The process in which Lisa and I are in has been challenging. About two years ago I sensed God wanted to do something new with us by sending us back to NH to plant a church in my hometown. Well, I had already said I would never go back there so I "knew" that wasn't God.
So I tried to ignore it. That only lasted about 9 months. God was really speaking to me much louder as the months went by. I remember one time I was riding my lawn mower thinking about church planting and a song came over the radio in my headset that I had never heard before or since. The gist of it was "Joe go home". I couldn't believe it.
After that I began to speak with trusted friends about the idea of planting and they confirmed to me that they believed I had the gifting and calling to do such a thing. So I decided that maybe in fact God was in this. So my next step was to talk with Lisa about it, which btw, she did not want to go back there either.
I remember we were standing in our kitchen when I broached the subject and asked her if she would be open to planting a church in Claremont. She thought about it for a moment and said that indeed she is open to it. I was shocked. There was no turning back now.
So this past January I sent my resume to the Northern New England District. The superintendent called me three days later and we talked for almost an hour and the process of approval began. My resume was accepted and then Lisa and I had to take a church planters assessment which consisted of a 6 1/2 hour meeting. It was like a mental enema. Then we met with the Presbytery for a meeting to get their approval to plant in Claremont. It was 100% approval. After that I went off to Bootcamp for church planter training.
We are now in the final process of selling our home and buying a home to move to Claremont, which has not been easy. I remember reading from Chuck Swindoll that when God calls a man it starts with his mind. Once he has made up his mind his heart moves to the place of calling. Once the mind and heart have left it is only a matter of time for the body to follow. My heart and mind left months ago. I'm just waiting for my body to catch up.
So I tried to ignore it. That only lasted about 9 months. God was really speaking to me much louder as the months went by. I remember one time I was riding my lawn mower thinking about church planting and a song came over the radio in my headset that I had never heard before or since. The gist of it was "Joe go home". I couldn't believe it.
After that I began to speak with trusted friends about the idea of planting and they confirmed to me that they believed I had the gifting and calling to do such a thing. So I decided that maybe in fact God was in this. So my next step was to talk with Lisa about it, which btw, she did not want to go back there either.
I remember we were standing in our kitchen when I broached the subject and asked her if she would be open to planting a church in Claremont. She thought about it for a moment and said that indeed she is open to it. I was shocked. There was no turning back now.
So this past January I sent my resume to the Northern New England District. The superintendent called me three days later and we talked for almost an hour and the process of approval began. My resume was accepted and then Lisa and I had to take a church planters assessment which consisted of a 6 1/2 hour meeting. It was like a mental enema. Then we met with the Presbytery for a meeting to get their approval to plant in Claremont. It was 100% approval. After that I went off to Bootcamp for church planter training.
We are now in the final process of selling our home and buying a home to move to Claremont, which has not been easy. I remember reading from Chuck Swindoll that when God calls a man it starts with his mind. Once he has made up his mind his heart moves to the place of calling. Once the mind and heart have left it is only a matter of time for the body to follow. My heart and mind left months ago. I'm just waiting for my body to catch up.
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