Thank you all for your ongoing prayers during our recent Church Planter Assessment Center (CPAC) process. It was a very busy month filled with some wonderful opportunities for connection, self reflection, and encouragement. Many of you know that as we pondering making this transition to Seminary we have had a strong feeling that we were being called to a church planting ministry. Although this type of ministry is very rewarding, the challenges and sacrifices that it takes to start a new church can take a toll on the ministry staff, as such, the LCMS is very intentional about screening potential candidates and providing them support and training prior to entering the mission field. Participating in CPAC was our first step in joining this track at the seminary.
I will give you a short overview of the process. First, both Angie and I were asked to complete an extensive battery of personality and "gifting" inventories. This was fun as Angie, of course, enjoys them! After the "at home" portion, we also participated in two in depth interviews (one "behavioral" and one "psychological"). We had some really wonderful assessors and although we were "under the microscope" greatly enjoyed their company and look forward to continue our connection with them beyond CPAC. Our favorite part of the process was being paired with two other GREAT couples and given a demographic profile of an area where a church plant is being proposed. It was our team job to develop an in depth proposal and present during the CPAC weekend. We were so blessed by the process and really loved our team members....it would be a joy to work with any of them again in the future.
The weekend itself was short but full. I was asked to preach two short sermons, we heard others presentations, and had some great networking time with church planters and mission executives from across the country. There are some incredible things going on....we can't wait to join in. The final step of the assessment was a feedback session. During our session we were affirmed and encouraged in our calling and given the green light to continue on in the missionary development track with the intention of church planting upon the completion of our time here. We are looking forward to continuing relationships with the people we met and doing some more intentional training in church planting.
We are so grateful again for you all, our extended family and friends. During the CPAC process so many of the stories we shared involved many of you and all the lessons we have learned. Thank you for your investment in our lives and the knowledge and love we have gained through our relationship with you all. We would not be able to be doing this without you all. Please know that we send our love, prayers, and thanks!
And remember....we are all called to GO and make disciples...where is God calling you today?
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