To my friends at Connersville Baptist Temple,
I imagine the subject line has told you what this email is about; allow me to elaborate a bit. What an amazing roller coaster the last three years have been! While I wish I could say that the highs have far outnumbered the lows, the truth is that planting Grace Church has taken quite a toll on my family and me. As you know, there was quite a bit of discord earlier in the year as what began as a schism within our church culminated in an all-out split that devastated us. Our Sunday worship average was approaching fifty; we are now down to my family, plus five other individuals.
The hope of a church plant is to gain financial self-sustainability within three years, as a planter’s support network seldom lasts longer than that. About this time a year ago I could trace the trajectory of our church and perceive that meeting this goal, barring an awesome move of the Holy Spirit, would not be attainable. I knew then that I had two options: I could shut things down and pursue a new job in another church, or I could become a bi-vocational pastor. I went with the latter option and have spent the last year working a variety of temporary jobs to help support my church and family.
By God’s grace, and as a demonstration of His never-ending faithfulness, I have been hired full-time by the Waynesboro Police Department and will begin police academy on July 10th. Sarai has also been invited to teach another year at our kids’ school, which alleviates from me most of the pressure of securing financial support for my family.
Though it would be manageable to work a second job while ministering to the needs of our small congregation, the truth is that Sarai and I have sustained a great deal of emotional and spiritual wounds over the last few years, and I am completely burned out. After praying through these issues for several months, and after having numerous conversations with our core team regarding the future of our church, we have come to a shared conclusion that God’s purposes for Grace Church have been realized and it’s time now to end our endeavors in planting Grace.
Though my current Covenant of Partnership is arranged to end on August 31st, I could not in good conscience “fake it till I make it” for two more months for the sake of a few more paychecks. Because of this, our church chose last Sunday that effective this week, Grace Church will close our doors.
I cannot begin to convey the grief that Sarai and I share as we’ve said goodbye to our dreams of planting a healthy, Jesus-centered church, but we know this is the right decision for us. We’ve spent the last three years forming relationships with other churches and people in the Valley; I have no doubt that God is still at work here in Waynesboro and will continue to water the gospel seeds that have been planted. As we’ve chosen to stay here and continue making disciples in a new context, I also wonder if God’s got something in store for us later down the road that will far exceed any expectation we ever had.
Forgive my lengthiness in this email, but there’s a bit more to cover. While I am thankful that God has spared me from falling into moral failure, and while I am happy to say that I’ve not been asked to leave the church, the fact remains that I am resigning from my pastorate. Where this affects you directly is with my COP. There are two support periods left- July and August. It obviously would have been wrong for me to put on a front for two more months, which is why I’m emailing you.
Right now, Grace Church is in debt. The split we went through ravished our finances, and we still owe money on our back-rent and worship equipment, not to mention the personal debt that we’ve accrued while trying to keep Grace afloat. We will be liquidating our church assets to help offset this debt. If you were to continue your support while we spend the next few weeks walking through the logistics and legalities of closing the church, it’d be greatly appreciated. However, please know that as of right now, I am not a church planter with the SBCV, and as such you are complete removed from any financial obligation that you’ve had with us.
It would be impossible for me to adequately express my gratitude for your faithful prayers and financial support. Though the road’s been hard, I know that God’s purposes for His Kingdom have been realized, and these last three years have not been in vain. I ask that you’d continue to pray for Sarai, Uriah, Gracie, and myself as we begin our healing process. We have several pastor friends in close proximity to Waynesboro- our intention is to find a church we can serve and rest within while we see what God’s will is for us as we continue walking in faith. Thank you again so much for what you’ve done for us in service to our King Jesus.
Ever grateful for you,
The Boyce Family