In 2002, Paul Gillmore started Quest Church in Centreville, Virginia with just five other families.
Paul didn't have many connections in the area. When he approached a local mega-church pastor for help, he abruptly ended the meeting and dismissed Paul from his office.
But eight years later, Quest is reaching over 300 people each week and doing an amazing job of discipling people by asking them to "walk five miles," one spiritual mile at a time.
But you need to know the back-story. Because there are conditions that make or break a new church before it starts.
Paul undertook the work of a missionary before he started an organization. He lived in the area four years before launching. And to finance this cultivation, Paul worked as an executive in IT sales. To this day, eight years into it, with over 300 people, Paul still doesn't take a salary.
It was a case of GOOD GROUND. Paul didn't have deep roots in the community, so he acted like a missionary. He took time to get to know the people and funded his ministry himself. The church eventually emerged from good soil.
This is a series of posts based on my book Church in the Making (B&H, April 1) which explains what makes or breaks a new church before it starts...
1. GOOD GROUND
2. ROLLING ROCKS
3. DEEP ROOTS
I'm really enjoying these and find them really helpful. And I'm looking forward to the book more too.
Posted by: JF Radosevich | March 10, 2010 at 12:00 PM