Meeting with the board of New Life Family Church

When I drove up the facility of New Life Family Church in Kansas City, I really didn’t know what to expect. It had been 6 years since we did our consultation with the church and I had kept up with it while we saw conversions, growth and a transforming of the community around it. However, I hadn’t been current with the church for a number of years. As Ralph and I caught up, I heard how the community had continued to change around them and the income was dropping. I heard how Ralph had taken a number of pay cuts to remain at the church, and I heard how the attendance was dropping as well.

I had met with the board in the past and at that time, they wanted to give it one more try on their own. And try they did. It was several months later, after several staff and board changes they re-engaged us. This time the board and staff was solidly behind Ralph’s desire to consider becoming a multi-site of a larger church in the area. The staff and board are committed to their mission of reaching their community for Christ, whatever it takes.

They are now in the exploring stage with their congregation. They are having several meetings with the congregation to explore their options, of which one of them is becoming a campus of another church. We are walking with them through these meetings and will meet with their board and leaders in September to finalize what they as a body believe God is calling them to do. Or rather, what is God calling them to BE in order to more effectively transform their community.

The church will vote in October, pray for them and for us in this delicate and impacting process.