This is not so much a blog as it is a request. As most of you know, I left vocational ministry last year as I sensed God’s call away and into a new season of life. Vanessa and I did not make that decision lightly nor without counsel, and we have been affirmed in these intervening months that it was the correct decision.

You may or may not also know that I am in the formation stages of developing a new non-profit ministry to clergy and their families called The Clergy Care Network. The philosophy of ministry and vision statement for that new ministry are being written now, and I hope the ministry can go live early 2021. The Clergy Care Network receives its 501(c)3 status under the auspices of The Missionary Church International, and all donations are tax deductible–but this isn’t a request for funds(though that may come in time).

I am quite certain that God is calling us into that area of ministry, but we have been in a season of reflection and prayer since the first of the year about another area of ministry, as well. That area of ministry is in church planting. We are sensing God’s call to move in that direction, but we are hesitant. We hesitate because I left vocational ministry with no plans to pastor a church let alone plant one, but we want to be faithful to God’s call and direction in our lives.

Thus, the purpose of this blog is to enlist prayer partners who will pray with us and for us as we seek to discern God’s call in the ministry of church planting. Certainly, everyone who is reading this is invited to pray with us and for us, but I want to make a special request to any who maybe reading and feel compelled to go deeper with us on this journey of discovery.

We have created a special email address–churchplantingprayer@gmail.com. If you will partner with us in prayer, would you take a moment to contact us at that email address. We’ll add you to our prayer partner list, and weekly you’ll receive updated information and special prayer requests as we go through this season of discernment. Also, if you’re local to the Monroe/West Monroe/North Louisiana area, and would be interested in being a part of a new church plant, you can alert us to that via that email contact.

We may discern that now is not the time for a new church plant. We will be open to the Spirit’s guidance, but we know that it is imperative that we have others pray with us and for us. This is a peculiar time to be making such a request, and to be considering a new church plant, but I also believe that this season of pandemic is opening incredible doors of opportunity for Gospel proclamation to new people and in new ways. We feel compelled to explore those opportunities. Will you explore those opportunities with us? If the answer is “yes,” please drop us a note at churchplantingprayer@gmail.com.

In the meantime, we invite you to pray specifically for these requests:

• For us to have spiritual clarity in God’s call on our lives
• For God to raise up more people who will pray for Gospel proclamation in new ways and in new places
• For personal holiness, integrity and protection against attacks from the enemy
• Emotional, spiritual, physical and financial health during this time so that distractions don’t darken our discernment

Allow me to thank you in advance. I know God has good things in store for us no matter what happens next.

Until next time, keep looking up…