Anchored firmly, its roots reach down for water and intertwine with the roots of other trees, giving the oak resilience through drought, wind, and time.

Shallow-rooted trees may grow quickly, but they are easily toppled. Deep roots make all the difference.

In a world that prizes mobility, productivity, visibility, and endless change, there is a quiet but powerful countercultural choice: putting down roots.

What might happen if ordinary followers of Jesus began planting themselves deeply within the places and relationships God has already given them? What if they learned to recognize their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, affinity groups, and third spaces not simply as places they happen to spend time, but as places of sentness?

Imagine a city where every network of relationships and every neighborhood had a deeply rooted person or family embodying the gospel through presence, demonstration, and proclamation.

Such a movement would bring the Kingdom of God from the grassroots up, creating something like a New Jerusalem within the very heart of Babylon.

At Kansas City Underground, this is our dream:

A disciple-maker on every street and a microchurch in every network of relationships.

That would place a gospel partner in every nook and cranny of our city, joining Jesus in filling that small part of the city with his beauty, justice, and good news.

It is an audacious dream.

A Gospel Presence

What do we mean by a gospel presence?

We mean disciple-makers and microchurches planted deeply within networks of relationships. They become a loving, reconciling, joyful, gracious, and healing presence throughout the city.

They put down roots.

They are not merely passing through a neighborhood or arriving to run a program. They learn people’s names. They listen to stories. They share meals. They show up consistently. They remain long enough to understand both the beauty and the brokenness of a particular place.

This kind of presence usually begins quietly. It is rarely spectacular at first. It may look like becoming a regular at the same coffee shop, sitting with the same parents at youth sporting events, spending time with neighbors around a firepit, or listening carefully to coworkers during lunch.

Rootedness creates relational credibility. Over time, people begin to trust that you are not treating them as a ministry project. You are becoming part of the fabric of their lives.

A Gospel Demonstration

A gospel demonstration makes the Kingdom of God tangible.

It means disciple-makers and microchurches offer selfless service, spiritual families to belong to, and a lived experience of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. They meet practical needs. They welcome people to the table. They pray for healing. They pursue reconciliation. They create communities in which people who have often been overlooked can discover that they are seen, loved, and invited into the life of Jesus.

When you put down roots, eventually the tree grows and fruit begins to appear.

The fruit may be a repaired relationship, a shared meal, a person discovering dignity, an answered prayer, a family finding community, or someone taking their first steps toward Jesus.

The gospel becomes something people can see and experience, not merely an idea they are asked to believe.

A Gospel Proclamation

A gospel presence and demonstration naturally create opportunities for gospel proclamation.

We boldly share the story of Jesus, the story of how Jesus is changing us, and the story of how the gospel changes everything. We do this in ways that are meaningful, contextual, relational, and understandable within each particular space.

Seeds from the tree take flight and land in new soil. By God’s grace, some of those seeds take root.

Inside every seed is the potential for a forest.

This is how a decentralized movement begins to grow. It does not begin primarily with buildings, budgets, branding, or large gatherings. It begins when ordinary disciples become deeply rooted in ordinary places and learn to make disciples there.

Rooted in a Cigar Shop

Jason and Karen Gardner live in Gardner, Kan. They are committed to building relationships and discipling people in the everyday spaces of their lives. One of those places was a local cigar shop.

They became regulars. They learned people’s names. They became friends with the other regulars. They began to put down roots.

They also began in prayer.

One practice we teach is called BLESS Five: Who are five people in your relational world whom God may be inviting you to bless intentionally through prayer, listening, eating, serving, and sharing your story?

Jason and Karen began praying for the people they were encountering. They listened to their stories and engaged them relationally. Small talk gradually became meaningful conversation. Meaningful conversation became spiritual conversation.

Eventually, they began a Discovery Bible Study, creating a space where spiritually curious people could encounter the Word of God and allow the Spirit of God to do what only the Spirit can do.

Two of the men, affectionately known as “the two dads,” surrendered their lives to Jesus. I have a video on my phone of one of them being baptized and another burning the occult objects with which he had been experimenting in a bonfire.

The gospel began to spread through their relationships.

Another couple whom Jason and Karen had welcomed into their lives, Zach and Sandy, were also baptized. Zach now leads a Discovery Bible Study with more than 10 men in his workplace.

Jason and Karen planted themselves in a third space. They listened, prayed, loved, and remained. Over time, seeds from that rooted presence spread into at least three other networks of relationships.

When I imagine that story multiplying throughout Kansas City, my heart explodes with joy.

This is how a city can begin to change through a ground game, a grassroots movement, and the patient fermentation of good things that eventually multiply and run wild.

The Church Becomes Present

Casey is a disciple-maker who is high-functioning on the autism spectrum. His older brother lives at Life Center, a residential home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Casey spent a great deal of time there. Slowly, the Spirit began revealing something to him:

Casey, this is your place of sentness. Can you see where I am already at work here? Join me in what I am doing. Put down your roots here.

Over the next few years, Casey began praying, listening, and engaging. He built friendships with residents and staff. He shared meals, hosted dance parties, made crafts, and became a faithful presence.

Eventually, Casey and his disciple-making partner, Bre, began a Discovery Bible Study.

Discovery Bible Study is a simple, discovery-based approach to scripture in which people explore a biblical passage together. Rather than beginning with an expert providing all the answers, participants learn to listen to the Word, hear the voice of the Spirit, respond in personal obedience, and share what they are learning with others.

Discovery groups often become the womb in which new disciples are born and new microchurches emerge.

This distinction matters deeply.

We do not organize existing Christians into small groups and simply rename them microchurches.

We send ordinary people, often in pairs or small teams, and coach them along a disciple-maker pathway. They plant themselves among an unreached pocket of people. They begin in prayer. They live incarnationally. They love and serve. They plant the gospel. They make disciples.

We do not primarily plant microchurches.

We plant disciple-makers who plant the gospel and make disciples. Microchurches emerge from disciple-making.

Both staff members and residents at Life Center have encountered Jesus and begun following him alongside Casey and Bre. Over time, this new faith community developed regular rhythms of worship, community, and mission.

A microchurch family emerged.

A microchurch is not a miniaturized version of a traditional church. It is an extended spiritual family, led by ordinary people, living in everyday gospel community and owning the mission of Jesus in a particular network or neighborhood.

The Life Center microchurch receives ongoing support from a hub team composed of mature, elder-level equippers who coach, encourage, resource, and provide accountability to the leaders. Decentralization does not have to mean isolation. Healthy microchurches need relational support, spiritual oversight, and connection to a broader family.

Many of the people at Life Center cannot simply “go to church,” but the church is present there.

There are multiple such facilities across Kansas City. Casey and the team are already dreaming about multiplication. God has also raised up another team in a different part of the city with both a deep passion and professional experience among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A more holistic vision for the IDD community of Kansas City is beginning to emerge.

Inside the seed is the potential for the forest.

Consistency in an Inconsistent World

Rick and Alice do not live on the street, but God has given them a deep love for people who do.

They began by helping distribute food, clothing, and other supplies to people experiencing homelessness in downtown Kansas City. But they sensed there was more.

Alice felt the Lord inviting them to prayer walk a particular park. As they prayed, they sensed that they were not only called to meet physical needs, but also to bring the Good News there, offering people an opportunity to see, hear, experience, and respond to Jesus.

They began a weekly Discovery Bible Study in the park.

Over time, Street Church emerged.

The people living in and around the park know they can count on Rick and Alice to be there every Friday afternoon with food, drinks, a listening ear, and some good news, and in-between. They gather weekly in the rain, cold, or heat because the members of this emerging spiritual family have very little consistency in their lives.  But, it’s more than a weekly meeting, Rick and Alice want to become that consistent presence in the name of Jesus.

They are putting down roots among people who are often treated as though they have no roots and no place to belong.

A Microchurch at the Rodeo

Chad grew up in rodeo culture. When his daughter wanted to participate in youth rodeo, Chad and Allison began spending their weekends traveling through Kansas on the youth rodeo circuit.

They soon found themselves among what Chad affectionately describes as a kind of gypsy tribe: approximately two hundred riders, parents, siblings, and families traveling from one rodeo to the next.

Chad and Allison began recognizing this community as their place of sentness.

They prayed. They listened to the stories of the families around them. They understood the culture because it was part of Chad’s own story. They opened their table, shared meals, served without strings attached, and became Jesus-shaped people within that relational network.

Eventually, Chad was invited to serve on the board of the youth rodeo association.

Their rooted presence created trust. Trust opened the door for spiritual conversations. Spiritual conversations led to people following Jesus. They have now baptized thirty-one people in horse troughs at rodeos, and a new microchurch family has emerged within the youth rodeo community.

They did not build a church and ask the rodeo community to come to it.

The church became present within the rodeo through an incarnational way of life, they planted the gosepl, made new disciples and a new extended spiritual family, under the Lordship of Jesus, grew and multiplied.

Every Nook and Cranny

We have seen microchurches emerge among people experiencing homelessness in encampments, single mothers, high school students, new suburban neighborhoods, urban neighborhoods, Algerian refugees, travel baseball leagues, artists, adults with intellectual disabilities, rodeo families, and people living inside a maximum-security prison.

These expressions may be geographically focused, taking root in a specific apartment complex, neighborhood, park, or housing development. Others are affinity-focused, growing among people connected through a workplace, shared interest, cultural identity, or common experience.

Both approaches begin with the same fundamental questions:

Where has God already placed us?

Among whom is the Spirit already at work?

