On Thursday, October 3rd, at 7:30PM, the Sojourn Houston Assembly of Elders passed a motion to dissolve the Sojourn Houston Family of Churches. To read the exact language of the motion passed, please follow the link below:
To hear more about how and why this decision was made, please continue reading below for a letter from the chairman.
A New Season for Sojourn Houston
September 6, 2024
Sojourn Houston Family,
We are incredibly thankful to God and to our people for the way that Sojourn Houston has grown and served the Sojourn Churches and the urban heart of Houston for the last 11 years. Truly, the Lord has used our fellowship and collaboration to plant and sustain churches, and as a result, we look more like Jesus than we would have on our own.
For several years, our Assembly of Elders has discussed how Sojourn Houston needs to be structured to best plant churches, care for one another, and collaborate in ministry. This year, those conversations reached a critical point.
After much discussion and prayer, and in full reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, in October, the Sojourn Houston Assembly of Elders will discuss and vote on a motion to dissolve Sojourn Houston. We fully anticipate that this motion will pass with a large degree of unity.
Sojourn Heights, Sojourn Montrose, Sojourn Southside, Sojourn Galleria, and Sojourn Spring Branch will all continue to operate as autonomously governed churches in the city. Our shared desire is to remain supportive friends who care deeply about one another and ministry in urban Houston.
Below, we will give context to the decision to raise this motion. We know this is a shocking development for some, while others will be less concerned. Our desire is to be transparent and honest about the difficulties and uncertainty that this season brings.
That said, the reason for this motion is not monocausal. As you read on, I hope you sense the deep charity, love, and affection the leaders of Sojourn Houston have for one another.
How did we get here? Sojourn Houston began in 2013 when Sojourn Heights planted Sojourn Montrose. At this moment, the leaders of both congregations were united in one heart: to continue to do ministry together. We didn’t quite know what a relationship would look like, but we knew we wanted one. We shared name, branding, strategy, theology, and vision. We wanted to saturate the neighborhoods of Montrose and the Heights with a gospel presence through the missional community model. And we wanted to plant new churches together.
We strived to build Sojourn Houston while balancing a high degree of accountability, mission, and connectionalism with a high degree of local autonomy.
Over the next five years, Sojourn Houston added the church plants Sojourn Galleria and Sojourn Spring Branch. In 2019, we planted Sojourn East End. In 2020, we shut the door on our endeavor to plant a Sojourn church in Braeswood. In 2021, we planted Sojourn Oak Forest. And in 2023, we planted Sojourn Southside.
And yet, Sojourn Houston has always valued free association. If a member church desired to leave, we believed it was their right. In 2021, Sojourn East End departed to become Trinity East End. In 2023, Sojourn Oak Forest departed to become Oak Forest Anglican Church.
What simultaneously occurred during this period was a continuous conversation regarding the type of polity (church government) that would foster a high degree of accountability and connectionalism while maintaining local autonomy. Through a series of conversations, motions, and voting, the Sojourn Houston Assembly of Elders became a micro-presbytery, where all the Elders of Sojourn Houston churches had an equal say, vote, and an equal share of power to suggest changes (through motions).
Yet, local churches continued to debate if this polity was best for all Sojourn Churches and members. Sojourn Heights began a serious conversation in the spring of 2024 about departing Sojourn Houston and moving towards a congregational polity where all members would vote on significant decisions. Sojourn Southside began a serious conversation in the summer of 2024 about joining the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) under the Send Network. While neither of these decisions was fully finalized, they indicated the wide divergence of belief regarding how Sojourn Houston should govern and accomplish her goals.
With one church leaving for the Anglican Church (Episcopal polity), one church becoming fully non-denominational, one church desiring to implement congregational polity, and another desiring to join the SBC, the wide range of firmly held beliefs about polity became both impossible to ignore and impossible to accommodate. Even still, some of us believe in the value of a shared accountability and collaborative model that this micro-presbytery has provided.
To be very clear, all of these congregational desires toward governance preference were emphasized and communicated for the sake of a very clear goal: for each church to better focus on and serve its members and to better nurture each of their God-given local mission.
Multi-Congregational Data In studying other multi-congregational models across the country, it became clear that for equally complex reasons, most of these models have, after about ten years, separated and abandoned the model.
