Parish Pres

In September of this year, the elders of Christ Community Church (PCA) in Franklin, Tennessee completed the first stages of a strategic planning process committing that congregation to a new vision for church planting--among many other things. Putting feet to that vision immediately, they issued a call to me--asking me to consider launching the inaugural work.

After praying, thinking, praying, dreaming, and praying for the better part of a month, Karen and I accepted their call. We were already working with City Church (PCA) in East Nashville and so had gotten a good taste of the excitement and opportunities for ministry impact that a church plant affords. And so, just a few weeks later, on November 8, 2006, the first group of elders for this new work in Franklin gathered together and officially constituted Parish Presbyterian Church as a mission of Christ Community and the Nashville Presbytery, named a provisional session, and reaffirmed the call for me to be their organizing pastor.

That night, the provisional elders, Brent Moelker, Grant Hensley, Jim Smith, John Scherrer, Bill Iverson, Mike Felts, Danny Ketchum, and Louis Huesmann had a joyous season of prayer and thanksgiving as I reminded them that the vision of a “parish model” means that the new church will “go deep and go slow.” No razzle-dazzle. No hoopla. No blitzkrieg of programming. Just in-depth Bible teaching, worship marked by reverence and awe, intentionality in both community and outreach, a focus on covenantal succession among our children, and purposeful mission to our city. It is a distinctive vision--what will be, we pray, an authentic Kingdom vision.

Services will begin Sunday evenings in Advent. We sent out our first e-newsletter just yesterday. More information will be forthcoming on our still-under-construction website. Obvious, things are now moving very quickly. Thanks be to God.