Where were you a decade ago? I keep hearing this question and as a result have been reflecting on the last ten years in my story. In the last decade, I transitioned from higher education professional life to a life in church planting. This transition was, and still is at times, unexpected and not always predictable. Yet as I think about the last ten years I see God’s handiwork all over it (the famous line “hindsight is 2020” does fit here, but early in January 2020, I can already sense that this phrase has been overused already so I will refrain from using it). 

A decade ago, at the beginning of 2010, I was serving as a resident director at my alma mater, Anderson University. In this role, I lived alongside 234 freshmen women in a residence hall where I had the privilege of walking with young women through one of the most integral seasons of their lives (my husband, Josh, rescue dog, Judy, and I lived in a closet-like apartment with gorgeous cinder block walls). In this transformative season, I fell back in love with the Church and our tiny family began to dream about church planting.

Through the support of a generous and patient local church, Josh and I began to learn about the impact of starting churches. We now wholeheartedly believe in this impact–and this aligns with one of Stadia’s values: that everything that is done for the Kingdom of God should make a positive impact. Often we think of impact as size-related–bigger, better, faster, stronger–but true impact happens through living an intentional life that points people to Jesus. This is the kind of impact that I want to have as a leader. This is the kind of impact that leads to legacy. 

As our Bloom Leadership dreamt about our theme for 2020 (trying to stay away from cheesy vision metaphors), this theme of legacy kept coming up. As church planters, we have a strong desire to live lives of influence, making a lasting mark in the world. But what does this look like in the everyday, even in the mundane? Throughout 2020, we will be exploring the topic of legacy for several of our events, virtual learning opportunities, and resources. We are defining legacy as influence that has Kingdom impact beyond what we could ever dream or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). 

In 2019, Stadia committed to plant more and better churches throughout the world as we swung open our doors and began giving our services away with no strings attached. On top of this, the Bloom ministry grew by over 40%! It was an incredible year. Bloom’s mission is to empower women to maximize their role in starting churches. With this in mind, we believe each and every woman in church planting can leave a meaningful legacy.

I encourage you to check out one of the upcoming offerings on the Bloom website www.stadiachurchplanting.com/bloom. (or pass these opportunities along to a woman in church planting in your life). Here’s just a few areas where we will be talking about legacy in 2020:

• Plant Strong: The Bloom Podcast – episodes featuring stories of legacy come out biweekly on Tuesdays.
• #GOALS: Making Intentional Impact in 2020 with Albert Tate – January 9th at 12 pm EST.
• The Bloom Breakfast – March 3rd, 2019 – Several unique discussions about legacy will be explored at this annual breakfast at Exponential East.

Each of these offerings about legacy is aimed at helping women thrive in church planting–regardless of their role. So, as we begin a new decade, what can you do today to help leave a legacy in 2020?