Boots on the Ground

by Lacey

I suspect that one questions we will receive is “Why Montana?” The answer to that question is half technical and half heart-felt. When Seth and I began looking at planting a church in the Northwest, we began by looking at city-data.com to determine what cities were a good fit for our ministry and our family. We wanted a city that had as large or larger population than the city of our current church in Cookeville, TN. We also wanted a city that was in a mountainous state because the beauty of the mountains attracts us. We researched the number of churches in the cities as well as the average age of the population and other demographics.

Several cities fit the bill, but our heart kept coming back to Bozeman, Montana. We weren’t really sure why Bozeman, but it was a constant in the back of our minds. Not long after that, Josh invited us out to a pastor’s retreat in Bozeman and also shared his heart for planting a network of churches within Montana. This seemed like a good confirmation that God was the one who kept bringing Bozeman back to mind.

It was nice to get our boots on the ground in Montana and actually pray over the city of Bozeman. Seth hiked up to the top of the college “M” trail which overlooks Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley and was able to pray over the city and this God-called adventure.

I had been thinking that I wanted to develop a love for the people of Bozeman and not just feel like we were heading west to be in the mountains. It was through our weekend trip to Montana that God began to give me a heart for the people. Bozeman is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States right now. People are flocking to it because they love nature and the beauty of it. Fortunately, I understand how they feel. I love nature myself and know that nature connects me to God. He began to show me that what these people are really longing for is that deep soul connection with Him. They are looking to nature as an expression of what their hearts are truly seeking– God. I’m hoping that this revelation will continue to connect me to the hearts of the people of Montana.

It will be awhile before we actually get our boots on the ground in Montana because there is much work to be done beforehand, but I will continually be praying that God will prepare us and prepare the hearts of the people there to receive the good news of the gospel and make the connections they are truly longing for.