Ecclesia Network

Paul Hill is the lead pastor of Wheatland Mission. 

How would you describe the area your church is in?

Wheatland rents space from an American Baptist Church (Sunnyside Baptist) in the central part of the Wichita. We are one block from a large African-American congregation and the neighborhood is a mixture of Latino and White working class families.

How would you describe the journey of pastoring Wheatland Mission? What have been some of the milestones/different seasons?

Wheatland has been around for fourteen years and it feels as if we have been three or four different churches over the years. In our earliest days Wheatland followed the typical attractional model of church but on a small scale. However, we realized not long into our journey that that model wouldn’t work. We gathered a nice sized group very early on but most of that group disappeared near the one year mark. It was both devastating and clarifying. We realized that we had to retool our ministry.

For the next few years we tried to understand what God was calling us to do. In time, a path became clear to us. People who had been burned by the church often found us. Individuals who were struggling with belief but weren’t quite ready to give upon Christianity found us too. We saw ourselves as one of the last options that people gave themselves before giving up on church all together.

We rethought the process of spiritual formation. How do people become grounded in the faith, especially in a context where they have lost faith? This led us, in part, to adopting a more liturgical, Anglican-ish, approach to our life together.

Today we jokingly refer to ourselves as “feral Anglicans” or as “casually liturgical”. Neither term really describes who we are as a community but we have found a foundation in the Book of Common Prayer liturgy that has helped many of our people stretch themselves in faith and come in contact with Christ through the Spirit.

Most recently, Wheatland has been marked by this liturgical approach to life in our weekly worship as well thrice weekly prayer gatherings from the prayerbook. But, we have also been greatly impacted by our partnership with Hilltop Urban Church, a congregation of and for Wichita’s urban poor. Our friendship with Hilltop is changing our attitude about participating in God’s work in the world and seeing ourselves not as saviors, or as project managers, but as friends of God’s people wherever we find them.

Looking back, what do you know now you wish you had known when you first started Wheatland Mission?

On a personal level, I wish I understood the power I had as a leader in the church. Influenced by Anabaptism, and also being a bit naive, I didn’t exercise the power that I had as the pastor of our congregation and some division and heartache was the result. Looking back, I failed to exercise the power and authority I had as pastor of the congregation in a way that would have helped us avoid some of the division. I considered my inaction to be patience. But, looking back I think I was just afraid of creating conflict and division. My avoidance created the very thing I was trying to keep from happening.

As shepherds of our flocks we have the responsibility to care for them. That will sometimes mean hard conversations, strong stances, and inflexibility in regards to sinful divisiveness.

As you think about what you’ve been able to do so far in ministry there what are some things you have done/tried that have worked well?

As I mentioned above, employing liturgical elements from the BCP has been a great experience for us. We’ve also embraced the liturgical year by observing Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter. We are encouraged because there are children in our church have always known Advent and Lent as part of their walk of faith.

We’ve also seen significant success in partnering both with Hilltop and with three different churches that we have rented from. We have had numerous shared worship services and special events. Currently, our youth minister and other leaders, have created a youth ministry in cooperation with Sunnyside Baptist the church where we rent our meeting space. It has been a mutually positive experience.

What hasn’t worked so well? What have you had to rethink/reimagine/rework?

Wheatland used to be involved in a mobile medical ministry in the city. It started off as a good experience but we soon discovered two things. First, the medical professionals from our church that staffed the clinic grew concerned that they were providing care that was superficial and kept patients from seeking more thorough care which was available in the city. Second, the clinic, while a good thing, did not lead to building friendships with people who were in different socio-economic and ethnic spaces than we were. We entered as professionals who provided services. There is nothing wrong with this on its face but as a church, we have discerned that our responsibility is relationship with the poor where from whom we learn and grow and find relationship.

This has led us to our strategic partnership with Hilltop Urban Church. We worship together a few times a year (mostly on special occasions) and we provide back-up help with worship and teaching. Above all, we seek to become friends who are blessed as much as we bless.

