Part 3, Sojourn Elders Answer Questions About Becoming A Multi-Campus Church: What Will The Leadership Structure Look Like?

We’re going to dive in and get specific because we recognize that many of your questions boil down to “How are we going to do this?  Who is going to serve at this new campus, and how will it affect The 930?”

Elder teams will lead each campus, just as an elder team has always led Sojourn.  Several existing Sojourn deacons and group leaders will also be driving the mission forward in St. Matthews.  Pastor Daniel Montgomery, Pastor Mike Cosper and Director of Operations Bryce Butler will cast vision and provide strategy for each campus and for Sojourn as a whole.

Pastoral Assistant Jamie Barnes is already leading worship for the Sojourn members-in-process who were formerly part of Lifespring, and working to transition their service to look more like Sojourn’s – full of communal prayers and scripture readings.  Sojourn Kids Director Jared Kennedy has been working closely with their children’s ministry as well.  These are just two examples of what is happening behind the scenes.  By the time of the launch, the St. Matthews campus will truly be a “Sojourn” campus in terms of vision and mission.

At the same time, we will be as intentional as we’ve always been about being a good neighbor and demonstrating a love for the unique character of St. Matthews.  One of the benefits of a multi-campus model is that the members in each campus can better love and serve the residents nearby.  As it is, people come from all parts of Louisville and surrounding communities.  You’re welcome to do so, but when we open a campus in a different part of the city it equips the Sojourners who live in that area to provide more room and opportunity for neighbors to learn and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Several Sojourn elders, ministry leaders and community group coaches are all working together behind the scenes, knowing that their primary responsibility will now be to work for Christ in St. Matthews.  We will also ask our six St. Matthews community groups to engage in the battle with the principalities and powers of this world in that neighborhood.  If you are a part of these groups, does it mean that you will no longer be welcome to worship at The 930, or to serve and attend various events at The 930?  Of course not.  We ask that you pray for the Spirit’s leading, just as we ask that you continue to pray that the Spirit guides us.

We’ll get more specific in the weeks ahead.  In fact, we will hold an open meeting on Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 pm to talk with you in person and answer questions about the transition and future.

Last, some have asked if this campus will spread our mission too thin.  No, because Christ is calling us to this.  Remember, when Christ told his disciples to feed the thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish, it was not just enough but more than enough.  This battle is not ours, but His.  When He calls, no matter the situation, we move.  This is why we sing:

O church arise, and put your armor on — Hear the call of Christ our captain.

Sojourn’s vision for the Louisville area is Christ’s vision: gospel transformation, light in the darkness, hope for those who feel none and hope for those who don’t realize they need it.  It’s a vision for storming the gates of hell, battling the principalities and powers, the rulers in dark places – whether a crumbling shotgun house or a center of materialistic greed.  It’s the vision Christ gave the apostle John, who heard loud voices in heaven shouting, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

We challenge you to accept the power of this vision and the King who leads it.  Invest your talents wisely.  Our Pastor Mike started here as a 19-year old kid with a burning desire to lead Sojourn in worship, when he wasn’t even on our “radar”.  A decade ago Pastor Daniel was a church-planting intern working downtown.  Our Director of Operations Bryce Butler began with Sojourn doing maintenance work.  This is not a family that asks “How can we possibly build the church, with our meager supplies?”  This is a family who knows that Christ builds the church – that He builds us.  He makes us ready, “thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:17).

God has blessed the Sojourn family with more servant-leaders than we have known what to do with.  He has blessed us, the elders, with you.  Situations like ours were made for multi-campuses.  It creates opportunities for leaders to step up.  We’ve been raising up leaders for years, mentoring them, equipping them, providing classes and assessments.  We’ve seen hundreds of you move through Member classes and pledge your talents and time.   We could sit back and do nothing with you, trusting that the same few who lead now will continue to do so.  Or we could release you to do kingdom work as part of The 930 campus or the new campus, or as church planters across town, over state lines, national boundaries and oceans.

How can you be a part of this vision?  If you live in or near St. Matthews, how can you help us continue our mission of gospel transformation in your part of the city?  If you live closer to The 930, how can you help us take deeper steps towards loving on that part of the city?  If you live in another part of Louisville or Southern Indiana, how can you be ready for increased efforts and opportunities in your area, as they arise?  From working with children to connecting with visitors, from serving as a sound tech to volunteering in the medical response team, there are many needs in a worship service.

And then there are the constant Monday-Saturday opportunities: throwing parties for neighbors, babysitting for a single mom, living a Godly life in the world of business, casting down cultural idols, prayer-walking through neglected housing projects or  isolated wealthy neighborhoods … and through it all, learning and teaching the blessedness of God’s command to sabbath rest as well as to work.

We understand that it seems daunting to invest even deeper into Old Louisville than we already have, and to begin investing in St. Matthews on a similar scale.   We feel this as well, until we remember the all-sufficiency of Christ.  Wherever we go, He is already there.

Read Part One: Are We Giving Up On Church Planting?

Read Part Two: Why St. Matthews