Selling our home and moving to a new community to start a church seemed like such a huge risk.
Pulling out of the routine was an incredible emotional obstacle. My oldest daughter was a budding gymnast and was in a great gym, just a few blocks from our house. She was really good for her age (8) and I was beginning to have visions of the sport meaning something for her. At the same time, Caleb (6) had been going twice a week to Tae Kwon Do for over a year and had a great coach. Elizabeth and I loved the Life Time Fitness that had been built in our neighborhood. I had my coffee shop and local haunts. We had great friends, church, small groups and a life we really liked.
Looking back it all seems like such insignificant things, but in the moment we were living it, it created a fog of doubt. I remember anguishing over the thought of the loss, especially in the face of such incredible unknowns. The power of our routine, “our life” was (in a real way) the biggest threat we faced. In order to allow God to lead us we needed to let go.
The type of plant that we engaged was a variation of a “Parachute Drop”.
Parachute Drop – A church planter and their family move into a new location to start a church from scratch. The planter has very little connection with or existing support within the new area. The planter and their family are “pioneering” new territory. Where there is great risk, there is great reward, but this approach is not for the faint of heart.
While there had been an existing small group that was on the ground ahead of me (typically another high risk component) this form of planting meant that we didn’t have any relational leverage. I could have planted in Blaine and had the security of a strong network of friends and supporters. We could have stayed in our newly remodeled home. Our kids could have stayed connected to their support networks and activities. My world could have remained largely uninterrupted. God had other plans.
