CrossPointe Winter Park | Jamie Hart

• Jamie Hart
• Mar 8, 2011
• Series: Church Profiles
• Categories: Church Planting Articles, Latest News

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church

God used a seminary class on church planting, that I took for no other reason than I thought it would be an interesting elective. Half way through the class I was hooked. That began a couple year process of praying and discussing with my wife. In the fall of 2007 I left my job as a youth pastor to do a year long church planting apprenticeship under Chan Kilgore at CrossPointe Church in Orlando.

How did you build up your core? What advice would you give to guys in the core-stage?

On the advice of Chan Kilgore, I gathered a handful of men who I asked to meet weekly for 8-10 weeks to discuss the idea of mission and how we could implement in our community. During this time these men got a sense of the vision of the church and began praying if God was calling them and their families to be part of the church plant. I started with the men because of the conviction that this church would rise or fall because of the leadership of the men. This original group of men led to a community group that included their respective spouses, their friends and people from our neighborhood. After some vision meetings throughout the summer of 2008 we launched a Sunday night gathering to continue to teach through our core values as a church and build our launch team. We officially launched the church in January of 2009.

My advice would be to start with the men. Get them on board and call them to the mission. Be willing to start small and have the determination and patience to let it grow.

What advice do you have for men who are wrestling with the decision to plant? 

Seek out a church in your area that has a history of planting churches. Get an internship or apprenticeship if you are able. Be around other church planters, not just guys that talk about it, but who are actually doing it. For me to be in a church planting environment for a year helped tremendously. Particularly because much of your knowledge will be more “caught than taught.”

What's the most important thing you'd want to share with a new church planter?

Don't know if it's the most important, but certainly something that is important - Be willing to cut ties and bless Christians who are not on board with the mission God has called you to. This is particularly difficult when you’re just trying to survive as a plant but you don’t want to give sideways energy to Christians who are not fully invested. However, be long-suffering with non-Christians and give them time. Know that it may take a long while, but this is what God has called you to.

Church Profile: CrossPointe Winter Park
Launch Date: January 2009
Location: Winter Park, FL

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

Mission :: pointing our community to Jesus

Values
Mission
Truth
Community
Worship
Prayer
Unity
Multiplication

What are some examples of God's grace that you have seen in your life and/or the life of your church?

God gave me a beautiful, supportive wife in Heather. She is fully on board and demonstrates this by being a great helper to me personally. This is definitely God’s grace to me.

God has also demonstrated his grace by allowing us to plant with a team from the outset. By God’s grace Brian Sullivan was able to be on staff as an elder from day one. Not having to function in a solo capacity has helped me navigate the challenges and pitfalls of starting a new church. It has also allowed me to play more to my strengths for greater effectiveness.

It's also God's sheer grace that a church has been birthed in Winter Park. Jesus promised to build His church and He is doing just that.

How can we pray for you?

Pray for my family that they would tangibly feel that I love them more than the church plant.