Origin Church | Rocklin, CA

• Mark South
• Feb 18, 2010
• Series: Church Profiles

Planter Profile:

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church.

My journey to church planting began with a question. "Would anyone, besides those who came to church, care if the church stopped existing?" I asked this of the church I was on staff at. I asked this question of me personally and my family about the block in which I lived for 7 years. It hit me hard when I realized that my neighbors wouldn't really even know I was gone. I also came to the conclusion for most churches, the cities they sit in wouldn't miss them either. So God began a journey in me. I came to realize the gospel had not found itself as deeply in me as I thought and the mission of the gospel looked quite a bit different than what I was used to. I never once thought I would plant a church but things couldn't stay the same. God called me, my wife saw it clearly, godly people confirmed it, Acts 29 rocked and rooted me on. God showed us Rocklin, CA was the city after a drive through confirmed this was our new home. We spent the next six months preparing, raising money, sharing the vision and moved here February 2008.

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

The first and biggest challenge was parachuting in. We had no previous relationships in our city. The people we hand picked to move here and help were not here yet. The only people we knew were Eric and Lydia Van Patten (Elevation Church-A29). They became great friends and co-laborers for the mission of the gospel in our area.

Another challenge in planting was the church culture of our area. Because we didn't know this city existed 6 months before we moved here, we had no idea of the kind of church culture we would be moving into. Turns out we know more clearly now that we are called to preach the gospel to those who call themselves "Christians." In fact, of those who God is making alive in Origin are former "Christians". This has been radical to see.

The greatest challenge of Origin's current phase is to maintain the mission of the gospel versus "doing church." We are always on the edge of letting the mission go. The same as water takes the path of least resistance so goes the mission of the gospel in church planting.

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

We just started hanging out with people. We would meet someone in the park and then we would have them over for dinner. Four/five nights a week we did this and started meeting as a core in June 2008.

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

Like others, Driscoll was my first contact of Acts 29. Though I never saw myself as a church planter, as a pastor I ate up the blog and podcasts. I listened to a few Boot Camps. Turns out God was using that time to equip me for what he would call my family to do. I was thinking about how to implement what I was learning into my context. God was training me.

When the call was clear. I knew that if God had called me it would be confirmed in godly men who have walked the road. I didn't want to be a pee-wee player who would fail in the major leagues. Acts 29 was, for me, a confirmation God was calling me and had gifted me to play big ball.

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

The areas that are key to Acts 29 are right. Are you really a number 1 guy? Having a vision and leading the vision is not the same thing. Family, gifting, qualifications, these are all the areas Acts 29 hits. Listen well, receive well. Get the reality of who you are this side of planting before you find out the holes when people are dependent on you.

A part from those I would ask this; Are you waiting to church plant to live out the mission of the gospel? If you can't live it before you plant, not much chance you will be able to as you plant, let alone lead others to do it.

How do you pastor your family?

I remember Mark at the Boot Camp I attended said this, "If we get to heaven and there are a thousand followers of Jesus but our wife and kids are not first in line, we are failures." To disciple my family, I first have to know my role. Raising up a family that loves, follows, and worships Jesus is my first priority as a Christian husband and Christian father. From there I have to rearrange my life towards that end. This is not easy. I have always struggled to pray intimately with my wife. It's hard because she knows me best and I often feel like a hypocrite as I engage with her spiritually. But last year I realized that I was living with and showing my family a low view of the effective grace of God. So we have to press through those things to lead well. I put my kids to bed as often as I can. It allows me to serve my wife (gospel being flushed out). It also allows me to read the Bible, pray with them and articulate their heart. I have recently been working on rewriting the baptist catechism into questions my 6 year old can understand. So I ask a question and then we walk through the answer in her language. I apologize as often and quickly as I can. I want them to see the ethic of humility from the gospel lived out in me. I date and pursue my wife weekly. We as a family are on mission for the gospel and my wife and I who are on the same page, communicate to our kids our purpose in our neighborhood. In turn, they pray for neighbors and want to being giving. I'll sum it up like this. Marriage, family, fathering are all metaphors for the gospel so then how Jesus has interacted with us on a gospel level is the way a husband and father interacts with his family so that they will be well "discipled".

How can we pray for you?

1. We are in a sweet spot. New believers (some from false religions) and believers are being transformed. Pray I stay faithful and out of the way. 2. So much pain in the lives of our church. I need to shepherd well with courage and compassion.

Church Profile: Origin Church
Launch Date: June, 2008
Location: Rocklin, Ca 

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

Biblical community is by Jesus (this is our unity and existence and not common interests) and for Jesus (that is the direction of our worship and value and our community mission).

Practically this has led us to create what we call "Mercy Groups". These Mercy groups are mercy for each other (the real time living out of the gospel with each other). The second piece is mercy for the city. Out of these communities flows mission. As a community they indigenously serve the city. Each group has a mercy fund and it is the role of each group to determine how to physically serve and use their money for neighbors and strangers in need.

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

So in 2008, we left a long term stable position at a church. Two days before parachuting here we found out Kristy was pregnant with twins. We moved from our entire support structure. Started hanging out with anyone who would be willing to come to our house. We launched a Bible study in our house. Turned into a core group and then quickly turned into a church. We added twin boys to our family near the beginning of the birth of Origin. We launched publicly at It's A Grind in February 2009, commissioned another pastor/elder God brought us from Australia. We have continued to grow and are now close to purchasing the coffee house we meet in, move it to a bigger facility so we can use it as a way to send hundreds of thousands of dollars overseas to help aid against the child sex trade and use it as a gathering place for us. This is all grace because we are all three weeks from being forgotten. Only by and for him does any of that happen.