What is something you’ve been hearing from or learning from God in this last season of leading?

Before Wheatland I was a part of a large church staff. I am confident that Wheatland is where God wants me to be and the church he wants me to serve. However, I sometimes feel that Wheatland is “not really” a serious church because of our size, the fact that we don’t have a building, we meet on Saturday nights, etc. As a pastor I sometimes suffer from an inferiority complex.

Wheatland is unique and important and I think that God is saying, the Wheatland Mission is what the Wheatland Mission is supposed to be. Not perfect, with lots of room for improvement and growth, but, who Wheatland is essentially right. Don’t be ashamed of it. Don’t run away from it. God is with us and God is at work.

What do you dream/hope/pray Wheatland Mission looks like in five years?

First, I hope our strategic partnership with Hilltop increases and improves. My hope is that most of our middle-class educated congregation would be meaningfully connected to people from our sister church.

Second, we need to re-develop our small group ministry. In earlier years this was a central part of our shared life. But, in recent years this part of our ministry has suffered and we are working at creating a rhythm of life at Wheatland that includes not only corporate worship and service but smaller communities of more intense and purposeful growth.

NOTE: the photo above is of our staff, Nathan Hansen, Shawntel Shirkey, Devin Withrow, and myself.

Stephen Redden is one of the founding pastors of NDC and oversees our church multiplication efforts. He is also the director of The Church Cooperative of Denver, the local church network NDC helped launch in 2017. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University (B.S. Computer Engineering, M.B.A.) and Dallas Theological Seminary (M.A. Biblical Studies). Stephen also does a variety of projects outside of NDC. He is the founder of Third Circle, a consultative coaching practice, where he works with individuals and organizations to maximize their effectiveness.  Between 1996 and 2000 Stephen worked as an information technology specialist at IBM Global Services before leaving to work on a project with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Kazakhstan and Russia in 2000-2001. After returning to the US in 2001, Stephen joined the staff at North Point Community Church to help lead the Community Groups ministry. Stephen married Kate in 2002, and they welcomed their first son, Ethan, in 2004 and were blessed again in 2007 with the arrival of their second son, Andrew. Stephen loves football (Go Broncos and Hail State!) and futbol (Go Rapids and Gunners!), snowboarding, and considers himself a closet redneck and a geek at heart.

How would you describe the area your church is in?

Urban neighborhood

How would you describe the journey of pastoring New Denver? What have been some of the milestones/different seasons?

We started the church 10 years ago, and I was one of the founding pastors. In that time there have been a number of seasons and milestones along the way. The early years were marked by a lot of work to slowly build relationships and patiently serve our fledgling community as it grew slowly. In time, somewhere around year four, we hit a point where momentum began to build and we began to feel more stable. We had a steady self-sustaining community and focused on the tasks of growing our roots deeper. In some ways that season continues today in our main location, but four years ago we committed to making significant investments in multiplying our influence. We built on the momentum of our existing ministry residency and started a church planting residency as well. Two years ago we helped our first church planting resident launch a new church – Westside Church Internacional – a bi-lingual, multicultural church in west Denver. Today we continue to look for opportunities to grow and expand our influence at New Denver, but we are also exploring opportunities to bring on another church planting resident or work with an existing church to replant or revitalize a community.

Looking back, what do you know now you wish you had known when you first started New Denver?

Perseverance is the key to longevity in ministry. Everyone faces challenges and adversity, and things rarely go the way that you expect. If you can hold your expectations open-handed before God and believe that he is always at work in ways that you cannot fathom or understand, it allows you to persevere through the inevitable highs and lows of pastoral ministry.

As you think about what you’ve been able to do so far in ministry there what are some things you have done/tried that have worked well?

