Greetings from the great Midwest!I’m glad to write the first roadtrip update as I enjoy fine northeast Missouri Mexican food at my friend Jon’s restaurant in my friend John-Mark’s hometown. It’s been a great trip so far, with much insight, encouragement, and good discussion with pastors in various stages of life and ministry. As I head to Omaha to meet up with Jess and spend time with her family, I wanted to share the first couple days of my experiences as a celebration and praise.
Dr. Ted Kitchens (Christ Chapel)
My two weeks of training began Monday over a lunch with longtime acquaintance and pastor Ted Kitchens. Having arrived at Christ Chapel just nine months after its inception (over 28 years ago), plus ministry before that, Ted has decades of wisdom and experience, and has seen a church grow from nearly the beginning to one of the biggest, most impacting churches in Fort Worth. I had hoped to meet with Ted to hear about the various aspects of his journey, and while he shared that indeed, the thing I most appreciate about our brief time together is how he “pastured”/shepherded me.
Ted was very encouraging about our journey to this point. He asked many questions about our preparation, plans, structure, leadership, and other church-related questions, but more than that, he asked about me and Jess: our hearts, our marriage, our personal journey toward planting, our motives, and things of that nature. He had a couple of exhortations for me as a young man moving into a weighty role, personally and “professionally,” and I am very appreciative for his willingness to be available for questions and time together, as The City Church works alongside Christ Chapel and other good churches to reach our city for Christ.
Jon Sherman (Trinity Bible Church)
I spent most of my high school years attending a little church in Willow Park, TX called Trinity Bible Church. At the time, it met in what looked like a large living room in what looked like a glorified house on the south side of I-20. Literally my last day attending that church before heading off to college was the first day of Trinity’s new senior pastor, Jon Sherman. Over the past decade, Jon and I have talked a couple times a year, and because of our mutual connection to TCU, have stayed more connected, even in a “one-step-removed” manner.
Jon learned of what we’re doing in downtown Fort Worth and invited me out to Trinity to talk about it. Like Ted Kitchens (above), Jon spoke into various stages of life at Trinity, encouraged me regarding leadership development and patience, relying on God and keeping marriage and rest a priority. He also “kept the door open” for further conversation and prayer, and surprised me by indicating that since Trinity Bible was my “home church” as a kid, and their passion for church planting, they’re willing to partner with us with prayer and some financial support, and an ongoing relationship as “cousin churches!”
I thank God for the vision, wisdom, generosity, encouragement, and partnerships of both these men and the churches they represent, and look forward to joining them in the fight for the Kingdom of God in the city we all love, not that the name of any individual or church might be made great, but for the glory of God alone!
I should mention that also had the opportunity to meet with Aaron Snow (Intentional Gatherings) before I left town, but for the sake of this post’s length and because I’m going to spend more time with him and others in Austin next weekend, I’ll save that discussion for later. The coming posts will cover the first traveling portion of the roadtrip, as I attended a preaching cohort with Matt Chandler and Barry Keldie on Wednesday, then met with two planters in Oklahoma on Thursday. Until then, thanks for your prayers for this trip, and please continue praying for discernment, wisdom, clarity, and direction as we ask questions and learn from folks who have walked this path before us. Thanks!
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