KCC Newsletter
Gut punches, reality checks, & the faithfulness of God
Heads Up: This one isn’t really a newsletter. It’s more like a journal entry.
I often think about the calling of Abram. An old man who had lived his entire life in a certain place among a certain people. His life was safe, comfortable, consistent. Until one day… He was called by Yahweh—the God of Heaven and Earth—who had a dream and vision; all He was searching for was the man to get things started.
So how did God call this man? Did He show up with a clear plan that Abram was able to look over beforehand? No. All God said was, “Go from your land, your friends and relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” God called Abram with nothing but a future promise for him to cling to.
Our God is a pioneering God who often calls people out with little to no information. He doesn’t provide certainty. He doesn’t guarantee success or comfort. He promises His presence and requires obedience. I can connect with this now like I never have before.
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As you well know, we are in the pre-launch phase of Kingdom City Church. What this means is that we are full of vision, eager to move quickly and impact our city, yet often forced to slow down because of a lack of resources. It’s a grace of God, I’m learning, because if we move too quickly people can get hurt and the long-term mission can suffer. This is a great season to care for our team, hone our vision, and establish the culture of our church. A huge part of this season is fundraising. Fundraising will always be part of church/nonprofit life but it’s almost all of these early stages. To be clear: I didn’t respond to a call from God to fundraise. I responded to a call from God to plant churches that form people, renew cities, and expand the Kingdom. The reality is that the calling costs.
In my naivety I thought fundraising was going to be pretty easy. I knew it would be a lot of work but I just knew that once people met us and heard our vision that they would be eager to support us… not because we’re awesome or our vision is communicated so compellingly but because people would be excited to be apart of building something new for Jesus and our city. The reality, though, is that fundraising has been a grind. It’s been really hard. Churches and organizations have their own visions. They have their own plans. They have their own needs.
I’ve received a ton of responses like this one I just opened a few minutes ago…
Is it discouraging? Absolutely. We long to engage the lost and see them encounter Jesus. We long to see people be transformed and become the people they always longed to be but never could on their own. We long to impact the poor and needy through provision and generosity. We long to invest in dying churches and new churches. We long to dream big and take risks.
Is it a bit scary? Sure. I want to provide for my wife and son. I want to be free to live generously and exercise hospitality. I want to finally move into our target context so we can actually neighbor the people we’re seeking to reach. I want to hire godly people who can help move the mission forward and minister to God’s people.
Unfortunately, we’re just not there… yet.
But here’s the beautiful reality: There were no conditions involved when we said “yes” to God’s calling on our lives to plant a church. God gave us a vision and a longing to see the Kingdom of Heaven advance and expand; to see men, women, and children transformed and made whole; to see our city revived and renewed. There wasn’t any fine print at the bottom of the page that said “as long as God gives us x amount of dollars and cents so we can do this as quickly and comfortably as possible”. All we needed was God’s one yes; that one yes outweighs and overshadows all the no’s.
After God calls Abram to go, we’re told how he responded: “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him…”
We don’t go based on the provision. We don’t go based on the plan. We go based on the calling. God calls. We go. He’ll work out the details later.
All we needed was God’s one yes. It outweighs and overshadows all the no’s.
We’re not going to quit. We’ll go as fast as we can or as slow as we need to.
As long as He’s in it and with us, we’re moving forward. Because our God is a pioneering God who doesn’t give all the details or guarantee ease. He calls us to places beyond our capacity so we learn to dream big, take risks, and trust Him.
But He promises us His presence and requires obedience. And that’s enough.
We’ve been really encouraged by friends and family who have come alongside us financially. We’re continuing to pray for more individuals and families to come alongside us to become recurring donors. We are asking that 100 people consider giving at least $150/month for the next 12 months so that we might engage people they don’t know and serve a city they don’t live in. We know it’s a big ask, but just imagine the potential return on investment, though. Eternal ripples. Generational transformation. Kingdom expansion. Interested or know someone who is?
Remember: The gates of hell cannot and will not prevail against His Church. Jesus builds His church, not us. Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We’re just waiting for the rest of the world to find out. We get to announce the good news so they do.
We’re not anxious. We’re not afraid. We’re not sweating. We’re simply waiting.
Keep praying for us in the meantime. We’re sustained and empowered by your prayers. Something’s stirring beneath the surface. Life is bursting forth. Darkness is trembling. The story is changing.
Until next time… Stay faithful. Keep going. It’ll all be worth it.
👏👏 Amen brother, Blake!