As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have been answering a lot of the same questions in different conversations about our transition from The Journey Metro East to Trailhead Church. So, in an attempt to continue to shed light on what is seen (understandably) as an unusual situation, I am going to post this FAQ.
I hope it is helpful.
So, here we go:
Why do this?
The first and best answer to "why" is this: God is leading us to this.
This shouldn't be surprising since The Journey has made it clear that it is a church-planting church. We believe in church planting for a number of good reasons. Local, autonomous churches contextualize the gospel to and lead best in their communities. People in a church plant feel more pressure to take ownership of the church's life - which is a good pressure that encourages the development and use of the gifts of the Spirit in the church. In addition, teaching content - not just illustrations - can be focused on and planned responsively to the needs of the local church and community.
And, we simply believe church planting is the primary biblical model for the spread of the gospel. Other methods (campus expansion, video venues, para-church ministry, etc.) can and should be used as appropriate, but they do not change the primary focus on a desire to advance effective strategies to continue to plant churches.
As a result, the other elders and I have been praying about this for the last two years. In the last year, it has become apparent to us that God was leading in this direction, and our discussions moved from "if" to "when."
So, why now?
The first reason is that my elder board at The Journey and my extended advisory group all agree that now is a good time. I have been blessed to work with some guys who represent some of the best thinking in church planting in North America today, and it was with this group's counsel that we decided that we couldn't have found a better time to make this transition.
There are a number of factors that have been significant in our thinking, including my gifting, the church's distance and disconnection from St. Louis, the strong local church community, and the timing of growth. We expect our group to grow rapidly when we hit Sunday morning. As a result, we expect that Trailhead will be in a good position to become financially self-sufficient in the next year as we see this growth.
Also, it seemed to make sense for us to enter into this season of growth and assimilation of new members in our new identity (as Trailhead Church) instead of with an identity that we knew would have to transition a later, larger group out of. More on this in a moment.
Why not stay a campus and just let me do all the preaching?
First, for the reasons listed above regarding our desire to move forward in our vision of church planting.
Additionally, it would be logistics nightmare if every Journey campus started preaching its own material on its own schedule. Right now, the Journey is able to coordinate many of its key ministries centrally, the most important being its community groups, as well as other campus initiatives. These depend on the same content being taught on the same weekend so that support material can be produced centrally but still be effective globally across the campuses. If you gave campuses greater autonomy in teaching, you would also have to do a major reorganization of our central support system, and yet it is that central support system that keeps The Journey one church even though it is in many locations.
Finally, and probably most importantly, a church's preaching speaks to the identity of the church more clearly than any other part of the church service. You can have rotating ministry leaders. You can change curriculum in the children's ministry. You can even rotate worship leaders. But the preacher, in powerful ways, defines the atmosphere and personality of the church more than all of these. This is why The Journey feels that it is essential that all Journey campuses have Darrin's teaching voice as the predominant voice, even if that means it has to be on video instead of live. It protects the church's vision and DNA.
As I take over the preaching at Trailhead, the church's personality will change to reflect my gifts, personality, and style. This takes us back to the point on timing - we think it is important that our church enter this critical growth phase with my preaching as the predominant voice instead of gathering new people around Darrin's voice and then asking them to transition to mine later. That is a change that has risk, and we believe that risk is best managed now instead of later.
Is the church going to be at financial risk?
Sure.
There is risk in church planting - there always has been. As a result, there is a healthy weight of responsibility that comes with this risk. The people in the church take greater ownership, and greater joy, in partnering together to sacrifice in generosity as a result. If this thing is going to work, we are going to have to come together as a community to give sacrificially to make it happen.
As a result of this, those of us who are committed to Trailhead Church have to step into this with faith in God's purpose to bless and hope that we will see him do incredible things. We also need to have savvy business minds that keep the church from faltering through poor management or a lack of vision. So, we are doing our best to live in this tension and lead and manage well.
So, while there is risk in this endeavor, The Journey is being tremendously supportive in order to set us up for success.
Will Trailhead Church have new Core Values? How different will the new church be?
I am a son of The Journey. The core values of The Journey are part of my DNA and will be central to Trailhead's identity. And this is primarily because those core values are based on the core values of the church revealed in scripture.
