For the last four years, I have been doing my dream job. I've been employed at Moon Valley Bible Church as the Director of Sunday Services. Not only have I gotten to lead Moon Valley in worship each week, but I've had the chance to work alongside some of the finest members of the church I've ever known. So why am I leaving?
It's easy. I found a job that's way harder, that I've never done before, and that comes with next to no security! Let me explain.
Ten years ago I became friends with a pastor from Ohio named Bradley Rieth. And I joined an organization that he founded called Caleb's Men (CM). Since then, CM's goal has been to impact an entire generation of men with the Gospel. Specifically, CM reaches out to the generation of men who are currently between the ages of 18-35. And that's where I learned the majority of what I know about being a husband, father, Christian, and man.
Then a couple years back I got the chance to serve as the Vice President of CM. That gave me a platform to mentor a handful of other young guys (and is the reason I write about mentoring on this blog from time to time). As a result of that, today my closest and most trusted friends are my brothers in CM.
Okay, I didn't expect that.
Then, just before the holidays hit, Bradley and I got together and he told me about his vision for Prodigal Church. The idea is to create a church that, like Jesus, is for everyone, but targets people between the ages of 18-35. And It certainly is a good vision, since they are the least likely to attend church, or have any kind of relationship with Jesus.
Then he asked me if I'd quit my job to join him and be a pastor at this new church. That was a hard question to answer. I really liked the idea. And Allison.... well, she was hesitant to say the least. So we agreed to pray about it.
The very next day I watched a short video about church planting from a popular organization called Acts 29. And the guy in the video asked a very challenging question. He said, "Are you convinced enough of God's love for you that you're willing to just go do whatever God called you to do, then die, and be forgotten?"
As one who wrestles daily with humility and arrogance, that was exactly the question I needed to be asked. I had to face the nasty side of me that just wants to be popular and get compliments. And once I faced and accepted that planting a church could very well lead to a challenging life of obscurity (which is statistically inevitable), I knew that it was what I had to do.
Immediately after that, in a seemingly providential way, Allison called me to tell me she had had a spiritual experience. She felt like God showed her how He had been preparing her to plant a church all along. She spoke a million words a minute as she tried to describe the peace and excitement she felt for the opportunity to go plant a church together.
So basically...
Allison and I couldn't be more excited to join pursue a new leg of our journey together. We're joining Bradley, his wife, and a group of incredible guys and gals who make up Prodigal Church's core group.
For now, Allison and I have the heartbreaking task of wrapping things up at the church we have loved and called home for the last four years. And it's our goal to leave Moon Valley the way we found it - healthy and prepped to grow.
One more thing about Prodigal Church
Since we announced to Moon Valley that Allison and I are joining Bradley to plant Prodigal Church, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we've received from everyone around us. So Bradley and I have set up a monthly newsletter to keep everyone who's interested in the loop.
If you want to know more about Prodigal, you can check out this short video that Bradley and I made below. You can also sign up for our newsletter, and 'like' us on Facebook.
If you're having trouble viewing this video. You can click here to watch it on Youtube
A point of clarification: While we talk a lot about men between the ages of 18-35, Prodigal church is committed and submitted to Jesus. And the church is for anyone who has sinned, and is in need of a savior... which is everyone.
Thank you for reading and we are so thankful for all of your support.
Warmly,
Tim & Allison
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