The past two months have been the hardest of my life. My wife and I decided that it was best for me to go to Georgia so that I could get housing lined up and a job before the family came down. So our worship pastor and myself moved here in April. Before this move the longest I had been away from my family was 10 days while speaking at a retreat in Nairobi. That would in no way prepare me for the 55 days of being away from home.
In April I saw my family every two weeks. Then there were 33 days that we were seperated. I have never experienced loneliness like that in my life. You know the kind of loneliness where people can be all around, but you still feel cocooned in a sense of isolation and seperation. I went home last week and brought my family to live with me in Georgia. This week I have felt whole again; "it is not good for man to dwell alone."
I love Georgia, but it wasn't until my family got here that I felt at home. I guess home isn't a location, but a sense you feel when you are surrounded by those who have celebrated victories with you and also haved loved you consistently in spite of your faults. Everybody needs a sense of family. For some family means your wife and kids, or mama & daddy, for others family is that group of friends that have stuck close to you through thick and thin, either way life is richer when lived together. Right now my babies are in bed and Daddy is truley feeling blessed. It's Good to Be Home!
Loving my Father's Day,
-ross
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
Why Plant Another Church Plant?
The following is my response to the question "why [plant another church] so close to other church plants?" ::
Thank you for your response. I'll try to be brief regarding why we chose to come to Woodstock. I was the Sr. Associate Pastor at a church in Ohio for nearly 11 years. I loved it there and actually was back preaching this last Sunday at there three morning services. I really thought I would stay there until the pastor retired and I succeeded him. Everything was perfect nice house nice church etc....but God began to speak to me about coming to the Atlanta area. For over five years I wrestled with this because Atlanta has enough churches. Last summer I knew that I had to take the step and do what God was leading me to do. I did a bunch of research on several counties in the metro area of which Cherokee was not one of them. In August I brought my family to Stone Mountain to camp and everyday we would take off into the areas I researched. we would drive and pray and just try to focus in on what we sensed God leading us to do.
One night we had dinner with an old youth pastor of ours that currently lives in Cherokee County. When we got into the Woodstock area my wife and I both felt like God was up to something. For four days we never said to each other what we were sensing. To be honest I thought we would be closer to the city, if not within the perimeter. When I finally told my wife that I believed Woodstock was where we should be, she expressed her sense of calling to this area as well. Please understand at that time I had not done one demographic study, growth analysis, or searched for church saturation statistics. I just knew that this was where God desired us to be. When I got back home and began to study this area I was blown away by the growth that has occurred and is occurring in Cherokee County.
To leave a successful ministry was not an easy choice, but to not follow the leading of God would be the greater loss. I am a very kingdom minded pastor who celebrates the victories of my fellow pastors. This area is definitely a growing community and it will take many dedicated church plants to successfully reach the people flooding into our neighborhoods and developments. Back home we had 135,000 people in our county and there were a few churches that were over a thousand people in Sunday morning attendance. To be honest I was glad for every church plant that began in our city because even though we had grown to be a fairly large church, I knew we couldn't reach everyone. When one church that had a different style then us related to someone of similar style and they began their journey with Christ that was a victory for "team Jesus". It would be arrogant for me to think that I could reach everyone. We are all doing our part and I believe in that the masses can be reached and God will be pleased.
One of those church plants back home started about 8 years ago. They located themselves less than three miles from us. At that time we had grown to around 350 people. Fast forward 8 years and our Sunday am attendance is between 900-1000. The other church has grown to 2000. Does that mean they are twice as successful and if they would not have planted we would have added a great portion of that number to our rolls? No, we have had people visit us that fit better at the church plant and we have recommended them to check it out. They have done like wise for us. The kingdom expands exponentially through the labors of a variety of churches as they can reach out to a variety of people.
You asked, "why so close to other church plants?" #1 God led us to be here and #2 This is one of the fastest growing communities in the country and it will take us all working together to successfully bring in the harvest. I hate to switch metaphors on you, but here I go. When a boat comes into a harbor all the other boats in the harbor rise. I believe that God has a special plan for this area and with the variety of churches coming into this harbor together we can all expect to rise higher. Lets be faithful to God, faithful to each other, and faithful in our pursuit to reach others so that Jesus will rise up before us and the people of our community will be drawn to Him not any one particular church plant including mine.
"with you on the journey"
-ross
Thank you for your response. I'll try to be brief regarding why we chose to come to Woodstock. I was the Sr. Associate Pastor at a church in Ohio for nearly 11 years. I loved it there and actually was back preaching this last Sunday at there three morning services. I really thought I would stay there until the pastor retired and I succeeded him. Everything was perfect nice house nice church etc....but God began to speak to me about coming to the Atlanta area. For over five years I wrestled with this because Atlanta has enough churches. Last summer I knew that I had to take the step and do what God was leading me to do. I did a bunch of research on several counties in the metro area of which Cherokee was not one of them. In August I brought my family to Stone Mountain to camp and everyday we would take off into the areas I researched. we would drive and pray and just try to focus in on what we sensed God leading us to do.
One night we had dinner with an old youth pastor of ours that currently lives in Cherokee County. When we got into the Woodstock area my wife and I both felt like God was up to something. For four days we never said to each other what we were sensing. To be honest I thought we would be closer to the city, if not within the perimeter. When I finally told my wife that I believed Woodstock was where we should be, she expressed her sense of calling to this area as well. Please understand at that time I had not done one demographic study, growth analysis, or searched for church saturation statistics. I just knew that this was where God desired us to be. When I got back home and began to study this area I was blown away by the growth that has occurred and is occurring in Cherokee County.
To leave a successful ministry was not an easy choice, but to not follow the leading of God would be the greater loss. I am a very kingdom minded pastor who celebrates the victories of my fellow pastors. This area is definitely a growing community and it will take many dedicated church plants to successfully reach the people flooding into our neighborhoods and developments. Back home we had 135,000 people in our county and there were a few churches that were over a thousand people in Sunday morning attendance. To be honest I was glad for every church plant that began in our city because even though we had grown to be a fairly large church, I knew we couldn't reach everyone. When one church that had a different style then us related to someone of similar style and they began their journey with Christ that was a victory for "team Jesus". It would be arrogant for me to think that I could reach everyone. We are all doing our part and I believe in that the masses can be reached and God will be pleased.
One of those church plants back home started about 8 years ago. They located themselves less than three miles from us. At that time we had grown to around 350 people. Fast forward 8 years and our Sunday am attendance is between 900-1000. The other church has grown to 2000. Does that mean they are twice as successful and if they would not have planted we would have added a great portion of that number to our rolls? No, we have had people visit us that fit better at the church plant and we have recommended them to check it out. They have done like wise for us. The kingdom expands exponentially through the labors of a variety of churches as they can reach out to a variety of people.
You asked, "why so close to other church plants?" #1 God led us to be here and #2 This is one of the fastest growing communities in the country and it will take us all working together to successfully bring in the harvest. I hate to switch metaphors on you, but here I go. When a boat comes into a harbor all the other boats in the harbor rise. I believe that God has a special plan for this area and with the variety of churches coming into this harbor together we can all expect to rise higher. Lets be faithful to God, faithful to each other, and faithful in our pursuit to reach others so that Jesus will rise up before us and the people of our community will be drawn to Him not any one particular church plant including mine.
"with you on the journey"
-ross
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