"We Were Supposed To Plant A Church Today"

My wife told me this weekend, “I remember 2017 Landon.”

Today, we were supposed to plant a church.

But we didn’t.

As I sit here writing this, I feel like I should be setting up lights, praying over chairs, and walking around a Banquet Hall, expecting that within a matter of hours, the entire room will be transformed into altars for the presence of God to dwell.

But I am not. Unfortunately, due to snow, we had to cancel.

Today has been on my calendar for over an entire year. We’ve had hours upon hours of meetings and workdays preparing for this day. Yet here I am on January 12, sitting in my office with my Tennesse Vols blanket, lukewarm cup of coffee, and a space heater to keep my feet warm.

People told me launching in January was not a good idea. Men who’ve planted 20+ churches told me to move faster, launch bigger, and drive quicker to the start of the race. Yet, here we are.

I’ve experienced ministry setbacks before—a lot of them. More often than not, the most significant toll was not an event, program, or ministry failure but the pressure I placed on myself to make them succeed.

I wanted to make God’s church work.

I wanted to ensure the souls were saved.

I wanted to force the move of God to happen during my calendar slot.

I wanted to make sure the spontaneous baptism happened as planned. Ha!

Do you see the foolishness?

They say, “Pressure creates diamonds.” While that is true geologically (study of rocks), it could not be any less accurate for ecclesiology (study of the church). because the pressure that creates diamonds in the ground only creates dysfunction in the church.

My wife told me this weekend, “I remember 2017 Landon.”

The “2017 Landon” she speaks of was a Landon who had to make everything work. I believed the lie that with enough planning, strategy, systems, and physical hard work, I could somehow mitigate all risks and achieve a spiritual result. I thought I could guarantee success if I worked hard enough and followed the right formula.

But God had different plans then — and it seems God has different plans today.

But for me, this time “hits different,” as the kids say.

Why? Well, because this time - I am different.

I am not 2017 Landon. Therefore, today, there is little pressure.

I don’t feel the pressure to launch a church, the weight of making a mentor proud, or the regret of not launching in September like everyone else said to. The only pressure I currently feel is the whining of my loyal Australian Shepherd asking me to let him out of my office so he can pee.

Literally…

I don’t feel the pressure to build God’s church.

Geez, I don’t even have the tools required.

But I have a God who promises to build His church. And if the “gates of hell will not prevail against it,” then I’m sure a snow day and the alterations of a “perfectly” curated launch calendar will be fine too.

Remember what the author of Proverbs 16:9 says:

[9] The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. - Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

Lord Jesus, you are direct the steps of the Local Church. And we are ready to follow.

For The Local Church,

Pastor Landon 📍

PS — Since we did not meet, we sent our team a Sunday Snow Day Devotion instead of a sermon. I hope you will check it out below:

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When You Are Ready, Here Are Three Ways We Can Help You:

1 - Join Us This Sunday: Have you heard the news? Starting in 2025, the Local Church now gathers weekly at 9:30 & 11 AM at Jubilee Banquet Hall in the Powell community. This month, we are in our new series titled “Almost Christian.” We hope you will join us this Sunday. You can plan your visit by clicking here.

2 - Get Involved At Local: Want to learn more about Local and take your next step of disciples? Then, we invite you to join us for “Welcome To Church.” This three-part partnership course is designed to teach what a local church is, who Local Church Knoxville is, and how we partner together in making disciples. The first session of our class is a dinner at one of our pastors' homes. Dinner is free, and childcare is provided for babies through early elementary. You can register for the next “Welcome To Church” on January 19 here.

3 - Join A Group: Are you looking for a community of people to connect with? At Local Church, we are not merely a Sunday morning crowd but a community of people who share meals together, read the Bible together, pray together, and serve together. If you want to connect, we invite you to join a community group. Our groups meet bi-weekly in homes across North Knox County. You can join a group here.