I originally met Sam at the Acts 29 Bootcamp that we were assessed at here in St. Louis last October.  Sam was on the team of assessors that approved us to plant within Acts 29.  Since that time, I’ve had the priviledge of preaching at Believer’s Church three times this past year and each time I am encouraged by what God is doing in and through this community of believers.  I count it a great joy to be a part of a network of churches focused on planting churches that plant churches.

Thank you, Believer’s Church for your committment to the spread of the gospel through church planting and thank you for your generosity.

We’re grateful to be teamed up with Acts 29 in general and Coram Deo in particular.

(Originally posted on the Coram Deo Blog)

This post is intended to introduce you to our newest Strategic Partner – Core Community Church.  Core is an Acts 29 church in Omaha and as of a few weeks ago, joins the ranks of Coram Deo and The Summit as well as Acts 29 as strategic partners of Project 2 Pillars.

Core was planted roughly nine years ago by Ethan Burmeister. I first met Ethan at an Acts 29 bootcamp here in St. Louis and to be honest, my first impression of Ethan was that of an eclectic mix between a pretty boy and a biker. I really wasn’t sure what to do with him.  Over time, we began to converse more and Ethan eventually invited me up to introduce Project 2 Pillars to the folks at Core after one of their services.  Following service that Sunday, I shared lunch with and got to meet the other pastors at Core. At that time, they expressed their interest in supporting the work we were up to in Lincoln, but really needed some time to pray and seek God’s will regarding what exactly that would look like.

As things have developed, I’ve also gotten to know Doug Stevens, the executive pastor at Core quite well and even was invited up to preach at Core on the topic of church planting a few weeks ago.  Following my sermon, my family and I got to spend some time hanging out with several of the people of Core and have grown to deeply repect and appreciate the work that God is doing in and through His people there.

As a strategic partner, Core is helping Project 2 Pillars in some specific ways – namely through financial support, informal mentoring and coaching, as well as networking and connecting us with folks in Lincoln (because as I’ve said before, everyone in Omaha knows someone in Lincoln).  In addition, I’m grateful for the brotherhood that exists between our two efforts which are really the same effort to glorify Jesus and proclaim the gospel.

Core meets at the Omaha Playhouse on Sunday mornings. You can learn more about Core by visiting their website and by following their Pastor’s Blog.  In addition, I would also encourage you to check out the Core Vision Video linked below and listen to an especially helpful sermon on the history of Omaha and the history of Core preached by Pastor Doug Stevens which you can find on their Sermons Page (the sermon is entitled “Omaha” and was part of the ‘Movement’ series they just concluded).

Watch for a Strategic Partner Spotlight post coming soon on this new partner.

Summit was started somewhere around 10 years ago by pastor John Ryan.  They’ve met at several locations over those years and now currently meet in the O’Fallon Christian High School.  I came to know John through the Acts 29 Network at one of their Quarterly Regional events at The Journey.  I told John what I was up to, we set up a time to meet for lunch, he stood me up, and went on sabbatical for a few months…

But I got over it, he got back, and we reconnected.  Coming out of the A29 assessment, one of the conditions of our approval to plant in the network was for my family and I to transition to Summit.  This was a natural transition since it was right near where we live and it was a place where I could get some real-life church planting experience.  (Though it was a natural transition, it was not and easy one – leaving our church home of of six and a half years at Mid Rivers Christian Church as we embark out on this journey to plant in Lincoln has certainly been bittersweet).

Not long after we transitioned to Summit, John and I sat down and sketched out the details of what we came to call a church planting internship.  This was very much guided by who I am, where I am, and where I’m heading with respect to planting and has been a great help. The things that we listed out include:

Areas of Training

• Small group leader training.
• Bi-monthly meeting for coaching and mentoring discussing things present and things future.
• Elder meeting attendance.
• Membership material development.
• Raising support.
• Preaching.

Areas of Study

• Reading through specific sections of Grudem’s Systematic Theology and discussing.
• Reading and discussing Strauch’s Biblical Eldership.

Areas of Ministry Work and Leadership

• Small group leader training (teaching).
• Membership material (helping to write/review).
• Set-up and tear-down.
• Writing down and discussing first stage plans for 2 Pillars.
• Raising support.
• Preaching.

Miscellaneous:

• Marital mentoring.
• Ordination.

Now, it’s likely that we might not hit all of these (or hit them well) over the course of the year and we’re both aware of that; however, we’re hitting most of them and having a good, documented list of things I know we need to look at and work on guides us well.

In addition to the church planting internship outlined above, Summit is also coming behind us with financial support.  Through the internship, through mentoring/coaching, and through financial support, Summit is modeling what it means to be partners for the gospel.

You can learn more about Summit Community Church by visiting their website.

Me: You don’t know me…I’m from St. Louis…I think God is calling me to plant a church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Bob: Sweet – I’ll be in St. Louis next week, let’s get together over coffee.

As it turned out, Bob had originally felt called to plant in Lincoln but later felt God turn him towards Omaha.  Over coffee we talked about church in general, my calling, and Acts 29.  Through that conversation, he encouraged me to submit to the assessment process of the network which I underwent last fall.  Bob then led the assessment team (there were three others on the team) that went on to grant us conditional approval to plant with A29.  Over the last year then, the relationship with Coram Deo has grown to what it is today.  Bob and the other guys at Coram Deo (Will, Kendall, Justin) have all been a huge source of encouragement and coaching during that time.

As a strategic partner, Coram Deo is helping Project 2 Pillars in some very specific ways.  First and foremost is an informal coaching and mentoring relationship where I can simply bounce ideas, seek counsel and wisdom, and learn from someone who has done this before.  The second way in which Coram Deo is helping is by way of financial support.  It has been a huge blessing to have a church like Coram Deo come behind us so quickly and willing to support us financially at the level that they are.  It took an initial hefty load off my shoulders (and provided some hefty encouragement) for Coram Deo to agree to support us in this way.

Beyond coaching and financial support, Coram Deo is also helping dramatically in the logistics of fundraising allowing us to do all of our fundraising under their existing non-profit status.  They are also helping to keep track of contributions made, generate reports, and provide year-end tax documentation to all of the contributors of Project 2 Pillars.  Finally, they have been willing to share their color copier which, according to my calculations, has saved Project 2 Pillars at least a couple of hundred bucks thus far (thanks, Barb).

Everyone in Omaha knows someone in Lincoln: they either grew up there, went to school there, have family their, friends there, etc.  As such Coram Deo has served as a great help in providing some early contacts in Lincoln.  Some have been potential launch team folks, some have been fellow pastors in Lincoln, and some have been simply good people that we’ll connect with to discuss God’s kingdom and the gospel in Lincoln.

The final way in which Coram Deo has been a partner in this is simply through brotherhood.  It has been a joy to visit Coram Deo with my wife and family, stay with the Thunes, and get to know their family.  It has also been a joy to talk shop with Bob at the pub and engage Will and Justin through seminary.

Through coaching, mentoring, financial support, logistical support, and brotherhood, Coram Deo has modeled what it means to be partners for the gospel.

You can learn more about Coram Deo by checking out the Coram Deo Website, the Coram Deo Blog (also listed in the far right column under Relevant Feeds), and the Coram Deo Vision Video below: