God has called Laura and I to lead a team in planting Restoration City Church in Washington, DC.  And, yes, it’s a pretty amazing feeling to actually write those words!

When we started moving down this road in August, we knew the story of what God was doing in our lives would be told in two parts.

The first was clear at the time.  We came to Durham, NC for a 9 month church planting residency with The Summit Church.  We knew God had called us to plant a church, we knew we needed a season of preparation and we knew Summit was the right place for us.  So, we moved our family to Durham.  But we came knowing our time here was limited and preparation for the second part of this journey – actually planting a church.

Laura and I have been praying about planting a church for the last four years.  We’ve spent hours talking about what the church would look like and what kind of culture we wanted to create.  We’ve dreamed about who we would want to plant with and where we could have the greatest impact.  We’ve doodled church names.  We’ve been inspired by friends.  We’ve wrested with fear and doubt.  And through it all, our sense of calling to this work has only increased.

And now it’s time to talk about the church God is calling us to plant.  In May, we will be returning to Washington, DC to plant Restoration City Church in one of the greatest and most strategic cities in the world.  In the weeks and months ahead, I’ll be writing more about what the church will look like, our timetable, why DC, what God is doing in all of this and what I’m learning on this journey.

But for today, I just want to ask for your prayers.  Pray God would be pleased with the church we plant and use us greatly for His glory in our nation’s capital.  That’s our desire.  That’s what we’ve invested our lives in and that’s what we’re believing God for in this new season.

Having a name and a city is an important step in this journey but we know there are so many more in our future.  Our hope for these first steps and all the ones to come is the same – the faithfulness of Jesus to build His church and the power of the Gospel to change everything.  That’ what we’re standing on in these days and that gives us all the assurance we need for the journey.

For Christ’s Fame in DC,

John

Pastor|Restoration City Church