What would it mean to become a faithful gospel presence there?

Microchurch planting creates opportunities to reach smaller relational pockets that centralized church structures may struggle to engage. Because microchurches are relatively simple and low-cost, ordinary people can integrate disciple-making into everyday life without first acquiring a building, raising a large budget, or becoming professional clergy.

But simplicity does not mean there are no challenges.

Families with young children may need help developing rhythms that allow everyone to participate meaningfully. New leaders need coaching, theological formation, encouragement, and accountability. As a decentralized movement grows, communication, coordination, and organizational support become increasingly important.

This is why healthy decentralized movements require both grassroots missionary activity and strong equipping systems. Microchurch leaders need spiritual families of their own. They need hubs, coaches, elders, and fellow practitioners who can help them remain rooted in Jesus, healthy in their relationships, and faithful to the mission. The goal is interdependence without unnecessary institutional weight.

The Patient Work of Rootedness

Microchurch planting is not primarily an event-driven strategy. It is relational, reproducible, and patient. Rather than gathering people into a centralized expression and then attempting to start a church, we begin with the people and the place. We discover where God is already at work and join him there.

We prioritize disciple-making and multiplication over gathering and accumulation.

Presence over programs.

Mission over models.

Over time, disciple-makers form spiritual families. Those spiritual families are supported by decentralized hub teams that equip, coach, convene, and provide accountability. What gradually emerges is a network of microchurches woven together into a citywide mission of gospel saturation.

Rather than see the church as one large congregation in one building, we see the church as a distributed network of God’s kids on mission in every street, every relational network, every neighborhood, and every people group having access to the beauty, justice, and good news of Jesus.

This kind of movement cannot be rushed.

It requires prayer, listening, presence, patience, and the willingness to remain. It requires people who will choose depth over visibility and rootedness over constant mobility.

Shallow roots may produce quick growth, but they rarely withstand the storm.

Deep roots make all the difference and inside every deeply rooted disciple-maker is the potential for another disciple, another spiritual family, another microchurch, and eventually an entire forest.

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 119

Series: Urban Missions 101: Why America’s Cities Need Missionaries Too

Description:

Why do we often think of missions as something that only happens overseas? In this episode, Dhati Lewis is joined by Missie Branch and Isaac Badaraco to help us rethink America’s cities as strategic mission fields and see urban missionaries through a new lens. Together, they explore the realities of staying rooted in difficult contexts, the calling and sacrifice required for long-term ministry, and the support urban missionaries need to faithfully serve where God has placed them.

This conversation is part of a collaboration between Exponential NEXT and MyBLVD, working together to equip and encourage leaders serving on mission in cities across the country.

Host:

Dhati Lewis – Urban Missions NEXT, Director

Guests:

Missie Branch – MyBLVD, CEO

Isaac Badaraco – One Life Christian Church (Long Island), Pastor

Category: Urban Missions NEXT

Years ago, my husband and I visited a family from our church who had moved overseas to live and serve in a local community. They had intentionally settled into the neighborhood, found jobs, built friendships, and became part of everyday life. 

As they drove us through the area, every street held another story. They pointed out families they had come to know, conversations that had changed them, and the unexpected ways they had seen God at work. There was laughter, hope, and genuine affection for the people who had become their neighbors.

At one point we drove past a small coffee shop. 

“This is one of my favorite places,” our friend said. “I come here often to meet people, listen to their stories, and learn from them.” 

Then he mentioned that another missionary couple lived just across the street. A few weeks earlier, he had read their newsletter. It described the very same neighborhood. But instead of stories about people, it featured photos of a trash heap and focused on the poverty, the garbage, and how unfriendly the people were.

Two families. The same streets. The same neighbors. Yet two completely different stories. One saw beauty where another saw brokenness. One noticed possibility where another documented problems. I’ve never forgotten that contrast because it continues to ask me a question:

What am I looking for?

How do I see my own community? When I walk through my neighborhood, do I first notice what is broken? Or do I notice the people? Do I see dignity before dysfunction? Possibility before problems? What stories am I sharing? Do I expect to discover where God is already at work, or do I assume He is waiting for me to bring Him there?

The truth is, how we see people shapes how we treat them. How we listen shapes what we learn. How we engage shapes the stories we tell. Peacemaking is not simply something we do. It is a way of seeing. A way of living. A way of entering the world through the eyes and heart of Jesus. Perhaps that’s where every church plant truly begins. Jesus understood something we often forget: before He taught His disciples how to proclaim the Kingdom, He taught them how to enter a community.

In Luke 10, when Jesus sends out the 72, He doesn’t gather them to explain how to build a ministry, grow a following, or launch a successful movement. Instead, He prepares them for something even more important: the kind of people they must become.

Imagine standing there that day, listening to His final instructions. You might expect Him to talk about strategy, leadership, communication, influence, or measurable outcomes.

Remember when Jesus told them, “When you go to that town, it is large enough that you should be able to reach at least five families. Once they come to faith, build on that momentum and continue multiplying your impact.” 

We don’t remember that part of the story. Because… Jesus never said it!  But it’s often how we think. 

He never began with numbers, metrics, or measurable success. He began with their hearts. Instead, He spoke about peace. Hospitality. Humility. Dependence. Staying. Eating. Listening. Healing. His instructions were remarkably ordinary: Go. Bless. Offer peace. Receive hospitality. Stay. Eat what is set before you. Heal those who are hurting. Announce that the Kingdom of God has come near.

The more I sit with Luke 10, the more I’m struck by what Jesus didn’t emphasize. He wasn’t dismissing fruitfulness; He was redefining the path to it. Before He cared about what His disciples would accomplish, He cared about how they would enter the lives of others. Before He focused on outcomes, He focused on character. Before He sent them to build anything, He formed them to embody the peace of the Kingdom.

Perhaps that’s because Jesus knew something we are still learning: The Kingdom grows differently than we often expect.

See Differently. Become Differently. Enter Differently. Lead Differently.

These aren’t ministry strategies. They’re the posture of a person of peace.

Jesus didn’t first send His disciples to build churches. He sent them to cultivate peace. Churches simply became the natural outcome wherever that peace took root.

Jesus never tells them to look for converts. He tells them to look for a person of peace. That is a profound distinction. The first assignment isn’t to persuade someone. It’s to discover someone. That completely changes the posture. Instead of asking, Who will listen to me? they ask, Who has God already been preparing? Instead of arriving with an agenda, they arrive with curiosity. Instead of assuming they’re bringing God to a place, they expect to discover that God has already gone ahead of them.

I think this is one of the most beautiful dynamics in church planting. It changes how we see neighborhoods, how we meet people, and even how we understand the mission itself.

1. See Differently: The Lens

Before Jesus changed what His disciples would do, He changed how they would see.

No one enters a community with a blank slate. We all carry assumptions shaped by our experiences, fears, disappointments, successes, theology, and culture. Those lenses influence what we notice and just as importantly, what we overlook.

Jesus knew this. If we see people as projects, we’ll try to manage them. If we see them as problems, we’ll rush to fix them. If we see them as opportunities, we may unintentionally use them. But if we see them as people deeply loved by God – image bearers with stories, gifts, wounds, and immeasurable dignity – we begin to enter their lives differently.

That is why I find Jesus’ instructions in Luke 10 so remarkable. He doesn’t tell the 72 to look for the biggest crowd, the greatest need, or the most influential person in town. He tells them to look for peace. More specifically, He tells them to look for a person of peace.

I’ve often wondered why. Perhaps because Jesus knew that what we look for is usually what we find. If we go looking for everything that’s broken, we will certainly find it. We will find division, loneliness, injustice, addiction, and every reason to believe a community is beyond hope. But if we begin looking for where God is already at work, we discover something altogether different.

We notice the people quietly bringing life to their neighborhoods. The trusted teacher. The barber who knows everyone’s story. The grandmother who welcomes every child. The coffee shop owner creating a place where strangers become friends.

Suddenly, we begin seeing signs of the Kingdom already breaking through. That changes the question. Instead of asking, How do we get people to join what we’re building? we begin asking, Where has God already gone before us, and how can we join Him?

That question changes everything. It changes how we pray. How we listen. How we walk through a neighborhood. How we introduce ourselves. How we tell the story of a community. Shalom has never simply meant the absence of conflict. It is the presence of wholeness, right relationships, restoration, and human flourishing.

That means every community – no matter how fractured, still bears traces of God’s goodness. Our first calling is not to bring God where He has been absent. It is to recognize where He has already gone ahead of us. Perhaps the first act of church planting is not preaching. Perhaps it is learning to see through the eyes of Jesus.

Practice

Before you pray for your community this week, take a slow walk through your neighborhood. Resist the urge to evaluate. Instead, simply notice.

Ask God three questions:

• Where do You already see beauty here?
• Who is quietly bringing life to this community?
• What have I been overlooking because I wasn’t looking for it?

You may discover that God has been working there long before you arrived.

2. Become Differently: The Formation

Every church planter wants to make a difference. You prepare sermons. You build teams. You develop vision statements, launch strategies, and ministry plans. You spend countless hours thinking about the church you hope to build. But Jesus begins somewhere else.

Who are you becoming?

Long before He entrusted His disciples with a mission, He invited them into a way of life. He didn’t simply prepare them to proclaim the Kingdom. He formed them to reflect it. I wonder how often we prepare our ministries more intentionally than we prepare our own souls.

Churches rarely grow beyond the spiritual maturity of those who lead them. They often become an extension of what their leaders celebrate, fear, avoid, and embody. What if, instead, people encountered a different kind of presence? Not because we had all the answers. Not because we were impressive. But because they experienced the peace of Christ in us. That is the work of formation.

