Meet Pastor Rich
Hello! My name is Richard. In the picture is my wife Shalla, and sons Carter, Campbell, and Caden. Baby Cora was born in April. This is Team Johnson leading the church plant. When Shalla and I got married in 2001 we didn’t anticipate having four children so quickly. Neither did we think that Columbus, Ohio would become our home.
Before there were children we moved from Virginia to pursue church planting with Heritage Christian Church. It was originally planned to be a three year process that has stretched out to seven years. I like God’s timing better than mine for a number of reasons.
- I’ve been a middle school director, executive assistant, children’s pastor, local missions pastor and worship leader at Heritage. These various responsibilities have given me a depth of knowledge and experience to lead a new church.
- I’m partnering with the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination. They have a proven track record of launching churches that become self sustaining in three years or less. They are also the fastest growing multiethnic denomination in the country.
- Efrem Smith is going to be my mentor. He planted a multiethnic church in Minneapolis that also started a community development center. This church/cdc model is part of a my dream for a new faith community.
- Heritage is supporting me on this venture. It’s an absolute blessing to have a close relationship with the staff and congregation.
- I could not be more convinced than right now that it’s time to start a new church.
I live a pretty integrated life across various social networks. You can find at any of the places below. Stop by and say hello sometime. I hope to see you at Sanctuary soon.
Blog: http://www.richardwestley.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rjnsite
Twitter: @richardwestley
