A Letter From Pastor Andrew

Introduction:
The purpose of this letter is to offer clarity on the partnership of Summit View Church (SVC) and Northwest Gospel Church (NGC). At the bottom of this letter, the elders address frequently asked questions (FAQ). If you have a specific question, click the CONTACT THE ELDERS button on this page. We will do our best to answer those questions and add them to the list below. Check back for updates!

After a long process of prayer, fasting, and design work, SVC and NGC have decided to come together to form a family of churches. Our goal as a family of churches is to magnify the beauty of Christ and the gospel through the unity of his people. Neither church had to do this. This is born out of a desire to glorify God through a movement of disciple-making churches, equipping the church to be the church in the Greater Vancouver and Portland Metropolitan area and beyond.

Providential Movements:
In the last several years, a relationship has been developing between Northwest Gospel Church and Summit View Church. Initially, this growing partnership was imperceptible to those involved. Both churches were on a journey theologically and structurally. Migrating from different theological camps historically, both churches joined the Acts 29 church planting network (NGC in 2021, SVC in 2022), developed tremendously similar membership and eldership training processes, and aligned theological confessions and ministry philosophy. Though there were many relational connections between NGC and SVC, these moves all happened independently of one another. Structurally, both churches expanded from a single-church model to a multichurch model, SVC moving to two campuses (in 2012) and then three (in 2020). NGC moved from one local church to two in 2011.

Pulling Together:
In 2023, as SVC entered a season of leadership transition, already established relationships among the elders of both churches began to grow, and new ones formed. While walking through transition, the elders of SVC sought outside counsel from several sources, including elders at NGC. Both groups of elders began to lean in. Initially, these relationships were simply collaborative, prayerful, and supportive, as SVC walked through a transitional season. As months passed, the doctrinal and philosophical alignment that the Lord had been developing separately in the two churches became obvious to the elders who were working more closely together. After around 6 months of growing relationship, and as the SVC elders were praying through how to both function as a multichurch and fill the lead pastor role at their Heritage Park campus, the two sides prayerfully agreed to explore what a formal partnership between SVC and NGC could look like. In November 2023 both elder teams agreed to enter a season of prayerful exploration concerning what the Lord may be doing between SVC and NGC.

Formal Process:
In training elders, both NGC and SVC read the book Multichurch, authored by Brad House. The two elder teams were able to secure outside consultation from Brad, through his agency Ministry Engine. In February 2024, Ministry Engine flew into Vancouver to conduct a 2-day offsite with the SVC and NGC elders. Through two full days of dialogue and prayer, the alignment between SVC and NGC was amazingly evident. In an exercise where elders from both sides were tasked with identifying areas of potential fear, difficulty, or discontinuity between the two churches, the column on the whiteboard labeled “beliefs” was totally blank. Elders from both sides, comparing the theological confessions of the two churches, found complete doctrinal unity in every primary area.

After the offsite, the two sides engaged in nearly a month of further dialogue and prayer. By late March, both elder teams voted unanimously to sign a letter of intent to merge, pending a successful vetting of Andrew Murch (lead pastor of NGC) by SVC to serve as the lead pastor of their multichurch. In April, a design team was formed with representatives from both elder teams, and the work of vetting and designing a partnership between the two churches began. After a two-month vetting process, including a full report from Mission: Leadership (an outside consulting agency), interviews with an SVC search team made up of leaders from all three SVC campuses, and multiple interviews with the SVC elder team, the two elder teams agreed to fast and pray leading into the final week of May. On May 29, the SVC elder team voted unanimously to affirm Andrew as the lead pastor of their churches upon the successful completion of the family of churches partnership. 

As the work has unfolded, and various leaders and leaders in training from SVC and NGC have been brought into the process, questions about the potential partnership have been pondered. As both leadership teams have sought answers and clarity, the Lord has provided consistent unity and affirmation along the way. In June and July 2024, the work of the design team continued, as elders on each side prepared for communication and a soft launch of this partnership to the five congregations. On June 30, the two churches began a summer series, “Together in the Psalms.” As this series was announced to staff earlier in June, and to the congregations on June 23, the excitement and affirmation from congregants from all five churches poured in. Seeing partnership, kingdom-mindedness, and a hunger for unity on the mission of Jesus in Clark County has brought great joy to and from those rooted at SVC and NGC. It has also brought up thoughtful questions, potential fears, and helpful dialogue. Every bit of this communication has clarified, sharpened, and confirmed what the Lord seems to be doing among the churches.

