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Fields Notes
Welcome to Fields Notes - a podcast where we'll take a deep dive into sermon texts, unpack Sunday mornings, and discuss questions of life and faith with fellow friends from The Fields Church in Westfield, IN.
Fields Notes
Church Planting feat. David Ralston
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Pastor Jeff has a conversation with Fields Church member David Ralston on all things church planting.
Welcome to this week's episode of Fields Notes, where we take a deeper dive into sermon text, discuss matters of life and faith, and enjoy conversations around the table with fellow friends from the Fields.
SPEAKER_03All right, well, Fields Notes listeners, we have a special episode today, which you probably even noticed in part because Joe is not doing uh the sort of hosting of the podcast. So the podcast will be probably not as good because of that point, but will be far better uh because of the guests that we have on the podcast and doing his first podcast. Is that right? That's correct. Yeah. First podcast, uh David Roston. If you don't know David Fields Church, you should, or you should get to know David. Uh David is and his family is a member of their members of our church. Um relatively recently, I think became members in December. That's right. Um and so, but I've known David now for six or seven months. He and I met this past summer. Uh, David has is becoming a good friend, uh, is a partner in gospel ministry. David was a pastor and and church planter um in Terre Haute, which is not too far from where I grew up in Crawfordsville. Um, and so we have some shared connections there. And then uh recently, David has moved up uh to Noblesville, is looking to plant a church in Noblesville, has joined our church. And the hope is uh we'll do a residency here at the Fields Church, very similar to what I did at Castleview in preparing to plant the Fields Church. Uh and then I hope and and our prayer is that we would uh have the privilege and joy of planting uh David in uh in a group, a a group, a church in the Noblesville area. And so super excited to have you on, David. David, why don't you start by maybe just telling us a little bit about yourself, um, your life story, your testimony, your family. Give us give us the uh the brief bio on David Ralston.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, first of all, Jeff, thanks for having me on here, man. And I just want to echo what you said. It's been such a blessing to get to know you and and uh just to become friends and to talk about uh future ministry, just exciting and and I can just say too that our uh family's been so blessed uh by being a part of the Fields Church, you know, coming out of uh church planting, which we'll talk about. Um, yeah, just a great, great season of being able to hear the word of God preached, be a part of a church family, uh, and and just be ministered to in that way. So we're excited. Um, just quickly about ourselves, I get my life story in five five minutes or less. Yeah. Uh yeah, so uh I'm blessed to be married to my wife Kara for 36 years. We were high school sweethearts.
SPEAKER_03Where'd you guys grow up? Terre Hot in Terra.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so you're high school.
SPEAKER_03Did you guys go to Terro North? Ter Hot South?
SPEAKER_00I went to Terrahote North. She went to Ter Haute South, but we still made that work. No, we made that work. Okay. It was difficult in the beginning, but we worked through it. Okay. Um, so and just blessed with uh four kids, uh Amara, Carissa, Jordan, and Hannah. Okay. There's a little bit of a gap between our kids. Uh so um oldest is we'll be 36, I think, in August. I'll get fact checked on that later. And then uh Hannah is still with us. She is uh 12 years old, and so we also, as of August, Lord willing, will have 10 grandchildren.
SPEAKER_03So and what's the oldest grandchild?
SPEAKER_00We have one who's uh uh in high school.
SPEAKER_03Oh, okay. Um so you actually have a grandchild who's older than your youngest child.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Um, so it's blended family there. Yeah, um, my daughter had the privilege of marrying into uh a family uh widower. So um yeah, we love them and yeah, they're they're older, but then um yeah, nine and below just kind of blew up here recently.
SPEAKER_03So I imagine a little bit like life is eventful.
SPEAKER_00I would imagine, right? That's right, especially a lot in the family world. Yeah, when we all get together, it's uh it's quite fun.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, put it that way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, a lot of energy.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I'm sure a huge joy.
