From the Editor

It was 10 years ago that I first met Jeff Bailey and Steve Nicholson. Jeff was a student at a seminary near where my parents lived, and he had invited Steve to speak to a small group of his classmates. Through a series of improbable events, I found myself in the room.
At some point, slumped down on the couch and looking somewhere between bemused and bored by the questions, Steve looked around the room and asked a question that has stayed in me- "Where are the young adults willing to lay it on the line, take a risk, trust God, and go plant a church?"

I was 20 then and I'm 30 now. The last 10 years have largely been dominated by trying to find and to be an answer to that question. To help navigate the way I regularly devoured a quarterly magazine called Cutting Edge, edited by Jeff Bailey, along with the "Manual for Coaching Church Planters," which was another of Steve and Jeff's collaborations. Here I found a vision of church life, of leadership, and ultimately of discipleship that was as compelling as it was wise.

When Steve asked me if I would consider replacing Jeff as the editor, I found I couldn't imagine anything that sounded more exciting, or anything for which I felt less qualified. But, since I couldn't think of any good Vineyard stories (or Bible stories for that matter) in which a leader felt especially qualified for his or her job, I decided to grab the opportunity. In this issue, we wrestle through one of the most central tasks for church plants: gathering people. Whatever else a church is called to do, it won't happen without actual human beings signing on to the vision.

Noted author and evangelist Rick Richardson helps us think about the developing witnessing communities. Rich Nathan challenges us with the importance of growth and Dave Jacobs helps pastors in smaller churches stay encouraged and press on in ministry. My wonderful wife Le Que chatted with Adey Wassink about the emotional ups and downs of growth. One of my new personal heroes is Jay Pathak, and I talked to him in as concrete and practical terms as possible about gathering people in the early days of planting.

Probably the most important article is a conversation with the National Director for the Vineyard USA, Bert Waggoner. Bert wants to help us think about growth as something that comes not primarily from a technique or a technology, but from the heart of God's work in pastors and in a church community. His balanced and nuanced thinking provides a healthy antidote to the American spirit of competitive free market church development, without denying the central responsibility for church planters to gather actual people to the vision God has birthed in them.
Trying to fill Jeff Bailey's shoes is a bit overwhelming, but fortunately Patrick Crawford's brilliant design will continue to make Cutting Edge pleasant to look at, and hopefully still helpful to read. With humility and hope this issue goes to press.

Jeff Heidkamp is the new editor of Cutting Edge Magazine. Along with his wife Le Que, he pastors Mercy Vineyard Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They also enjoy spending time with their two daughters, exploring big cities, andhelping plant more Vineyard churches in the Midwest.