Ben & Emma Narayanan on Planting During Personal Loss, The Four H’s of Their Culture, and Extending Honour When Gifted a Building
Subscribe on: spotify | apple | google
Moving to Canada with twelve young adults to plant a church, while not having your Visa secured, takes faith. That is the beginning of Ben & Emma Narayanan’s story of moving to North Vancouver from Australia to begin what would become Avant Life Church. In this week’s conversation with Jason, they share about the journey over the last 4 years and how they have seen God’s goodness through it all.
They also let us in on the heartbreak felt of miscarrying as they prepared to launch. The day after they started Avant Life in 2018 was supposed to be their due date. The excitement and joys of a new church mixed with the pain and grief they were going through as a couple led to a wrestle with God. Through it all though, they still saw God’s work as he built a beautiful family around them and brought the right people into their lives to walk with.
One of the strengths of their young church is their culture. They tell Jason about the 4 H’s they hold: Helpful, Humble, Hopeful, and His. These are values that root and clarify the culture they are creating and show new team members how they operate. Another part of their culture is a heart to multiply, which has led them to take on a new site early in their journey. A church in Squamish approached them about a building they had with a handful of members left that they wanted to give them.
This was the second time they were given a building as a church, which has taught them about what it means to steward those opportunities well. They stress that in those moments, if the church isn’t a building, but a people, then we can’t get caught up in the transfer of an asset. Instead, we also have to see the entrusting of people to a new spiritual family and how both they, and the building, are in need of care and stewardship in that process.
We hope Ben & Emma’s story is encouraging, insightful, and a great reminder of what God is doing across our country! Enjoy!
“To young church planters: Leave everything on the field. The Holy Spirit is your methodology.”
Ben & Emma Narayanan
Ben & Emma Narayanan are the lead pastors at Avant Life Church in North Vancouver, Canada. Originally from Canberra, Australia, Pastors Ben and Emma heard a clear call from God to venture to Canada with their three young children to pioneer Avant Life. They are passionate about developing effective and Holy Spirit-driven leaders, and sharing the transformational message of Jesus Christ in innovative ways that engage people from all walks of life. They looks forward to the launch of Avant Life’s second campus in Squamish, Canada, this coming year.
Shownotes
Coming Up Next
Charles Price
Charles Price is Pastor at Large with The Peoples Church, Toronto, Canada, where he was Lead Pastor from 2001 to 2016. The weekly attendance more than doubled to over 4000 during his time there. Originally from England, for many years he was involved in the ministry of Capernwray Hall, a bible school, conference grounds and evangelistic center in the North of England.
Whilst at The Peoples Church he had an hour-long television programme, Living Truth, broadcast coast to coast in Canada each week, as well as in more than 70 other countries in a variety of languages. He also had a daily 30 minute radio program broadcast in Canada and several other countries.
He has preached in over 100 countries on every continent and is the author of 8 books, some of which have been translated into a variety of languages.
He is married to Hilary and they have two daughters, one son, two sons-in-law, five grandchildren, and their family is scattered in several parts of the world.