SPEAKER_00Oh, absolutely. Yeah, what a what a privilege.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, Steph and I were also high school sweethearts. We met at but we were we went to the same school. We did it right. Uh now Crawford's only has one school, so it was a little bit easier to do that, but that's super encouraging. How did you tell me a little bit about your testimony? Like, how did you uh the Lord save you, call you to ministry?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh thanks for bringing that up. So uh yeah, I grew up in a Christian home. Uh, was blessed to have a dad and and mom who loved the church, loved the Lord. And so, you know, I grew up in an independent Baptist church, and so at the age of five, uh, I felt the Lord leading and wanted to follow him and and knew my need for a savior even at that early age. Um, and so now as an adult, I go back to that and say, that's when I really did place my faith in Jesus Christ. Yeah. You know, every uh church camp though in middle school, I went forward just to make sure it's stuck. Yeah, yeah. Uh, but yeah, so at a very young age, I was blessed to know the Lord.
SPEAKER_03And then I think JD Greer's the one who write wrote the book Stop Asking Jesus into your heart. I needed that book. Like I also I do think the Lord saved me when I was seven, but I think I also prayed a lot of prayers and um and and altar calls. I grew up in that kind of uh tradition and culture as well. And I think I took every opportunity um battling with assurance as well. And I think that's uh a a somewhat normal testimony for those who Christ saves at a young age.
SPEAKER_00You should think about writing a book about assurance.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I know that may done that, but it's a little bit uh a little bit more difficult of a book, an academic book, but yeah.
SPEAKER_00Sorry, and then then um yeah, just uh when I was in high school, just felt the Lord and and at a young age, just kind of loved the church, felt that the Lord uh was calling me into ministry, really wanted to find out. We went to a church camp in Canada as a high school group, and uh my youth pastor asked me to pray about one thing, and that was my prayer request. And he uh so just went away, prayed, wrestled with the Lord, and um longer story, but at the end of that camp, just realized that uh in 1989 uh that God was calling me into ministry.
SPEAKER_03And how old were you, remind me again, how old were you then?
SPEAKER_00I was probably 16 or 17 at that time.
SPEAKER_03Man, that is crazy. So I was at FCA camp at the summer after my sophomore year uh in high school, and I was so I probably would have been right about that same age, 16. And I went into that camp thinking, I really want to know um what it means and what it looks like to live the Christian life every single day. Like just really um, you know, fully live for Christ. And at the end of that camp, I also I do think that's probably the week that the Lord like really put in aspirations in my heart for full-time ministry. Um so yeah, just so crazy to have those shared experiences in some ways too. So after, so did that mean were were you thinking full-time ministry then in high school and into college?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So right after high school, uh went to Bible college, got an undergraduate degree in Bible. Um, and then just right after college, I think I was in my early 20s pastor to church in Rockville, Indiana, right out of college. So learned how much I needed to learn during that season of life. Yeah. And were you the like late senior pastor? Yeah, I was a solo senior pastor of about 60 people. I think our kids were the only kids in the church, mostly older folks.
SPEAKER_03So you were 20-something pastoring 70 somethings. That's right. Yeah, yep. And how was that experience?
SPEAKER_00Well, it was good. I mean, there was a lot, again, that I learned during that time frame. Um, and of course, when you uh leaning on Timothy a lot, like I just have to go in and be an example as best I can, but also realizing that the authority comes not from me, but the word of God and God Himself, and just trying to be faithful in that, preaching the Word of God. And um, you know, and I think you know, at that age, I I go back and I think, man, what was I thinking? You know, like just the people skills, you know, just learning to um relationally to be wise, yeah, and so a lot of growing there, but just a sweet, sweet group of people that loved us, and and so it was a it was a good experience. And then from there, uh just felt the the the need to continue my education. So I went to Southern Seminary Um and uh yeah, graduated from there as well.
SPEAKER_03So and then after at Southern, involved in church, doing any ministry at Southern or mainly just studying?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we were um a couple things. So vocationally, uh, and this is where the story kind of veers a little bit, that uh I thought I'd just yeah, I'd go down there, get another pastoral job and finish seminary. Um, but I needed to move, had a family. So uh my sister was working at a company that needed a salesperson, I needed a job, and so we uh linked up that way, and then uh yeah, I just was blessed in that role, realized that I did like some aspects of business, um, grew up into an executive level. Um, and I say all that just to say that for 15 years, that was what I did uh as a profession. And then back to your question, I was always involved in a local church. So um I was involved in a church in Jeffersonville as the teaching pastor. Okay. Um and then I've been a lay elder during that uh time frame as well, as we kind of moved around, bounced around. Um, but then uh just fast forwarding, um, it was about 2017 I was in a uh a leadership role at a company, but man, I just I realized that I was good at it, but uh had a passion for the local church and really felt like God was calling me back into full-time vocational ministry. And so um, out of all of that, we were in Bloomington, Indiana at the time and at uh a great and healthy, thriving church plant, uh Redeemer Community Church in Bloomington, and just felt led again, longer story, uh, but that God was calling us to plant a church in Terre Haute. And so we left in 2007 to plant Redeemer Church in Terre Haute, and uh we were there until this summer.
