Acts 29 Church Plant: Paul Dean - Alathia - Issaquah, WA
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Paul Dean, an Acts 29 church plant in Issaquah (a suburb of Seattle) is celebrating his one year anniversary this Sunday (January 21) as the founding pastor of Alathia (meaning "Truth"). He has served as an assistant pastor in Ohio, youth pastor in Richland, WA and Tacoma, WA and was a children's pastor in Pullman, WA. He was also employed as a history instructor at Washington State University. He lives with his wife Kathryn and three young children, Nathan 9, Carolyn 7, and Alaina 5 in Issaquah, WA.
Every year, over 1 million people in this country start a business. Forty percent of them will close by the end of the first year. Within 5 years, more than 80 percent of them will fail. According to author James Emery White, "The statistics are about the same for new churches." So what made the difference for this church plant in Issaquah celebrating this milestone day? Pastor Dean sat down with us and answered some questions that most church planters have to face at some time to avoid being a statistical casualty.
A29: Planting a church requires a unique calling. How did you sense God's calling?
PD: I was finishing the research end of my Doctoral Dissertation and could see that my time was winding down in Pullman. I began to see that my work at my church in Pullman could be done by a number of people who were standing on the sidelines. I thought perhaps God had something else in mind for me. Therefore I began to pray for direction. The first day I prayed for God's leading, I was scheduled to fly from Spokane to Detroit. Expecting a long plane ride and time alone at the airport I decided to download some sermons to listen to. I had heard Mark Driscoll speak at a men's retreat and enjoyed his style and content. The first series I picked was Song of Solomon. That filled up most of the space on my Pocket PC. I next found a short series to fill the last spot-a single sermon on III John.
After I had familiarized myself with how the seat belt works and made sure I knew where the nearest exit was I took out my Pocket PC and hit play. The first sermon that popped up was III John. Funny, the sermon was about church planting.
I kept praying and I found out that there was a tremendous need for churches in the northwest. I found out that the best way to introduce communities to Jesus was to plant churches.
My next step was to pray whether or not I had the abilities to plant. The first day I prayed that prayer I got an email from a Professor who asked if we could meet for coffee. We met and talked small talk for a bit and then he looked over across the table at me and asked me if I had ever considered being a pastor other than a professor. I didn't say anything. He then went on to tell me that he thought I would make a great pastor. His unsolicited advice seemed direct enough answer for me. I next asked my family and elders if they saw the gifting necessary to plant a church. They both agreed, although my parents thought it would be a daunting task.
A29: How did you and your wife process this calling? 
PD: Kathryn and I prayed extensively about the calling, we asked everyone we knew for advice. God's leading was very clear and so we signed up for training with the Acts 29 Network. By the time we came to Seattle for the boot camp, we had a heart for the people in Issaquah and would have come with or without Acts 29's support. However, Acts 29 has been a tremendous help and I can't imagine doing this without the wisdom and encouragement that the network has provided.
A29: What were some of the earlier challenges of planting?
PD: Little things like money, lack of experience, and key people leaving. All of these things forced me to rest in God's provision.
We got to Issaquah with a few thousand dollars and no job. I looked for work at local colleges and universities, but ultimately settled for selling TVs. I decided early on to live in faith out in front of my kids and co-workers. One week I looked at my commission projections for the month and looked at the rent check and realized I was really short. I prayed earnestly for help. The next week I went from near the bottom of the list of salesmen to the top of the state. My co-workers began to ask me what I was doing different. I told them they didn't want to know, and that they wouldn't believe me anyway. They insisted, so I told them that I prayed for help. Long pause...then they asked me what else I did. Funny, as my wife predicted, the next week one of the salesman told me he was having a tough week and asked for prayer.
My lack of experience in church planting also forced me to pray. I had no idea what I was doing. I just jumped in with both feet and prayed earnestly for God's help. He provided a place to meet, key core members (including three faithful leaders who joined me before I left Pullman), and key music leaders who joined often in the nick of time.
The biggest blow in the first year was saying goodbye to my dear friend and long-time ministry partner. He and I had worked together in college ministry for over 3 years and he had been involved with the planning of the church from the very beginning. He left after three days in Seattle and headed back home. Although he was the other elder in the church plant I didn't realize how much I was leaning on him until after he left. I must admit that I almost packed up. But, as sure as my calling to plant the church, God spoke to me in a subtle way. He asked me if I was leaning on Him or my dear friend. I knew that I was to lean on God alone. So despite the shortage of money, tiny core, insane work schedule, and the gaping holes left to fill, I stopped feeling sorry for myself, praised God for his provision, and moved on.
A29: What are some of the victories you have to celebrate?
PD: The way God has changed lives in Issaquah. People have met Jesus and responded. People have been baptized, people have discovered what it is like to be on mission with Jesus, and people have begun to step out in faith. I praise God that he has allowed Alathia to be part of that. A year ago we had around 40 people associated with the church plant. Today we are hovering around 100.
We have also learned how to specifically love our community. We hear constant favorable reports from people and groups we have served and we praise God that the community can see that we care for them.
A29: What plans do you have for your church in the next twelve months?
PD: For the sake of seeing Jesus glorified, we will endeavor to push/drag/pull all of the willing and most of the reluctant people into small groups. We will also seek to convince the church body about the value and necessity of service to others. Finally, we will seek to convince the skeptical in our community that we truly care for them.
We believe if we do those three things we will see Christians grow and see non-Christians seriously consider the claims of Christ.
Paul Dean
Lead Pastor of Alathia
Alathia will celebrate their one year anniversary January 21, 2007 beginning at 10:00 am. They are meeting at Blakely Hall, Issaquah Highlands located at 2550 NE Park Drive/Issaquah WA 98029.
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Tyler Powell on Jan 26, 2007 3:36am
My family and I attended Alathia on their anniversary Sunday. It was an exciting time for their church and it was an honor to be a part of their special day. Alathia meets in a beautiful community center surrounded by neighboring homes and businesses. We were warmly welcomed by many of the members at the church and felt at home as we worshipped together. Paul thanked many people from the community as well as in the church that have been a vital part of the success of this past year. Paul abbreviated his usual hour long sermon to speak of the passion and desire their church has to serve their community. He spoke of how the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) is their driving force to genuinely care for their community. My children enjoyed our time at Alathia as well and my 2 year old didn’t want to leave their nursery. Great things are happening and Alathia and it was a pleasure to worship with them and have them in the Acts 29 Network.
Tyler Powell | Acts 29 Network | Seattle, WA