Vita Nova | Amherst, MA

• Nathan Cartel
• Nov 19, 2010
• Series: Church Profiles
• Categories: Latest News, Church Planting Articles

Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church

I was working in the concert industry and attending a  church, MERCYhouse, that was a plant that began 6 years previous.  We were asked to lead a small group, and within the year lead many to faith and had to split the group 4 times.  We sensed a clear call to ministry.  I began working for MERCYhouse as an associate pastor.  In that time, I grew the leadership base of MERCYhouse and continued to see conversions in the small groups I was leading.  In April of 2008 Robert, the lead pastor of MERCYhouse took me to a conference called Exponential.  Although I worked for a church that was at one point a plant, I had never thought I could plant a church.  When I heard the men talking about church planting, their dreams, skills, aspirations and fears, my heart leapt.  I talked with Robert about MERCYhouse planting a church, and began to see if that was my call.  I preached more, was give whole sermon series in training for planting a church.  As my training increased, I felt more and more like church planting was something I was made for. I read every book I could on the subject and asked a few people if they would want to step out and do something crazy- start a church.  When they said yes, that they saw the skills and call on my life, I knew that I had to plant a church

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

I came from a church planting church and was allowed to “steal” a few of our sending churches people.  Not wanting to hurt the sending church too bad, I only took 6.  I grabbed the best 6 I could find, people who I had walked with for a while, who I knew volunteered, gave, loved people, and loved Jesus.  From there we began meeting in my house, and I started inviting others to come.  I thought I needed at least one non-Christian in the group, and sought out my cousin who lives in the area and was interested in Jesus, but not a follower yet.  I asked her to join my core, explaining that shoe could not be a member, but I wanted to love non-Christians, so I needed her.  She came reluctantly (and began a Christian a year later).  If I had to do it over, I would have taken a bigger core.  We lost tow of our core members early on, on due to secret sin and another because their job called them to leave the state.  I could have taken more from my sending church, but was a little timid.  I did not want to step on their toes, and what I should have done is seen them as blessing and sending us.  The first 6 months were hard with very few people coming, partially because there were only a few who were telling people about us.  I would suggest getting a non-Christian to be in the core, even thought hey have no power.  They were our biggest advertiser and fan.  It was also a way to keep my core honest, and make sure we did not slip into “Christianese.”  They knew every week for our core meetings someone would be there who did not know Jesus, and were probably bringing friends.  This kept them thinking missionally.

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

The biggest challenges were money.  We did not have full funding and just though God would work it out.  He did, but it has been a huge stress for me personally.  We also did everything backwards.  We began meeting as a worship service prematurely, did not have a sign, a website, or any way tot tell people where we were.  We had a terrible space because I was pigheaded and did not listen to others.  All of this meant people could not find us, and when they did, would not come back because the parking was about a quarter mile from our venue due to construction.

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 while still working for MERCYhouse.  We heard about a regional event at Terra Nova, and since we were in the beginning stages of trying to plant a church from MERCYhouse, decided to go.  There were about 20 people at that event, but they were all greta guys.  We continued to go to events, and as I was thinking about  church planting, started looking for good resources on the subject.  I found A29 articles and audio invaluable.  I decided when we began to plant that sinceI was getting so much from A29, we should “hitch our wagons” officially.

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

Try to talk yourself out of it.  If there is anything else you can see yourself doing, do that instead.  This has been the hardest and most challenging thing I have ever done, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  There were times that if I had a back up plan, or something I could do instead, I would have quit.  After that, get under some godly men who have marriages you want and a ministry you love, and sit under them.  Listen to tier advice, submit to their authority, and ask them when you are ready, dont decide you are ready on your own.  Finally, know this will be the hardest thing you will ever do.  You will cry, feel like God is absent, and not want to have another meeting with another broken person.  But it is also the most rewarding work you will ever do.  You will know God, his goodness and provision in a way you have never known before.  You will meet Jesus on your knees when you are broken and all you sin issues you think you conquered come back up, in ways you could not possibly imagine.  And you will see those broken people you dont want to meet with repenting and having the life abundant Jesus promises his followers.

How do you pastor your family?

