Church Planting Heads South

SIDE BY SIDE

Pastor Zach Fallon talks about his journey to the next church plant pastor.

Share with us your story of faith.

I saw my need for Christ and trusted in him alone the summer after my freshman year of college. I had heard the message of the gospel many times before that, but in the end the Spirit brought life to my heart through the conviction of the word, and God gave me the gift of repentance and faith. What followed was a major shift in lifestyle and in my relational circles. I really, truly never looked back and Philippians 3:7-8 became my reality, that the worth of knowing Christ far exceeded any other gain I had at that point in my life.

One of the first things the Lord convicted me of when I finally knew Christ personally was to tell others who were in my circle about him. I had a lot of one-on-one conversations with people about the gospel and even had some conversations to try and reconcile with some people I had wronged. The reality of who Christ is had become so apparent to me that I wanted others to taste and see him as well.

Tell us about your ministry in Montana. In what ways did the Lord teach you about being a minister of the gospel and his Word? With your growing desire for church planting, did you begin to pursue opportunities in Montana?

Christine and I lived on campus at Montana Wilderness School of the Bible, a one-year Bible school. And we had a very relational ministry that was focused on discipleship. Over the course of five years, we had the chance to get to know about 300 college-aged students. We had students in our home almost every day, which really taught us how to have a ministry of hospitality in discipleship relationships.

We quickly realized that we needed more training in how to minister the Word faithfully, so I enrolled in seminary and took seminary classes our entire time out there. I also had the chance to teach Bible classes for the first time and that's when I began to sense God was calling me to teach and preach his Word. When we were transitioning from Montana, we were looking at a few different options, and one of those was a church planting training program. Looking back, we can see it was not God's timing for us to pursue that, but instead he led us to College Church!

So, how did you end up at College Church? We know it was because of the pastoral residency but remind us of how that happened.

I met Todd Augustine (a former College Church pastor) and we really hit it off, plus I was excited about the pastoral residency program at College Church. The idea of coming back to Wheaton was compelling for us (Zach graduated from Wheaton College). Chad and Mindy Rynbrandt were involved in some of our premarital counseling when we were undergraduate students, and that was another special connection for us. A few months into the residency, Todd transitioned into a role at another church and that's when we had the "great pastoral shift" of 2016 where six pastors moved into new roles all at the same time.

Why a church plant now and not earlier in your ministry?

It has been a privilege to serve as high school pastor here for almost five years, and we clearly see the Lord's hand as we waited on his good and perfect timing to call us to this new kind of ministry. Just as we hope we have served our high school students and their families well with the gospel these last few years, so, too, God has been growing us and transforming us by the power of the gospel. This has been a much-needed time for us to grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures, in our heart and desire for God's people to know him more deeply, and in our pastoral skills in knowing how to be fruitful and effective in ministry.

God's providence in the way that he uses the timing of things in our lives is often difficult to discern and understand, which is why we continue to pray without ceasing in order to seek his will. I see God's hand in the timing of this opportunity in several ways.

First, I see the Lord at work in the people of College Church hungering to see the advancement of the gospel and to play a part in that. Second, I see a need in the coming generation for a clarity on the message of the gospel. As culture shifts towards a post-Christian one, people will use religious lingo of previous generations, but with a lack of clear definition of who Jesus is according to his Word, what it means to believe in him, what the power of God's grace is, what it means for the Scriptures to be sufficient, and what it looks like to live in all things to the glory of God. Finally, I feel uniquely prepared and called to have a ministry that seeks to bring clarity to those things at this time. The Lord saved me by his grace about 15 years ago and he has sent many people and experiences into my life during that time that have formed me, and I believe, prepared me to have a role like this.

How did all your previous experience prepare you for this next step as College Church’s next church planting pastor?

After I became a Christian and began to grow in grace and my understanding of who the Lord is, I was bothered by the cultural Christianity I saw around me. And when I was younger, I admittedly did not have much compassion for those who claimed to be believers in Christ but had no sense of the joyful journey of biblical discipleship displayed in their lives. Cultural Christianity lingers in the Bible Belt in the south of our country in many ways, but my perspective and heart towards it has been undergoing some radical and grace influenced shifts.

I can see now how I needed to grow in my understanding of the gospel of grace more in order to be prepared to look at the world around me with the eyes of compassion, rather than dismissive and self-righteous judgmentalism. Now more than ever, I believe we are making this transition with hearts that are broken for those who have not experienced the sheer, transformative powerful grace of God in Christ. And quite honestly, I can't wait to magnify this grace in the lives of the people God is preparing for us to know and love.

You have had a lot of conversations in the last six months or so, as you recollect, what are three or four things that stand out to you?

