New Life | College Station, TX

• Allen Duty
• Mar 30, 2010
• Series: Church Profiles
• Categories: Church Planting Articles

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church 

After being saved my freshman year in college at Texas A&M, I knew that God was calling me into pastoral ministry. After working in the business world for a little over a year, an opportunity opened up for me to serve as the college and youth pastor at Living Hope in College Station. After serving for three years there, I knew God was calling me to plant a church. I was asked to lead a core group from Living Hope in planting a new church in College Station, and we launched on March 28, 2009.

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

Because we were planted out of an existing church, I spent a lot of time casting vision for those interested and then out in the community, sharing the Gospel and our vision with the unchurched and lost. 

My advice would be to spend a lot of time honing your vision and deciding what is most important to you before you ever talk to anyone else. If you have a clear vision that you are passionate about, you will be able to articulate that to others. Both you and the people you share with will be clear on what the church is about, so you are less likely to attract the wrong type of person (someone who does not understand and buy into your vision) and more likely to attract the right type of person.

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

The biggest challenge I have faced and am still facing is identifying, equipping, and installing quality leaders. We are blessed with many amazing men, several of which are already serving in recognized leadership capacities. But I believe God has uniquely placed us in a college town to equip the next generation of church planters and pastors, and I want to be faithful to steward these men well.

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

I wanted to be a part of a network of men who were united around biblical theology, ecclesiology, and missiology. I knew that in order for both me as a pastor and our church to succeed, we would need the support of like-minded men and churches. The biggest benefit to being a part of the Acts 29 Network has been the relationships I have made with other church planters. Because these guys have fought or are fighting the same battles I am, they are able to speak into my life and love me well in the season I'm in.

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

If a guy want to plant a church because you have a romantic view of it, or because he thinks he'll be able to reproduce what other church planters have done, or because it's the hip thing to do right now, I would strongly discourage him from planting. I tell guys that almost no one is called to pastoral ministry, and of the guys that are called to pastoral ministry, almost none of those guys are called to plant. God calls church planters, and God's calling is the only reason one should plant. If a man plants for any other reason, the difficulties and challenges of planting on himself and his family will cause him to quit. So I would tell a man wrestling with the call to plant that the most important issue is calling, then whether or not he is qualified, then whether or not he has the gifts and abilities to do it.

How do you pastor your family? 

I lead my wife and kids in family worship each day, which for us looks like reading the Bible (or kid's Bibles) together, memorizing Scripture and catechism questions, singing songs, and praying together. We love The Big Picture Storybook Bible, the Truth and Grace Memory Book, and Big Truths for Little Kids, as they have served our family well. My wife and I connect on Sunday nights to plan our week, on Wednesday and Saturday nights to pray together, on Fridays to study Scripture, and on Friday night to have fun and go on a date. Additionally, I try to ensure that I divide each day into three blocks and only work two of those blocks so I can be available to my wife and kids each day.

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

The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever is not about planting, but it gives the nuts and bolts of running a biblically faithful church. I refer to it all the time.

How can we pray for you? 

Pray that I would continue to learn and live the deep truths of the Gospel as a man, husband, father, and pastor. Pray that I would minister out of Christ's sufficiency rather than out of my gifts and abilities.

Church Profile: New Life  
Launch Date: March, 2009
Location: College Station, TX

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

New Life exists to preserve and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture, for the glory of God through the delight of all peoples.

What is your philosophy of community in your church and what does that look like practically in your church? Of evangelism? 

Our philosophy is what we refer to as "lifestyle discipleship and evangelism," and is largely taken from Tim Chester and Steve Timmis's book Total Church. We have tried to focus on a few things as a church (namely corporate worship and community groups) so that we can free people up to disciple one another and reach out to their lost neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members. We want to spend as much time as possible being the church and as little time as possible running programs for the sake of being busy.

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

Most recently, God has been teaching me the great truths of the Gospel in fresh ways. Like many of us I suppose, I tend to relate to God based on my performance rather than based upon Jesus' perfect life, death, and resurrection on my behalf. God has been showing me how Christ's perfect righteousness has been credited to me and the freedom that brings in my life, my family's life, and my ministry.