The Story of Church Courage

For more than a decade I (Stu Streeter) served in several full time ministry capacities while also being the owner/operator of a successful restaurant. Then the CALL came in.

Then the call came in.

It was a call like none I’d ever received. A dear friend, JD Pearring, founding pastor of Journey Church in Elk Grove California and Director of Church Planting for GHC Network asked Jen and I to attend a Church Planters Assessment Center.

Like most ministry families, we were a bit exhausted. Three kids and a fourth on the way. A business to manage, ministries to lead. But the beckoning of God to start a church from scratch haunted us.

Fast forward a few years and we had started Disciples Church in Folsom. It was gonna blow up. Get big, build buildings, impact our city, and feed orphans all over the world. But it never did any of that exceptionally valuable work. Instead, we loved a small core of misfits trying to reclaim a faith they had nearly given up on altogether.  It created a tension so great and so turbulent I was nearly broken, many times. Over and over again.

God’s call drew us further.

Then a few people spoke courage into me. They inquired, prayed and pushed. I was renewed.

It was then that the next CALL came in. “Give your life to courage,” I heard God whisper, God persisted, “Give your life to pouring into other leaders like you.” And then finally, He said, “Give your next twenty years to the purposes in front of you in your local church and also to ANYONE who would invite you to their sacred space of community.

There Church Courage was born.

Since those dark days, My family has grown up and flourished! Disciples Church has grown significantly as well. We’ve done the building thing and hired staff to support and serve the people God brought our way. In 2015 I accepted a position on the Executive Team of the North American Baptist, Inc (NAB) as Vice President of Ministry Advancement. Since that time I have also taken on leadership for NAB’s church multiplication efforts. While work at Disciples Church and NAB take most of my time these days, Church Courage continues to provide resource, presence, consulting, training, and coaching to leaders in the trenches.

Since that CALL all those years ago a lot has changed. The end of Christendom is upon us. A global pandemic. Racial unrest. Politics interwoven with faith. Amidst all the complexities I have worked with every type of church: charismatic, conservative; struggling, thriving; tiny, huge, and everything in between. I bet you could be next.

 

How can I serve you with church courage?