The Story of Quarry

Bill Couchenour | Monday, August 29, 2011



 Quarry Community Church is bringing the hope and compassion of the Gospel to Monticello, MN, about an hour northwest of Minneapolis. Lead Pastor, Michael Grose, and his team are doing a great work for Jesus. You get a glimpse of what they stand for with the analogy they use of a “quarry” (click here for the full Story of the Quarry):


The quarry is a place where you seek to find rocks.
The church is a place where you seek to find lost people.

The quarry is a place where rocks are formed, shaped and hewn for a specific purpose.
The church is a place where new believers in Jesus Christ are mentored and discipled to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

The quarry is a place where rocks are sent out to build something outside the walls of the quarry.
The church is a place where people are built up to be sent out and minister wherever God has called them.


The church is in the process of purchasing a building owned by the city. It was originally built as a bowling alley and over the last several years has fallen into disrepair. We are working with them to renovate this facility to develop needed ministry space and I had a chance to visit them, personally. We’re right at the crux of discerning vision, determining priorities and developing financial plans. It is always thrilling for me when I can be close enough to the vision to feel it.

I love this part because this is the very heart of what we do. The facilities are only tools for ministry but, because of the size of the capital expenditures, the facility decisions are critical. And I am more convinced than ever that bringing the right team into the room with the right process from the beginning results in the best facility decisions for church construction or renovation. I see this approach imitated by many under a variety of names but the “right team” and the “right process” are difficult to duplicate.

Please pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Monticello and the surrounding area.
May God use Quarry CC in a powerful way!


Athens Church Loves Athens

Bill Couchenour | Monday, May 16, 2011



I had the privilege recently to tour the new facilities we just completed for Athens Church. Launching new facilities into mission is one of our most exciting times. That’s because we know that the new facilities will be a physical bridge to ministry opportunities that were not possible before. We painstakingly, diligently worked with the church to develop the facilities that will best serve their ministry. It’s far more than just providing affordable space. It’s about understanding the Code, Context and Calling of the church before Creating the Right Ministry Space. In this case, we used what has affectionately become known as the “big box build-out”. The church purchased over 100,000 sq. ft. of a strip center. We worked with them to develop nearly 1/2 of that space for use now and to provide for subsequent uses in the remaining area. See more here.

It was an honor to serve Pastor Sean Seay (@seanseay) and the ministry God planted in Athens, GA several years ago. Athens Church is a North Point Ministries strategic partner, and maintains a commitment to be a church that unchurched people can attend – relevance without compromising the Gospel. From the weekend services and Starting Point, to Waumba Land, UpStreet, Xtreme, & InsideOut, to small groups, you will find intentionality with Jesus at the heart of what they do. Check out “Our Dream” for an example of how one family, far from God, came to know how much God loves them – through the love they were shown by Athens Church.

Athens Church Does Indeed Love Athens, GA


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Life is a spiritual journey, regardless of where you are at this moment. In this journey we cross many bridges – sometimes unknowingly and, sometimes, to extraordinary destinations we could not have envisioned when we stepped on the bridge. I pray this blog, my words and the words of others, will at times be a bridge for you to discover and explore new places.

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