A thought about trusting people to be the Church

Stephanie and I have both made a decision that we will do a leadership residency at Restore Community Church with the hope of planting a healthy church in Kansas City, Missouri. We have both turned down ministry opportunities here in Kansas City and in Chicago because we believe that God is leading us to start something new. As part of my training I am learning the art of fund raising. I can say that this is the hardest part of the residency for me for a number of reasons, but mainly because I am very independent and at first did not understand the real reason behind fund raising. I have learnt that fundraising is more than a check to pay the bills, but it is an invitation for people to be a part of something that is way bigger than ourselves. By fundraising I am inviting people to join the mission of planting the Gospel in the heart of our city.

I had a friend challenge me on my independence and how that leads to me worrying about money. As we were talking on the phone one day he said "You need to allow God's people to be the Church!"
This struck me, and helped me to understand the opportunity I have to help people to grow in generosity. I learnt that God wants to work in his people to bless Stephanie and I. And this has definitely been the case. We know God has moved his people because we seem to get exactly what we need at just the right time. In fact, just this week we received a gift from our friend who challenged me to "allow God's people to be the Church" and it was just as were about to begin worrying.

I have a long way to go on this journey of fund raising thing, but I can definitely see how God is leading his people to partner with us in this mission and be the Church.