loan application, even in 1999. And so we went house shopping anyway. After considerable angst, we found the perfect house, affordable and functional. Just before closing, the bank balked, but finally came through when we got a co-signer. 

Once we moved to Stokesdale in September 1999, we began inviting people to our home for cookouts and Bible studies. Slowly we gathered a handful of friends who wanted to be part of a new church. 

It took time, prayer, and patience, but God provided what we needed.

But that's scary...

Who leaves a stable job for a position that doesn't exist? I had to ask myself that question in 1999. And I had another question for God himself. My reading through the Gospel According to Matthew kept drawing me toward a grand adventure.

In Matthew 14 we find Jesus walking on water, catching up to the disciples who are frantically rowing their boat. When they see Jesus, they freak out, understandably. But Peter seizes the moment. He wants in on the action. He shouts out, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus answers, "Come." Peter steps out of the boat onto the water, and walks toward Jesus.

So my question for the Lord was, "If it's you, call me to step out into church planting." I normally hear crickets when I ask such things of God. I expected to get a sense of, well, nothing in particular. Silence, maybe. But that's not what I sensed from God. I felt him say, "Come." 

That was scary. 

I was perfectly ready to abandon the whole idea and stay put a little while longer. But now I had to pursue the opportunity. I had to make actual plans, find actual funding. I had to find a house for my family. I had to find a place for a church to meet.

Somehow I missed the rest of the story, when Peter looked at the storm and freaked out himself. He started sinking and cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus reached out and grabbed his most famous follower and saved him.

I would soon find myself praying this prayer over and over. "Lord, save me!"

Are You talking to me?

In 1999 I sensed that it was time for a change. Life and ministry seemed flat at the church where I served. I was 36 years old. I felt like I was a bona fide grown up, and it was time for me to make a difference in the kingdom of God. I had read Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Church, and I dreamed of planting a church. From that book, it all seemed pretty straight forward, and I wanted to give it a shot. But starting a church from scratch would mean jumping ship from a stable situation. I would have to quit my job. That's not easy with a wife and two preschool children.

If I was going to make this move, I needed some assurance that God was in this whole thing. I was leading the missions team for a group of churches in the area, and for months I had tried to spark some interest in a church start in Stokesdale. That town had experienced considerable growth, and was poised for much more. Our denomination had no church in the whole town. It looked like a gap to be filled. Further, I had enough experience in church world to know that many small churches in small towns tend to be closed systems--friendly to new people, but not open to the change that comes with new members.

But I needed more than favorable circumstances to make a move. I wanted to hear from God. 

I happened to be reading through the Gospel According to Matthew at the time. In chapter 8 a leper comes to Jesus, falling at his feet. He tells Jesus, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus responds, "I am willing." Jesus heals the man.

I followed this leper's lead. I prayed, "Lord, if you are willing, you can help me plant a new church." I listened for his response. I didn't know what to expect. Such boldness with God was a new thing for me. I really expected silence from God, or a sense that I needed to wait. But soon--maybe within minutes--I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, "I am willing."

This was scary. I didn't know what to do. I had to pray some more. My new journey was just beginning.