Acts 29 Network: Seattle, WA

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theRefuge Church | Arlington, TN

Scott Benjamin
Oct 5, 2011
Series: Church Profiles
Categories: Church Planting Articles, Latest News

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church

After God saved me at the age of 30, He began to allow many opportunities in the church we attended. Eventually, my wife and I began teaching a Bible class for young married couples. God blessed that ministry there and we saw many young couples begin to come back to church and see that following Jesus was something that they had never experienced before. After a while, someone introduced me to Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church. I began to listen to Pastor Mark and had never heard someone preach and teach the Gospel as clearly and directly as he. This was about 4 years in to teaching our Bible class.

After listening to Pastor Mark for nearly a year, I really sensed the pressing in of the Spirit to become a church planter. I though it was a horrible idea. I was not trained, I had a career, a wife and 4 children. Then, I thought maybe I just thought Pastor Mark was cool, and I wanted to be like him. I didn't trust myself in this. Eventually, I responded by saying that I was willing to go and do whatever it was that God might want of me. I began to pray with 3 other men about this. For a year and a half, we prayed about this.

Toward the end of that year and a half of praying, people began to come to me, speaking to me about how they believed that I should pursue becoming a pastor. Finally, two of the men that had been praying with me and I decided to attend a A29 Boot Camp in Seattle. We thought we should go and discern the call of God with men who are doing it.

We went to the Seattle Boot camp in early 2009. After the first session when Pastor Mark spoke on the call of the planter, the Holy Spirit revealed more of what He had been at work doing in the time leading up to that point. Suddenly His work became very evident that God was indeed calling us to church planting.

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

The initial piece of our core group came from couples from our Bible class. We started with 11 couples. We began to meet in each others' homes to talk through the calling that God was laying out before us, what it meant to press into our neighbors, and what our church would begin to shape and look like.

Being in the South, we began to deconstruct some southern evangelical traditions.
As we continued to meet, many others had questions about what we were doing. We took the time to answer many questions, meet with people, and lay out the vision that we had been given.

What advice? Spend a lot of time pressing in with the gospel with your core. Try to insure that people are coming because they believe in the mission, and not because they are tired of church the way they do it.

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

Discipleship. Very little discipleship has taken place in the lives of our people. Therefore, we have many babies in the faith that believe they are more mature because they have been "in church" for many years.

Southern Church culture. Still deconstructing and will be a part of what we do as we continue to grow.

Finances. Young demographic. No legalistic pounding to guilt people into giving. So pressing in with the gospel to trust the Spirit to change hearts.

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

Introduced to A29 some years ago. But formally became involved when we went to Boot Camp in March 2009. Introduced to men like Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, Steve Timmis, as well as other A29 men - all more than willing to give their time to answer questions and pray with us.

Began to know more men during our first assessment in September 2009. As we have worked through our initial conditions, spent more time at additional Boot Camps and Quarterly meeting.

Biggest benefit of being in the network - I assume they will be to have a brotherhood of men who will love me well as we serve Jesus and His people well.

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

Be sure. Be sure your wife is sure. If Geri were not 100% in with this calling, we could not do it.

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

Pray, pray, pray and be sure of your calling.

Tough times will come - and you need to be sure that God is the One Who has called you.

Don't let the expectations of others move you from what God has called you to do and be.

How do you pastor your family?

We pray together. We read the Bible and discuss passages that we are reading. I'm reading the Jesus Storybook Bible to my youngest three.

We try to pastor our kids' hearts and not necessarily their behavior.
We are honest with each other. We repent to each other - especially me to my wife and kids.
We try to serve others and insure we teach our children why we serve them.

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

Church Planter - Patrick, Total Church - Timmis, Confessions - Driscoll

Church Profile: theRefuge Church
Launch Date: July 2009
Location: Arlington, TN

Mission, Vision, Values of Church

Restoring lives with the Gospel for God's glory

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

Redemption. God's grace is amazing!

My marriage. Geri and I more honest and open with each other than ever and it has been a beautiful thing.

God's Equipping. As someone who has had no formal training as a pastor - God has chosen to equip me to lead His church - by His grace - for His glory.

God's Provision - As He was equipping me, He also chose to provide many tangible needs we had to begin to gather weekly.