For today's interview, we head almost 2,000 miles west to Missoula, Montana to meet up with Nate Wise. He and I go back a ways in ministry. Our wives knew each other for quite a few years before Nate & Lindsey moved to Albuquerque so that Nate could attend the School of Ministry at our church. He served as a volunteer in the middle school youth group that I pastored and also ended up going to Shepherd School (a church-planting, pastor-training school that our church offered). Within a week or 2 of Shepherd School graduation, Nate headed back to the town he'd grown up in to start Remedy Church. It's been a journey and it's been cool to watch the fellowship grow out there.
Check out Remedy's website HERE.
Here's my interview with Nate:
1. Who are you?
Nathan Wise
2. What is your church & what's the vision behind it?
Remedy Church Missoula. Our vision is to create a community of believers being used by God to bring Him glory.
3. How long have you been meeting and where did you start?
May 30th 2009 official launch. We started in a downstairs office building.
4. Why plant a church in your city?
Because God told me to. Missoula has over 10 church plants going on right now and the area already has a ton of churches. But still 9 out of 10 are unsaved. The church at large has missed the mission in my mind and needs to get out of the four walls and get involved in the community. We want to bring Jesus to the community. We don't expect non-Christians to want to come to church on their own.
5. How can people get plugged into your church?
Our website has great resources for staying up to date with what's going on at Remedy. We are continually growing and looking for ways to involve those who desire to serve. Greeting, church clean up, event set up/tear down are all ways to be involved. We look forward to launching community groups in the future.
6. What advice do you give to others wanting to plant a church?
Pray hard, let your gifts become evident over time. Don't rush based upon emotion. Become socially connected to other church planters (facebook, Twitter, blogs, relationships). Don't compare yourself and your church plant to anybody else. God is doing something very specific with you unlike any other.
7. What/who have been some of your most important resources so far?
Fellow church planters are good to network with. Ed Stetzer's material (books, Twitter, blog) - He is the leading missiologist. Blogs: Church planting for the Rest of Us (cp4us.org). And having close friends to share burdens and victories with. If you try to do it all alone, you will kill yourself.
8. Have you learned any lessons the hard way? What was one?
God doesn't want you to plant someone else's church, or be like any other pastor. He is forming you into the pastor that He has designed you to be in a church that He is building. Don't stick yourself into a mold that isn't you and your city. God has called you to a certain city to reach a specific people. Find that and you are on your way to seeing God do amazing things.
9. If you did it all again, what is one thing would you do differently?
Taken more time to grow in my giftings and working knowledge of how to "run" a church. And built a team and trained them up prior to an actual launch.
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