Why Albany Park? (part 1)

When people find out that we’re planning to move to Chicago to plant a church, we get a variety of responses. But when Chicagoans find out that we’re going to the Albany Park neighborhood, we only get one response: So, why Albany Park?

It’s a valid question.

Here’s the first part of that story:

God has been moving in our hearts for several years toward Chicago. My wife, Kim, was born and raised about an hour south of Chicago, and I have always loved going to visit the city. And our love for the city quickly turned into a love for the people of that city.

So in October 2010, we decided that instead of going to live in Chicago, maybe we should go in order to plant a church. After much counsel and prayer with and from several people, we knew that we needed to move forward. One of the first things we needed to decide was a specific neighborhood that we thought we should go to. We did a Google map search for churches in Chicago. The pins overwhelmed the map, but as I zoomed in, I noticed that there were two fairly naked spots. Pin-less, if you will. One of those neighborhoods was Albany Park. We planned a trip to the Windy City and explored both neighborhoods, seeking God’s direction along the way.

From the first day, we sensed that Albany Park did indeed need a stronger gospel presence. There were few churches and thousands of people. Along the way, we have received several confirmations, but I’m saving that for Part 2. Stay tuned.

 

Can our vision for Chicago be too big?

I have big dreams for Chicago. Here are some specifics.

10 families joining us in planting in the next 12-18 months.
Everyone serving bi-vocationally.
The church literally changing the community through the gospel, service, and education.
Discipling leaders and future church planters.
Having 200 people within 3 years.
Sending out 10 families to plant in a neighboring community.
Growing back to 200 people.
Sending out 10 families each time we reach 200 people; that is, planting a new church with new leaders every two years.

These are just some specifics to our big vision. Honestly, though? I think maybe our vision isn’t big enough. I just don’t want to limit what God wants to do. After all, can my vision be bigger than God?

Thoughts? Have you had a big vision that you saw fulfilled? Did you ever consider your vision for your family, occupation, or ministry is too small?