One of our core values at iGo is Hope of the World. It is the biblical doctrine that God is bringing His message of hope to the world through the local church. That is the plan. The only plan.

We don’t just teach that as a value. As a staff, we try to live it, embrace it, and model it as well. Some iGo staff are elders, some are married to elders, some are married to church staff members, and everyone serves in some capacity at their home church.

But this core value is getting a lot more up-close and personal these days at my house.

We are planting a church . Five words I never, ever thought I would say. In fact, when the elders of Crosspoint Fellowship in Greenville, Texas invited me into a discussion about their plans to plant a church and their search for the right guys to lead it, I resolved to make sure their plans stayed as their plans. I told them I was not the guy, not one of the guys, and definitely not the son of the guy.

It didn’t work. Not because I can’t say no , but because this is what God wanted. I know that is a big statement to throw out on a blog, but here is what I mean by that. God speaks to us through His word, and confirms it through His church. Through God’s word about His church and the way He has gifted me as a pastor/teacher, God spoke to me. He confirmed that in every step (even when I was resisting) through His church.

So here we are. Poised and ready to actually begin this new church in less than four weeks. Our first Sunday is September 13. We will meet at Williams Middle School in north Rockwall at 10am with as many or as few people that God brings. We will begin teaching verse by verse through the book of Acts that morning as I preach the first five verses of chapter 1. I am excited and nervous, filled with anticipation and a little fear. I covet your prayers for sure. But I also really want you to know a few key things about what we are doing, how we got here, and where we are going.

1. We love Lake Pointe Church.  For 14 years we have served at LPC. They provided iGo’s first office for 2 years while we were trying to figure things out. I have served as an elder, Life Group teacher, sports team coach, and teaching team member there. I baptized my three oldest kids there. My wife has served in a number of capacities there. We have a flood of great memories, great relationships, and just plain great feelings for this church that invested in us more than we could ever return.

And God didn’t call us away from Lake Pointe. In fact, in my experience, God rarely calls people AWAY from things. Instead, He seems to call people TO things. Which is what He is doing with us. For at least 3 years God has been affirming His calling on my life as a pastor/teacher, and He has now opened up a door for me to fully engage this calling. He has called us TO this new work, this church plant, this new journey. It isn’t about leaving as much as it is about going. We look forward to being part of God’s redemptive work in the Rockwall, Texas area alongside Lake Pointe, Cornerstone, C3 Rowlett, First Baptist, and other churches God is using right here.

2. I am not leaving iGo Global. I will serve at this new church as a non-staff elder and I will lead the preaching ministry. That means I will be preaching about half of the Sundays as we get going. My good friend Ryan Lewis, and iGo’s own Ky Martin are also serving as elders at this new church and they will share the preaching load with me. Ky is not leaving iGo either. The day may come that God calls me to something else which causes me to leave iGo in His hands and the other leaders that I work with. This is NOT that day.

3. We will be called Crosspoint Community Church. God has given us a vision for this new church. Values have been adopted from our sending church, our past experiences, and ultimately from God’s Word. Crosspoint Community will value plural leadership, expository preaching, family discipleship, true community and accountability, and missional living. We desire to see people know God, be fully known, and make Him known. It is simple and the way we do this will be unique in some ways. But that doesn’t make us right or better or smarter or more spiritual. There are many ways to do church, and God blesses more than one way for sure.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end. I earnestly ask you to pray for us as we move towards September 13 and beyond.

-Lance Shumake, President, iGo Global