In May of 2007 my wife and I went through church planting assessment with our great friends and fellow Brooklynites, John and Kathy Sweet. At the time I was an Assistant Pastor at Resurrection and John was an Assistant Pastor at Park Slope. And during this assessment I remember talking about the risks inherent in church planting and I remember feeling queezy.

But I also remember John and Kathy Sweet moving through assessment not only talking about the risk but also embracing it. At that time, John was talking about planting the next congregation in a few different neighborhoods and trying to convince me to go along with him. Well, not long after assessment our paths within our network diverged. Our church was growing and we needed an Executive Pastor, so I took on that role. But John and Kathy moved forward with their vision and they took a risk, and two years after going through assessment John planted our third congregation, Flatbush Community Church.

Even though our paths had diverged it turns out I still went with him. Flatbush was the closest congregation to our neighborhood, and my wife and I loved the vision so Flatbush became our church. And with all the risk and all the chaos that comes with a new congregation, we loved it. And so did the the rest of the Flatbush congregation. But it was still a risk. And the thing about risks is that sometimes they don’t work out.

Flatbush Community Church had to close this past August. We ran out of money. That’s it. There’s noone really to blame. It wasn't from lack of effort, prayer, or generosity from the congregation or outside supporters. It was a small church with big hopes that needed more time, but time takes money and money is what Flatbush didn’t have.

So all that talk about risk that made me so queezy back in 2007 came to fruition a few months ago and now our friends are gone, Flatbush no longer worships together, and needless to say, I still have that uneasy feeling in my gut. And yet we all move forward. We in Brooklyn are about to plant another congregation, and some church is about to land a great pastor.

But even as we move forward I don't want to forget Flatbush and I’m grateful that my experience there will make it hard to do that. I’m most grateful that John and Kathy were willing to take the risk. I wouldn’t have done it. But then again I wouldn’t have so eagerly given up a kidney to a fellow parishioner. But John did. I wouldn’t have so easily jumped out of bed at 1 AM to drive the streets of Brooklyn looking for a kid from my church. But John did. I wouldn’t have joyfully tackled the endless laundry list of responsibilities that come with being a solo pastor of a church plant in an urban neighborhood. But John did. And so now maybe I will.

If you would have told me in May 2007 that John and Kathy were beginning a journey that would mean them leaving our network 4 years later I'd have done my best to stop the process. But thankfully, it wasn't up to me. Living in God's Kingdom means counting the cost and taking risks. And that's the story of Flatbush Community Church. It was a risk worth taking.

So to John and Kathy, the members of Flatbush, and to those of you who prayed for and supported our congregation, thanks for taking the risk.