SPEAKER_03That's amazing, man. Well, talk to me a little bit because I'm I'm interested. I know Redeemer uh church a little bit, Chris Jones, the pastor there, that's in the same network as the church that we went to in Louisville. Um, were you a lay elder there? Was there any sort of like training? Did they send some people with you? Explain a little bit about that church planting experience um and what it looked like when you went to from Redeemer to plant uh the church in Terre Hot. And what did you am I right in thinking the church in Terre Haute was also named Redeemer?
SPEAKER_00That's correct. That's what I thought. Okay. I joke and say we just took the community out. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So it was Redeemer Church and still there, Redeemer Church in uh Terre Haute.
SPEAKER_00Right. Well, they actually moved across the state line when I left. Oh, that's right, that's right. Redeemer Church Marshall, Illinois. Okay, okay. But it's still going and and thriving. Just got a uh a text from one of the elders with uh just an update, it was encouraging. So that's awesome again.
SPEAKER_03Well, tell us about that yeah, transition into planting.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so uh was at Redeemer in uh Bloomington, got to know Chris Jones, and I first approached him about wanting to be an elder. Um, and so we were going down that track. Um, and so that they do something called a leadership school, that's like the first step, and we went through that. And then we were only there for a brief time. Okay. Um, so we were there maybe two years. Okay. And so when I started feeling like God was calling me into ministry, that's when I started to approach Chris about what would this look like? Um, what do you see? What do you think? And then that's when Terre Haute kept coming up. And I'm from Terre Haute, and I kept saying, No, I'm not going to Tarot, I'm not going to Terra. Uh and so there was a need there, and that's a longer story. But uh just they just felt that that was a great place uh for us to go.
SPEAKER_03How far is Bloomington from Terror? It's about an hour, about an hour.
SPEAKER_00And so that's what made it a little bit tougher. Yeah, yeah. Um, is that they were not able to send anyone. Now I will say that when we were first starting, they would send people up to lead worship um and and to attend, but it was difficult for for you know, that's a big move. Yeah. Um, and for some reason a lot of people didn't want to move from Bloomington to Terrahote. But um, but yeah, they were great. And then they served as our provisional elders until we were to raise up elders, and so very thankful for that time and and that friendship during that period.
SPEAKER_03So did you pretty much you you guys obviously grew up in uh Terre Hot, so you probably had some relationships and and things like that, though it had been a while since you had been in Terre Haute. Did you start a small group? Did you like a a core team move into gatherings? What did that look like?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we just uh we moved back and um yeah, just started uh you know, I had some relationships with pastors in the area. So I met with them, talked to them. Um but we started with a a core group. Um and so we also partnered with camp campus outreach, so that was a blessing too as a college ministry at Indiana State University. So we just started gathering, sharing the vision, um, but we just parachuted in there. So um yeah, that has challenges, and we can talk about that um down the road as we talk about church planting, but that's how we did it. Yeah. And then from there we just yeah, tried to grow that that to a launch group, yeah, and then launched.
SPEAKER_03Um and when did you actually like officially launch the church?
SPEAKER_00So it is uh September I'm sorry, yeah, September 2018.
SPEAKER_03Okay, yeah, okay. And then um and how do you remember uh how many members, attenders, what what size of the church was that when you when you kind of really Yeah, when we launched, we probably had 40 people in the group.
