Free Grace Church | Fresno, CA

• Matthew Troupe
• Mar 1, 2011
• Series: Church Profiles
• Categories: Church Planting Articles, Latest News

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church

I was a bi-vocational pastor serving a small body in Lancaster CA, and that church sent me and my family to plant a new church in Fresno. Another family from that church moved with us. That was in 2008. After making a number of mistakes we moved our family and church and in many ways "replanted." We believe that the scandalous message of Jesus death and resurrection is the power of God to bring salvation and new life to everyone who believes. We left that church with the understanding that we didn't know what we were doing, but with hope in the promise of God to sustain us and guide us.

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

In order to meet people and learn about our neighborhood I immersed myself in the life of our community through things like daily visits to Starbucks (our #2 leader came from those efforts), volunteering at my kids schools, and getting involved with local nonprofits.

My advice:
PRAY A LOT.

GET A GOOD COACH FROM THE BEGINNING. I did and it was a huge help. Also, read CJ Millers book (full of letters to missionaries and church planters) "the Heart of a Servant Leader."

To build a solid core I would encourage folks not to be in a rush or look for shortcuts but to do the hard work of building relationships of trust and love. We have had a lot of people make a first visit because of our website, but most have been stayed because of the message of truth and the loving relationships seen in my family and our people. You have to be hospitable. You HAVE to live in the community where you are planting. NO EXCEPTIONS. This is the only way to make use of every opportunity and build relationships from natural connections that will lead to open doors to preach the gospel. Also don't be afraid to try different things while trying to connect with people. There is no one method or technique that works for every situation.

I really like the outline from Nebel and Rohrmayer: Enter your city as:
1.    As a Friend to Build Relationships
2.    As an Intercessor to Pray
3.    As a Learner to Study the culture, history, etc.
4.    As a Servant to meet real needs in the name of Christ.
5.    And as a Storyteller to speak the gospel of Christ.

Also, don't be a slave to church planting fads. They blow with the wind. Just be faithful to the basics of proclaiming a crucified savior in every way that you can. Everything else is supportive to that.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in planting your church (and/or currently facing)?

Our biggest challenges were moving into a new area where we did not have a history or existing relationships. We also started with a core group that did not understand (neither did we for that matter!) the high cost of personal sacrifice needed in order to plant a church that actually carried out the Great Commission.

One of the mistakes I made was starting off without another solid leader assisting me from the beginning. Since then God has sent us some good men that are serving, leading and growing with us. But it would have been much better to start off with a strong team from the beginning. The process of leadership development has been and continues to be a challenge and a blessing!

Our church has a lot of students (college age), and young families with a number of people that are unemployed or underemployed. Consequently, one of our challenges has been church finances. As a result I am "tent-making" by teaching at a local college. This has been a blessing and provided opportunities to build relationships and gain respectability in the community. However it also takes a lot of time! We are training our people in stewardship, but at present we are still depending on outside support.

How did you become involved with Acts 29? What have been the biggest benefits of being in the network?

I got involved with Acts 29 through the influence of my friend and former co-pastor Mike Crawford (now at Freedom church in Baltimore). The greatest blessings of the network to us have been: Coaching relationships, training materials, access to advice on The City, relationships with existing planters, and connection to a respected network through the A29 website.

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

When you don't know what to do, do what you know to do. you don't have to have the "position" of church planter to do the work of growing the gospel (Col 1:6) where you are right now. Don't think that a change of location will make you effective for Christ. Be a faithful servant, father, friend, and evangelist right now and that will give you confidence for the future. Once that is in place, the advice and counsel of trusted leaders should be given a lot of weight.

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

Pray and meditate on scripture a lot. Get a good coach.

How do you pastor your family?

The most important thing I have done with my wife and children is talk to them a lot, and talk to them all the time, everywhere, about everything (Deut. 6). If you are full of the love of God and growing as a Christian man, then what you get by abiding in Christ will come out and affect them. Also, your family (and your wife especially) has to know that you love them more than the ministry. Give your wife permission to call on your resignation so that you don't neglect her.

Outside of the Bible, what is the most helpful book you have read for church planting?

Heart of a Servant Leader- C.J. Miller

Church Profile: Free Grace Church
Launch Date: June 2010
Location: Fresno, CA

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

Our mission at the Free Grace Church is to glorify God by fulfilling the Great Commission starting in the Fresno area and working out to the ends of the earth. We aim to be a church that will be self-supporting, self-governing, and self duplicating.

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

One of the greatest testimonies of God’s grace is the way he has been dismantling me during the whole process of church planting to address my own insecurities, fear of man, and self reliance. When we first started off, I think I would have said, “those people need the gospel.” And God has been showing me that I need the gospel, and the sufficiency of that grace. This work has also spilled over to my wife and family. Last year my wife said, “I am so glad we are doing this. Even if this all “fails” I would rather be serving God here than be somewhere else.” Also, we decided to move to a new home when we realized we had started off in the wrong place. I was thanking my teenage daughter for her flexibility and sacrifice, and she said, “ I am not doing it for you dad, I am doing it for the Lord!”

Additionally, it has been amazing to see long time Christians come to the realization that they don’t really know the lost people in their lives. And that they don’t know how to know and love them. There has been a hunger in our group to get involved with the people around them and share the love and message of Jesus. I often have the pleasure of hearing one of our people eager to tell me a story of an opportunity to make a new friendship, serve a needy person, or share the good news. I was at the wedding of one of our young couples and one of the bride’s workmates described her as “a little missionary” at work. I was beaming inside. It has been a blessing to see people step out in reliance on the spirit and shine the light of Christ into the darkness around them.

How can we pray for you?

Please pray for me that I would have grace and endurance for the long haul. Pray that God would send us leaders who will help us fulfill the great commission; that we would see people saved, and that he would provide our needs.