Meet this week's guest preacher...Pastor Kurt Hannah

Every week in the month of November, we are pleased to be hosting a different Acts 29 Midwest Network pastor at The Journey.  These are men that we have had the opportunity to partner with in various ministry efforts over the years.  While we all share a common passion for seeing healthy churches planted and the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed, each of these men bring with them a unique perspective and vision for growing God's kingdom in the context in which they have been called to minister.  We hope and pray that, not only will this month allow us to hear from gifted friends in the faith, but that it will also provide our church family with a greater ability to see how God is working in places beyond Marietta, Ohio.  So, without further ado, it is our pleasure to introduce this week's guest preacher...Pastor Kurt Hannah from Missio Dei Church in Cincinnati, OH.

Here is a brief bio:

Kurt's current church in Cincinnati is actually his second church plant.  In 2007, Kurt led a team to plant Missio Dei Church in Asheville, NC.  Several years later, he sensed that the Lord was calling him to return to his hometown of Cincinnati, OH to plant a second Missio Dei Church there.  As God has continued to bless the ministry of Missio Dei, their church has given birth to a third Missio Dei Church in North Cincinnati.  Besides serving as the teaching pastor at Missio Dei Central and the lead pastor of the Missio Dei collective of churches in the Cincinnati area, Kurt also serves as a regional director for Acts 29.  He is also an unofficial bourbon whiskey and fine cigar officianado (seriously, he can teach you anything you could ever want or need to know!).  Kurt has been a long time friend of The Journey and has served as a mentor to our leadership over the years, as well as to countless other pastors and church planters.  He and his wife, Shannon, have four children.

We provided Kurt with a brief "getting to know you" questionnaire.  Here it is:

Q:  What have you been preaching on at your church lately?  
A:  Hosea

Q:  What’s the latest good book you’ve read?
A:  “Gay Girl Good God” by Jackie Hill Perry

Q:  What was your first favorite book of the Bible and why?
A:  The Gospel According to John, because it was the first book of the Bible I read as a new Christian.

Q:  If you had to recommend just two dead Christian authors to us who would they be?
A:  Augustine and C.H. Spurgeon

Q:  What’s one of the most disappointing realities of being a pastor?
A:  The social isolation.

Q:  What’s one of the most encouraging realities of being a pastor?
A:  Watching God bring healing to devastating brokenness in peoples’ souls.

Q:  What did your wife say when you told her you wanted to plant a church?
A:  She was overwhelmingly supportive and actively involved.

Q:  Could you link the best sermon you’ve ever heard at a church conference?
A:  The link is no longer available and the speaker is not in good standing with the Network, but Mark Driscoll’s talk on legacy at an “Act Like Men” conference in Indianapolis stands out. 

Q:  What’s your favorite verse(s) in the book of Proverbs?
A:  “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”
(Proverbs 31:30-31)


Q:  If someone who has never read the Bible asks you where to start what’s your answer?
A:  The Gospel According to John

Q:  How old were you when you preached your first sermon and how bad was it?
A:  21. Content was decent, but the tone was full of arrogance.

Q:  What’s something you want us to know about your church?
A:  We have the privilege of doing remarkable Kingdom work, but we’re not the only ones doing it.


Please join us this Sunday at 10 AM as we continue our month long series on Gratitude with a message entitled "Thank You Jesus for Your Death" by Pastor Kurt Hannah.