Some of our staff are currently in Orlando, FL (don’t think they are lucky… it’s raining there) for the Exponential Conference. The conference, which is planned and coordinated by New Life, sold out this year at 5,200 participants. They are all church planters and church planting leaders. It’s incredible.
One of the staff members there is Dale Spaulding. You may have met his before has he has led our golf tournament in years past and until recently led our prayer team. Just this past Monday he took a huge step and is now working in our church planting ministry. Here’s his story…
I’m living the dream!
About 6 years ago, it started. I felt that Holy Spirit “nudge” that something needed to change. The “church” didn’t seem to be making much of an impact in Northern Virginia – at least my definition of “church” wasn’t. I was thinking, if we could just plant new churches that demonstrated God’s love to their communities instead of just talking about it – that would be the answer! I didn’t even know what church “planting” really was, but God was beginning to instill it in my heart.
After much prayer with my wife Nancy, God lead us to New Life Christian Church about 5 years ago. Our eyes became wide open as to what “church” should look like. We were amazed (and still are) at the many ways New Life demonstrates God’s love to our community every day.
Three years ago, my wife and I were invited to volunteer at the Exponential Church Planting Conference in Orlando, FL. We met a ton of remarkable followers of Christ who were risking it all to start new churches. It was at that time God began to give us a vision of what was to come.
Then on Sunday, September 2, 2012, God spoke a clear calling in my life with an associated sense of urgency. That Sunday Brett told the story of the Peter and Andrew’s calling when Jesus essentially said to stop fishing for fish and follow me; their reaction – “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20). That Sunday Brett also shared the stories of several New Life Staffers whom God called from “Marketplace to Ministry” who already dropped their nets for Jesus.
That upcoming week, I began having conversations with Pat Furgerson whom God used to help refine this calling in my life. Those conversations eventually led to an offer to come on staff at New Life as the Director of Passion for Planting – New Life’s church planting non-profit.
Believe me, this decision to leave a comfortable, well-paying job as a senior engineer at The Boeing Company wasn’t easy, but God gave us peace every step of the way. I am so blessed to have had a successful 22 year career in the U.S. Navy and another successful career at Boeing, but now God’s given me a NEW purpose and has taken me from “Success to Significance”.
If you are wrestling with God in a similar way as I did and want to talk, please grab me on any Sunday and I’d be glad to share with you more how Jesus has transformed my life.
For His Fame!
Dale Spaulding
Passion 4 Planting