Acts 2:42-47 reveal that the early church was "devoted" to certain activities - certain values. These included preaching the truth, prayer, community, worship (communion), and mission (meeting at the temple daily). The Journey's core values reflect these values, and Trailhead's will as well.
Will the doctrinal statement remain the same?
I am in full agreement with The Journey's position on all major doctrinal issues. We will keep the same "open handed" and "closed handed" issues. I will be writing up all of Trailhead's documents (including the mission, vision, core values, and key doctrinal statement) and will have them complete over the course of the next two months.
What is the real story behind this? Surely there is "something" going on!
We can't say this any more clearly than we already have: there simply isn't a hidden story here. We have stated this publicly and clearly.
Am I eager for our church to become autonomous? Yes, I suppose the same way a young adult is eager to move out of the house and live on his own. There comes a point when that is the natural, normal thing to do. Am I going to be sad in some ways and miss The Journey on some days? Yes, for a multitude of reasons, but this homesickness and desire for security don't override my desire to do what is right for our church now.
I am not surprised that there is quite a bit of skepticism about this announcement. Sadly, a lot of churches are simply not honest when it comes to this stuff. Many people have been burned when church leaders haven't been upfront with their people. Some churches say they are "releasing" a minister for newer and greater ministry when what they really mean is that the person isn't qualified for ministry in the first place. Some say that the minister has been "called" to a new ministry, when what they really mean is that tension, resentment, unforgiveness, or pride have crept in and have ruined a good working relationship. This is a shame on the church and a betrayal of God's people.
This is not the case here. I can't say it any more clearly: I love The Journey, the other elders at The Journey, and am tremendously thankful to God for them. The other Journey elders believe in and are committed to this move. The bottom line is that it is just time for us to move away from the security and limitations of home and become what God is calling us to be.
Will Trailhead have denominational affiliations or ministry partners?
Trailhead is being launched with two strategic partners: Acts 29 and Converge USA. These two groups are providing coaching and network support.
While I have been affiliated with Acts 29 for the last five years with The Journey, I have to apply and be assessed as a church planter in order for Trailhead to become an Acts 29 church. As of now, I have applied and have gone through the assessment and am waiting to get the formal assessment back.
Our Converge affiliation will continue intact.
I hope it is helpful.
So, here we go:
Why do this?
The first and best answer to "why" is this: God is leading us to this.
This shouldn't be surprising since The Journey has made it clear that it is a church-planting church. We believe in church planting for a number of good reasons. Local, autonomous churches contextualize the gospel to and lead best in their communities. People in a church plant feel more pressure to take ownership of the church's life - which is a good pressure that encourages the development and use of the gifts of the Spirit in the church. In addition, teaching content - not just illustrations - can be focused on and planned responsively to the needs of the local church and community.
And, we simply believe church planting is the primary biblical model for the spread of the gospel. Other methods (campus expansion, video venues, para-church ministry, etc.) can and should be used as appropriate, but they do not change the primary focus on a desire to advance effective strategies to continue to plant churches.
As a result, the other elders and I have been praying about this for the last two years. In the last year, it has become apparent to us that God was leading in this direction, and our discussions moved from "if" to "when."
So, why now?
The first reason is that my elder board at The Journey and my extended advisory group all agree that now is a good time. I have been blessed to work with some guys who represent some of the best thinking in church planting in North America today, and it was with this group's counsel that we decided that we couldn't have found a better time to make this transition.
There are a number of factors that have been significant in our thinking, including my gifting, the church's distance and disconnection from St. Louis, the strong local church community, and the timing of growth. We expect our group to grow rapidly when we hit Sunday morning. As a result, we expect that Trailhead will be in a good position to become financially self-sufficient in the next year as we see this growth.
Also, it seemed to make sense for us to enter into this season of growth and assimilation of new members in our new identity (as Trailhead Church) instead of with an identity that we knew would have to transition a later, larger group out of. More on this in a moment.
Why not stay a campus and just let me do all the preaching?
First, for the reasons listed above regarding our desire to move forward in our vision of church planting.
