So, why Denver?

I’m convinced that anyone who’s experienced something profound and life-changing will want to share that experience with others. You remember having that class or professor that opened your eyes to something new, right? And what did you do? You told others…

“You’ve got to take this class!” (Of course, it could’ve been the light workload that prompted your passion, but you get the picture… ) Or, if you’ve been to a Disney park, you know this emotion. You come home wishing that others could see, smell, hear, taste and experience what you did. The point is, when we experience something good, we want others to experience it too.

For nearly seven years, I have worked for and been a part of a church that’s had that kind of impact on me and likely thousands of others. It’s almost impossible to explain or even describe what has happened or how it’s happened (other than “God.”). But, suffice it to say, Meredith and I have been forever changed, and consequently have felt like we needed to be a part of something similar in another community. We didn’t know how, when, where or with whom. But we knew that we’d been given a gift and wanted to be a part of sharing that gift with others.

So, for just over five years, we’ve been actively looking for that place, the team and the timing. A few factors that were important to us are:

1. Competent team with history and synergy;
2. A medium-sized town with a highly secularized (ie. unchurched) culture;
3. Proximity to our families;
4. A family-friendly environment that’s conducive to an active lifestyle.

As you can imagine, we’ve considered numerous towns over the years. But none have met our criteria better than Denver (well, at least most of our criteria… More on that below.). Colorado is one of the most irreligious states in the country, according to the Pew Forum on Religion, Denver is a medium-sized town with big city amenities, and of course, if you enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, it doesn’t get any better.

But what about our families and friends we’ll leave behind?

It’s obviously been a tremendously difficult decision to consider moving away from them. We are very close with our families. And other than a two-year stint in Boston, during seminary, we’ve both spent most of our lives in the South. So, a move across the country will be one of the most significant life changes we’ve ever experienced. And yet, though the decision is difficult, the calling is undeniable.

So, the plan is for us to leave Atlanta at the end of May when the girls are done with school (pending our home selling… Know anyone looking? ). Between now and then, Jason will travel numerous times to Denver to be with the team, and continue developing the church infrastructure.

In the meantime, we hope you continue tracking with us on this journey. Because though geography may separate us, our friendship unites us.