SPEAKER_00Um, and you know how the launch goes, it's usually you know almost a hundred people and then it it drops down from there. Yeah. Um yeah, and so it was it was about that size.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And then you um you guys were you the only pastor elder at that point in time? Yes. Yeah. Did you get more elders? I've obviously now there's there's more elders there. Was that what was that process like? How long did that take?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that took a couple of years. And we we I kind of identified a couple of them right out of the uh right out of the gate. Yeah, and so we started going through different books and studies and put together what it looks like, what are the requirements, um, what are the expectations. And so it took us a couple of years. And again, you want to get to know people really well, and they want to get to know us. And and to be quite honest, in a church plan, you know, is like, yeah, are we gonna be around? Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. So yeah, um, so we were thankful. And it's it's that's one of the greatest blessings is to see those guys still as elders. Then we've added two more elders that are they're doing a great job in some things.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, give us maybe a a quick snapshot of what Redeemer Church looks like today, you know, because it's now eight years old. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it's uh a lot of young uh families. And uh so when we started, we had a lot of college students. We we uh planted the the right before COVID started. Yeah, uh so we went through that and all those fun times. Uh but we had a lot of college students because we were part of uh, you know, a partnership with campus outreach. Um and so you know, Hannah was uh probably three years old at that time. Okay, so she was one of the uh few kids in the church. Yeah, a lot of those college students ended up staying around, getting married, and having kids. So the dynamic changed quite a bit as we as we moved along. And so we right now, I I would guess the average age is about 30. Okay. There's probably about 25 little kids running around. Whereas, yeah, when we first started, there weren't very many. Yeah, so that's kind of where it is now. Again, they moved over to Illinois. A lot of the young families were over there, and so it just makes sense if you don't know. Terre Hode and uh Marshall, Illinois are about 10-15 minutes uh apart. So um, but yeah, still thriving, still same philosophy of ministry. And uh yeah, still have a good relationship with those guys.
SPEAKER_03So member size attendant, like what's the that's a great question.
SPEAKER_00I would say maybe 60. Okay, 70. Yeah, yeah, that's great. Yep. We had I think 70 the first year. Again, a lot of college students we lost all of those in in COVID. So that was you know, one of the reasons that I did want to go to Terra How is they really do have a passion for young people, college students. Yeah, uh, that was one of the greatest blessings. Um, you know, you you invest time in them, and a lot of people would say, like, even as we were talking about planting, why would you invest in college students? They don't have any money and they're gonna move away. And that's true. Yeah. But it was such a blessing. I still, you know, I I can't tell you what a blessing it is to receive notes, texts from guys or ladies and families who were part of our church for a while and now they're in a local church and serving and saying thank you for investing in us. And so that was a blessing.
SPEAKER_03I mean, that is one of the most formative seasons of life is college. And so to be able to be a local church with college students is, I mean, what an opportunity, even though it is hard. I mean, I honestly, we wanted to plant in a more of a college town. That was kind of our hope. And uh, you know, Westfield ended up being the place and and where we felt like the Lord was leading us. And now I'm like, oh, I get the young adults in their first job and getting a home and they stay around. I'm like, wow, this is not too bad as well. I mean, we still have uh a lot of younger people uh in our church, but it it's pretty cool to kind of be there when they're making some of these first decisions and and these sorts of things are happening too, right fresh out of college. But I'm still so thankful for I feel like I have really good relationships with Eric Roseberry at City of God in Purdue, Chris Jones, you know, so these guys that are in some of these areas, because when those college students, uh a lot of them move to the north side of Indy, you know, to be able to say, hey, you should recommend that they come to our church. We'd love to have them in our church. And then when we are now, as our student ministry is starting to grow and we have more students and they're going off to college, to be able to tell our students, like, hey, here's a really solid local church that you should be involved in. I think that those relationships are huge. So tell me a little bit about the transition now away from uh Redeemer Church in Illinois to Noblesville now. Um and and what led to that transition. I imagine that's a difficult thing. You know, I think of obviously we're three years in, um, and very much um like, you know, I mean, in some ways, I'm like, man, I think I'm gonna, I hope the Lord gives me my entire life now, the rest of my life at the fields until, you know, I can't do this anymore, shouldn't do this anymore. Um, and and those sorts of things. I a lot of times church plants can be that way. You know, it's it's almost like, you know, like one of your children, right? You know, like it it it's really tied close. I'm sure that was a tough transition. So talk a little bit about the transition from you know the church plant redeemer here now to the north side.