Formation is the lifelong process of abiding with Jesus until His life becomes increasingly visible in ours. Peace isn’t something we manufacture through effort. It is the fruit of a life rooted in Christ. Perhaps that’s why the Beatitudes continue to challenge me. 

Jesus never said, Blessed are the successful. Blessed are the influential. Blessed are the persuasive. He said, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

That isn’t simply a description of what peacemakers do. It is a description of who they resemble. Children reflect the character of their Father. Peacemakers reflect the heart of God. Before asking whether our communities trust us, perhaps we should ask a more personal question: Would the people closest to me describe me as a person of peace? Not because I avoid conflict. But because I help restore relationships. Because I listen before I speak. Because I choose curiosity over judgment. Because people leave conversations with greater dignity than when they entered them.

As I reflect on my own life, I find myself returning to questions that are less about ministry and more about becoming:

• When I walk into a room, does anxiety rise or fall?
• Do people feel safer because I am present?
• Am I more committed to understanding than to being understood?
• Can someone disagree with me and still experience honor and dignity?
• Is my life becoming recognizable by the peace of Christ?

These questions aren’t meant to produce guilt. They are invitations. Because the church we plant will always reflect the people we are becoming. Long before Christ builds His church through us, He is forming Christ within us. Perhaps that is the first and most important work of every church planter.

3. Enter Differently: The Posture

Once Jesus had reshaped how His disciples saw the world and who they were becoming, He sent them. Not as experts. Not as celebrities. Not as consumers. But as neighbors.

Notice how ordinary His instructions are in Luke 10. Stay. Eat. Receive hospitality. Listen. Heal. Bless. Jesus wasn’t teaching them how to launch a ministry. He was teaching them how to enter people’s lives. 

Church planters often ask, “How quickly can we launch?”

Jesus seemed more interested in asking, “How deeply can you love the people who are already there?” 

That changes our posture. We move from introducing ourselves to becoming known. From building a platform to building trust. From inviting people to our church to first becoming part of the neighborhood. Perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask isn’t, How do we reach our community? It’s, How does our community experience us?

When people encounter us, do they experience hurry or presence? Certainty or curiosity? An agenda or genuine friendship? The way we enter a community often determines whether people will trust the message we eventually share. Long before they hear the gospel from our lips, they experience it through our lives. People experience the gospel before they understand it. 

Peace is not something we bring to people from a distance. It is something we cultivate with people as neighbors in proximity.

4. Lead Differently: The Church That Emerges

Every church eventually becomes known for something. Its preaching. Its worship. Its programs. Its theology. Its influence. But what if Jesus had something deeper in mind? What if the defining characteristic of a church wasn’t what happened on Sunday, but what happened throughout the week in the neighborhood?

Leadership is always forming a culture. Whether we intend to or not, people begin reflecting what we celebrate. If we value influence above relationship, our churches will do the same. If we move quickly, they will move quickly. If we become defensive, they will become defensive.

But if we embody the way of peace, something different begins to emerge. We create communities where people are genuinely seen. Where curiosity is stronger than judgment. Where disagreements don’t destroy relationships. Where confession is normal, repair is expected, hospitality is practiced, and every person is treated with dignity because every person bears the image of God.

Imagine someone in your community saying, “I don’t believe everything they believe, but I’ve never doubted that they love us.” Perhaps that is one of the most compelling witnesses the Church can offer today. Five years from now, the greatest compliment your church may receive won’t be that you have amazing preaching or you have incredible worship. Perhaps it will simply be, “They made our neighborhood better.” Not because they had all the answers. Because they listened. They served. They celebrated what was already beautiful. They became trusted friends. They made the peace of Jesus visible. That is the kind of Church our communities long for, whether they know it or not.

Church planting is not first an act of construction. It is an act of incarnation.

Jesus moved into the neighborhood. He listened. He noticed. He stayed. He loved. He brought peace. And then He invited people into the Kingdom. Perhaps that’s still the way He plants His Church today.

Conclusion

Church planting has never been only about planting churches. It has always been about revealing the Kingdom. Jesus did not arrive announcing a strategy. He moved into the neighborhood. He learned people’s names. He shared meals. He listened more than He lectured. He noticed those everyone else overlooked. He restored dignity before He restored reputations. He brought peace wherever He went. Then He invited people to follow Him.

Perhaps we’ve made church planting and building churches more complicated than Jesus ever intended. Perhaps the first sermon people hear is not one that is preached. It is the way we love our neighbors. Perhaps the first evidence of the Kingdom is not found inside a worship gathering. It is found on front porches. Across dinner tables. In coffee shops. On neighborhood walks. In the ordinary places where trust is built one conversation at a time.

Long before people believe what we believe, they decide whether they can trust the kind of people we are becoming. So maybe the question isn’t, How do we plant a successful church? Maybe the question Jesus is still asking is,

When people experience you, do they experience Me?

Because in the end, people may forget our vision statements. They may even forget many of the sermons preached. But they will never forget how they experienced us. Did they feel seen? Did they feel valued? Did they feel safe? Did they feel loved? Did they encounter people who listened before they spoke, honored before they judged, and served before they were served? Did they experience, if only for a moment, the peace of Jesus made visible?

Church planting is not simply about gathering people into a building. It is about forming people who carry the presence and peace of Christ into every neighborhood, coffee shop, school, workplace, and home they enter. Because the Church is never more believable than when people experience Jesus before they fully understand Him.

Long before they embrace our message, they encounter our lives. Long before they trust our church, they decide whether they can trust the kind of people we are becoming. So perhaps the first seed we plant is not a congregation. Perhaps it is peace. A peace that sees differently. A peace that becomes differently. A peace that enters differently. A peace that leads differently. Wherever the peace of Christ becomes visible, the Kingdom becomes believable. 

“They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former devastations; they will renew the ruined cities…” Isaiah 61:4  

Everyone loves the story of a new church beginning. 

We celebrate launch  Sundays, vision nights, innovative ministry models, and rapid  multiplication. We applaud those willing to step into difficult places with bold faith and we should. The church needs pioneers who are willing to go. But I wonder if we’ve unintentionally neglected another kind of  faithfulness: the faithfulness of staying. What about the pastor who  spends 30 years loving one neighborhood? The missionary who quietly  serves the same people for decades? The church planter who never plants  a second church because God called him to spend his life shepherding the  first one? Those stories rarely make conference stages, but I believe  heaven celebrates them. 

Church Planting and Staying Are Not Opposites  

Before I go any further, let me be clear: I love church planting. I’m a church  planter. Providence Church Coatesville exists today because God called a  team of us to plant a new church in the city we love. I thank God for every  

pastor, missionary, and church planter who courageously leaves the  familiar to take the gospel where Christ has not yet been named. We need  more of them. But this isn’t an argument against multiplication. It’s an  argument for a fuller vision of it. 

One of the greatest ways the Kingdom multiplies isn’t simply by constantly moving on to the next assignment. It’s by remaining long enough for deep roots to grow. Healthy churches produce mature disciples. Mature disciples become faithful leaders.  Faithful leaders plant churches, strengthen ministries, and raise up the next generation. Some of the most significant multiplication happens  because someone chose to stay. Perhaps we have spent so much time celebrating those who go that we’ve forgotten to honor those whom God calls to remain. The church needs both. We need pioneers willing to break new ground, and we need shepherds willing to faithfully tend that ground  for decades to come. 

Faithfulness Is Measured by Obedience, Not Years 

Longevity by itself is not a virtue. Some people spend decades in one  place and accomplish very little. Others, like the Apostle Paul, faithfully  served in many places because that was God’s calling. Length of service  is not the measure of faithfulness. Obedience is. There is no ideal place to serve Christ except the place He has called you. For some, that  calling lasts a season. For others, it lasts a lifetime. 

The question isn’t,  “How long have you been there?” The better question is, “Are you still where God has called you to be?” 

Eugene Peterson famously described discipleship as “a long obedience in the same direction” (A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, InterVarsity Press, 1980). While he was writing about the Christian life as a whole, the phrase beautifully captures faithful ministry as well. Many of God’s greatest works are accomplished not through constant movement, but through steadfast perseverance. 

A Calling to One City  

My parents, Jack and Sue Crans, answered that question more than 50  years ago. My Dad began serving as chaplain of the Chester County  Prison in 1972. In 1980, he founded the City Gate Rescue Mission. 

Five  years later, they established County Corrections Gospel Mission (CCGM), reaching incarcerated men and women, returning citizens, struggling families, and neighborhoods throughout the city of Coatesville,  Pennsylvania. They started children’s Bible clubs in the Oak Street  Housing Projects. They developed the Camp at Old Mill, where thousands  of children have heard the gospel, pastors have been refreshed, and  ministry leaders from around the world continue to gather for equipping,  retreat, and renewal. None of those ministries were built overnight. They  were built one faithful day at a time. I joined the staff of CCGM in 2003.  

More than 20 years later, my wife, Jordan, and I continue serving the  same city. Jordan serves as Executive Director of the Bridge Academy &  Community Center, and I have the privilege of pastoring Providence  Church Coatesville. We’re raising our children here and investing our lives  here. Not because Coatesville is easy, but because this is where Jesus  called us. 

Loving a City That Doesn’t Fit the Brochure  

Coatesville isn’t the kind of city most people dream about moving into. Like many post-industrial communities across America, it carries deep  wounds: generational poverty, underperforming schools, broken families,  violence, addiction, incarceration, and hopelessness. The needs are  overwhelming, and the work is often slow. The victories can be difficult to see. 

