Deuteronomy 1:22 says, “Let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us.” If I was an Israelite, I would have applied for the scout job. There are few things I love more than scouting out new territory for NCC. It’s one of the things I love about being a multi-site church. We’re always thinking about what’s next. And for the record, I can’t go watch a movie at a movie theater without “sizing it up” as a potential church location!
I go on a “scouting trip” today. We honestly thought we wouldn’t launch anything till the fall, but we can’t wait any longer. Our growth is necessitating another location.
I sure hope this doesn’t undermine the confidence that our congregation has in its leadership, but sometimes I feel like we have no idea where we’re going. Sure, we have plans and strategies. But we often find ourselves in this place where we don’t know where to go or what to do next. Part of me hates it because I want the detailed twenty-five year plan, but the upside is that it keeps us in a place of raw dependence upon God.
I feel like we felt before we found the Gala Theater in Columbia Heights. Every door was closing on us! Then God opened the door of opportunity at the Gala. One lesson I learned during that season is that you can’t pray for open doors if you aren’t willing to accept closed doors. It’s disingenuous. We’ve encountered lots of closed doors in recent months. I’m praying God opens a door real soon!
