Connection, encouragement and mutual learning with other church leaders and VMC Church Catalyst Matt Pamplin has been such a gift for John de Los Santos (pictured here with his family).
John is on staff with Toronto China Bible Church as the English Ministry Pastor.
With the hopes of perhaps planting a church, John has started Saturday evening church services mostly made up of second generation Chinese immigrants.
While their parents enjoy worshipping in Mandarin, these twenty year olds are more comfortable attending church with their peers from work and school in English.
As you might guess, there’s often not a clear direct path when it comes to church planting.
Each church planter has a particular context which requires attentive discernment and an unique way forward.
Connection and community with other VMC church planters is a key part of pastoring well.
So, John appreciates regularly connecting with Matt and other church planters as he pastors this emerging congregation.
Drawing from others’ experience and his own convictions, John is reassured that a simple plan of dinner, prayer and Scripture is the way to start.
God continues to meet John with reminders that this is God’s church and God will accomplish what God desires.
Meanwhile, it is his job to be faithful to what is in front of him and to the things that God calls him to do.
Aware that it is God who brings new life and despite the inevitable bumps in the road, there is a God-given quiet, confident trust to just take the next step even though the future looks foggy.