Urban ministry has a way of stripping away every romantic notion you  brought with you. Many people love the idea of the city, but far fewer actually love the city God sends them to. There is a significant  difference. It’s one thing to be fascinated by urban ministry. It’s another  thing to faithfully love the people on your block after 20 years. 

Why So Many Leaders Leave  

It’s not difficult to understand why urban ministry has such a high turnover  rate. The financial pressures are real. Many churches cannot adequately  support their pastors, forcing leaders into bi-vocational ministry while  trying to shepherd people well. The emotional burden is relentless. You  don’t simply hear about trauma, you walk through it with people. Relationships are difficult to sustain because cities are constantly  changing. Families move. Housing changes. Communities shift. Just as  trust begins to deepen, someone relocates. Even raising a family presents  difficult questions about schools, safety, housing, and opportunity. None of this is theoretical. It’s everyday ministry, and that’s exactly why so many leave. 

The Difference Between Visiting and Dwelling  

One of the great dangers facing the church today is that we’ve become fascinated with cities without becoming committed to them. We love  the vision. We admire the diversity. We talk about urban renewal. But  biblical ministry has always been more than strategy, it is incarnation.  

Jesus didn’t simply visit humanity. He entered it. He moved into the  neighborhood. Long-term ministry follows that same pattern. Eventually  the city stops being your ministry assignment and becomes your home.  The people stop becoming projects and become family. You stop asking,  “How do I change this city?” Instead, you begin asking, “How do I faithfully love these people today?”  

Sometimes Faithfulness Means Staying  

The Apostle Paul is often remembered for constantly moving from city to  city, planting churches across the Roman world. Yet even Paul understood  that every ministry required people who would remain. When false  teaching threatened the church in Ephesus, Paul urged Timothy, “As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus…” (1 Timothy 1:3). Timothy wasn’t sent somewhere new. He was called to stay, to  shepherd, teach sound doctrine, confront error, and patiently strengthen the church. Some are called to go. Others are called to remain. Both  require courage. Both are missionary callings. 

Rebuilding Takes Time  

One of my favorite pictures of faithful leadership is Nehemiah. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he found broken walls, burned gates, opposition, discouragement, and people who had grown accustomed to living among the ruins. Sound familiar? He didn’t run from the difficulty. He didn’t search for an easier assignment. He rebuilt stone by stone, day after day. 

Opposition never convinced him that God had called him somewhere else. Likewise, Isaiah looked forward to a day when God’s redeemed people would “rebuild the ancient ruins” and “restore the places long devastated.” That kind of work requires more than vision. It requires rootedness. Cities are rarely transformed by quick fixes. They’re transformed by generations of faithful believers who refuse to abandon them. 

Staying Builds Trust  

One of the greatest gifts you can give a community is your presence. Over time, people notice. They realize you aren’t simply passing through.  You’re staying and that changes everything. Your sermons carry greater  weight. Your prayers become more trusted. Your invitations become more  meaningful. People begin to believe your love because they’ve watched it  over years, not months. The city slowly realizes, “They’re not leaving.” Trust is earned over years, not through events, programs, or one-time  outreaches. 

Build Something That Outlives You  

Looking back, I realize my parents weren’t merely building ministries. They were laying foundations. Today, Providence Church partners with  ministries they began decades ago. The Bridge Academy serves families  because faithful people stayed. The Camp at Old Mill continues reaching  children because faithful people stayed. County Corrections Gospel  Mission continues serving incarcerated men and women because faithful  people stayed. None of us are starting from scratch. We’re standing on  someone else’s faithfulness. That should humble every church planter. Our greatest contribution may not be what we build during our lifetime. It may be the foundation we leave for the next generation. 

Stay 

Not because staying is easy. Not because longevity is impressive. Not because every difficult season simply needs to be endured. Stay because Jesus has called you. Stay long enough to know your neighbors by name. Stay long enough that your city no longer wonders whether you love it. Before you assume God is calling you somewhere else, ask a different question: Have I finished the work He gave me to do here? Our cities don’t merely need more church planters. They need shepherds. They need fathers and mothers in the faith. They need leaders who will patiently love one place, one people, and one community with gospel-shaped  endurance. The walls of Jerusalem weren’t rebuilt by people passing  through. Neither will the broken places in our cities. Perhaps one of the  greatest missionary strategies for our generation is beautifully simple. Stay where God plants you. 

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 118

Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church

Description:

In this episode of Candid Conversations About Women and the Church, Andrea Chung shares her inspiring journey into ministry. She reflects on how a gentle prompting from God during a college summer break opened the door to a life of serving others, and how the faithful legacy of her father’s ministry helped shape her calling. Andrea also shares about planting and leading a church in Orange County, California alongside her husband, Will, offering encouragement to those seeking to faithfully follow God’s leading wherever He calls.

Hosts:

Sue Ferguson – Women NEXT, Co-Director

Noemi Chavez – Women NEXT, Co-Director

Guest:

Andrea Chung – Beloved Church, Co-Lead Pastor

Category: Women NEXT

Across communities like ours, there are millions of educated, successful, thoughtful people who haven’t stopped asking spiritual questions. They’ve simply stopped believing the local church is the place to ask them. Some quietly walked away after painful church experiences. Others watched their faith slowly unravel in college classrooms, online conversations, or through the ordinary complexity of life. Many haven’t rejected Jesus at all. They’ve rejected the version of Christianity they’ve encountered.

For years, we watched the church work incredibly hard to make Sunday gatherings more engaging, more excellent, more compelling. Those things matter. We care deeply about excellence ourselves. But somewhere along the way, we became convinced that production wasn’t the problem we were trying to solve.

The deeper question was this: What if the local church was the first place that came to mind when someone had questions about their life and faith? What if a person wrestling with doubt instinctively thought of a church before they thought of Reddit, YouTube, or TikTok? What if people could bring their hardest questions without feeling like they first needed to hide them?

That conviction became the foundation of Nuvo Church. Our mission has always been simple: creating space for people to explore and experience Jesus.

When we planted, I assumed the greatest challenge would be figuring out how to reach skeptical people. Five years later, we’ve learned something different. Reaching skeptical people was never primarily an evangelism challenge. It was a leadership challenge. Creating a church where people feel safe enough to explore Jesus first required us to become the kind of leaders who could build that kind of culture – and that discovery has shaped everything since.

What Has Happened Since: We Learned That Questions Were Never the Problem

When we planted Nuvo, we believed there were far more people interested in exploring Jesus than the church often assumed. Five years later, we’re even more convinced of that. We’ve watched people who described themselves as agnostic get baptized. We’ve seen families who had quietly drifted from faith begin rebuilding spiritual rhythms around a kitchen table. We’ve celebrated stories of addiction overcome, marriages restored, kids discovering faith for the first time, and adults rediscovering a Jesus they thought they had left behind years ago.

Those stories matter deeply. But if we’re honest, they weren’t the biggest surprise. The biggest surprise was discovering that the barriers keeping people from Jesus weren’t the barriers we expected.

Early on, we assumed skepticism was primarily an intellectual challenge. We thought people needed better answers to better questions. What we discovered was far more personal. Many people weren’t carrying philosophical objections nearly as much as they were carrying disappointment.

Those conversations reshaped how we thought about ministry. Instead of asking, “How do we answer every objection?” we began asking, “What kind of church would someone trust enough to share the objection in the first place?” That subtle shift changed more than our communication. It changed our culture. Every honest question meant someone hadn’t stopped searching. Every difficult conversation became an opportunity to build trust instead of simply providing information.

Over time, we also realized that hospitality extends far beyond coffee, parking teams, or a welcoming smile at the front door. Hospitality became the posture of our entire church. Hospitality is someone who disagrees with us and still feeling honored by the people of our church. Can someone wrestle with faith without feeling rushed? In many ways, hospitality became our apologetic… not because relationships replace truth, but because relationships often determine whether someone is willing to keep listening long enough to discover it.

We also became convinced that reaching skeptical people isn’t about minimizing theology. In fact, we found the opposite to be true. People weren’t asking for a shallower faith. They were looking for a faith strong enough to withstand honest scrutiny, one that could confidently proclaim the historic Christian faith while remaining humble enough to admit that not every question has a simple answer.

Perhaps the greatest shift, though, was realizing that our responsibility was never to convince people Christianity is true. Our responsibility was to remove as many unnecessary obstacles as possible so people could encounter Jesus for themselves. For years, we assumed our job was moving people toward Jesus. Increasingly, we’ve come to believe much of our work is removing whatever keeps people from seeing Him clearly. It’s a subtle, but powerful shift in approach. Sometimes those obstacles are intellectual. More often, they’re relational: fear, shame, distrust, past experience, misunderstanding, or simply the assumption that church isn’t a place where someone like them could belong.

When those barriers fall away, something beautiful happens. People don’t simply become more open to church. They become more open to Jesus. Creating space for people to explore faith was never about lowering the bar of discipleship. It’s about removing everything that unnecessarily obscures the One we’re inviting people to follow.

Lessons Learned: The Church We Were Building Was Also Building Us

One of the assumptions we carried into church planting was that if we could better understand skeptical people, we’d become better at reaching them. That certainly proved true. But what surprised us was that God seemed just as interested in shaping us as He was in shaping the church we were planting. The vision never changed. We still wanted to create space for people to explore and experience Jesus. What changed was our understanding of what kind of leadership that vision required.

Your first strategy usually isn’t your final strategy. 