In early July, staff and leadership teams were walked through more detail on this developing partnership, including the timeline of prayer, fasting, vetting, and work that the elder teams engaged in over many months. In mid-July, the wider congregations were walked through the long process undertaken by the elders of both churches and called to pray and fast as the partnership dynamics of the family of churches continued to take shape. This is complex work. It has also been tremendously fruitful work. God’s Spirit continues to guide and lead, as these five church families, represented in the two church families of SVC and NGC, remain open-handed and kingdom-minded concerning what the Lord is up to among us. The formal partnership has moved from design to implementation, with a goal of finalization by fall 2024.

What is this?
This is a true partnership. SVC and NGC are both stable churches. All five local churches have leaders and members who are already engaging in the mission. Neither church is doing this to survive. The leadership teams, including a (central) church support team that will resource the five churches, will comprise staff members from SVC and NGC. Every current staff person will be given an opportunity for a role in the new venture. Most staff member’s roles will remain the same with their current local church.

This will be an open-handed, kingdom-minded family of churches. Each local church will maintain local leadership teams: elders, deacons, and staff. Each local church will keep its local lead pastor who preaches live on Sundays and oversees the local leadership team. The family of churches will preach expositionally through books of the Bible together. Resources—like small group guides, children’s curriculum, and leadership training materials—will be created and disseminated through the church support team (CST). The CST will be populated by staff members from each of the five local churches. The CST will exist to resource the local church and streamline necessary processes like operations, finances, and facilities. The goal is for local leaders to be focused on equipping saints and reaching the lost in their local church context. The elders of all churches will form an over-arching “full council of elders,” who provide affirmation and accountability for the family of churches while shepherding and leading within their local congregations. A governing team made up of elders from each local church will provide oversight and leadership to the family of churches. All five churches will be represented on the family of churches governing team.

Why are SVC and NGC doing this?
Why would two churches, both financially stable and independently strong, decide to come together in a partnership like this? There are very few examples of local churches combining to do mission together unless they are forced to by circumstances beyond their control. Why would two elder teams say, “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us” to come together like this?

As we have prayed, fasted, and worked for many months on this partnership, a few things ring true. First, we recognize that God is sovereign. The Lord has clearly and providentially brought SVC and NGC on parallel paths that are converging at this moment in the history of both multichurches. The oldest local church in this partnership was founded in 1883, the newest in 2020. These five local churches did not start out in the same place, but we are there now. This has been confirmed in dozens of ways, including the obvious ones of doctrinal alignment, a mirrored structure, church planting and mission focus, and even near unanimity in our membership and leadership training processes and content.

Second, we see this move positively reflecting the prayers of Jesus in Scripture. When God’s people unify, in a local church or in a family of local churches, we can see a measure of Christ’s prayer that we would be “one” (John 17) answered by a move of God’s Spirit. Additionally, the Lord’s prayer asks for God’s kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven.” Unity among God’s people reflects—though dimly now—the unity we read about in Revelation 7, where redeemed people from among all nations, tribes, and languages glorify God and the Lamb in unity.

Third, when local churches partner to engage Christ’s mission together in an open-handed and kingdom-minded way, the beauty of the gospel is put on display. Leaning into unity instead of settling for proximity, and committing to cooperation rather than competition, magnifies the generosity, kindness, and glory of Jesus. This is our desire in this partnership. We want to reach the lost, plant churches, equip God’s people, and magnify the gospel. We’re not maintaining or presuming that this type of partnership is God’s will for every local church. However, after over a year of leaning into relationships, carefully discerning through prayer and fasting, seeking counsel, and watching the Lord open our hands and unite our hearts in this harvest field, the elders of SVC and NGC believe God’s Spirit have led us here.

Why would we do this?

Because the unity of the church shows the beauty of the Gospel. And we serve a beautiful Savior.