POC Partner FAQ
POC Partner FAQ
Why a para-church ministry?
Over the years I have realized two things. First, I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and people meeting him through the loving witness of others. Second, I love seeing the church thrive in her mission to make disciples. The Bible teaches us that God has given a diverse group of leaders to the church in addition to pastor-teachers. I sense God calling me to be an evangelist, coach and equipper to many churches, leaders and people in the world. A para-church ministry in the truest sense of “coming alongside the church, as a member of a local church” seems the best vehicle for me to pursue our calling in this season. The elders of our sending church agree and have set me aside for this particular calling and ministry. Furthermore, one of our elders will serve on the Power of Change board of directors along with a theologian and long-time mentor and friend.
Reid, you’ve been a Pastor for many years, do you think you’ll serve in this way in the future? Plant churches again?
I don’t know. I’m thankful that God is God and I don’t know the future. To be honest, it’s a bit overwhelming to think about what one might do down the road with the amount of circumstances that are changing in this world. Do I enjoy pastoral ministry? Absolutely. Could I see myself serving in that way again? Perhaps. Certainly, if God were to lead in that way. I could definitely see myself staying involved with church planting and perhaps doing that again someday down the road. I do know I desire to serve pastors and the work of church planting today through Power of Change and until my time on the earth is up.
Why not go back on staff with a well-established parachurch ministry like Cru Global?
To be honest, establishing a new ministry does add some work and overhead to my life. There are some ways in which going on staff with a large ministry would be a good avenue. In other ways it is simply overhead (both financial and logistical) that I don’t need. My background in computer science allows me to build and use technology to maximize efficiency and I want to relate directly with my friends, ministry partners and partner ministries without layers of bureaucracy that I don’t find necessary. Power of Change will also have a very unique focus that I would like to give room to grow, breathe and flourish. Finally, I want my accountability to come from the church as we submit our family to local church membership, being pastored by local elders and having a board of directors that values those same things.
Why locate the ministry’s home base in Blacksburg, VA?
Blacksburg is the place that feels most home for Kasey and me. We had our girls here, have long running friendships with people here and it is close to Kasey’s family. My work requires some travel and I want my family to be in a good place and have resources to help when I’m gone. Furthermore, the western university is a central place for gospel witness and impact. The intellectual climate of a college town, the resources and manpower for gospel movement that students bring are all important aspects of our locating Power of Change in Blacksburg. Though a small college town itself, my hope is to be a part of mobilizing and equipping students to be sent into major cities of the region to help with church planting and gospel movement building in our time.
Are you going to charge for your speaking, teaching and training resources? Or is faith based, ministry supporters your primary funding model?
We are grateful to have a team of friends who love our family, love our work and love being a part of it. We desire to “offer the gospel free of charge” (1 Cor 9:18) and not have to charge exorbitant speaker fees on those we desire to serve. So we are pursuing a team-funded ministry model where partners give on a monthly or annual basis to allow us to serve. We are trusting the Lord to provide for the foundation for the ministry (funding our family, admin, legal, systems, healthcare, etc) through a team of committed friends. My hope is that any resources gained through future speaking honorariums, resource creation, writing books etc. would go back to the ministry. We are trusting the Lord to provide for our needs.
What sorts of ministry do you anticipate engaging in?
Though we are just at the beginning of things, please see our Ministry Offerings and as well as a description of the Two Branches of our Ministry.