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This past Sunday marked a significant and joyful moment in the life of Missio Community as we officially welcomed Dominic Abaria and his family as our new Lead Pastor family during our Family Covenant Celebration.

It was a meaningful morning filled with worship, reflection, celebration, and gratitude as we looked back on God’s faithfulness to Missio over the past year while also looking ahead with hope and anticipation for the future.

As Dominic shared with the church for the first time as Lead Pastor, he opened with a heartfelt reflection that immediately set the tone for the morning:

“This is what heaven feels like. Our communities being brought together in one body around the throne of King Jesus. Brothers and sisters in Christ, different areas, tribes, tongues, languages, but around the same throne.”

Gathered together were members of Missio alongside friends from Roots Community Church, a fellow church plant launched during the same season as Missio. Worshiping together as one body in Christ was a beautiful picture of unity, shared history, and God’s continued faithfulness through His Church across generations and communities.

Dominic also took time to honor Interim Lead Pastor Tim Osborn for faithfully shepherding Missio through this transitional season. Speaking directly to Tim, Dominic shared:

“I just want to acknowledge the torch that you’ve held through this interim season. It is so incredibly difficult to do that behind-the-scenes work to hold together something knowing that that’s not necessarily the place that you are called to for the long term.”

He reassured the church that Tim and his family will continue to remain an important part of the Missio community during this transition season. Dominic shared that there will be a generous handoff period over the next couple of months so that responsibilities can be transitioned with care and intentionality. He also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue learning from Tim’s wisdom, mentorship, and leadership during this next chapter. In addition, Tim will continue serving by mentoring and coaching the Ministry Board as Missio moves forward into this new season.

Dominic also expressed deep gratitude to the Ministry Board and Lead Pastor Search Committee who faithfully walked through a long and prayerful discernment process over the past two years. He acknowledged the countless volunteer hours, prayers, meetings, conversations, and emotional investment that helped make this next chapter possible for Missio.

Dominic and Jena, along with their children, also shared their gratitude for the warm welcome they have already experienced at Missio. He invited the church to continue welcoming their family into the rhythms of community life — sharing meals, stories, homes, and everyday life together.

“The mission of Missio will continue to be the same… that we are a group of people who want to fully experience Jesus in an authentic way so that other people can fully experience Jesus in an authentic way.”

He emphasized his deep commitment to gospel-centered discipleship, healthy theology, and discerning together where the Holy Spirit is leading the church in this next season.

The morning was also a celebration of all God has done in and through Missio over the past year. Together, we celebrated baptisms and stories of transformed lives, the faithful presence of our Missional Communities throughout the city, partnerships serving locally and global ministries bringing, meals, hope and the good news to unreached areas of the world.

As we step into this new chapter, we remain deeply grateful for God’s faithfulness and excited for all that He has ahead for Missio Community. Please continue praying for Dominic and his family along with the Missio church family, as together we follow Jesus into this next season of ministry and mission.

Listen to Dominic's full message here!