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, that was uh you're right. It it was uh it was a long process of really discerning what the Lord was calling us to do. I even look back now and say it's probably a three-year process. Um one of the things we were committed to is that we wanted to make sure if the Lord was calling us to leave that that Redeemer was in a good place. And we felt at the at the time that it is um and that it was. Um and so but that whole process was seeking a lot of counsel, yeah, um, a lot of prayer, uh a lot of talking, um, and just yeah, just and I think you know, a lot of wisdom from other pastors who had been church planters and left because it's it's very difficult. And you don't want to say this is my church, right? Uh this is my identity. Yeah. But at the same time, you started it. There's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of sacrifices involved in that, and a lot of really deep relationships. And so when we we moved there, we envisioned that this will be the last we go. Yeah. Famous last words. Um but there were a couple things. One is and probably the main thing was uh just our daughter. Yeah. This you know, when you think about church planting, uh there's the church planter, but there's the family. And so as I mentioned, Hannah was about three, and so there were no really kids when we started, and then the kids that we did gain were younger, and so the whole time she was pretty lonely. Yeah, and and we saw that and and saw that it was having some impact, and you know, that's a lot a lot to unpack with that. But just felt like you know, maybe we need to make a change. Yeah, um, but also I have always felt um again going back to my uh Redeemer, yeah. It's like I want to go to Indy, yeah, I want to land in Indy. Yeah, um, and so yeah, it just felt like this was an area where um you know I could use my gifts and and my background a little bit and and and and hopefully help. I know there's a huge need here. Yeah, um, there's a huge need for churches. Yeah, and we could say that about Terra Hoder anywhere, but um, and so yeah, we just prayed about it. We also have family, so one of my um daughters and uh son-in-law and their family are attending the fields, uh but they live in Cicero, Indiana, so we're glad to be around them as well. And so there were a lot of a lot of reasons, and so yeah, we felt like Redeemer was in a good place. Uh, we did feel like the Lord was calling us to another season of ministry and in Hannah, and we wanted Hannah to thrive. Yeah, um, and and um nothing against you know the folks at Redeemer, that was just the way that it that it worked out, and so and and we're glad that we did. I mean, it's it's been a blessing, and so I think also, too, when I think about uh Noblesville or Hamilton County, um if you don't know Terre Hoe very well, it's a it's a broken city, and so there's a lot of cyclical poverty um and a lot of hurting. Yeah, so we need to be called to those people, the down and out, so to speak, the gospel. Uh but I still think we need to reach the up and out. Yeah, those who are professionals, those who are young, you know, young people making those big decisions in their lives. And um, so I just really felt you know called to try to reach um both groups in that regard.
SPEAKER_03So I think that brother's encouraging, and just to encourage you too, like I I think it's so encouraging me to hear just a someone thinking with wisdom through a situation. Because I do think there's sometimes some even Christians and and pastors, they sort of think, well, like God would have to like give me a vision, or there'd have to be some, you know, calling that's a ambiguous kind of idea. But but I think like it's just encouraging for me to hear you say, like, hey, this church is healthy and it's it's doing well and um we love it. And yet at the same time, like there's some family needs that we have, there's just some desires that we have that are good desires that uh there's some doors that are open. There's a huge need. Like we think we're we can do this. I think sometimes Christians get paralyzed because uh, well, can I do it? Should I do? And it's like I loved the quote, Love God, do what you want, um, from Augustine and I Kevin DeYoung's book on uh just do something. I I just think there's I brother, it just seems like you've used wisdom and prayerful, uh thoughtful counsel from many other believers and pastors. Um, and I I'm encouraged by that. I think that's helpful for people who may be wrestling with decisions and and tough decisions and thinking, well, I could just never do that. Well, no, like that's okay. Like you can you can pursue something else and and the Lord be in that. Um, and I also want to encourage you too, because I think one of the things that we really struggled with when we planted in Westfield was, well, why aren't you planting inside of 465? Um, and at the time, now that's actually changed a little bit. At the time, there were actually a lot of healthy churches being planted and growing within 465, but almost nothing outside of 465. And so I still like the suburbs need good churches. And in fact, good solid churches in the suburbs, as you said, um, can really resource and help and see church planting done uh uh across a large spectrum because of the resources that are here and uh the people are here too. And I think that's true. Like I was just talking to a uh a brother in Miami who's a pastor, church planter, and I was telling him, hey, there's actually we're a Southern Baptist church. There, as far as I know, I think there's one other, maybe two other Southern Baptist churches in Scienceville, Westfield, Carmel, Noblesville, and Fishers combined. Um, and and again, not that a Southern