Pastoring my family is a continual growth experience for me.  At first, it was just date nights. And thenI realized, my wife probably wants more that 2 hours a week dedicated to her.  Same for my kids.  They want more than one daddy date a week.  I have re-arrange my schedule to be home 5 nights a week, and keep dinner until bed a sacred family time.  We read my 3 year old daughter the Jesus Story Book Bible every night and pray with her- not for her.  My two year old son gets a Bible story and song each night.  My wife and I have dedicated no TV time each night where we just decompress and talk for at least and hour.  During that time we will pray and do a short devotional.  This is something I am constantly growing in. I did not have a dad, neither did my wife, and both of us were not raise din Christian homes.  We have tried family worship, and found our kids too young, we have tried morning devotionals, but found it doesn’t work with our schedule.

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

Driscoll’s book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev.  It summed up perfectly what plating was like, and has given me the ability to see what is coming down the road.  It also is not full of who to’s, which I have found dont work like to books tell you, and just get me flustered and angry that I wasted $15 and did not grow a Mega-church in a week like they promised.  Driscoll’s book is a good what to expect, but not how to expect it.

Church Profile: Vita Nova
Launch Date: April 5, 2009
Location: Amherst, MA

Mission, Vision, Values of Church 

The mission of Vita Nova will to reach the unchurched of the Pioneer Valley, bring them to a faith in Christ, and then walk beside them as they grow in that faith. We will do this through personal relationships, one on one evangelism, Gospel Communities , and Sunday worship services. We will mobilize the members of Vita Nova to be missionaries in the communities where they work, live, and play. From the start there will a strong emphasis that all members of the church are expected to be “ on mission ” for the church. This means that everyone is an evangelist and seeking unbelievers to have relationships with. We hope to transform both the believer, the unbeliever , and the community through this missional mind set, seeing many come to faith in Christ because all members of the church have sought them out.

The mission of Vita Nova is also to be a church planting church. We hope to grow a culture of missionaries to the community, raise up qualified church planters and their spouses , and send them out to change the Pioneer Valley through church planting. This is one way we intend to keep missional, emphasizing the need for church plants and locally grown church planters. We will teach and encourage leaders about church planting, and be constantly searching for potential planters from with in our congregation.

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

Church is a family, and church community should be one too.  This looks like people praying together, reading the Bible together, fellowshipping together, worshipping together, and being on mission together.  The church should be a kingdom outpost, and the church community should mirror, as much as broken sinful people can, what heaven will be like.  This means tight knot bonds, calling out sin, patiently enduring with each other and showing hospitality.  Practically, Vita Nova has small groups called gospel communities.  They gather once a week and then scatter the rest.  The communities are encouraged to hang out at other times with each other besides the gospel community hours.  The intent is to bond a small group of men and women who will do life together every day.  They help each other out financial when needed, go to each others parties, celebrate life’s victories together, and cry on each other’s shoulders over life’s defeats.  This played out recently when my wife got a herniated disc while she is pregnant.  The church has come over our house to help with cooking and cleaning, getting the kids to school, and basic help to allow me to get to work and do some pastoring things.  We did not need to ask for this help, people just saw a need and knew they could fill it, and so did. 

Evangelism happens if this kind of community exists.  The gospel community itself is on mission.  Since they are in each others houses, they get to know each others neighbors and friends.  They do service projects together for the sake of reaching the nations with the gospel.  The community knows it exists to make disciples, and for no other goal.  They are being made into better disciples, and need to make others in to disciples. They invite their friends and families and roommates and co-workers to their gospel community events, parties, and Bible Studies.  They witness about what Jesus has done and how he has saved them.  These new people then continue to do the same, being on mission, opening their homes and lives to the lost around them, and the cycle continues.

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

We have seen grace upon grace.  We did everything wrong and yet people came.  We didn’t even have a sign or a website telling people where we are, but God brought us people.  We have grown form 8 people to over 100 in an area of the country know more for the death of churches and church plants, rather than their success.  Our area is less that 1% Bible believing Christians, and have baptized over 6 people every four months.  At this point we just schedule baptisms and assume that people will come.  More recently, my family was in debt due to a bad car and some bad decisions.  We began praying that God would remove our debt and we got a check for $10,000, which was enough to pay our debt and taxes on the gift.