Like most church plants, we began with our plans. We had developed launch strategies, communication plans, discipleship pathways, assumptions about what would resonate with the people we hoped to reach. But before we ever even moved to the city, COVID adjusted everything we had planned to set into motion. We built digitally before we ever met in person. We cold called people in our city and built a launch team of people before we ever arrived in Columbus. We often asked, “What’s the best bad idea we can come up with?” and then acted in faith. 

Some of those ideas worked. Some didn’t. Over time we realized that healthy leadership isn’t defined by protecting yesterday’s strategy. It’s defined by protecting the mission while continually rethinking the methods. 

The mission never changed: creating space for people to explore and experience Jesus. The methods changed constantly, and church planting taught us to hold our convictions tightly and our strategies loosely. Our first strategy was never meant to be our final one. It was simply our first act of obedience.

Leadership is emotional stewardship. 

Perhaps the greatest leadership lesson had nothing to do with preaching, vision casting, or organizational strategy. It had everything to do with emotional health. People borrow far more than a leader’s vision. They borrow a leader’s emotional posture. If leaders become defensive, organizations eventually become defensive. 

If leaders become anxious, anxiety quietly spreads through the culture. We discovered that creating a church where skeptical people feel emotionally safe begins with leaders who are emotionally healthy themselves. That doesn’t mean pretending everything is okay. It means refusing to let fear become contagious, and absorbing ambiguity without transferring the weight of uncertainty. 

There were seasons when plans changed, when doors closed, when the future felt unclear. I could tell you the story of a Saturday night we found out the roof collapsed in our venue and we pivoted to go portable in two weeks. Our people didn’t expect perfection. They simply needed leaders who kept believing God’s faithfulness was greater than our uncertainty.

Faithfulness usually looks less impressive than we imagine. 

When people picture church planting, they picture launch Sundays, packed rooms, and remarkable stories of growth. Those moments are beautiful, but they aren’t where all ministry happens. The ministry that multiplies is what happens person to person. One of our values is: One person at a time. 

No matter how much we scale, the focus becomes faithfulness with the person in front of me. When you lead and develop an army of people, volunteers, and staff who are focused on the person in front of them, authentic ministry becomes contagious. It expands and culture expands in very formative ways. These ordinary moments became the places where God quietly did extraordinary work.

Resilience allows us to experience the miraculous. 

If you had asked us five years ago what would most shape Nuvo Church, we probably would have pointed to a ministry model, a communication strategy, or a different approach to reaching the skeptic.

Today, our answer is very different. It is resilience.

Not resilience defined as stubborn determination or simply refusing to quit. Rather, resilience became the discipline of continuing to trust God without allowing uncertainty to determine who we became. 

Church planting has a way of confronting every illusion of control. There were seasons when plans changed overnight. Doors we expected to open remained firmly shut. Opportunities disappeared. The future often felt less certain than we wanted it to. In those moments, we discovered that resilience isn’t pretending everything is okay. It’s choosing not to surrender hope before God has finished writing the story.

One idea has quietly become a guiding conviction for our leadership team:

We will refuse to narrate our future through the lens of our current circumstances.

That isn’t positive thinking. It is our theology. Because if Jesus really is building His church, then today’s obstacles never get the final word. That conviction reshaped the way we led. We realized that one of the greatest responsibilities of leadership isn’t simply making decisions. It’s helping people interpret reality.

Every church eventually walks through seasons that don’t make immediate sense. When they do, people rarely ask, “What happened?” The questions seem to weigh much more.

Leadership is the ministry of interpretation. It’s helping people interpret present circumstances through the faithfulness of God rather than interpreting God’s faithfulness through present circumstances. Instead of simply communicating information, we continually tell the story of what we believe God was doing beneath the surface.

People don’t simply need direction. They need perspective. And maybe that’s where resilience becomes so important. Without resilience, it’s easy to assume that every closed door is failure. Every delay is God’s absence. Every disappointment is the end of the story. But resilient leaders leave room for mystery. 

That mystery paves the way for faith… especially within the skeptic. It leaves room for an all-powerful God to still surprise us beyond the ordinary. 

Looking back, some of the moments that felt most disappointing at the time eventually became the very places where we experienced God’s faithfulness most clearly. Not because every circumstance suddenly became easy. But because resilience kept us in the story long enough to watch God write the next chapter.

I’ve become convinced that many leaders miss the miraculous because they leave too early. Not necessarily by resigning. Sometimes they leave emotionally. They become cynical. Protective. Reactive. They stop expecting God to move before He actually does.

Resilience refuses to do that. Resilience continues showing up. It keeps believing that obedience is never wasted, even when the outcome isn’t immediately visible. And something remarkable happens when the people of a church embrace God in that way. Faith becomes contagious.

People begin to notice that confidence remains even when certainty doesn’t. They see leaders who acknowledge reality without surrendering to it. Over time, resilience itself becomes part of the church’s witness. Because in a culture increasingly defined by anxiety, outrage, and fear, a community that quietly trusts God through uncertainty points people toward something entirely different.

Toward a Savior who has always been and will forever be faithful.

Looking Ahead: Building the Table

About two years ago, in the middle of season of uncertainty, I found myself feeling the weight of leadership. Like many church planters, I had quietly started carrying the pressure of believing that somehow this all depended on us. As I sat there, an unexpected memory came rushing back.

Years ago, when our oldest son Henry was about two years old, I was repairing an old table in our house. He wandered into the room wearing a sideways baseball hat, a diaper, and a pacifier, completely convinced he was there to help. He grabbed a drill that was far too big for him. He picked up screws. He held pieces together. Honestly… he mostly, he slowed me down. 

Objectively, the project would have been finished much faster without him. But that’s never what I remember. I remember building the table with my son. I remember watching him smile every time he contributed. I remember how much joy there was in simply doing it together.

Sitting there years later, God gently reminded me that I had forgotten something. Somewhere along the way, I had begun treating church planting like a project I was responsible for completing rather than an invitation to join Him in His work. That realization changed something in me. Jesus never said, “Go build my church.” He said, “I will build my church.” Our invitation is different. Our invitation is to faithfully join Him. 

For the Christian entrepreneur or church planter, God has invited you to build with Him. All of the pressure you feel to produce becomes overshadowed by the privilege of participating with your Heavenly Father. The joy in the work is to be found with the gratitude of understanding that what you are trying to carry is His, but He wants to carry it with you. 

What’s Next For Nuvo

My prayer is that, by 2030, Nuvo has grown far beyond what we can imagine… not simply because more people attend our services, but because we’ve become the kind of church people long to be part of. I hope we’ve developed leaders who instinctively lead with both conviction and compassion. Leaders who are courageous enough to create spaces where honest questions are welcomed. My hope is that this culture becomes so deeply embedded in who we are that every season of growth only strengthens it rather than dilutes it.

I pray the influence of that culture extends far beyond the walls of our church. I hope we plant churches. I hope we raise up leaders who go build ministries, businesses, nonprofits, and communities that reflect the heart of Jesus. I hope our people carry this culture into neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and cities across the country. My prayer is that the culture multiplies further than our church name ever does because the Kingdom has become so much bigger. I pray God chooses to expand Nuvo and chooses to spread what He’s taught us through countless other expressions of His church. Multiplication.

Ultimately, I believe churches change cities by becoming healthier and then multiplying that health. I want Nuvo to continue growing in every way. More people discovering Jesus, more families finding hope, more leaders being developed, and more churches being planted. But I also want every person who calls Nuvo home to leave convinced that they are missionaries sent into their own sphere of influence. Success won’t simply be measured by what happens inside our Sunday gatherings. It’ll be measured by what happens from them.

If, by 2030, people across our city and beyond are creating spaces where others can explore and experience Jesus because they first experienced that culture at Nuvo, I believe we’ve accomplished something extraordinary. We’ll have helped cultivate a movement of ordinary people faithfully living on mission. And I can’t imagine a greater legacy than that.

To the Leader Considering What’s Next

If I could encourage the leader sensing God calling them to something new, it would simply be this: don’t be afraid to build the kind of church you wish had existed for the people you’re trying to reach. Don’t simply build for everyone. Build it for someone. Be intentional about who you’re building for, and let every decision flow from that conviction.

Hold your mission tightly, but hold your methods loosely. The people you’re trying to reach will change. Your city will change. Your strategies will certainly change. That’s not failure; it’s faithfulness. The mission of Jesus never changes, but the methods we use to carry that mission into the world must continually adapt. Don’t become so attached to your plans that you miss where the Spirit is leading next.

Build a culture before you build an organization. Healthy systems matter, but systems simply amplify the culture they’re built upon. If your culture is rooted in humility, grace, authenticity, and a deep dependence on Jesus, your systems will strengthen it. If it isn’t, no amount of excellence will compensate. Spend as much time shaping the hearts of your leaders as you do refining your strategy.

Most importantly, remember that you’re not building the Church. Jesus is. He never asked us to carry that weight. He simply invited us to join Him in His work. Your responsibility isn’t to manufacture outcomes; it’s to remain faithful. 

Plant the seeds. Love the people in front of you. Tell the truth with grace. Stay resilient when the path is uncertain. Trust that God is always doing more beneath the surface than you can see.

We are living in one of the most spiritually curious moments in recent history. Beneath the noise, the skepticism, and the endless opinions, people are still asking the same questions humanity has always asked: Is there hope? Is there purpose? Is there grace? Is there a God who knows me and loves me?

