Finally settling in and able to get back to the interviews about shutting down church plants early. Today I’m continuing in a different situation…what happens when you are asked to step down before the church plant really gets going? Elora Ramirez and her husband Russell went through this experience recently and I think we can all learn a lot from their insight:
- 1. On a scale of 1-10, how confident were you in your call to plant a church?
- 6.5
- Two weeks after moving to Austin we met over coffee with the pastor. I had questions, but everything was falling into place and opportunities were opening up for Russell and I to serve, so we jumped for it. We moved to Austin completely blind – with only a few leads on some area churches. We didn’t want to make any rash decisions, but we also didn’t want to become lazy in our pursuit of community. One Sunday led to another, and before we knew it, we were the worship leaders. It felt right. And on days where we wondered whether or not we made the right decision, we just kept going, hoping it would get better.
2. Were you launched from a parent church, denomination, church plant group, or independently?
We launched from a parent church with a vision to plant churches across Austin. The day of our commissioning service there were three other churches launching with us.
Our charter service was incredible. People were incredibly generous with their first gifts and at the time of launch we had twice the budget than what we were anticipating. I would also say our kids ministry started off with a stellar backing. I saw the research going into choosing the curriculum and praying through some of the choices – no short cuts were taken. Those in charge of children’s ministry did an outstanding job at letting the Lord lead them.
4. Where were you the weakest in your resources at time of launch?
People. I’ve heard it said before you can have people – even those willing to help – but unless they are the right people your labor is in vain. We averaged about 40-50 people a week coming to the services – but many of these people weren’t truly committed to the vision of the church. People were called to minister in areas they weren’t passionate about, and leaders who promised support verbally didn’t really follow through after the launch. Many weekends we felt…stranded.
5. Where did you expend most of your time and energy following your launch date?
Worship. Finding songs, practicing, chunking songs, practicing some more…I would say every day there was always the thought of Sunday morning worship in the back of our mind simply because for all the time we put into the setlist, twice as much time was spent defending it or changing it or trying to bend to people’s wishes. It didn’t matter if we had prayed over which songs to sing, if the people didn’t know the song, the leadership didn’t want us to lead it.
6. What was your biggest disappointment?
Miscommunication. This was more than just our biggest disappointment – it fueled our greatest hurt. The miscommunication came swift and unannounced – stripping us of our position as worship leaders. Even then – in the midst of the pain – we knew the decision wasn’t malicious or intentional. And even though we both were wondering if we could go back, we still went the Sunday after we were told. We sat by ourselves. No one spoke to us until after the service when it was announced they were giving Russ a break to pursue his career. What happened then is what prevented me from ever wanting to return. I just couldn’t. Not with the hurt – not with the misconceptions and everyone else believing it was our choice to stop leading. Someone even asked us “so you decided to chase the almighty dollar?” For the next two weeks, I didn’t go a day without crying. I scheduled to meet a friend for coffee, and I went dragging – knowing she would ask how I was doing. Every time I was forced to read an e-mail or someone asked me a question about what happened, it was like the bandage being ripped off before it healed completely.
And I don’t say this to draw sympathy or make you believe I can’t handle my emotions – but to be as honest as possible. I never anticipated this pain. I never anticipated the hurt caused by the church. But now I know. I can say I’ve been there – I’m still there. And you know what? Christ has never left me. In fact, he’s been closer than ever before.
It’s been two months since the blow, and Russ and I have since found another church home. Slowly, healing is taking place. But the fear is still there. I know eventually I will be able to frequent local coffee shops without hesitation, wondering if I’ll run in to someone from the plant. And more than anything, I continue to pray for those still involved. This church has the possibility to do incredible things for the Kingdom. I’m praying and hoping they tap into their resources and learn that taking risks is sometimes the most beautiful method of drawing closer to Christ.
7. Was starting the church plant, or shutting it down the hardest for you?
It was leaving – hands down. Even though we knew there was no way we could go back, even thinking about going somewhere else caused me to worry. Will the same thing happen again? Is community even possible? Will we ever find anyone to do life with us? The first time we visited somewhere else was the first time in my life I was nervous going to church. I’m still nervous. Just last night I started crying when Russ and I talked about joining a missional community. I didn’t want to go. My heart wrapped its arms around my chest and started squeezing in protest. Please don’t hurt me again, it seemed to be saying. Please don’t make me open up to people…
I went anyway – knowing even though those feelings are legitimate, bowing down to fear is not. I won’t let fear get the best of me. Looking back, we see now how God has orchestrated our lives – even the hurt – to lead us to where we are now. We are blessed. God’s sovereignity is worth every moment of pain. And I know that’s a dangerous statement, but I’m beginning to believe its truth.
8. Would you consider (or have you considered) church planting again? Why or why not?
Yes. Mainly because I don’t want to put limits on what God can accomplish. My life is his – and if he wants us to step forward in faith to help assist another church plant, then we’ll be there.
9. What is the one thing you’d tell someone before they got involved in church planting?
PRAY. Sounds so simple – but it’s SO important. Be specific in your prayers too – and don’t freak out when he answers them in a way you weren’t anticipating.
10. What can we as the local church do to be more supportive of church planters?
Don’t assume plants have it all together. Ask if they need help. Come along side them on projects. Be more than just a prayer partner. There was nothing more humbling than seeing a crowd full of micro-churches, mega churches, bar-churches, house churches and church plants all mixed together at the Verge Conference – worshipping together – drawing strength from each other. We need more of this. We are all one body and I think far too often we act as if we are all our own entity.
Leaving something you love and are passionate about is incredibly hard, but being asked to leave your role prematurely must be even more difficult. Thanks Elora for sharing your story and blessings to you and Russell in your new ministry!
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I think some of the sentiments and wisdom in this post not only apply to church plants, but for anyone leaving a church where they’ve been part of ministry. There are so many misconceptions, even when you try to do it with integrity, and it does hurt when people believe things about you that aren’t true, and you can’t actually address them. I know it shouldn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but it does.
Thanks again to Elora for her willingness to be open and sharing her heart. I’ll be praying for her to receive God’s healing throughout the whole situation.