I graduated seminary in 2012 with Dallas in my rear view and dreams of pastoring a church back in my home state of North Carolina. However, reality sets in pretty quickly once you exit the spiritual bubble of seminary – an environment where ministry dreams safely permeate the air. My wife, Dottie and I spent the next 2 years searching feverishly for any available ministry position. The results of our exploration left me jaded and disappointed. One day, while driving to have dinner with Dottie’s family, I received a call to candidate for a children’s pastor position in Minnesota. We eagerly accepted the offer, and I have spent the last 11 years ministering in EFCA churches as a pastor and currently as the director of leadership development in the NCD. But North Carolina never left my mind. Actually, the desire to pastor in a local church in the southeast was fueled by the experience and knowledge gained during my time in the land of 9,999 lakes (I heard Alice Lake was accidently drained recently).

God Has Been Preparing Me For This

The EFCA’s mission is “to glorify God by multiplying transformational churches among all people.” This concept of multiplying includes planting churches. In the past, I tried my hand at church planting, but it seemed like GOD was closing that door. What I would come to learn, is that He was preparing me for this all along. He taught me to shepherd GOD’s tender flock as a children’s pastor. GOD taught me vital leadership principles for the wider church context as a pastor of adult ministries. The district is where I understood an even bigger scope of ministry including church multiplication, revitalization, leadership transitions, and the crucible of growing in administration. This trained me to develop a better understanding of systems and processes. In the district I also got to co-lead a church plant cohort. Leading that group rekindled my zeal for the local church and brought to mind that dream from so long ago.

I Was Built For The Local Church

I have been blessed to co-labor with a great team in the NCD. I enjoyed walking with search teams through finding their next pastor. Meeting new and young leaders and helping find a church home to shepherd energized me. I even found overseeing the planning and execution of our district events to be a pleasant surprise. But there were things I missed in the local church like the everyday relationships and interactions, walking with people through big life events, preaching, and the more direct implementation of the Great Commission that takes place in the local church. The tug proved to be too strong, and I realized it wasn’t just my own sentimentality, but also GOD’s calling.

Multiplying The EFCA In the South

The EFCA began with the merger of two ethnic evangelical denominations the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. This merger took place in Minneapolis, MN in June 1950. Today there are over 170 churches in the state of Minnesota. For comparison the Southeast district is composed of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Haiti, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Tennessee. Altogether they have just over 100 churches. The South could do with a little more EFCA. This thought occurred to me often through the years as I learned about and began embracing the ethos of the denomination. The framework of my pastoral dream is now dressed with the EFCA and its mission. I will be planting out of Christ Community Church in Pinehurst, NC. Their vision aligns with my dream as they seek to, “multiply movements of disciple-making and church-planting throughout the sandhills and beyond.” This isn’t an attempt to plant one EFCA church in the area. It’s expecting to ignite a church planting movement throughout Moore County and then some.

The Blessings Awaiting My Family

I won’t downplay the blessing of planting in a familiar environment. Dottie and I both have immediate and extended family in North Carolina, especially grandparents. What a blessing for our kids to have the opportunity to spend more quality time with theirs. I know the southern culture and its unique pace very well: the values, customs, traditions, foods, music, pastimes, and finally sweet tea everywhere I go! I look forward to the ways in which GOD will bless my family as they participate with me in the daunting but rewarding mission of church multiplication with me.

I will miss Minnesota. I will miss Revive Church in Brooklyn Park, First Free Church in Maplewood, and the NCD. You have been our spiritual family when we were sojourners in a strange land far from home. For that I thank you and ask that you pray for us as we pursue the dream that didn’t evaporate when it left the seminary bubble.

Frank Lanier