The church has the extraordinary privilege of answering those questions… not simply through sermons, but by becoming communities that embody the life of Jesus. I believe you’ll discover what we have. People are far more open to exploring faith than we often imagine.

Let’s build churches where people don’t simply hear about hope, but experience it.

Churches that look like hope.

And feel like home.

For the Jewish believers, the temptation was to believe that their heritage somehow gave them a privileged position before God. For the Gentiles, the temptation was to think that their efforts, morality, or spiritual growth earned them a place in God’s family. Paul dismantles both ideas and points everyone back to the grace of God through Jesus. Salvation is a gift. It is received through faith in Jesus.

At the same time, Paul is doing something else throughout the letter. He is calling believers to embrace unity and interdependence. The gospel creates a new family where people who would otherwise have little in common become brothers and sisters because of Jesus. The church becomes a living testimony that God’s Kingdom is bigger than ethnicity, culture, social status, language, or personal preference.

Then we arrive at Romans 16.

At first glance, Romans 16 feels like the section most people skip. It is a long list of names and greetings. It can read like the end credits of a movie – and let’s be honest, most of us don’t stay for the credits.

But when you slow down and pay attention, something remarkable emerges.

Paul intentionally closes one of the most theologically rich books ever written by highlighting people.

After spending 15 chapters explaining the gospel, he finishes by reminding us that the mission of Jesus moves forward through ordinary men and women who have chosen to participate in what God is doing.

The final chapter of Romans reveals three beautiful realities that should shape the way we think about networks, churches, and mission.

Diversity Is Not a Problem to Solve – It Is a Gift to Celebrate

When you read through the names in Romans 16, you discover an incredibly diverse community.

Some names are clearly Jewish. Others are Gentile. Some belonged to people of influence and means. Others likely came from humble backgrounds. There are men and women. Business owners and laborers. House church leaders and faithful servants whose stories are mostly unknown to us.

The church in Rome reflected the diversity of the city in which it lived. Paul does not apologize for this diversity. He celebrates it.

What’s fascinating is that Paul is not trying to create diversity. Diversity is already present because the gospel naturally reaches different kinds of people. His role is simply to recognize it, honor it, and remind the church that every person has a place in God’s mission.

As I think about the work of the Chicagoland Collective, I cannot help but see parallels. Today, there are 18 networks connected to the Chicagoland Collective. Some include large churches with multiple campuses. Others are made up of MicroChurches meeting in homes, coffee shops, apartment buildings, and neighborhoods. Some operate primarily in English. Others are entirely Spanish-speaking. Some are led by women. Some are focused on reaching South Asian communities. Others are serving urban neighborhoods, suburban communities, immigrants, young professionals, or families.

This is not something we brag about. It is something we celebrate. Because unless we intentionally pay attention to where God is moving, we may completely miss the incredible diversity already present throughout our city.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with a few people in the Fox Valley area of our region. Four very different people sitting in front of each other thinking on how to reach more people to Jesus. I myself a Hispanic pastor focused on networks and microchurches, one local African American pastor leading a diverse congregation in Aurora, one Asian leader who recently moved to the U.S. from India because of persecution, and our white brother who leads a number of networks around the world … all of us coming together to see the Kingdom of God being expanded in our city. 

Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in the world. If our networks do not increasingly reflect the diversity of our city, we are missing something important. In fact, I would argue that it is missionally critical that we embrace the diversity of the people God has placed around us.

The Kingdom of God has always been bigger than our personal preferences.

The question is not whether diversity exists. The question is whether we have eyes to see it and hearts willing to celebrate it.

Mission Moves at the Speed of Trust

As our group continued discussing Romans 16, we noticed something else.

Paul is remarkably personal. He does not simply mention names. He describes relationships. He remembers sacrifices. He honors contributions. He celebrates friendships.

Again and again, Paul refers to people as fellow workers, beloved friends, co-laborers, and trusted partners. These are not transactional relationships. These are transformational relationships. Paul did not view people as tools to accomplish the mission. He viewed them as brothers and sisters who were accomplishing the mission together.

At the Chicagoland Collective, we often say it this way:

We are friends on mission.

That phrase matters. Because genuine collaboration cannot be built solely around projects, strategies, events, or goals. It must be built on relationships.

We often hear the phrase, “The mission moves at the speed of trust.” Trust is not created through organizational charts. Trust is not created through emails. Trust is not created through shared documents. Trust is created through shared meals, honest conversations, laughter, prayer, and time spent together.

That is why we intentionally create spaces where leaders can simply be together. We want to know one another beyond ministry titles. We want to hear each other’s stories. We want to understand the unique challenges and opportunities each leader faces.

And if I can speak honestly to my fellow vocational pastors – including myself – I think this is an area where we can grow.

Many ministry gatherings happen during traditional business hours. While that may be convenient for those of us serving in full-time ministry, it often excludes bi-vocational pastors and leaders. These leaders frequently work 40, 50, or more hours each week at their jobs and then invest countless additional hours serving their churches, often for little or no compensation.

When we fail to consider their reality, we do more than miss ministry opportunities. We miss relationship opportunities. Some of us who have the flexibility of full-time vocational ministry need to be intentional about creating space in our schedules to connect with leaders who do not share that same flexibility.

Because every leader matters. Every pastor matters. Every church matters. And every relationship matters.

Shelley works as a ful- time therapist. At the same time, she started a church within an assisted living facility for adults with disabilities. Shelly is passionate about ministering to these beautiful groups of people. We recently held a gathering for leaders like her. We were able to get about 30 bi-vocational leaders with some of our vocational leaders in the city. We brought a top speaker to talk about unity in ministry. Shelley would have never been able to come to a gathering like this if we held it during our working hours. 

This is my conviction, the stronger our relationships become, the stronger our collective witness becomes.

Every Expression of the Church Has Something to Contribute

There is one more thing that stands out in Romans 16.

Paul not only celebrates diversity. Paul not only celebrates relationships. He celebrates contribution.

Throughout the chapter, Paul identifies specific ways people have advanced the mission of Jesus.

Some opened their homes. Some risked their lives. Some served faithfully behind the scenes. Some traveled. Some led. Some encouraged. Some sacrificed. Everyone had a role to play. No one was insignificant. This remains true today.

Every church expression represented in our networks has something valuable to contribute to the mission of God.

From churches discipling 25 people to churches discipling thousands, each plays an important role.

I recently spoke with a pastor who had recently started a network, planted a church, and was already helping incubate another church plant.

By many standards, his church would be considered small.

Although, if we’re honest, “small” is actually the norm for church size throughout Chicagoland.

As we talked, he shared that being in rooms with leaders from larger churches can sometimes feel intimidating. At times, he has felt as though he has little to contribute because of the size of his congregation.

That breaks my heart because that is not the way of Jesus. The Kingdom of God has never measured significance by attendance numbers. The Kingdom measures faithfulness. The Kingdom celebrates obedience. The Kingdom values contribution.

Every church has something to teach. Every church has something to share. Every church has a role to play.

When we learn to celebrate the unique contribution of every church, we become stronger together. We stop competing and we start collaborating. We stop comparing and we start learning. We stop measuring worth by size and we start measuring faithfulness by obedience.

Opening Our Eyes to What God Is Already Doing

As we pursue the vision of seeing 16% of churches in Chicagoland become multiplying churches, Romans 16 offers an important reminder.

The future will not be built by one church. It will not be built by one network. It will not be built by one personality, one denomination, or one strategy. It will be built by a diverse collection of faithful men and women saying yes to Jesus in their own contexts.

Our call is not to manufacture what God is doing. Our call is to pay attention. To notice where God is already at work. To celebrate the different ways He is moving. To honor the different people He is using. To recognize the contributions of churches both large and small. To build friendships that transcend our preferences. To make room at the table for voices that are different from our own.

If we are serious about the 16% vision, we must pay close attention to the places and people where God is already moving. We must open our eyes to the neighborhoods, languages, cultures, generations, and communities where the Holy Spirit is at work.

And then we must celebrate it because God is doing far more than any one of us can see from our own corner of the city.

As I look across our networks, I am encouraged. I see pastors encouraging one another. I see churches planting churches. I see microchurches forming in neighborhoods. I see leaders gathering for prayer. I see people opening their homes. I see believers serving their communities. I see ordinary followers of Jesus living on mission where they live, work, learn, and play.

The movement may still feel small in some places. But the impact is real. Lives are being changed. Communities are being reached. Disciples are being made.

And together, through the beautiful diversity of God’s people, the mission of Jesus continues to move forward throughout Chicagoland.

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 117

Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church

Description:

In this episode of Candid Conversations About Women and the Church, Missie Branch shares her journey of faithfully walking with Jesus through various seasons of life, ministry, and leadership. From serving in a church plant to running a baking business to leading MyBLVD, Missie reflects on the importance of helping Christ-followers discover and live out their God-given calling. Her story offers wisdom, encouragement, and a compelling vision for serving God’s mission both within the local church and throughout the marketplace.

Hosts:

Sue Ferguson – Women NEXT, Co-Director

Noemi Chavez – Women NEXT, Co-Director

Guest:

Missie Branch – MyBLVD, CEO

Links Shared in Episode:

MyBLVD website

Category: Women NEXT

So, I recruited Larry as my intern. Funny thing: Larry was just a year younger than me. Technically, I was mentoring the next generation… but I was part of that generation too.

One day, I took Larry on a hospital visit to see a young adult recovering from gastric bypass surgery. I briefed him on our pastoral strategy: Be encouraging, pray, and don’t stay too long. Simple.

