What steps would you take if your growing, young church plant suddenly entered a plateau season? New Church in Winston-Salem, NC had to answer this very question last year. Lead Pastor T.J. Ward shares the story of getting his church moving again.
Could you share a little of the journey that led you to start New Church?
I attended church faithfully all of my life, but I had no idea that I would end up starting one. When I sensed God leading me in that direction, I ignored the calling for the better part of 6 months. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to us at the time, but we ultimately knew that if we didn’t pursue this we would regret it, and even worse, we would be rebelling against God’s leading in our lives.
When we first arrived in Winston-Salem, NC in February of 2010, we knew very few people. We were connected to someone who knew a mutual friend, and we had also met a couple of church planters who were from the area. Our girls were still in elementary school at the time, and when we tucked them into bed at night, they would ask us how we were going to start a church when we didn’t know anyone. We assured them that God would help us do what He called us to do, even though we were asking ourselves the same question.
Through a series of events that were all put in motion supernaturally by God’s grace, we ended up launching New Church in January of 2011, less than one year after we arrived in Winston-Salem.
How stuck was the church when you reached out?
What were the first things you did to begin the turnaround process?
Ultimately, what changes have been making the biggest impact?
How would you describe the health of the church today?
