Sojourn Community Church | Houston, TX

• Joseph Turner
• Apr 7, 2010
• Series: Church Profiles
• Categories: Church Planting Articles

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church 

Our calling to plant started in 2005 when my wife and I were serving as missionaries in Africa. As we surveyed the African evangelical landscape I saw a tremendous need to plant Christ-centered, indigenous, and missional churches. The African church was filled with so much syncretism and ancestral worship that my heart broke for the purity of the gospel to be restored in the church. After returning home to the United States for what we believed would be a brief visit, the Lord broke my heart for the syncretism that existed in the churches in my own city.

I took a job as a youth/college pastor because we knew the Lord was calling us to remain in Houston to serve as missionaries in our home city. We invested 4 years of our lives into the youth/college students of our city while the Lord prepared us to plant a church. In 2009, we felt our season in youth ministry was ending so we approached the leaders of our home church about our desire to plant a church in the urban part Houston. We would soon be commissioned to begin planting Sojourn.

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

We built our core through existing relationships, vision meetings, and through current core-team members inviting others to join. I would advise guys to connect with as many people as you possibly can and ask them to join you. The key is to have absolute confidence in the mission God has called you to.

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

Time management has been a huge challenge for me. I have always been a disciplined guy when it comes to my time. However, the amount of things to do, the amount of people to meet, and the opportunities to get involved in the life of our city are endless. Focus is something I am working on everyday.

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

I first heard of Acts 29 through listening to the podcast from the Resurgence Text & Context conference in 2008. I was attracted to the theological & missional convictions of the network. The brotherhood that exists within the network is unreal. I have thoroughly enjoyed the unity and shared values that exist between the guys in my city.

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

Make sure that the Lord is calling you to plant a church. It is not enough to "desire" to plant. The conviction to plant should be so compelling that you feel like would be disobeying the Lord if you were to do anything else. Once you have confirmed your call, submit yourself to the leaders of your local church (assuming you have one) and serve the church you are currently involved in. You need to be recognized and commissioned as a biblically qualified servant & leader from the church. Once you are commissioned, submit to an assessment process. Don't try to plant a church on your own.

How do you pastor your family? 

I prioritize time with my wife. We go on dates every week, we have coffee together every morning, we hang out together throughout the week, and we serve one another constantly. I pray with my wife every morning, we have a family devotional night, and I keep a regular pulse on her spiritual/emotional well being.

The bottom line is that I don't allow ministry to guide my marriage. I allow my marriage to guide my ministry.

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

The Gospel in Human Contexts by Paul Hiebert

How can we pray for you? 

Pray that I stay humble and hungry before the Lord. And please pray for my wife and I as we prepare ourselves to be the mommy and daddy of our little Ethiopian baby boy.

Church Profile: Sojourn Community Church
Launch Date: October, 2010
Location: Houston, TX

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

Sojourn Community Church exists to cultivate communities of missional disciples who live for the glory of God and the renewal of the city.

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

We believe in the three-strand model of evangelism:

We seek to build relationships with pre-christians.

We seek to integrate them into the life of our community.

We seek to share the gospel with them in word & deed.

Rather than asking people to believe in Jesus so that they can belong to our community. We help them belong to the community so that they can believe in Jesus. We simply place belonging before believing.

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

God provided us with an amazing home church that has commissioned us and blessed us financially. We are seeing God's providence all the time in our adoption process. We have been connected with a great church that allows us to use their facility for dirt cheap. We have built great relationships with our neighbors. The list goes on. God's grace is sufficient.