:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 3: "What Are Your Next Steps?" ::

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you.]

#3: WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS?

That’s a really good question these days. First, let me say that we’re not deciding anything in the next few weeks, if months! Our elders have allowed for a more-than-reasonable severance, so we’re able to be intentional about slowing down, stepping back, and healing a bit before we officially land on what’s next.

But, in my previous post on how we’re doing, in the “objective side” paragraph, I mentioned that “we’ve been asking for some time how long we should be at Trinity.” This wondering prayer has nothing to do with the issues at hand; it began far before the “conflict” escalated; it was a movement in our hearts that goes back many years. We’ve been wondering for awhile what it would look like to take the DNA we’ve tried to instill in TCBCcollege and build out a church from that DNA.

Church planting is something that has always been attractive to me; it’s what spurred me to Trinity Chapel in the first place five years ago. The idea of creating something new has been in my blood since high school (probably since preschool, in reality!), and as I’ve gotten to carry it out, to create something “new” for the name and glory of God has been even more exciting. Thus, I landed at Trinity. A couple years ago, when all the development in downtown Fort Worth began taking off, a first thought occurred that it would be a great place for a Gospel-preaching, Bible-centered church. Nothing more was done, but the seed was there.

Fast forward to summer 2008; the topic came up again. Jess and I discussed it several times last summer, and she became more and more OK with the idea. We agreed to start praying about it. Then, I was talking with a pastor friend as I was writing my personal theology for Trinity Chapel’s elders to ordain me in September, and my friend said his church was starting a 2-year residency for church planters. Coincidence? We were intrigued, but since the residency was new, we were a little hesitant, so decided to ask questions slowly. We went to a couple interviews with the guys in charge of the residency at The Austin Stone (Austin, TX); both sides felt good, and the next step was to get outside affirmation.

My October 2008 was spent answering an exorbitantly long pre-assessment questionnaire for an international church planting network, Acts 29 (based in Seattle). After a 2-hour phone interview, I attended an Acts 29 planters training, and Jess and I were officially assessed as church planters. We received positive feedback, and with a few standard conditions and a recommendation for a little training, we were approved to plant.

So we started praying. We didn’t know if the 2-year Austin residency was the right path; we weren’t sure if we should pursue a shorter program, or even start walking down the planting path with some personal coaching/less formal one-on-one training along the way. And we didn’t know if we were supposed to leave Trinity. So we submitted it to God, and have been asking for clear direction for six months. As I wrote yesterday, “the words ‘you don’t need to work here anymore’ are fairly clear!”

So bottom line, we’re not sure what’s next. We see planting as the end goal. We see Fort Worth as a viable, intentional, and good option, for many reasons (more on this in the future, but among them: fastest-growing city in the US [over 100,000 pop], 5000 new living units being built in downtown alone [young married/single focus audience], TCU, it’s home and a culture/people we love and have a heart for, etc.). We’re just not sure what the path is to get to that end goal. And we’re staying open to God’s movement; if other doors open, we’ll pursue them.

What we DO know is that if this church plant plays out, it has NOTHING to do with Trinity Chapel or being let go – if we plant, here or elsewhere, it is NOT a response to this situation. Please help make that clear if you talk about this; it’s an easy assumption to think we’re angry and “we’ll just do it on our own!” – FALSE! Closely related, if we do plant here, it will not be anywhere close to the week after our last day at Trinity – or the weeks/months following our departure! We want to be slow, intentional, and wise as we seek God in our next steps. So that’s where we see ourselves at the moment… Please pray for us as we pursue Him.

Thoughts? Input? Feedback? I'd love your comments. And if you want to keep up with our potential movement toward planting, please email me. Thanks!