The Gospel Coalition

Dear Friends, 

As many of you know, the second to the last step in this process regarding the merger of New City and Coral Ridge was to meet with the elders of New City (which happened on Monday night) and the elders of Coral Ridge (which happened last night) to go over all of the work that the merger team has been doing over the last 7 weeks. A letter of agreement (LOA) which was drafted by our attorney, alongwith the ammended by-laws and articles of incorporation, were discussed in detail. Questions were asked. Answers were provided. I was thoroughly impressed with both elder boards in how serious they took this and how meticulously they went through the documents (which were provided to them last week). And I am happy to report this morning that both elder boards voted unanimously and enthusisatically to support and approve the merger. Praise God!

It is no small thing when over 30 elected officers representing both churches vote unanimously on anything. Well it happened. And the only explanation is that God is on the move and he is doing things that are above and beyond anything that we could ask or imagine. I have watched God move me, move the men on the merger team, move the elders from both churches, and move many in both congregations from fear to faith.

Now, as I mentioned a few days ago, the next step is for me to preach at Coral Ridge this Sunday morning March 15 (New City will conduct services as usual on that Sunday with Jim Dietz filling the pulpit for me). Following the Coral Ridge worship service, the members of Coral Ridge (since they are the ones needing a pastor–not the New City side) would then be called together for a congregational meeting where they would vote on whether or not to approve the Pulpit Nominating Commitee’s invitation to me to become their next Senior Pastor and to merge with New City.

If the vote is unanimous or nearly so, we move forward. If it’s not, we stop. This is the final step in the process.

Now, if the vote is supportive then we have tentatively been shooting for Easter Sunday to be the first Sunday that the two churches are worshipping together.

As we continue to move in this direction I am exhorting members of both churches to ask God even now to be preparing you for one another. As elders, we all talked about the coming together of these two churches as being a marriage. One is not aquiring the other. And one of the elders from Coral Ridge said last night (and it was very well received) that the unity candle in a marriage ceremony is a great picture of what God seems to be doing here. No more us and them; them and us. Rather, two becoming one.

If the Gospel is not embraced and applied by all from both churches, it will not work. We need to be willing and desirous to lay our lives down for one another because Christ laid his life down for us (1 John 3:16). That’s what the Gospel-centered life is. And that’s the life that God has called us to live. No one from either church is going to get everything they want (that’s self-protection). But everyone from both churches will have everything we need to do the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way (that’s self-sacrifice).

So, as I’ve mentioned before, to all of those who are willing to change and serve and grow and be stretched and lose it all for the sake of Christ, I applaud you–more importantly, God applauds you. To those who, like their Savior, are ready to take up their cross and “go outside the camp”–who understand that it’s better to give than to receive, to be self-sacrificial rather than self-serving, to look out for the interests of others before your own interests, to live life going to the back instead getting to the front–I thank you for fueling my weak faith. To those who understand that you are owners of nothing and stewards of everything–that God is God and you are not–we need you!

God is clearly up to something big. Don’t miss out. Don’t let fear of the unknown prevent you from this great adventure. And please, continue to pray for both churches. Continue to pray for God’s clear direction and fierce protection. If this moves forward, I will consider it a high and holy privilege to serve and love and teach and lay my life down for those who move ahead with us. We will move ahead together–side by side, back to back!

Amazed by Grace,

Tullian