Trinity Grace in New York City, Sojourn in Louisville, Redeemer Churches in New York, The Village Church in Dallas, and Redemption Arizona all decentralized away from a multi-congregation (or multi-site) model. While all of these shared a similar desire for unity, collaboration, and a shared mission with Sojourn Houston, they simultaneously decided to decentralize due to complexity and disagreement regarding similar issues. This data certainly needs more unpacking and understanding. Still, at the very least, it indicates that this tension is a result of the model and reveals how these similar churches decided to resolve that tension.
A Decision of Conviction Many churches and networks fall apart through harsh disagreement, anger, and misrepresentation. We have desired to avoid this pitfall. While the two conversations about departure in 2024 (Sojourn Heights and Sojourn Southside) catalyzed a more serious consideration of dissolution, they were simply the next wave of departures from member churches and critical leaders. The trend for Sojourn Houston continued to be an inability to agree on what type of polity best served our churches, our people, our mission, and one another.
In light of all this, I (Reid Squires, Chairman of the Assembly of Elders since 2019), began to meet with the leaders of Sojourn churches and eventually drafted the motion (attached) to dissolve Sojourn Houston. It became my conviction that it was neither wise nor courageous to allow Sojourn Houston to slowly lose member churches due to their strong desire to govern differently.
Instead of passively watching churches depart, and after counsel and unity from the Sojourn Houston Churches, it became clear to me that the season of Sojourn Houston was coming to a close and that instead of her falling apart, we have the unique opportunity to decide together that the end has arrived. In doing so, her five churches are allowed to mourn and celebrate - to mourn the loss of the unique mission and relationship that Sojourn Houston provides while celebrating all the good that the Lord has done in planting and sustaining churches through this system.
It is important to me that you hear my heart in moving to dissolve Sojourn Houston. I love and have believed in Sojourn Houston. Along with many convicted leaders here, I have labored to increase our ability to plant churches, care for one another, and collaborate for the sake of the Kingdom in Houston. My heart is heavy with this decision. As much as I believe it to be the right decision, I have mourned and remain sad. I have much work to do in processing and prayer.
Simultaneously, I am joyfully anxious to see what the Lord does in and through these congregations for His glory and fame. Sojourn Montrose is in an exciting season of growth, discipleship, and rooting in the neighborhood during our 11th year. And I am excited to pray for and root for each Sojourn church and her leaders as they discern what is next and best for their people.
It all boils down to this: As a primary leader in this organization, I feel that it is best for each church and best for the Kingdom of God in Houston for us to come together and choose to dissolve. It is better to do this together rather than watch this organization dissolve on its own - doing so gives us a better chance to mourn the loss and celebrate the fruit.
What Happens Next? First, we must gather as the Assembly of Elders and vote on this motion. This will occur on Thursday, October 3, 2024 at 7:30 PM at Sojourn Montrose, 1004 Taft St. This meeting is open to the public. We have one item on the agenda, and every elder present will be given space to speak before we vote. I want any Sojourn Houston member to take this invitation seriously to hear the gratitude and passion I anticipate will be present in the room.
Attached to this letter is the motion I am putting forward. Some finer points may be debated, but I anticipate that it will pass. Sojourn Houston’s effective date of dissolution is suggested as January 1, 2025. This gives our churches a chance to adopt their own Statement of Faith and By-laws, communicate clearly with their members, and take care of any logistical needs.
The assets of Sojourn Houston are to be distributed to each church equally. Although we will lack the authority to enforce this request, we suggest that each church use these funds in line with their originally given and intended purpose: church planting and, to a lesser degree, benevolence.
Upon dissolution, former Sojourn Houston Churches will be free to self-govern without Sojourn Houston’s accountability and oversight. Some may change their name, logo, and affiliation in time. While I cannot speak to each Sojourn Houston Church’s plans for the future, I encourage you to talk to your pastors about their vision for your church.
Who Can I Talk To? If you have questions or concerns, please talk to your local elders and consider attending the Assembly Meeting on October 3rd. Further, I am happy to take questions or comments via email (reid@sojournmontrose.org).
Sojourn Houston, I love you and pray for you as we enter a unique season. The Lord has done many truly spectacular things, and while things have at times been hard, it’s been a joy to do this with you. Thank you.
Reid Squires
Chairman 2019 - Current Day