We walked in. I introduced us with confidence, ready to offer deep spiritual comfort. Then my mouth said what my brain should’ve stopped:

“Making the decision to go forward with this surgery took a lot of guts.”

Larry looked down, biting his lip to keep from losing it. The patient stared at me, stunned. And I stood there, watching my credibility vanish.

That day, I didn’t just model what to do – I gave Larry a front-row seat to what not to do.

Leadership development is messy. Mistakes are guaranteed. But we don’t stop. We keep investing, apprenticing, and mobilizing the next generation – just with more humility… and fewer puns in hospital rooms.

Thankfully, we have a better model: Jesus.

4 Practices for Mobilizing Next-Gen Leaders

Jesus and the disciples were literally creating the future church! He decided to do it with 12 next-gen leaders. Most scholars will agree that 11 of the 12 disciples were most likely teenagers and Peter was the old man in the group in his early 20’s. Jesus knew a movement would only happen by continually apprenticing and mobilizing next-generation leaders. This is exactly what we see Jesus doing in the gospel of Mark: 

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. – Mark 3:13-15

Jesus could feel the weight of His mission. The crowds were pressing in; they were hungry for miracles and desperate for healing. Yet, amid the noise of growing influence, He did something counterintuitive – He retreated. Not to escape, but to invest.

Mark 3:13-15 describes a pivotal moment in Jesus’ leadership. He ascended a mountainside, a deliberate act often signifying divine encounters. He wasn’t escaping for a personal retreat; He was getting away with his disciples. They were not first round draft picks; they were people near him and open to him. And he saw in these men – fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot – the potential for a movement.

Jesus called them for two intertwined purposes: to be with Him and to be sent out. This dual calling – presence before mission – reveals His leadership model. To equip them to proclaim the gospel, cast out demons, or perform mighty works, they needed proximity to Him. Jesus’ strategy wasn’t just teaching them truths; He was shaping them through relationship.

This passage is rich with implications for you and me. Leadership isn’t a mass-production process. Jesus didn’t gather a stadium; He built a small, committed team. He didn’t prioritize the most qualified; He called the most willing – those who made themselves available. All of Jesus’ disciples lived relatively close to Him, primarily in the region of Galilee, within walking distance or a short journey by boat.

The pattern is clear: Influence flows from intimacy. Jesus’ leadership model reminds us that our effectiveness isn’t measured by the crowds we create, but by the disciples we make and multiply. 

There is so much for us to learn about developing and mobilizing the next generation of leaders from these verses. Let’s pull out four practices from how Jesus apprenticed and mobilized the 12.

Practice #1: Start with the Few, Not the Many (Mark 3:13-14)

In the verse that immediately precedes this section of Scripture, we see that the crowds swelled to large numbers. They all wanted a piece of Jesus. They wanted to hear Him talk; they wanted to get close to Him. But these verses say Jesus “Called to Him those he wanted.” I like to think that He picked the 12 people “He wanted” to hang out with and with whom “He wanted” to be friends. Jesus was establishing an apprenticeship based on friendship. I like to say, they were “friends on mission.” Equally important to note is that He didn’t give in to the attention and the clamoring of the crowd. Instead, He started with and focused on the few. Jesus knew that by focusing on the few He could start a movement that would change the world!

You should do the same. Select a few people, maybe just two or three; perhaps as many as a dozen. This will likely be a mixed group like the people Jesus chose. In His original group was Matthew, a tax-collector, an outcast and traitor to His fellow countrymen. But also, in the group was “Simon the Zealot,” a violent nationalist who pledged to die for his country. The man who was lost to patriotism and the fanatical patriot came together in Jesus’ group. Like Jesus, invest in the few and do everything you can to help them become disciple-makers. These people are near you already. 

Practice #2: Prioritize Relationships, not Curriculum (Mark 3:14)

A phrase in verse 14 reveals the first reason why Jesus selected the 12; it was so that “they might be with Him.” It is clear that Jesus was prioritizing relationships with the 12. This was truly an apprenticeship that prioritized spending time together in which the 12 could observe, learn, and do what Jesus was doing. Apprenticeship is true to the intent and expression of how Jesus did disciple-making. Much of our disciple-making efforts are actually efforts that focus on finding and delivering the best content and curriculum. 

But Jesus always prioritized the relationship. Life was Jesus’ classroom. Think about that for a moment – He used the everyday moments of life to make disciples and raise up leaders. And you can do the same! The best way to inspire and mobilize others is by inviting them into your daily life. The ordinary moments – your choices, your challenges, your victories – become powerful lessons for those you mentor. Just like Jesus, you can use the common, everyday experiences to shape and empower future leaders. Let your life be the curriculum for apprenticing.

Once you have selected a few people to whom you want to see grow into disciple-makers, determine your relational rhythms. How often will you meet, and what will the format be? Will you meet weekly or monthly? Will you meet face-to-face over coffee or online? To “be with” someone, you need to discuss and schedule your relational rhythms. This is essential for developing the next generation of leaders.

Practice #3: Focus on Sending Capacity, Not Seating Capacity (Mark 3:14-15) 

The goal of apprenticeship with Jesus was not for the 12 to go through a set curriculum and then double that number to 24 who would go through the class, and then eventually have 48, and then 96, and keep growing the crowd who sat at Jesus’ feet. No!

The goal of apprenticeship is to “send them out” and they would do with others what you had done with them. The goal was mobilization. Jesus wanted his apprentices to get to the place where they could do what he was doing. Once they could “preach and …have authority to drive out demons,” the apprenticeship was complete. We should take the exact same approach. 

Once you have selected your few people and establish a set of relational rhythms, it’s important to be clear about your expectations and process. You don’t want the people you are apprenticing to continue to serve forever as your assistant or even as a co-leader. You want them to grow to their full capacity and commission them. If you are developing them to lead a group, team, or start a church, verbalize that expectation. Make it very clear and get their agreement. Then explain the simple five-step apprenticeship process that you will use to develop and mobilize this new leader:

Step #1: I do. You watch. We talk.

Step #2: I do. You help. We talk.

Step #3: You do. I help. We talk.

Step #4: You do. I watch. We talk.

Step #5: You do. Someone else watches. You talk.

These five steps may take a few weeks or take many months. You can break any kind of serving or ministry into these five steps. There are two big mistakes people make with the five steps. The first one is not doing it. So many people know this process, but few actually do it. Not you! You will do it, right?! The second mistake is people skip the “We talk” part of each step. That is where the relationship is built, the training happens and that makes it absolutely essential. So when are they ready for commissioning and to be mobilized? That is simple. When both you and your apprentice think they are ready, they are ready. At that point, commission them and send them out with your blessing.

Practice #4: Hand Off Authority, Not Hold On to It (Mark 3:15)

Not only did Jesus send out His apprentices; He also gave them authority substantial enough to “drive out demons.” Don’t overlook or underestimate spelling out the authority you’re giving people. With authority, they’ll feel fully empowered, commissioned to serve, lead and blessed to go even farther than you did.

Ask those you’re apprenticing to state back to you the authority you’ve given them: “Please tell me what you think I’ve authorized you to do?” You will then know how they interpreted your words of empowerment and commissioning. You’ll know whether they are still acting as merely your assistant or are they ready to become disciple-maker themselves. 

The 4 Practices and Creating Community Christian Church

In the early days of creating COMMUNITY, I was surrounded by a tight-knit group of friends who shared the same vision. We decided we were going to do what Jesus did to create a whole new generation of leaders. We were all between the ages of 21 and 26. So, we each started small groups for disciple-making and every one of us selected an apprentice leader from that group. My first apprentice was Jerry who was not yet a believer. He was interested in spiritual things and willing to be discipled, so I took him under my wing. I followed four simple practices that Jesus gives us in Mark 3:13-15 and within the next year Jerry said yes to Jesus, I baptized him and commissioned him to lead a new group. My teammates had all done the same, we had all mobilized another generation of new leaders to start new groups.

That was the first moment we saw real multiplication happening – disciples making disciple makers and establishing spiritual communities. It was energizing, and it confirmed that the vision of multiplication wasn’t just a dream – it was possible.

Apprenticing and Mobilizing my Successor

Now it is 35 years later, and COMMUNITY is one of the rare 7% of all churches that has a multiplying culture. It was time for me to move into the full-time CEO role at Exponential and apprentice a new lead pastor.  

To tell that story I need to back up eight years. Our lead team at COMMUNITY knew that we were ready to multiply a new location in the growing suburb of Downers Grove. The town had all the makings of a thriving church community – families looking for meaningful connections, young professionals searching for purpose, and a spiritually hungry population. We would bring in a leadership resident to apprentice alongside a seasoned community pastor.

Seven years before, we had helped plant Mission Church in a nearby suburb. Their lead pastor had completed a one-year leadership residency with us, equipping him with the skills and confidence to launch his church. We had sent him out with 50 people and some significant seed money. When we asked him for recommendations, he didn’t hesitate: “You need to talk to Ted Coniaris.”

My brother Jon, who ran point on this initiative, reached out to Ted. As we got to know him, there was a culture fit. Ted had a track record of multiplying leaders, and he felt a deep conviction that he was called to serve at COMMUNITY. Looking back eight years later, it’s clear why he felt that conviction.

Ted accepted the challenge and completed a leadership residency, immersing himself in the culture, mission, and practices of COMMUNITY. Afterward, he took 40 people from the Yellow Box location and launched the Downers Grove site. The results were immediate. That first Sunday, 375 people showed up in a borrowed Lutheran church for a 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon service. And that was just the beginning. The site grew steadily, eventually purchasing and moving into its own facility.

