This excerpt is taken from Being A Gospel Witness: 7 Marks Of A Witness From Mark 6 by Daniel Montgomery

ARE YOU A WITNESS?

The evangelical world has experienced a gospel craze over the decade, a renewed emphasis on church planting, and a revitalization of expositional preaching. We should be grateful and excited to live in such an era. However, sometimes even these principles can live in abstraction instead of reality.

Recently, I was in a discussion with young seminarians and the question was asked, “What is the evidence of someone being called to church plant?” After responses about theology, leadership, qualifications of eldership, and personality traits I remarked, “What if the would-be church planters were just asked, ‘Write out everyone you have evangelized in your life and how has the gospel grown in them since?”

Over four years ago my wife Bailey and I moved to Fort Worth with the intention of returning to Arkansas after one year. Immediately after moving into our apartment God started opening our eyes and hearts to a desire to remain in Fort Worth with the hope to plant a church. After only two months I withdrew from the graduate program I had begun, we bought a house and decided to become Partners with The Paradox Church. During this time, sin was exposed and we grew in a deeper understanding of repentance and response to the work of Jesus Christ. His call for us to stay in Fort Worth was clear. Over the next two years we pursued community through city groups, I enrolled in Porterbrook Theological Training and we became City Group Leaders. We learned so much and have walked with friends through life, sin and new life.