Dear John,

There is no way around it: cultural chaos has engulfed Minnesota. Unrest, lawlessness, and division feel as if they are closing in more each day. Chaos was on full display when Cities Church was invaded on January 18. It has remained a constant in the news cycle ever since. Why is it that the attack on Cities Church lands differently? It’s personal. We have seen the faces of our ministry partners, our friends, our professors, our coaches, our teammates, and our neighbors dominate X, IG, YouTube, and most media. These are pastors and elders like Pastor Jonathan Parnell, and others at Cities Church, who have mentored and met many of us in trying times, especially through the ministry of Desiring God.

Before I met Pastor Jonathan, I distinctly remember reading an article he had written about six years ago when one of my children was diagnosed with a serious illness and was struggling to fall asleep for nights on end. His article was about rest. It delved into the depths of how we can trust our great God in our slumber. In desperation I read it to my daughter, and for the first time in weeks she fell asleep. I never imagined that, years later, I would be on the legal team representing Cities Church in the wake of an unprecedented invasion of their church during a worship service.

Families go to church for hope, not fear. I know from personal experience that Cities Church is about loving its neighbors and serving the city. The church’s actions speak louder than the words of the people who shattered the peace of the church this past Sunday. The church even resumed its services that evening because, in the words of the elders, “Jesus is real.” Despite having faced threats, intimidation, and terror in their sanctuary during a worship service, Cities Church did “not shrink from worshiping Jesus, nor [did the pastors stop] teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah’ (Acts 5:42).” The church building itself is, as the church leadership stated, “meant to be [a place] of peace and solace, where worshipers can hear and live out this message.”

As a wise shepherd leads his flock, the day after the attack on Cities Church, Pastor Jonathan posted this on X:

Friends and believers, while we are living amidst chaos, nothing is out of control. “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16)

Will you commit to praying with us for Cities Church, the pastors, and the elders as they prepare for this coming Lord’s Day? Pray that they have wisdom and discernment as they guide their family and church body while continuing to carry out the Cities Church mission and to seek the good of the cities. Please also pray for every church in Minnesota, for safety and unity — they are not immune to the snares of the enemy in a time that is ripe for division.

Please pray for True North Legal serving as legal counsel for Cities Church. Please pray for wisdom and discernment, and that Christ would be magnified in the days ahead.

Thank you for standing with us,