From the beginning, we sought to be a values-driven church. Our values have changed over time, but our commitment to discerning the few things we want to focus on as a community has remained consistent. This clarity of values helps us to know who we are and how we focus our limited energy and resources. In pursuit of living out those values, we never get too attached to programs or methodologies. One of our values is community, and to date, we’ve tried a variety of different approaches to living that out. The goal remains the same, but we hold loosely to our strategies. Lastly, I think one thing we’ve done well is to try and steward the people who come through our community well. Our city is very transient, and it has been easy at times to get cynical about how many people come and go. But the more we remain open-handed – celebrating people when they come and when they go and making the most to guide them and develop them while we’re here, we seem to see God bless and multiply our efforts.

What hasn’t worked so well? What have you had to rethink/reimagine/rework?

We’ve had to re-think evangelism over and over. In the early days, we were so desperate to “get the word out” and make new connections that it was difficult to be patient to see and appreciate the slow work of God. We were always pushing people to invest in others and to invite them to church. As we have been able to grow slowly, it has allowed us to be patient and see that in very post-Christian contexts like Denver, it may be years to see people open to engaging somehow in the life of the church.

What is one failure you experienced and what did you learn from it?

In the early days, we were trying to create gatherings to build relationships and get some momentum going. I remember we did an event at someone’s house, bought a bunch of food, and invited 20-25 people. Three people showed up. It was so disappointing, but I tried to value and appreciate those three people well. It prepared me for the coming years when there would be low-attendance Sundays or seasons when attendance and participation would mysteriously drop. We developed a mantra – “Love the church you have, not the church you want to have.”

What is something you’ve been hearing from or learning from God in this last season of leading?

I turn 49 this year, and over the last few years, God has been impressing on me that innovation and leadership to engage coming generations doesn’t come from 50 and 60-year-olds. It’s time for me to start getting serious about moving from the “front” to the “back” – to get behind younger leaders and use everything I have to push them forward. This is not something that I’ve seen done particularly well by the church leaders in the generations ahead of me, but it’s something I’m convinced we need to do better.

What do you dream/hope/pray New Denver looks like in five years?

In five years I’d love to see us continuing to grow and engage people at our current location. We currently share space with the aging and dwindling congregation that owns the building where we meet. It’s been a great relationship, but over the last few years, we’ve felt constrained by their refusal to make space for us to grow by adding additional Sunday services. It would be great to get that resolved. But I’d also like us to continue to engage with reaching people through church planting and looking for ways to invest outside our current community.

Dustin Bagby co-pastors the Evergreen Community in Portland, OR (with Luisa Gallagher). He has an M.Div from Western Seminary in Portland, and a B.A. in Preaching and Bible from Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois. Dustin is married to Kelli, and they have two boys; Gram and Owen, and daughter Rose.

How would you describe the area your church is in?

Hipster. 🙂

How would you describe the journey of pastoring Evergreen? What have been some of the milestones/different seasons?

I’ve been at Evergreen for 13 years so there have been a lot of different seasons. It’s been exciting to be a part of a church that has been a healing place for so many people in the “formerly Christian” camp as well as people experiencing Jesus for the first time.

Looking back, what do you know now you wish you had known when you first started at Evergreen?

I’m not sure it’s as much about what I wish I would have known as much as who I wish I would have been. Certainly, we can’t become that person without a lot of experience and difficulties getting there, but to have been introduced to some works like Edwin Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve and the concepts that come with it earlier would have been VERY helpful.

As you think about what you’ve been able to do so far in ministry there what are some things you have done/tried that have worked well?

I think one of the key things we’ve tried that has worked well and has always been appreciated is leaving space for dialogue on Sundays as well as other environments where people can share honestly. It’s in that sharing where people realize that we’re not encouraging people to fake life or pretend everything is okay all the time. That honesty and authenticity have gone a long way in people realizing their need for Jesus and being able to encourage one another and care for each other.

What hasn’t worked so well? What have you had to rethink/reimagine/rework? What is one failure you experienced and what did you learn from it?

