In 2017, at a conference in Detroit, we heard John Perkins and Wayne “Coach” Gordon lead a seminar together, and immediately we saw a picture of what we wanted our friendship to emulate. Two men, one African American and the other white, being best friends and doing ministry together for decades. Coach and John talk on the phone daily, write books together, teach seminary classes together, and travel the country speaking together. They do ministry together, not solely as partners, but as best friends.
For us, Coach and John became the first seedling thought of co-pastoring. We saw a beautiful picture of the Gospel, and wondered if God might be doing something similar in our friendship.
Since that experience in 2017, we have prayerfully asked if God was calling us to plant a church as co-pastors. As we have grown in our friendship and prayed, we’ve sensed God readying us for something larger than either of us could accomplish individually in His Kingdom.
We believe two people of different races and cultural backgrounds leading together in the context of a deep friendship can help create an authentic and vibrant multiethnic church and put on display the gospel’s power to tear down walls of hostility. Given our country’s difficult past and the racial climate today, a picture of this powerful outworking of the gospel is needed and we are expectant that a unified multiethnic church will be deeply healing for the city of Wichita.
In January of 2021, we told the elders of City Life Church that we were sensing a call to plant a gospel-centered, multiethnic church in Wichita, Ks. After multiple long conversations, prayer, and discerning the best plan of transition six months later we were full time church planters seeking to trust God to build this church.