I am now a New Start Pastor

[Steven Stone]

I can now officially report that I am on my way to becoming a New Start Pastor. We resigned at our current church yesterday (FaithPoint COTN in Arden, NC) and we will be attending New Church University the end of this month in CA. We will then make our way to the East TN district to began a new start. Jan and I would ask that you all would keep us in prayer. I know many of you have been down this road and know (more than we do) what is in store for us. I believe God has called us to this new ministry and look forward to the challenging yet rewarding future God has for us.

Thanks for your prayers,

Steve

[Dennis M. Scott]

Certainly will be praying for you. Unless you're made of stone - no pun intended - emotions have to be running rampant. When you begin to put together your prayer support team, we'd love to be a part. Blessings on you

[Terri Knoll]

God bless and prayers go up here!

[Doris Grant]

When you are doing what God wants you to do He will be with you every step of the way. Praise the Lord for your willingness to do what God has planned for you. I will pray for you as you start your new journey.

Doris

[Barb Bouldrey]

It is hard work, but I see new starts enjoying the most rapid growth in the nation.

Blessings on you....and joy.

Barb

[Wilson L. Deaton]

Congratulations!

You have some very exciting and reward times ahead!

Wilson

[Brad Mercer]

Congratulations and Condolences! It'll be, in the words of Charles Dickens, "the worst of times, the best of times".

And worth every teardrop.

Brad

[Gary Swartzlander]

Congratulations. I would gladly join you in East Tennessee.

[Gina Stevenson]

Congratulations. I would gladly join you in East Tennessee.

Betcha we know where you and Peggy are going to retire, eh, Gary? :basic05

[Hans Deventer]

I can now officially report that I am on my way to becoming a New Start Pastor.

That is awesome in the true sense of the word. May God bless the both of you in your obedience to His voice.

[Roland Hearn]

I can now officially report that I am on my way to becoming a New Start Pastor. We resigned at our current church yesterday (FaithPoint COTN in Arden, NC) and we will be attending New Church University the end of this month in CA. We will then make our way to the East TN district to began a new start. Jan and I would ask that you all would keep us in prayer. I know many of you have been down this road and know (more than we do) what is in store for us. I believe God has called us to this new ministry and look forward to the challenging yet rewarding future God has for us.

Thanks for your prayers,

Steve

That is fantastic Steve,
My wife and I travelled from Australia to Texas to start a brand new church. When we arrived there the only people we new would be a part of it was Brad and Karen Mercer. Seven years later we left, with much sadness, the most wonderful church I had ever seen or experienced. It still breaks my heart to not be there.
When we were trying to think of a name for the church I was having a discussion with another pastor on the district and I said to him that I loved the church planting program name as a name for a church. I said "Newstart" is a truly great name for a church because it communicates precisely what the church is meant to be to someone outside the church. I said to him that it was such a shame that the name was clearly the name for the church planting program. He asked me why that was a problem and I told him because it would confuse people. They wouldn't know if we were talking about the church or the program. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "the people you are trying to reach won't be confused." That settled it for me, I had forgotten my focus. NewStart Frisco was born as a name that day. Now we are in Australia planting NewStart Rivercity.
I met Bill Sullivan some time ago and was telling him about the name and he looked at me and asked me how I could call it that, it won't be a New Start 50 years from now was his point. I said to him that I hoped it would be what we were still giving to the unchurched. He got my point but he looked at me like he wasn't sure it was a good idea. I still think "New Start" is the best church name I have ever come across. A few other churches have felt the same as the name is used in a few places. One of them even used our logo.

[Bob Evans]

Seeing as it is a new venture and the whole process of new starts is a reletivly new one I would love a play by play analysys of the process.

May God bless you in you new venture.

[Dennis M. Scott]

Roland,

I wish I had a nickle for every time Bill Sullivan has looked at me like he didn't think mine was a good idea! My single jab at him is that I tell people I thought his book, "Breaking the 200 Barrier" was a weight-loss guide.

I like Newstart as a name for a new church. It certainly communicates as meaningful as "New Life" to a large population segment.

Blessings,


That is fantastic Steve,
My wife and I travelled from Australia to Texas to start a brand new church. When we arrived there the only people we new would be a part of it was Brad and Karen Mercer. Seven years later we left, with much sadness, the most wonderful church I had ever seen or experienced. It still breaks my heart to not be there.
When we were trying to think of a name for the church I was having a discussion with another pastor on the district and I said to him that I loved the church planting program name as a name for a church. I said "Newstart" is a truly great name for a church because it communicates precisely what the church is meant to be to someone outside the church. I said to him that it was such a shame that the name was clearly the name for the church planting program. He asked me why that was a problem and I told him because it would confuse people. They wouldn't know if we were talking about the church or the program. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "the people you are trying to reach won't be confused." That settled it for me, I had forgotten my focus. NewStart Frisco was born as a name that day. Now we are in Australia planting NewStart Rivercity.
I met Bill Sullivan some time ago and was telling him about the name and he looked at me and asked me how I could call it that, it won't be a New Start 50 years from now was his point. I said to him that I hoped it would be what we were still giving to the unchurched. He got my point but he looked at me like he wasn't sure it was a good idea. I still think "New Start" is the best church name I have ever come across. A few other churches have felt the same as the name is used in a few places. One of them even used our logo.

[Steven Stone]

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I will let you know how things progress.

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

Steve, where are you going to be in East Tennessee? Dwayne, my husband's home is Kingsport. His dad was a church planter, and we have basically worked in home mission type churches. Dwayne was raised that way, and it is thrilling work--home missions or new start.
The Millington church on the Tennessee District started as a church for young Millitary personnel to atend. It was their first base (schools) after basic training. Sometimes, the church would have a few people that stayed a little longer. Then, after MANY years, the schools that had been on the base were transferred to Pensacola, and they had to build everything that the Millington base already had. Then the church gradually developed into an integrated church with whites and blacks. Our desire, when Dwayne retired in October of 2005, was for the church to have a black pastor, and they do. They never missed one Sunday without a pastor. They all voted unanimously for him...blacks and whites. I feel that there is a great future ahead for the church now. He is a black, and is VERY tall, graduated from Mid America and NBC, was in the army, and works for the VA Hospital in Memphis. He is a price in the pulpit.
The work you are endeavoring to do will be very hard at times, but it will also be thrilling. God bless you and your family, as you serve in His great vineyard.

[Steven Stone]

We are looking at starting in the Lebanon, TN area. Which is about 30 minutes east of Nashville. Lot of new homes being built and new families moving in.

[Roland Hearn]

Roland,

I wish I had a nickle for every time Bill Sullivan has looked at me like he didn't think mine was a good idea! My single jab at him is that I tell people I thought his book, "Breaking the 200 Barrier" was a weight-loss guide.

I like Newstart as a name for a new church. It certainly communicates as meaningful as "New Life" to a large population segment.

Blessings,
What a great start to the day - I laughed out loud.
As we say down under - tah mate.

[Dennis M. Scott]

What a great start to the day - I laughed out loud.
As we say down under - tah mate.

Sullivan looked really downhearted when I told him it was my third reading of the book before I realized I was mistaken.

Obviously, that's no reflection on him. I've spent most of my career offending pretty important people. It just comes naturally. :o

[BobHunt]

You may have seen our former Pastor Lonnie Bullock? You will never know how much He helped us when we first came to the COTN! We were going through a healing process and he was the biggest blessing to us! God really used him during that period of time!