Rich Dugan has been the Lead Pastor at Fellowship Denver and is relocating to his home state of New Jersey this Fall to plant Garden City Church. Read below as Rich unpacks a few of his insights on relocation and church planting:

The burden to plant another church has grown over time. If this decision were based on comfort or momentum, we would just stay put. God has been incredibly kind to us here in Denver, and we’ve seen so much fruit. But over the past couple of years, the Lord slowly but steadily turned our faces back toward Jersey.

As I thought about my home state, I couldn’t shake the reality of the gospel need, especially in Monmouth County, where very few people know Jesus, and very few church planters are choosing to go. Denver has great needs, too, but the burden for New Jersey was impossible for me to ignore. I love New Jersey. I understand its people and its pain.

Over time, through prayer, discernment with fellow elders, and growing conviction, we realized this was the right move.

Although there have been opportunities to step into an existing church there, I believe I have another plant left in me. I believe in church planting with all my heart. I know it’s one of God’s primary means of reaching people far from Jesus, strengthening the broader church, and cultivating long-term gospel renewal in a place. I believe in church planting with all my heart. I know it’s one of God’s primary means of reaching people far from Jesus, strengthening the broader church, and cultivating long-term gospel renewal in a place. Klick um zu Tweeten

Denver and Jersey are certainly different contexts, but they overlap in ways people don’t often assume. Both are places where people are disinterested in the gospel, skeptical of the Church, and seeking meaning elsewhere. That’s actually the kind of context I’m most drawn to. I love helping people who never imagined following Jesus discover that the gospel is true, beautiful, and life-changing.

There are certainly differences. Denver tends to value individualism and the outdoors, while Jersey moves at a faster pace and is shaped by dense communities, commuter culture, and deep relational networks. Nominal Catholicism is also much more predominant in the Northeast. Ministry methods will need to adapt, but the mission doesn’t change.

One of the greatest lessons Denver reinforced is that healthy church planting isn’t necessarily about clever strategies (although strategic, contextualized mission is important), but it’s about faithfully preaching the gospel, loving people well, developing leaders, and patiently earning trust over time.

I’ve learned the importance of building culture before programs, prioritizing prayer over urgency, and creating a church that equips everyday people to love Jesus and live on mission. Yes, those principles will work anywhere, but I’m excited to see them shape how we’ll approach this next season.

If I could tell every church planter one thing, it would be: what God is doing in you is often what He intends to do through you. It’s easy to become consumed with all that comes with launching a new church. And all those things matter! It absolutely requires grit and the ability to grind, but the great work God is doing is often in the planter himself. We go first.

I’ve learned ministry shouldn’t outpace intimacy with Jesus. The power isn’t found in your gifting, vision, or work ethic (as painful as it might be to accept that); it’s found in abiding in Christ. Deep dependence on the Lord isn’t a luxury for church planters; it’s the source of it all, especially if you want to plant something worthwhile.

That’s my main focus right now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m working hard and will continue to do so. That’s how I’m wired. I just desire to do this thing out of an overflow of love for God, trusting Him to do the work that only He can do in and through me and others.