Just one? 🙂 I think one of the big failures from the last three years was the lack of thought we as leaders put into how we processed and dialogued about the LGBTQ conversation as a community. There was pressure from numerous people that the elders be explicit about our position and give them some kind of “statement.” We’ve always been a community where people have been allowed to “disagree without disengaging” and it just wasn’t something that was our number 1 priority. I think as we studied and processed as elders and then brought it before the community we didn’t do it as thoughtfully or thoroughly as we could have. Given the fact that our community is so split on their opinion on this, I’m not surprised that it was difficult and painful. But I think there are ways we could have alleviated that. I wish we would have come to a greater consensus on our elder team with more time as well as had a more open community forum where people could express their thoughts in a larger setting.

What is something you’ve been hearing from or learning from God in this last season of leading?

It seems like God has revealed lately a root of some of the challenges we’re experiencing right now. In an increasingly polarized and divisive time, it is very hard to continue to try to bridge the middle and be a church where conservatives and progressives are worshipping together as family. We’re encouraged to “take sides.” At Evergreen we are encouraging people to take Jesus’ side- who critiques both conservatives and progressives in deep ways. In Portland, sadly even amongst those who would call themselves Christ-followers, that is not a popular option.

What do you dream/hope/pray Evergreen looks like in five years?

In five years, I pray that Evergreen is a church community that has realized its potential for inviting and welcoming more people into the life of the family of God. I think a lot more formerly churched and unchurched people could meet Jesus, heal, and really thrive in our community if we continue to invite friends and neighbors into relationship with God and Evergreen.

Gary Alloway serves as the Pastor and Director of Mission for Redemption Church in Bristol, PA. Gary is an alumnus of Penn State and Princeton Theological Seminary.  He is passionate about seeing the healing love of Christ spread throughout the world.  He also loves indie rock, startup businesses, community ventures, and his family.

We recently had a chance to ask him a few questions!

How would you describe the area your church is in?

A post-industrial suburban small town.

How would you describe the journey of pastoring Redemption Church? What have been some of the milestones/different seasons?

When we first started, we were young, immature, and ambitious. 3 years in, we re-booted, spending the next 6 years in a house church model, which helped us develop depth, a culture of discipleship, patience, and a willingness to invest in small things, rather than try to conquer the world. House churches forced us to focus on relationships, both inside and outside the church. We re-launched our weekly gathering this past year with a whole network of local relationships to invite in, rather than just a good idea for a new ministry in Bristol.

Looking back, what do you know now you wish you had known when you first started Redemption?

I wish I had known how slow things would go. We planted in a dying post-industrial town and expected to see growth and change right away. If I had had a more realistic expectation for the pace of change, I would not have been as discouraged in the early years and would have spent more time rejoicing over the little victories along the way.

As you think about what you’ve been able to do so far in ministry there what are some things you have done/tried that have worked well?

Community partnerships. As a small church with a small budget, there are limitations on what we can do on our own. However, when we have partnered with both individuals and community organizations, we have been able to accomplish things far beyond our scope. We have helped launch a housing non-profit, a coffee shop, and a community festival. We have worked with local businesses to host Bible studies, storytelling nights, and discussion groups. Our resources and possibilities grow tremendously when we work with others rather than only within ourselves.

What hasn’t worked so well? What have you had to rethink/reimagine/rework?

One mistake was thinking that there would be dozens of people in Bristol who were excited about a new church. In our post-industrial, post-Christendom setting, nobody was excited that we showed up. People were interested in who we were and what kind of neighbors we would be, but not what we were offering on Sundays. It has forced us to think about how we do Monday through Saturday well, not just think about Monday through Saturday as a means to enlarge Sunday.

What is something you’ve been hearing from or learning from God in this last season of leading?

God continues to bring me back to the truth that it is all about discipleship. We can build a big church, but all that really matters to God is whether we are being shaped and formed to be like Christ. This the reason we exist. And if we invest in this, whether the church grows large or dies, we will be successful.

What do you dream/hope/pray Redemption looks like in five years?

I hope and pray that our church community is even more enmeshed in the life of Bristol. That we would be the salt and light not only on our main street, but in every neighborhood, on every street, in our schools, etc. I pray that even if we grow large, we wouldn’t lose sight of the fact that individuals matter to God. That we would love our neighbor, not as a concept, but instead, actually love our particular neighbor.