It is official… I am leaving my current position at Fulton Creek Friends Church to pursue church planting full time. I am highly convicted that this is the right thing to do at this moment in my life. I am confident that God has placed this burden on my life. I am confident that God will supply my every need. At the same time, I am not too proud to say I have moments where I wonder, “What in the world am I doing?!”

I will never forget the first time preaching I my first pastorate as lead pastor in Urbana Friends Church. I may have looked and seemed confident on the outside, but under my suit I was shaking. I remember leaving the service during the song before I preached because I felt a tingle in my nasal cavity. I barely made it to the restroom before blood gushed from my nose. I was having such a hard time containing my excitement and nervousness that my nose was bleeding. I felt at the time something similar to the way I do now, wondering whether or not I am capable of pursuing such an endeavor. And yet, I know from experience that God shows His strength in my weakness. I may not be the most gifted or qualified, but I know I am genuine in my pursuit of God and His kingdom. And I know God is faithful in drawing near to us when we draw near to Him.

My heart has been crushed by the weight of knowing how many people who live close to me and do not know Jesus. In Columbus and the surrounding area, it is suggested that 800,000 to 1.5 million people do not go to church (depending on where you draw your radius). Of that number, there are many who do not know Jesus and may have never heard the Gospel. This is not some faraway place, but people I would consider neighbors. And the problem is not that there are no good churches; it is that there are not enough of them. Thousands of churches will close their doors every year across the United States. More will close this year than we open. In order to be a part of the solution, more churches need to be planted to reach the growing need of people meeting Jesus.

I do not feel as though I have any special qualifications to do this work other than the fact that Jesus has radically changed my own internal landscape and given me new life. I have a Masters degree in Divinity and close to a decade in professional ministry, but those things mean nothing in comparison to the incomparable worth of knowing Jesus and experiencing firsthand the effect Jesus has made on my life.

I plan on giving more and more details in my writings on how this will look and what all my family and I are involved in. But I will only be able to do this with help from people like you. Most importantly, people who pray for me. Also, people who read and share my writing and other content. And, if you feel so led, to financially contributing to the work. I have begun the process of making the church an official entity in the eyes of the state which would allow you to give to the church planting project as a tax-deductible gift. You also can support me through my writing by becoming a monthly financial contributor. I thank you for your consideration.

It is scary times starting over from the ground up, but I desperately want to be a witness of God’s goodness to the millions in and surrounding Columbus, Ohio, the United States, and the world. I greatly appreciate your following along in my journey to this point, and I look forward to doing this with you all going forward as well.

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