A New Church in SW Colorado & The Dwelling
Serving Jesus together for more than 25 years as parents, pastor, church planters, ministry leaders, mentors, and missionaries has shaped Mitchell and Lisa for the next season of ministry leadership. For the past several years, we have dreamed of “someday” ministering together in southwest Colorado through a hospitality ministry for renewal and restoration. Throughout the years we have also seen the need for more Gospel presence in the Durango/Bayfield area through a church plant. For years the San Juan mountains have inspired us, and now Jesus is calling us to launch The Dwelling and plant a new church in SW Colorado.
I. A New Church in SW Colorado:
A deeply rooted gospel community for fruitful Kingdom life in & through Durango.
A deeply rooted gospel community for fruitful Kingdom life in & through Durango.
People love the Durango area because there is promise of new beginnings, wilderness adventure, beautiful creation, and adventurous recreation. These common grace hungers of people looking for life are invitations to encounter Jesus Christ, His Word and work.
The need for a church in Durango is evident as the rapidly growing region is bursting in unchurched demographics. 65% of Durango area citizens say they will “never” or “probably not ever” attend a religious service and another 13% say they are open to consideration with an invitation.[1] This beautiful area of the southern San Juan Mountains is full of people who need to hear and experience Jesus’ intimate invitation to abide in Him.
While we anticipate drawing from a wide geographic area, the new church will intensively target the “Three Springs” area of Durango. A few miles east of downtown, this area near the medical center is the heart of the region’s growth. The church will seek to reach the unchurched, spiritually disinterested, burned, broken, and lost for Jesus Christ. Strategic multiplication will be accomplished through personal discipleship and a “Rocky Mountain Ministry Residency.” The new church will establish the Rocky Mountain Ministry Residency seeking to launch 8-10 ministers into mission and plant three new churches by 2037.
II. The Dwelling:
Getting people into God’s beautiful creation for gospel renewal and restoration.
Getting people into God’s beautiful creation for gospel renewal and restoration.
The need for The Dwelling is equally compelling as Christians and Christian leaders find it increasingly difficult to unplug from busy, distracted lives. Ministry leaders and ministry teams are burning out or breaking apart at an alarming rate.[2] Christians and Christian leaders need space for restoration and renewal. The Dwelling will provide the needed space in God’s beautiful creation for deep, restful, joyful, soul-replenishing connection with Jesus and others.
The Dwelling will serve individuals, marriages, families, ministry leaders, and ministry teams through our hospitality house. Ministering to people who minister to others, The Dwelling will edify the Church by ministering to thousands of people by 2030 through the people we minister to in the mountains.
Want to learn more? Please reach out to us- We would love to visit with you!
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” -Jesus
[1] Church Answers: Know your community: https://churchanswers.com/solutions/tools/kyc/know-your-community/
[2] Barna Christian Leadership Study, 2023: https://www.barna.com/research/pastoral-security-confidence/