Additionally, it would be logistics nightmare if every Journey campus started preaching its own material on its own schedule. Right now, the Journey is able to coordinate many of its key ministries centrally, the most important being its community groups, as well as other campus initiatives. These depend on the same content being taught on the same weekend so that support material can be produced centrally but still be effective globally across the campuses. If you gave campuses greater autonomy in teaching, you would also have to do a major reorganization of our central support system, and yet it is that central support system that keeps The Journey one church even though it is in many locations.
Finally, and probably most importantly, a church's preaching speaks to the identity of the church more clearly than any other part of the church service. You can have rotating ministry leaders. You can change curriculum in the children's ministry. You can even rotate worship leaders. But the preacher, in powerful ways, defines the atmosphere and personality of the church more than all of these. This is why The Journey feels that it is essential that all Journey campuses have Darrin's teaching voice as the predominant voice, even if that means it has to be on video instead of live. It protects the church's vision and DNA.
As I take over the preaching at Trailhead, the church's personality will change to reflect my gifts, personality, and style. This takes us back to the point on timing - we think it is important that our church enter this critical growth phase with my preaching as the predominant voice instead of gathering new people around Darrin's voice and then asking them to transition to mine later. That is a change that has risk, and we believe that risk is best managed now instead of later.
Is the church going to be at financial risk?
Sure.
There is risk in church planting - there always has been. As a result, there is a healthy weight of responsibility that comes with this risk. The people in the church take greater ownership, and greater joy, in partnering together to sacrifice in generosity as a result. If this thing is going to work, we are going to have to come together as a community to give sacrificially to make it happen.
As a result of this, those of us who are committed to Trailhead Church have to step into this with faith in God's purpose to bless and hope that we will see him do incredible things. We also need to have savvy business minds that keep the church from faltering through poor management or a lack of vision. So, we are doing our best to live in this tension and lead and manage well.
So, while there is risk in this endeavor, The Journey is being tremendously supportive in order to set us up for success.
Will Trailhead Church have new Core Values? How different will the new church be?
I am a son of The Journey. The core values of The Journey are part of my DNA and will be central to Trailhead's identity. And this is primarily because those core values are based on the core values of the church revealed in scripture.
Acts 2:42-47 reveal that the early church was "devoted" to certain activities - certain values. These included preaching the truth, prayer, community, worship (communion), and mission (meeting at the temple daily). The Journey's core values reflect these values, and Trailhead's will as well.
Will the doctrinal statement remain the same?
I am in full agreement with The Journey's position on all major doctrinal issues. We will keep the same "open handed" and "closed handed" issues. I will be writing up all of Trailhead's documents (including the mission, vision, core values, and key doctrinal statement) and will have them complete over the course of the next two months.
What is the real story behind this? Surely there is "something" going on!
We can't say this any more clearly than we already have: there simply isn't a hidden story here. We have stated this publicly and clearly.
Am I eager for our church to become autonomous? Yes, I suppose the same way a young adult is eager to move out of the house and live on his own. There comes a point when that is the natural, normal thing to do. Am I going to be sad in some ways and miss The Journey on some days? Yes, for a multitude of reasons, but this homesickness and desire for security don't override my desire to do what is right for our church now.
I am not surprised that there is quite a bit of skepticism about this announcement. Sadly, a lot of churches are simply not honest when it comes to this stuff. Many people have been burned when church leaders haven't been upfront with their people. Some churches say they are "releasing" a minister for newer and greater ministry when what they really mean is that the person isn't qualified for ministry in the first place. Some say that the minister has been "called" to a new ministry, when what they really mean is that tension, resentment, unforgiveness, or pride have crept in and have ruined a good working relationship. This is a shame on the church and a betrayal of God's people.
This is not the case here. I can't say it any more clearly: I love The Journey, the other elders at The Journey, and am tremendously thankful to God for them. The other Journey elders believe in and are committed to this move. The bottom line is that it is just time for us to move away from the security and limitations of home and become what God is calling us to be.
Will Trailhead have denominational affiliations or ministry partners?
Trailhead is being launched with two strategic partners: Acts 29 and Converge USA. These two groups are providing coaching and network support.
While I have been affiliated with Acts 29 for the last five years with The Journey, I have to apply and be assessed as a church planter in order for Trailhead to become an Acts 29 church. As of now, I have applied and have gone through the assessment and am waiting to get the formal assessment back.
Our Converge affiliation will continue intact.
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