A New Family Found

Sometimes in ministry, there are moments of clarity—moments when the Lord reveals the next step. That was what happened for me at the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting. Let me explain. My home church, Emmaus Redlands, was in the process of sending out a new church plant team. Our team had the advantage of all the systems that Emmaus Redlands spent years building and refining.

We also had the benefit of going through some fairly intensive training in preparation for planting. Essentially what we had before attending Evangel was a well constructed and defined skeleton. But a skeleton, no matter how well put together, is still just a skeleton.

Emmaus Redlands is a suburban church. While I loved the culture and feel of Redlands, it was a far cry from life in San Bernardino, where we would plant the church. We discussed how the differences between the two cities would affect how the new church plant would be shaped, but it was still conceptual. What would it look like to take a Gospel-rich liturgy and culture formed in the suburbs and plant that in an urban, impoverished context? What would it look like to hold tight to those distinguishing characteristics that make us Emmaus while not trying to make San Bernardino into Redlands?

Enter Evangel. We had the opportunity to participate in workshops led by seasoned planters who were passionate about planting in the urban context. We spent time with our teams working through tough questions led by loving and wise mentors. Each team shared what they learned with the other teams. We spent time with brothers and sisters who understood what we were trying to do. We spoke the same language. They were in it with us.

As the weekend went by, the skeleton we started with began to take on flesh. We now had a vision of what Emmaus San Bernardino was going to look and feel like. It became real in all the right ways.

It wasn’t just the clarity and the newly fleshed out vision, it was the relationships. It was the old relationships that were strengthened and the new relationships that were birthed. It was the new-found support system. It was being paired with mentors who would be there for our questions, who would be praying for us and cheering us on. The entire experience was priceless.

The main takeaway our church plant team gained from Evangel was simply this: we are not alone. There are others who have done it and are doing it. Evangel is not only a great program, it is a family. 

Have you seen our latest Bulletin on Evangel? Read it now!