From Our CEO

Dear Friend,

The truck came and dropped off all the parts of the playground for my grandchildren who were all ready to start playing! Two huge boxes with many bags of parts, wood, metal brackets, chains and other things we couldn’t identify! My daughter, her husband, my son who is an engineer and his wife who is a gifted organizer, myself and my other daughter all stood pondering over this massive pile of parts. Surely this must be two playgrounds! We looked at the manual which seemed to be the size of a phone book and realized the setup had over 500 steps in it! 

We kept the picture of the finished product before us, and Lindsey and Christina carefully examined the manual, instructing us of the order and parts needed for each step. They kept assuring us not to worry, that the pieces would eventually make sense. It was going to take a team to keep us on track, to keep from making mistakes, (I still put some parts on backwards!) to get this put together for two very eager granddaughters. 

Committing to a church plant is very similar to this but is much larger, more complex and has an eternal outcome. Our teams go in well trained, understand the big picture and are committed to what God has led them into. From day one the reality of the enormity of the task is in their face. Having consultants who have been in the same situation walking alongside the team as friends, giving encouragement and assurance especially when those times of confusion come, is imperative. These church planting consultants become dear friends and encouragers who understand the challenges, who recognize the need for direction, who gladly give affirmation that it’s going okay and who encourage to keep pressing onward. Many of these church planting consultants are close friends of mine. They are dear brothers who have a shepherd’s heart and are passionate about the care and development of the church. In this issue you will learn more about the impact of this important team and the concern and great care in which they engage with the precious Bride of Christ. It’s an honor to serve with them. 

Yours in Christ,

Larry M. Brown, Ethnos360 CEO