Solid Rock Church — Fulda Campus | John & Kristin Nau
John Nau was making his usual fifteen minute drive from Fulda to Worthington when he felt the the Holy Spirit saying, “What if I want you to plant a church in Fulda?” For the past four years he had lived in Fulda because it was conveniently placed between his wife Kristin’s workplace and Solid Rock Church, where he served as a staff pastor. Solid Rock’s lead pastor, Scott Peterson, asked John years ago if he would ever consider planting a church. John’s answer then was, “No.” This time however, he replied to God’s prompting by saying, “I don’t know what that means or what it will look like, but if you want me to do it, I’ll do it.” He didn’t mention the experience to anyone.
Two days later at Solid Rock’s annual business meeting, Pastor Scott told the church that God was stirring up some old dreams in his heart. John knew right away that he was referring to planting a church in Fulda, and the next day they started to dream together about what that might look like.
John and Kristin were already part of a Bible study with seven other couples that met in the small city of 1,300, and six of those couples would be part of the launch team. John also prayed for God to provide leaders in three key areas: setup/teardown, hospitality, and kids ministry. Those prayers were answered and the ideal people stepped up to lead each of those areas, including the athletic director of the school where they would meet.
The Fulda Campus of Solid Rock Church had their inaugural service on Sunday, September 9, 2018. There were 145 people who attended that first Sunday, and God moved throughout that
morning. John recalls the story of one woman who only showed up because her kids wanted to be there. She was healed in the middle of the service.
At their six month celebration just a few weeks ago, they baptized seven people, dedicated three children, and 195 people showed up at the school. Over 40 people have come to know the Lord since their September launch. John is quick to recognize the providence of God and the faithfulness of His people through it all. He knows people have been praying and spiritually sowing into Fulda for decades. He’s grateful for Pastor Scott, a man of consistency and faithfulness, who has invested in this new church.
“I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
It hasn’t been without its challenges, but seeing God move in such incredible ways these past few months often brings John 4:38 to John Nau’s mind: “I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” He’s standing on the shoulders of giants who have gone before him.
There’s plenty of opportunity for future church planting in the Southwest Section of our District and Solid Rock Church is continuing to pray and dream about what’s next. God is faithful, and He will continue to call people like John to expand His kingdom. When God speaks, whether it’s a call to the mission field or southwestern Minnesota, John encourages other pastors to simply be willing to be willing. You might not feel ready to jump in head first, but you can at least say, “God, I’m willing to take the next step in that direction.”
