Embassy family,

From its founding, Embassy has been about establishing more Kingdom outposts in more college towns to advance the message and ministry of Jesus! Embassy was planted here in Bloomington in 2020 with a vision not simply to become an established church, but to be a church-planting church. Planting churches and sending resources to establish new Kingdom outposts isn't something extra to our mission — it's integral to it.

It is in fulfillment of this mission and vision that we didn't wait for some arbitrary milestone of stability before we started sending some of our best. In 2023, when Embassy was barely established itself, we sent a key staffer, family members, and $90,000 to help partner-plant another Kingdom outpost at Purdue.

We made that decision in 2023 because in 2020 an even less established group of people chose sending over stability, leaving family, friends, and familiar in Louisiana and Iowa to move to Indiana. We did this because we were carrying on the same ethos we were started with. Today, Embassy has continued to grow and flourish — and so has The Chapel in West Lafayette!

Now, Embassy is more established than it was in 2023, and we have an even bigger opportunity before us to further our mission by planting two more Kingdom outposts in two more university centers! Starting in 2027, we have the opportunity to help plant churches in both Denver and Indianapolis.

Indy will be familiar territory. Partner-planting an hour away will be similar to what we did with Purdue — primarily sending money and people in support. Many of our IU students are already planning to head to Circle City for jobs after they graduate, so we're aiming to send them more intentionally. We're also committing to give Plant Indy $10,000 a year over the next three years ($30,000 total) to help them get established.

Denver will be new territory. Parent-planting — as opposed to partner-planting — will require much more from us. We will be sending Nick Harsh — Embassy's Discipleship Pastor — and his wife Rachel, as Nick steps into the role of lead church planter for Horizon Line Church. We will also be sending Eric & Tess Johnson (Embassy's Worship Director & EKids Coordinator), along with other family members and Salt Co. leaders who wish to go. Embassy is also committing to give Plant Denver $20,000 a year over the next three years ($60,000 total) to help them get established.

Financially, the ask of Embassy to plant these two churches is the same as it was with Plant Purdue: $30,000 a year over the next three years — $90,000 total. $10,000 of that will go to Indy and $20,000 to Denver — a double portion, since it's our first parent-plant. With Denver, the biggest impact will come from sending some of our best staff who carry central roles — which means we'll all feel the effects of their goodbyes. This will be a really good thing, and a really hard thing. Again, this is where sending pushes on stability. We believe that the two, though in tension with one another, are not in competition. 

In the coming months, we'll share more about other exciting steps we're taking to establish Embassy even more here in Bloomington. We know that becoming more established here will only help us continue to further our mission to our own college town and plant even more Kingdom outposts in others!

These are exciting days at Embassy, and we are confident that God's work, done in God's way, will not want for God's supply! Please join me in praying for these two plants by setting a daily alarm on your phone for 10:02 AM — praying for those going, and for how those of us staying can give them the support they need to succeed.

Sincerely,

Chris Cook

Lead Pastor

Embassy Church