Baptist church or that's where I think is everything, but but there actually aren't as many like really solid gospel preaching churches on the north side as I think may people may think. And also, I think both you and I are similar in this regard. We think um we don't have anything against big churches or uh larger churches, but we think there's a real place for churches where people really have relationships with one another and not just individuals in the church, but that the whole church knows the whole church in some real sense. Um, and that we see more local churches with more local pastors who are shepherding people like that. This is healthy. And so I know one of the visions that we have as a church, uh, the Fields Church is that we want to see not the Fields Church be 1,500, 2,000 people. I don't think that's gonna be a problem, anyways. Um there's some giftedness that you know I don't have and uh you know, things like that, that probably that's not an issue. But also um I want to see like I'd love to see five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, I mean, just a multiple of just solid, closer to where people live in all areas, uh, local churches that have meaningful membership, preaching the gospel. Um, I just think that's a a real need, especially in the suburbs on the north side. Uh, and so, brother, I'm I'm encouraged by that as well. I mean, I think um I think you're right in in seeing the need, and especially we've talked in Noblesville. Um, and so talk to me a little bit about um, yeah, just as you're thinking about uh planting church. Obviously, we're hoping uh as a member of our church and conversations we've had, and we're walking through the the process of bringing you on as a church planting resident and to to do a residency here. And some ways I'm like, well, man, you could probably teach me more than I could teach you and our church. But I do think you're right. When we I had been a pastor for 10 to 15 years before I went to Castleview for a year. And man, that year at Castleview fed my my soul and my family's soul in just a really significant way. It gave me some breathing room to think and to plan. Um, it gave me an opportunity to to bring other people along and to really pour into them and have deeper relationships, some of which you didn't get to do in Terra Hope when you parachute in that I know you would love to do now. So give me like an ideal. Like what's the next, yeah, it's I think we've talked a little bit, probably 2027. Right. Um, you know, what's what's the next year and a half look like for you as you think, man, this this is what I would love to see. This is our hope.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, thank you. No, I agree wholeheartedly. I think um what one of the things that we're focused on right now, and I'm doing the, you know, trying to make this the focus is are we healthy? Yeah. Is my marriage healthy? Yeah, it's my family healthy. And and again, it's just been a blessing to be at the fields and and to be able to be poured into. Um, as I as I think, you know, I I've talked to people and people have asked me, you know, why do you need to do a residency? You planted a church, and you just hit it on the on the head. It's like we did, but it and I've heard it explained as if you're trying to build the airplane while it's taking off. Yeah, and I definitely, uh definitely believe that's true. And also just looking back, um, man, I think if I was to do it again all over, man, there's so many things I would do differently. So to have the opportunity um just to be part of a very healthy, thriving church plan after three years, um and to have the same kind of philosophy of ministry is is is so beneficial. Um and then you to your point, uh, you know, you have that you have the opportunity to fine-tune a few things, you have the opportunity uh to maybe identify some future leaders and start to pour into them and start to pray. Um, you know, start to you know to think where where would God have us in Noblesville? Yeah. You know, where where um where's the most need, where's the most opportunity, and all of those things. So you're not you're not just jumping in and then you feel the pressure. Um, you know, when you do a church plant, it's like well, we've got to make make this work for our own livelihood. You know, and so you don't want to go into it that way, but that's just the reality of church planting. And so not to have that kind of uh urgency and that kind of pressure right off the bat uh is really helpful.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I do think like in some sense, Castleview and and and Pillar, Plant Indy, you know, some of these networks are are a bit of a safety net that I think a lot of T uh church planters didn't have 15 years ago, you know, or even 10 years ago. I I think Steph and I, you know, church planting always feels like you're just taking a leap. I mean, there's just no doubt about it. And Steph and I are not leap kind of people, uh, we like plans. And uh so this the Lord used that, you know, to draw us closer to him for sure and to to grow our trust in him and in his providence. But it was also it also grew our dependence on his people, you know. And I and I think we really felt like, you know what, even if uh this doesn't go the way that we pray and hope, that's okay. Like we've got God's people that are caring for us and love us and are gonna walk with us in this. And I think that's that does give a bit of a freedom to just plant and pastor and shepherd. And that was a real encouragement. Because I think what can happen with planters sometimes is if there is this, like, well, I've got to make this work, then sometimes you can cut some corners. Yeah. You know, you can do some things that will get people, but aren't gonna necessarily be the most healthy. And