About three months ago, an amazing “miracle” took place. Interbay Church – a 65 year old, traditional, older, and mostly Anglo church – decided to “close” down and join Quest Church – a 6 year old, emerging, urban, and multiethnic churchplant. In closing their church and merging with Quest, Interbay gave to Quest ALL of their assets which includes a church building and small warehouse conservatively valued at $6 million dollars. Even more miraculously, nearly all of their 50 adults - thus far – have decided to become part of Quest.
You can read some previous entries about this: Quest + Interbay = 1 church [pre-decision], We Are One [post decision], and Seattle PI article on Merger.
Here’s another article that was recently published in the Companion Magazine:
At first glance, Cho and Bartel are an unlikely pair. Cho, thirty-six, wears chunky-framed glasses, dresses fashionably, and as pastor of an up-and coming multiethnic emerging church made up of twenty- and thirtysomethings, he’s been quoted often in Seattle’s two newspapers, the Times and the Post-Intelligencer. Bartel, sixty-one, is a pastor-shepherd in the truest sense of the word…
Make no mistake about it, however, Cho and Bartel are tight. They have spent many hours in prayer and conversation over the decision to unite their ministries. They speak in almost reverent tones of each other. It is clear in an interview in May that they enjoy each other’s company.
“We’ve been dating way too long,” says Cho. “My wife is a little jealous of Pastor Ray. I did tell her, though, that when the merger happens in June, we’re not kissing.” [Read full article] Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: church, ministry, quest church, religion
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