But to Whom and to Where

If someone told you to think about a place where only 2% of the population is evangelical Christian, what place comes to mind: Afghanistan, Japan, China? When you think about the least Christian cities in the United States, which cities stand out to you: New York, Boston, Seattle? If you’re like I was, I am sure that Utah or Salt Lake City is nowhere near the top of your list. However, these statistics tell the story of Utah’s religious makeup. According to a Gallup poll, Utah is the 3rd most religious state in the nation and the absolute least Protestant state in the nation. Right here in the US, we have a huge population of unreached people, and somehow, they have just slipped under the radar. Nearly all the people who live in this area live their whole lives without hearing the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone; it is for this reason that in less than our month, our family is headed to Farmington, Utah.

…it is for this reason that in less than our month, our family is headed to Farmington, Utah.

When I started at the Church the Cross residency over two years ago, Utah was not even a blip on our map. Monica and I had our “plan” all worked out: finish the residency, finish our degrees at Dallas Theological Seminary, move out to Colorado to be with my family, and (Lord-willing) plant a church in Denver. It was about a year into the residency program, however, that God began flipping our plans upside down. 

In June 2019, I was given the opportunity to learn from one of our church planting partners, Josh Knight, as Church at the Cross organized a short-term mission to serve Flourishing Grace Church in Bountiful, Utah. The most poignant part of the trip was our visit to the main Mormon temple in Temple Square, Salt Lake City. I remember walking around the visitor information area, and I saw this mom pushing a little girl in a stroller who couldn’t have been more than four years old. They stopped in front of a painting of Jesus and I heard the mom look at her little girl and say: “See, that’s Jesus. He is the reason why you have to be really, really, really good so that you can go to heaven.”

My heart broke. I am not a super emotional guy, but I was getting a little misty.

…unintentionally burdening her little daughter with the anti-gospel of salvation. That you have to be good enough for God.

I could just see this well-meaning mom unintentionally burdening her little daughter with the anti-gospel of salvation. That you have to be good enough for God. I thought of my own little girls and how we are teaching them the exact opposite. Jesus lived a perfect life and died a sinner’s death in their place. Now, by faith, they can repent of their sins and be adopted into God’s family. When I realized that so many people in Utah grow up never hearing this simple gospel, it was devastating for me. As much as I fought it over the next few months, I knew in my gut we were going to be moving to Utah.

For Monica and I, embarking on ministry in Utah has been a beautiful uniting of two different passions. When we first started dating, I remember asking her where she wanted to be in the next five years—and honestly, it was almost a deal-breaker. She said she wanted to be a missionary to a country in the 10/40 window. Monica has always had a heart for unreached people groups and during her undergraduate study abroad program in China, this passion only increased. But when she told me about her plans, I remember thinking, “Well, we made a good run at this, but we might as well call it now because I cannot see myself going anywhere outside of the country.” Since I was 19 years old, the only thing I had wanted to do was plant and faithfully pastor a church in a tough part of our country. However, God in his wisdom brought us together and it has been incredibly encouraging to see our two dreams come together as we seek to serve “those who have never heard,” an unreached people group right here in our own country.

In less than a month, our family has the privilege of being sent out as Church at the Cross missionaries to Utah with the hopes of planting a church in Farmington within the next few years (God willing). We will also be in partnership with Flourishing Grace Church, where I will serve the people of that area joining their staff as a minister to North Davis County. Ultimately, our hope is to see God transforming lives with the hope of the Gospel, and bringing renewal to a pre-Christian state through Jesus.

Never in our plans did we expect our “temporary seminary church” to become a beloved church family that we will be forever united within ministry. It is a tremendous understatement to say that leaving Church at the Cross to pursue ministry in Utah is bittersweet. While we are excited to see what God has in store for the people of Utah, we are sad to leave the friends who have become like (and really are, in Christ) family. We are thankful for how the leadership of Church at the Cross has invested in us and prepared us for faithful ministry, and how the church as a whole has come alongside us in this mission. As we go, pray that God will continue to prepare us for ministry in Utah and that God will continue to prepare Utah for ministry.