In less than two weeks, we’ll hold a vote on whether to move forward with planting a church under the leadership of our Associate Pastor Jamie Kinman.

I know I’ve said this a few times already, but I want to express my gratitude for the way our church family has labored to maintain the unity of the Spirit during this season of prayer and reflection in advance of the vote. I’m also grateful for the way so many of our members have patiently shared their questions and concerns with Jamie, myself, and the elders along the way. These communications have sharpened our thinking, and I believe the result will be greater health and fruitfulness for our church as well as the church plant.

You’ve received a lot of information about this project, so I thought it might help to provide a summary of what has taken place.

Over a year ago, Jamie and the elders began talking seriously about planting a church. In November of 2025, Jamie shared his burden for church planting and asked you to pray with us about the possibility. Jamie and Kasha completed the church planter assessment process with the SEND Network in May of 2026, at which time Skipper Bennett and I received training as representatives of a potential sending church.

The advice we were given at the time was to “put everything in writing,” which encouraged us to create a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would define the relationship between ICBC and Pastor Jamie during a transitional season in which he prepares to lead a core team to plant the new church. You can find a copy of the MOU here.

After presenting this in a members’ meeting on June 28, 2026 (listen to the audio from that meeting here), we shared the MOU with you and scheduled a time for Jamie to share his vision for the new church in a sermon preached on Sunday, July 19 (listen to the sermon here). On August 9, we met after the worship service to answer your questions.

As a result of some of the questions that were raised in the meeting on August 9, the elders and I decided it would be best to postpone the vote originally scheduled for the end of August, and I told you that we wanted to provide more detailed answers to two questions: (1) How will the new church reach unchurched individuals living in Mineral Wells? and (2) How should ICBC meet the financial burden outlined in the MOU?

The answer to the first of these two questions has a lot of facets to it. Since Pastor Jamie will be leading the new church, he will be taking the lead in these efforts. Over the past several weeks, he has taken the time to share some ideas and strategies about reaching the community.

Keep in mind, Jamie has a unique vantage point. He grew up in our community and has served in pastoral ministry since he was a very young man. He’s seen a lot! And he has a burden to reach the lost of Mineral Wells.

To share some specifics from the FAQ document we distributed this past Sunday, the new church will:

• Pray regularly and on purpose, including strategic prayer walking and prayer mapping.
• Prioritize community engagement for its members.
• Create outward facing small groups that participate in regular outreach to non-church members.
• Participate in community events as a church/small group.
• Seek opportunities to meet the needs of the community.

A small group of families have already made a tentative commitment to joining the church plant. This small group meets regularly to share their ideas and plans as well.

The fact is that new churches are generally more effective at reaching the unchurched than established churches. There are a whole host of reasons why. But it’s exciting to think about how many of our neighbors and friends may come to Christ through this ministry when it may not have happened otherwise.

As for the second question, we’ve outlined the financial impact of the MOU in the FAQ on the Church Plant Information page. I will say that before the end of the year, we plan to give you the opportunity to give specifically to the financial need associated with Jamie’s role as Church Planter in Residence.

I trust you’ll be in prayer about this vote and about your own involvement with the church plant. In the meantime, let me know if there is any other information I can provide.