Acts 29

Shannon Ortiz is the wife of Matt Ortiz, pastor of Crossroads Church in San Diego, CA. Together, they have been experiencing the joys of birthing a church plant. After having the chance to talk with Shannon about her journey it is apparent that God has been the creator of Crossroads and he has used Shannon to play an integral part of his creation.

Shannon Ortiz was born into a pastor's family. Her father began pastoring at a church in San Diego when she was two years old. Looking back on her childhood, Shannon sees clearly that her parents were amazingly mature and wise; they lived consistent lives serving each other and loving the people around them. Growing up in this type of atmosphere was a joy and she truly believes that it helped prepare her, more than anything, for being in full-time ministry.

Shannon loved the community that was formed at her church and comments that, at times, she was closer to some of the people within the church than even her family. It was healthy to have faith-driven people speaking into her life aside from her parents. So much so that she never entered a time of blatant rebellion. Instead she acted as a confidant to many of her friends who were rebelling. By the time Shannon became a young adult, she felt so indebted to the church and its community that she never imagined leaving. She wanted to commit her entire life to serving in that church.

Shannon began to coordinate the college class at the church she grew up in, and not long after this Matt began to help run the program. He began preaching and helping coordinate events. As they worked together they came to love each other.

Abouut seven years ago Matt and Shannon were talking and he threw out an idea of starting a new church. This idea came as a shock to Shannon because she had never really thought of leaving her fathers church, much less starting one of their own. She responded with a resounding, "never!"

Shannon struggled further with the idea that Matt wanted to start the church in San Diego. Again, this was challenging for Shannon because it seemed as though whatever Matt started would just end up competing with her father's church.

But the vision did not subside in Matt. It continued to grow. He was able to discuss it with Shannon's father who in turn was open to the idea. It was not looked upon as a threat, but only a possible expansion of the impact of his church and of the gospel. He suggested that Matt take over the Sunday night service for a while and see what happens. Matt did and it the service began to grow. Within months it doubled in size. People were coming and bringing others outside of their church. Whether it was a little brother, sister, parents or colleagues the ages began to span. The situation creaped up on both Matt and Shannon until finally Matt ended up realizing what was happening and he told Shannon, "You know, we're kind of doing our own church."

About this time, Matt started to connect with Mark Driscoll in Seattle and The Acts 29 Network. The network was interested in supporting Matt. The idea was to take the Sunday night service and turn it into an actual church. Meanwhile, Shannon was having the chance to experience what it was like to be in the ground stages of a church plant before they ever officially planted. This was a strategic stream of events in her life based on her attachment to her home church. It was like walking from the shallow end into the deep instead of jumping off the diving board. There was not an instant detachment from everything she knew and loved. Shannon believes this was all a part of God's gracious patience with her. He pulled her towards the vision gradually even though she was against the idea in theory. When Matt returned from spending a weekend in Seattle with Driscoll he felt ready to take some more steps. God had been working in Shannon to the point that she could honestly say she was excited about planting a church.

Shannon understands that God did not have to wait for her to come around to the idea, but she is so grateful that God allowed her to go in with the right spirit knowing that she could be a better support to her husband.

Matt and Shannon took the necessary steps. They made the final break and launched as Crossroads Church. After having been operational for a few years Shannon evaluates what has been the biggest blessing and what has been the biggest challenge. She says, "The biggest blessing and the hardest thing are the same thing." The challenge stems back to Shannon's high involvement in the church. From a young age she was given different roles to play and this extended to her secretary job and coordinating the College Career class. Shannon was used to doing a lot and being the main director of the things she was involved in. As time went on, more and more things were added to her life. She became a wife and then they had two children. It finally came to a point where she just could not do it all. Shannon knew it, the people around her knew it, but the idea of letting go of so many things that she loved was extremely hard. It also meant letting go of her control in the different ministries and this was also difficult. She kept asking the question, "If I stop, what happens if no one does it?" Her friends around her spoke up and just told her that if no one does it... then no one does it. Shannon began to see that it would not be the end of the world if some things did not get done or if they didn't get done exactly the way she would have planned them. She also saw that all the weight did not fall on her and she did not need to self-inflict that burden.

Shannon was convinced to take action. She immediately dropped two or three things. In weeks the positions were filled. With Matt's encouragement and permission she continued to pull away from responsibilities.

Today, Shannon talks about how good it has been to be able to focus on Matt and her children. Her relationships and input into the church still remain. She acts as a sort of advisor. People come to her for advice and she has significant insights to give because of her experience. The second part of the blessing is seeing other people move into those spots and seeing God use them as they serve.

"Matt has seen me cry many tears in the process of letting go" she says. Shannon admits that it's really hard to let things change, but that she knows her way is not the only way out there. There is a continual fight against her natural instinct of stepping in and managing things, but she has felt support from Matt, and other ladies in the Acts 29 Network-- Tara Brown, Grace Driscoll, and others.

Shannon's favorite book right now is The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson. Through this book she has realized a biblical idea of being a woman and how it is different from the world's take on femininity.

This last year has been amazing for Matt and Shannon. Shannon says she has never had so much spiritual revelation. She is glad for it. She knows that there are a lot of girls with her temperament and she will be able to come along side and share her story, helping them on their journey. Most of all she has enjoyed allowing herself to be taught. She's been the teacher for so long that it's refreshing to realize the need for growth and soak up the opportunities that come her way.