Again, God's providence has stood out to me in a significant way. The connections that have emerged between some of us here in Wheaton and other believers in the south metro Atlanta area have been wonderful to see. God has made it clear to me that this is his work and the strategy for pursuing this well is the strategy of prayer, waiting on him and trusting in his leading and goodness.

My moments where I am most anxious and full of doubt are moments when I am trying to rely on my own wisdom and strategy to figure things out to set us up well. On the flip side, my moments of greatest excitement and peace and joy are when I am in prayer, looking unto Christ, and surrendering all things into his hands for his glory.

It is also stood out to me the desire the leaders of College Church have to see the gospel advance and that has been a great encouragement to me. Josh Moody has been supportive of this opportunity, and that has been a confirmation and an encouragement for us. Several elders have been supportive and helpful such as Randy Jahns, Dan Lindquist and Tad Williams.

In 2008, former College Church pastor, Chris Castaldo outlined four biblical basis for church planting to show Scriptures priority of church planting.

Executive Pastor John Seward is as kingdom-minded of a person that you will ever find and his heart to see the gospel advance has been very clear. The other pastors have been prayerful and supportive, especially Ben Panner, college pastor, who has been a gift of God's grace in bringing encouragement to me through this whole thing.

What do you see the Lord doing in College Church and how do you think your church plant in Atlanta is a part of that work?

I believe the Lord has uniquely positioned College Church to train and send gospel ministers into the world to see healthy Word-centered ministries started and led. I am hopeful and full of prayer at the idea that this new church plant in south metro Atlanta will be the tip of the iceberg for a new wave of evangelistic excitement spilling out from College Church.

Has anyone from College Church committed to joining this church plant with you?

The best text message I received in 2020 was from Steve and Lois Krogh, College Church members, when by the grace of God, they committed to relocate with Christine and I to see this new work started. Our relationship with them goes back about 15 years when we were undergraduate students with their oldest daughter Kate and her husband. Steve and I have had a wonderful relationship these last few years, and Lois has served as a ministry associate with me. Christine and Lois have a good relationship of spiritual encouragement as well. We have thanked God almost every day ever since we first heard that they wanted to relocate with us. We are thrilled and amazed at God's kindness. Steve will continue his missionary service with Training Leaders International, just from a warmer climate.

What is your vision or hopes for your new church?

The vision and hope are simple, yet profound. It is what God has given me a heart for and has developed in me over these last 15 years of following Jesus. And it's a vision I want to invite many others into as well.Our hope is to see the people of south metro Atlanta and beyond live all of life in light of the gospel. To experience God's kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, we joyfully submit every area of our life, all of our relationships and hopes and dreams and possessions and emotions, under the reality that Jesus Christ is exactly who the Scriptures say he is and he has accomplished for us through his death and resurrection exactly what the Scriptures say he has accomplished. Praise God and let's go!

What do you think will be some of the biggest challenges as you begin to plant a church?

I think one of the unique challenges to planting a church in the Bible Belt in the South will be gospel clarity. As I've mentioned, there is a lot of familiarity with biblical lingo, but the burden of my heart is to bring biblical and clear definition to what we mean when we say Jesus Christ or faith or living for his glory or the sufficiency of Scripture. I'm also excited to bring a philosophy of ministry that is centered and driven by God's Word. The danger and temptation always have been and always will be to pursue God's work with the means of men.

As you read this, pray that we would not trust in ourselves and our strategies and our methods, but that we would let the Lord lead his church by his word through the power of his spirit. Pray that it would be our desire to know nothing among the people of south metro Atlanta except Christ and him crucified, that we would consider them more important than ourselves and that we would joyfully surrender all earthly gain for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ and making him known.

We love you College Church and are so grateful for our partnership in the gospel!

In 2008, former College Church pastor, Chris Castaldooutlined four biblical basis for church planting to showScriptures priority of church planting.

1. The Apostolic Priority of Church Planting.

It is clear from the New Testament that the early church was committed to seeing local churches established by the power of the gospel.

2. Believing in the Gospel and Joining in the Community.

As the church multiplied in number it also expanded geographically. The commission that Jesus gave to his disciples in Acts 1:8 becomes fulfilled as the gospel advances through seeing new churches sprout up.

3. Preaching the Gospel and Establishing Churches.

Paul's ministry was dominated by his desire to take the gospel out and to see churches and leaders established for a faithful and fruitful witness in communities.

4. Church Planting and the Gospel Frontier.

Paul was committed to constantly pushing the *frontier* of the kingdom of Christ through gospel proclamation and the establishment of healthy local churches that would then become sending centers themselves.