Introduction

Years ago, four friends and I decided to skydive for our 21st birthdays. I heard from others more than once, “Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” It’s a good question, and a similar question could be asked about embarking on a parachute-drop church plant effort. “Why would you leave a perfectly good, stable church to plant a new one?”

A Flashback

To answer that question, I need to give a personal flashback. I was born and raised in the Shawnee RPC outside of Kansas City. My family has a long history in the Reformed Presbyterian Church going back to the “motherland.” I love the RPCNA and have benefited from her care.

Throughout my adult life, I’ve desired to see more congregations established. I’ve considered cities like Pittsburgh, Pa., and Indianapolis, Ind., and wondered why more US metro areas are not filled with similar churches. Out of this desire during seminary, I interned with Pastor Bob Hemphill as he began planting Laramie, Wyo., RPC. I also interned with Pastors Harry Metzger and Martin Blocki as North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC was daughtering Grace (Gibsonia, Pa.) RPC.

As seminary graduation approached, I prayerfully considered a pastoral call to be the church-planting pastor of the work starting in Manhattan, Kan. Through godly counsel and prayer, I declined the call without another one waiting in the wings. In God’s providence, three months later I accepted a call to serve the long-standing congregation in Seattle, Wash.

When I arrived to Seattle in 2009, I was struck by the isolation of this congregation from the rest of the presbytery and denomination. For some perspective, it is a 14-hour drive from Kansas City to Pittsburgh, with a host of RP churches along the way. In contrast, it was a 14-hour drive to Fresno just to reach Seattle’s nearest RP neighbor at the time.

The Seattle church is the mother church of the Pacific Coast Presbytery. As the presbytery celebrated its centennial in 2011, the Seattle session cast a vision, praying for God to use us once again to establish another presbytery in the Pacific Northwest. Prayer would be raised weekly for three strategic areas: Portland, Ore., Vancouver, B.C., and Boise, Idaho. We rejoice that God added three works in the Vancouver area, which are now in the newly established Reformed Presbyterian Church of Canada.

Why Boise?

When my family moved from Pittsburgh to Seattle, I developed a great fondness for Boise. For each road trip made to see family in Kansas over the years, our first overnight stop was in Boise. If you have never been here, picture what it would be like if Kansas and Colorado got married and had a baby. There are rolling hills, canyons, and farmland in a wide valley flanked by mountains.

It is beautiful here, but the two reasons we chose to begin praying for Boise all those years ago are, first, that there has never been an RPCNA work in Idaho; and, second, that Boise is the capital of the state and located in the most populated area, called the Treasure Valley. The valley includes multiple towns and a population of about 700,000. Mormonism is the dominant religion; people need the true gospel.

The growth rate of the Treasure Valley spiked dramatically in recent years. Many residents from coastal states moved to the area for a variety of reasons, and the population is projected to reach one million by 2040. It was an opportune time to lay the foundations as people relocated and looked for a church.

Why Leave?

This begins to answer the question of why I left an established church to plant a new one. As I reached 10 years as pastor in Seattle in 2019, I began to sense my particular gifts had been utilized. There isn’t a clear way to state what that looks like, and it might be different for each pastor. What I mean is I had reached a point in my ministry where I pondered whether I was the pastor Seattle needed for the next season of its long life.

There was certainly inner conflict; my family had a blessed 10 years in Seattle, and life and ministry were good. My family was supported. I was supported. Every congregation has its issues it is working through, but there were no controversies. We were in a season of peace. I was not looking for a call, but I was in a place where if one came, I would have considered it.

Perhaps you are curious why I didn’t seek to fill a vacant pulpit. In addition to the reason above of not actively looking for a call, there were two reasons I never threw my hat into those rings.

The first is the vision for a North Pacific Presbytery; I was committed to the vision of presbytery expansion. The area in the west is vast with many opportunities for ministry and planting churches. We have only two congregations in the Northwest now that the Canadian congregations are part of the Canada RP denomination.

The second reason is a verse that kept swirling in my head as I would consider leaving for another established congregation. Paul writes in Romans 15:20, “And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.” Although different situations, I understood Paul’s desire to not build on another’s foundation and to see something new established.

God’s Provision

Another aspect of the inner conflict was uprooting my family of seven from a stable situation to the instability of church planting. We were losing a manse, so where would we live? A new church can’t support me financially, so how would I make sure my wife and children have clothes to wear, food to eat, and a roof over their heads? Who would be a part of this work? Where would the church meet? How could we afford a meeting place? What if this work fails?

There was more than one restless night during this time, yet God has continually provided in unexpected ways.

I informed the Seattle session of my deliberation with this sense of call early, knowing this decision would impact the church, and I wanted their counsel. The elders, deacons, and congregation were supportive as we investigated this possibility. As it became clear we were moving, the Seattle church agreed to continue a significant portion of my salary through the remainder of 2021. This generosity helped my family begin on a stronger foundation to buy a home and get settled in the area before a second job would be required.

Instead of being a true parachute drop, we believed it was important to bring together a core group in Boise. However, I had no local contacts. An announcement was sent through Covie-net seeking anyone interested or connected to the area. The Home Mission Board posted the announcement to Facebook. An Orthodox Presbyterian (OPC) minister who pastored in the Treasure Valley sent the post to friends still in the area. They reached out to me, and our core group was born: three house-holds (including my own). We now have seven households worshiping together.

In that first year, God brought a providential surprise some months after moving. Our family of seven was growing to eight. A welcome blessing, but it definitely took some adjusting! Alicia had started selling sourdough bread and teaching sourdough classes in our home for extra income. As we wisely scaled back for Gretta’s arrival, God continued to provide through the generosity of family, friends, and some RP congregations.

I struggled to find a location to meet. We spent the first three months alternating between a community center and hotel. Seventh-day Adventists, schools, large churches, and storefronts closed the doors to us. Alicia asked around on local Facebook groups, and the pastor of a dwindling church replied that their building would be available soon. God provided a location central to the Valley where we have worshiped morning and evening ever since.

Ways to Help

That’s a picture of how and why our little congregation began. If you’re wondering how you can help, there are three ways you can come alongside us.

Prayerfully consider relocating. We need a larger core group; perhaps God would have you labor alongside us. The housing market has leveled off a lot.

Prayerfully consider giving financially to the work. The Lord encouraged us greatly with the giving received. However, we remain in need.

Most importantly, pray. The first two options may not be feasible. Truly, we could have all the money and people we desire but still fail in the effort. If the Holy Spirit is not working, it will be in vain. We need your prayer for God to establish us for generations to come.