I felt like we had the freedom to just try to be as biblical as we possibly could and as faithful to what God says a church is and what a church does as we possibly could, knowing that, man, we we can trust God uh in this. And we we see that evidence, especially in other local churches and people that we know care for us. And so, David, I I think in part that's our hope as a church is we want to, you know, encourage you and to we don't want you to parachute into Noblesville. You know, we want to you to get time to know Noblesville. And we have people in our church who are from Noblesville and already know Noblesville and have lived in this area and to be able to meet with them. And I'm hopeful to introduce you to a lot of other pastors in the area and to make connections and and also we really want you to and your family to have a home in our church, you know. I think sometimes, and I I think you we've talked about this too, but I encourage you too. Like when we were at Castleview, we didn't deal with Castle View like arms at arm's length. Man, we just went all in. Like we were like we know we're probably not gonna be here for uh a super long time, but we need these relationships, and these relationships can continue after we plant too. Um, and we need those prayers and the time and everything. So we we want to be that for you and your family too. I mean, we want you guys to form real, deep, true uh relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ here. We we think the deeper the relationships we have uh in the church means that the deeper the connection between our two churches uh in the future uh will have is too. And we've seen that kind of modeled at Castleview.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and what a blessing that is. And and again, I feel like we're just we're getting settled and we just tasted it. Yeah. And so we're really uh eager and hungry, like to build those relationships. I think that's absolutely vital. Um, you know, because a lot of church planters are isolated, yeah, lonely, yeah, um, don't have the resources. And so just uh to have a church um who knows us and we know them and who love us and is a safe place, I think is invaluable.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Well, David, just as we finish, maybe some ways that we can be praying for you guys. So just in this season um of transition, um, you know, leaving a a place you loved and even a hometown that you grew up in in some ways and and coming to a relatively new place, and then the idea of planting a church and um and you're working another job and family, you know, just a lot of things. What are what are some ways um, you know, that we can just be praying for you and your family in this season?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I know. Thank you so much. And I think it goes back first and foremost to developing those deep relationships for Hannah to feel as if she has has friends. It's really hard uh to move. And um, we want her to be able to flourish. That's really important to us and for us too. We're she's not the only one. We want to have deep, meaningful relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. And so, yeah, I just pray that we would um experience that, but also play, pray that we would be a blessing to the fields while we're here. Um that we would uh love well, that we would be faithful uh members of the church. And uh yeah, just we want the fields to grow and to flourish. And um, so I think those are the main things and just just wisdom as we uh begin to pray and to think about what does it look like for us to plant maybe in 2027 and um that God we even start stirring hearts now for people who have a vision for uh wanting to reach Noblesville with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, amen, brother. Well, we will definitely be praying for those things and have been. And let me just encourage you too, and um, for those of you maybe who haven't gotten to know David as well yet, too. Like I uh I've talked with many of our elders and other people who have gotten to know you. I know for me too. Uh, brother, you're you are an encouragement to us. You know, um, you are so clear to me that you have a shepherd's heart, that you listen well, that you care for others. There's so many times when I'm like trying to direct the conversation to you. Like I want to know, hey, tell me how, and you just so kindly and graciously I end up talking, which may be a problem for me, and generally, I end up talking about myself and and things like that. But I just see the, and I've heard that from numerous other people that are like, man, I uh it like it's just so clear that you really do care um for others and and love God's people and love Christ and love his church. And um, and so we're really excited, brother, uh, to see what the Lord might do and and how the Lord might, you know, uh bring uh make this partnership and uh time together uh just uh sweet and and would help uh help our church for sure. Uh I'm excited about uh what you and your family um, you know, bring to our church as members, but also how we as a church may even have the opportunity to shape a new church in Noblesville, which, you know, thinking about four years ago, I you know, you know though. Like I was like, man, I don't even know if we're gonna have a church in three years, you know. Um, and the Lord has been really kind to now think, oh man, we might have the opportunity to see another church planted within the first five years of us as a church is just a really, really sweet thing.
SPEAKER_01So praise God, brother.
SPEAKER_03We're really thankful for you, thankful for this time to be able to talk and encourage and looking forward to much more of that. Um so thanks so much, brother.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.