Ted’s leadership was obvious and his desire to multiply at every level was real. Because of his proven faithfulness, we put him in an oversight role for all our locations. Soon after, we entrusted him with overseeing all of COMMUNITY’s expressions – physical locations, online platforms, microchurches, and even prison ministries. The following year, he joined our directional leadership team. It was evident: Ted was not just a capable leader; he was special.

There are two moments I won’t forget. The first was when we sat together in room 202, a glass-walled conference room known as the “fishbowl.” People could see in, but they couldn’t hear what was happening. That was where I asked Ted to pray about apprenticing as the next lead pastor of COMMUNITY. I don’t think he was surprised. It seemed like the natural next step to me, him, and many of us. After discussing it with his wife, Melissa, Ted came back with his answer: “Yes.”

We didn’t just hand over leadership overnight. Instead, we followed a five-step apprenticeship process that we had used for years to develop and mobilize a generation of leaders:

Step #1: I do. Ted watches. We talk.

Step #2: I do. Ted helps. We talk.

Step #3: Ted does. I help. We talk.

Step #4: Ted does. I watch. We talk.

Step #5: Ted does. Someone else watches. They talk.

I believed that one of the greatest gifts I could give COMMUNITY was to model reproducing leaders at the highest level. I wanted to reinforce a value: “every leader should have an apprentice” – even the lead pastor!

For 18 months, we carefully transitioned every aspect of leadership using this five-step framework. At first, Ted observed everything I did, staying close to me in meetings, strategy sessions, and leadership decisions. We met twice a month for extended debriefs, and my wife, Sue, and I would have frequent dinners with Ted and Melissa. We were so committed to this process that when teaching on video, at first, I would teach three-fourths of a Sunday message while Ted handled the remaining one-fourth. Gradually, he took on more responsibilities, and Ted would teach three-fourths and I would take the remaining one-fourth.

A pivotal moment in the transition was when I asked Ted to bring his vision script to our two-day lead team retreat – more than a year before he would officially step into the lead pastor role. There, he unveiled a new vision for COMMUNITY, something fresh that aligned with our foundational mission. It became clear to everyone that Ted wasn’t just continuing what we had built – he was leading us into something new.

That vision became known as “New Is Now.” Over the next year, Ted and our team rolled it out, inspiring the church to embrace the future. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Our congregation rallied behind it, giving sacrificially, serving passionately, and praying fervently. The church was responding so well to his leadership.

As we neared the final phase of the transition, I stepped back further. Ted led, and I watched – offering coaching from the sidelines, ensuring he had the space to lead while providing guidance when needed. It was exhilarating to see him fully step into his calling.

The second memorable moment was when our elders, senior staff, my brother Jon and I, along with our wives, gathered around Ted and his wife Melissa and prayed for them. This was the commissioning moment. The apprenticeship was complete. He had excelled and now he would become the lead pastor, and I would get out of his way and put my efforts into leading Exponential. 

And the results? Nothing short of remarkable! As of this writing, all our expressions are growing (physical locations, micro-churches, prison locations, and online), our generosity is on the increase, and we are multiplying new churches!

You Can Do This!

Ted’s story is a testament to what happens when we take seriously apprenticing and mobilizing the next generation of leaders. And the best part? This isn’t unique to Ted or COMMUNITY.

You can do this, too.

Mobilizing next-gen leaders is not about waiting until the perfect person appears. That emerging leader is already in close proximity to you just like Ted was to me. Who is God bringing to mind right now? Take a moment now and write down their name in the margin or make a note in your journal or in the notes on your phone. Invite them into the journey and walk with them step by step.

The future of the church depends on leaders who are willing to develop and be developed. And if we commit to this, we’ll see not just one leader rise, but an entire movement of people mobilized for the mission of Jesus.

In the movie The Truman Show, Truman Burbank lives in a story he does not perceive. Truman thinks he is just a normal person – living, loving, and experiencing loss. But in actuality, since infancy, he has been the unwitting main character of a reality T.V. show. The individuals around him, including his wife, are all actors with scripted interactions. Slowly, Truman begins to suspect that something is wrong with the world and sets out to discover the truth. Truman realized he had just been going along in life while forces he was unaware of were shaping his story for their own purposes.

The truth about our lives is not that different from Truman’s. We walk along, living each day, not fully perceiving the story we are in. In fact, most of us do not think of our lives as stories but rather as something to be managed or balanced. We operate unaware of the narratives that shape what we see, what we hear, and what we experience. But while Truman in The Truman Show had only one room of writers forcing the narrative, you and I have competing voices seeking to narrate our story. 

First, there is the voice of the world around us that tells us we are the author of our destiny. We are encouraged to pick up the pen, write the next chapter, choose our fate, and craft who we will become. We are told life is a meritocracy, and we succeed or fail based on our own efforts. So we learn to work hard to please God, to please others, and to please ourselves.

The very real result of holding the pen and writing our own story is that we are tired. We are frustrated and unsatisfied, but we don’t know why. We can’t seem to create the life we think we are supposed to live. And all the places we fall short are filled with shame and a sense of failure. We come to distrust God, who we believe is holding out on us, and we resent others who get in our way or gain what we think we deserve. That is because the encouragement to pick up the pen and author our own story does not come from the God who created us and loves our souls. It comes from the deceiver who seeks to separate us from the God that is love.

This brings us to the second narrator. This is the one that lies. It is the voice that interprets our circumstances to us as failure, shames us in our humanity, and leverages our weaknesses against us. It is the voice that shuts us down, teaches us to silence our emotions, ignore our souls, and break relationships.

The deceiver’s favorite tactic is to lie to us as children. He interprets our trauma to us as our fault or God’s fault, and offers to protect us instead. But like a mob boss or a loan shark, that protection comes with a high cost. It could be the addiction that takes us captive. It could be the fear and hypervigilance that puts us in an emotional prison. It could be the control and perfectionism that strangles us and all our relationships.

The good news is that there is a third voice in the mix. It is the voice of truth and unconditional love. Hebrews 12:2 says that “Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith.” But what story is Jesus authoring? One that is Good News!

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” (NKJ)

God intends that your life is a good new story, not written just for your sake as a demonstration of “your best life now!” But written as a letter to the world as a testimony of the difference Christ makes in the life of an ordinary person. It is meant to reveal the handiwork of God and what is possible because of the cross of Christ.

Some may tell you that you need to pick up the pen and author a good story to please God. But scripture indicates you are not the potter, but the clay. You are not the writer but the paper, the heart, on which the letter is written. Which means your life matters. All its twists, turns, losses, and victories are important parts of the story. They are not distractions; they are features. Every part is redeemable, nothing is wasted. Including your God-given personality.

Healing from False Narratives

Since the time of Jesus, Christians have wrestled with the tension between the “old man” and the “new man,” between the false selves/ false identities and finding our true identity in Christ. Identity formation is the work of discipleship (Romans 8:29). But your true self is still someone who looks like you. It is a whole and healed soul, not an obliterated one. I do not believe that after making you, God looked over to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, saying, “Well, we might have missed it on that one. Hopefully, they figure out how to work really hard over their life to overcome all the inadequacies we crafted into them.” God does not say that about you, or about anyone. That would be a false narrative of the deceiver. 

Rather, you are perfectly created for the story God wants to tell through your life. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). You are the masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) of a kind and loving God who wants to help you do great things with Him (John 14:12). Not because you work hard or fall to the temptation of picking up the pen of your life, but because you trust the Author who is able to do more than you could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

The first step in beginning to heal from false narratives is to come awake to them. We can ask the Holy Spirit to put a watch on our mouth and flag us in our spirit if we say something that is not in alignment with what God says about us, or anyone else. And when we sense the Holy Spirit’s nudge, we need to become curious. Why do we believe that? Whose voice is that in our head and our heart? 

We need to be honest with God about what we actually believe, not what we think we are supposed to believe. There are deep, dark thoughts we fight silently in our own minds, stabbing our hearts and wounding our souls. We need to say them out loud, hold them up to the light, and let God examine them with us. Like a child and their parent looking at a scraped-up knee, we need to let God clean the wound and comfort us. Otherwise, it will get infected and act like a poison in our souls. 

God, in His wisdom, did not create us so that we can heal our own souls or examine the narratives in our own minds. We are not able to save or sanctify ourselves. We are not able to discover the truth on our own. Rather, the narratives in our heads have to come out to be reviewed, tested, and judged so they can be repented of. 

We cannot repent of that which we cannot name. But once something is exposed and named, we are now able to receive repentance for it. Repentance is simply acknowledging that a narrative is not in alignment with God’s and choosing to receive His narrative instead. It is living in one storyline and jumping through the multiverse into God’s storyline. It is tearing down anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (the story God is authoring) and renewing our perception of reality. 

The hard part is that there are many, many threads of false narratives in the tapestry of our souls. There are false narratives about ourselves, about others, and about God. The deceiver spends a lot of time lying to us. But it is these false narratives (and the false identities they can create) that God wants to redeem and restore. He is patient to work through the different threads with us, healing and integrating our souls. He is excited to lead us into truth and give us a new reality… to give us His reality. 

This is where we find freedom, hope, and joy. Just like Truman had to break out the false narrative which trapped him in order to find freedom, the Holy Spirit is relentlessly drawing us towards the truth so we can receive the full freedom purchased on the cross of Christ. It is not about writing the story of our best life, but letting go and embracing the story-of-you that was written from the foundation of the world. It is about putting down the pen and letting the author that loves you and died for you tell His story.