Our Next 10 Years

Every great story has a moment when the main character looks back—not to live there, but to remember what has happened. Ten years ago, none of this looked impressive. There was no master plan, no clear roadmap, no guarantee it would work. There was simply a quiet but persistent question stirring in the soul: What is God doing—and where is He leading us?

That question has followed us everywhere—from a prayer walk in January 2014 wondering why we would leave beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia for a living room in Fresno’s Jackson neighborhood; from gathering on Sundays in our neighborhood cafeteria with no air conditioning, to a global pandemic that shut doors and forced us outside; to backyards, and once again—living rooms. Then came multiplication: another gathering, another circle of neighbors, another house. Different rooms but now a growing family of simple churches. Now, ten years in, the question presses harder than ever—What is God doing—and where is He leading us?.

The apostle Paul knew this moment well. Late in life, he looked back and wrote: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he has considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service” (1 Timothy 1:12). Paul never forgot who he had been—driven by control, certain he was right, blind to the harm he was causing. And then Jesus intervened—decisively. Paul was rescued, reclaimed, and redirected.

That is our story too. Over the past decade, we have watched Jesus do what only He can do—rescue neighbors. Lives pulled out of darkness. Over 150 neighbors expressing faith in Christ. Quiet moments that never made Fresno’s headlines but changed everything for our residents in Jackson. But rescue is only the beginning of our story.

Paul does not just remember his rescue—he names his allegiance: “Christ Jesus our Lord.” Lord. Not helper. Not consultant. King. As we look toward the next decade, we sense the Holy Spirit pressing on this word—not with condemnation, but with invitation. Will you let Jesus lead Neighborhood Church more fully? Will you stop negotiating and start following?

This is not about doing more religious activity; it is about formation. Learning to hear Jesus. Learning to discern His voice together. Learning to follow Him in real time—in our marriages, our work, our homes, our neighborhood. This is not program expansion; this is deeper soul work for the people of Neighborhood Church. 

In this next season, we believe God is calling us to deeper holiness. It’s time to heal the trauma and start obeying Jesus’ words. 

Paul also writes, “He has given me strength… and considered me trustworthy.” God entrusts weight only to those who are willing to carry it. If the future holds more responsibility—more neighbors, more simple church gatherings, more impact in Jackson—then the present must be a season of strengthening. 

It happens in marriages choosing to fight for one another; in men telling the truth about their lives; in women reclaiming their God-given strength and voice; in healing that requires courage instead of denial. Strong families form the backbone of a strong church. Strong men and women form the backbone of a renewed neighborhood. Strength does not come accidentally—it comes through intentional formation: Scripture, prayer, spiritual direction, honest community. 

In this next season, we are going to focus on strengthening what matters most - marriages and growing as Godly men and women.  

Paul ends by saying he is '“appointed to serve.” He does not say he was strengthened so life would get easier. 

We need to name this plainly: we love our simple church gatherings. They are AMAZING. Everyone loves them. They have become so comfortable and we have grown so much. We are clear that we are not trying to grow our 2 gatherings larger. What we are becoming is something far more demanding—and far more alive.

We believe in this next season Jesus is asking us to become a larger networked family of simple church gatherings—small, relational, intentional, and connected by shared values and shared mission: Jesus, People, Place. Imagine this: not one or two gatherings trying to carry the full weight of the mission, but something like seven—one on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, all the way through the week. Living rooms filled with prayer. Dinner tables opened in Jesus’ name. Neighbors becoming family. Scripture opened, lives shared, burdens carried. Different rooms. Same Lord. Same calling. This is not fragmentation; this is multiplication. We are “appointed to serve”…so we don’t live for our own comfort.

Let’s be honest: this path costs more. Smaller gatherings mean higher expectations of participation, less anonymity, more responsibility, and fewer spectators. In simple church, you can’t hide. Everyone brings something. Everyone serves. Everyone grows. This is not consumer Christianity; this is apprenticeship.

And it is exactly how the early church lived: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Homes were the strategy. Formation was the priority. Multiplication was the result.

We are building a large family - not at 1 or 2 sites, but at dozens of smaller ones. A networked family that chooses to stay connected by our shared theology, shared practices, and shared rhythms of prayer, communion, and mission to Jackson—but it releases leaders, trusts the Holy Spirit, and allows the church to grow without losing its soul. Not centralized control, but shared submission to Jesus. This is how we stay strong and trustworthy as we multiply.

This vision does not advance without you. Multiplication does not happen because of a plan; it happens because ordinary people say yes to spiritual responsibility. Some of you will open your homes. Some of you will help lead gatherings. Some of you will disciple others. Some of you will anchor new communities through prayer, hospitality, and presence. Jesus is not asking, “Are you impressive?” He is asking, “Are you willing?”

So where is God leading us? Into deeper holliness to Jesus as Lord. Into strengthening marriages, and men and women that can be trusted. Into service that takes shape in more living rooms. Rescued. Strengthened. Entrusted. Sent. Not for comfort. Not for applause. But for love. Ten years from now, the win will not be a full room. The win will be many rooms, across the neighborhood, across the week—each one carrying the same quiet fire. Different rooms. Same Lord. Same mission. Same church.

And so the question remains - that same old question:

What is God doing—and where is He leading you?