In August of 2023 I drove to a cabin in Georgia for a 48-hour silence and solitude retreat. I was seeking the Lord and desperately needed to hear from him. We had been back in America for a year at that point and I felt a lot of uncertainty about what and to where the Lord was calling me. I was confident that the call was as a pastor in a local church, but what did that entail? Was that in America? Was it in Tennessee? Did he want me in a small, large, established, or new church? Was I to plant? My head was swimming with possibilities, and I felt paralyzed, afraid to make any kind of decision.
The 48 hours were not what I had anticipated. I kept asking for direction. He kept reminding me of his love. Every time I would open my Bible, there it would be staring me in the face, his love, his forgiveness, his patience, and his strength in the midst of my weakness. It was clear to me by the end of the two days that my greater need was knowing he had never left me and that no matter where he led, he was going to be there. He did not show me a direction while I was at the cabin, but he gave me a foundation to receive one.
On the drive home I found a podcast that I had never listened to before. In this particular episode the hosts were talking about church planting and campusing. I listened to the hour-long episode twice. The Spirit woke something in my heart as I listened. In their description of starting something new I saw myself. Could this be the direction in which God was leading?
Over the next two months, I read and listened to anything I could find on planting and campusing. My prayers were centered around the potential that God was calling me to do this. Reading through Acts further pulled me down the path and I could sense God’s affirmation through his word. In October, I was introduced to a group of men who felt compelled to start a new church in Middle Tennessee. Although partnering with them was not the right fit for me, the conversations we had continued to stoke the flames that were rapidly growing into a wildfire.
As the Pastoral Resident of FBC, I had a regularly scheduled meeting with my supervisor, Monty. I started talking to him (really spirited declarations) about what I sensed God was doing and how he was leading. At this point it had become undeniable that I was called to help start something new. It fit my skillset, my gifts, and my passions and I was ready to share it with the person who could help direct me to the right place and resources to take the next steps. The first time I shared with Monty what I was thinking, the only things I knew with any level of confidence were; God is calling me to be a pastor in a local church, he is calling me to help start something new (plant or campus), and for the first time in my life he is calling me to stay and put down roots. As uncertain as I had been two months earlier, these few but significant rocks were what I needed to move past paralysis and into taking steps of faith.
For the sake of brevity, the elders at Fellowship were on a similar trajectory, asking the Lord for direction on reaching more of Rutherford County. In October, the parallel paths we were on were discovered and we began to investigate what this might mean for my family and for the church. Which leads us to now, roughly three months away from launching a second Fellowship campus.
When I first returned to Tennessee from Uganda, the most common question I received was; what are you going to do now? For a long time, I could not satisfactorily answer that question. However, with clarity a new question has taken its place; “Are you excited?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Sure, I am a little scared. I am well aware of my shortcomings and the difficulties that come with change. This will not be easy and at times it will be messy. Those things must be acknowledged, and they are sobering, but they do not dull my enthusiasm. There is much to be excited about - meeting new people, serving in a new area, laboring alongside people I am getting to know, seeing people step through doors they have never dared to knock on before, overcoming challenges together, and more. But the thing that makes me most excited about this new campus, is that this is where God has led. This is his plan, and I am excited to be a part of it.