What's Next for the Egly Family ...

Well, the rumors are swirling ...

And most of them are true. The main one being that we are officially crazy.

Seven years ago when I was ordained into the ministry, my pastor and mentor, Dana Mathewson, commissioned me with these words: "Jason, unless God is specifically calling you to serve an existing church, go start something new."

I have struggled with those words ever since they were spoken to me. Starting something new is hard. Starting something new is scary. Starting something new is crazy. And haven't we met our crazy quota for this year (lifetime?)? Seriously ...

Four years ago, God enabled my family to have the best of both worlds when we came to First Baptist Hendersonville. Sure, it was an existing church, but I was called specifically to start a new College Ministry. Eventually we expanded that and started a Young Adult ministry. And Shelley and I have loved every minute of it. But ...

The desire to really start something new has continued to grow in us. It is unmistakable. It is undeniable. It is unquenchable.

So, what's next for the Egly family?

As of June 1st, I will leave my position at FBC Hendersonville and will begin a 6-month Church Planting Leadership Residency with Fellowship Bible Church in Franklin, TN, in preparation to plant a new church in the West End/Hillsboro Village area of Nashville in early 2011.

[Aside: For any of you wondering why Nashville needs another church and/or why church planting is so important, please read this classic paper by Tim Keller: http://download.redeemer.com/pdf/learn/resources/Why_Plant_Churches-Keller.pdf

Also, I'd love to sit down with you and share the vision that God has given us.]

I will eventually begin a new blog that will document our progress toward this calling. In the meantime, our girls' response to this change pretty much sums up our experience so far ...

We shared with them (as best we could to a 4, 5, and 6 year old) what we are doing and the changes that it will bring to our family. Obviously Karis and Ansley were struggling to have any concept of what we were talking about.

Karis said, "So you're saying we are going to build a new church?"

"Well ... Kinda," I said.

She looked down and thought for a few seconds and then responded, "Can I plant the FLOWERS?" [Completely confused by the church "planting" terminology, ha ha.]

"Absolutely!" We laughed.

"Tank-you," she said, matter-of-factly, her body language expressing that she was good with this whole "church plant thing" now. (We'll break it to her later that it will possibly be a long time before we need to plant any flowers around a building, ha.)

Then Ansley piped in, "I help bring the chairs in, Dah-dee." And with that, she was on board.

"Awesome," we said.

But then, when we looked at Mallory, she had big huge tears streaming down her face. "But, I am going to MISS my Sunday School teachers and friends!!!" she cried. And we explained that some of our best friends will be going with us (more about that in a later post) and that the coolest thing is that this is going to allow us to meet many more new friends. And besides, God is telling us to do this. Doesn't He always know what is best for us?

She smiled. Because that's a question to which she has learned the answer by experience over the past 2 years. [Side note about adoptions: they teach your whole family what it means to take risks and live by faith; they give your kids the opportunity to see God come through EVERY TIME. So church planting is really not that scary after all. :) ]

Our emotions run parallel with our girls'. We are excited and ready to jump in and get started. But we are also heavy-hearted to leave a place and a people we love. A people who have become family to us and have helped us give these two new little ones their forever family ... Whew.

This is hard.

We covet your prayers. :)