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Seven churches in seven cities over 20 years. What drives you?

A simple conviction: every neighborhood deserves a healthy, rooted church. Not a satellite. Not a program. A real church with real people who live there and love the community.

What is the most common mistake church planters make in urban settings?

They plant from the outside in. They come in with answers before they have asked any questions. The community has wisdom. Your job first is to listen.

How do you sustain yourself through the difficulty?

I have a team of three people I am brutally honest with. We meet every two weeks. No performance, no pretense. Just truth. That community has kept me sane and in the game.

What is the greatest joy of this work?

Watching someone who had completely written off God encounter real love through a community of believers. That never gets old. Ever.

What do you want your legacy to be?

Churches that outlast me. Leaders I raised up who are better than I am. Communities genuinely transformed because we showed up and stayed.