Meet SHOC
Safe Harbor Orange County (SHOC) is a Jesus-centered worshipping community committed to reimagining inclusive spaces to rest, restore, belong and become. Led by Donna Burkland and Gabe Fances, two Gen-Z faith leaders, this emerging community is an exciting example of the next generation of inclusive church spaces.
What We Do for Them
We first met Donna Burkland when City Church Long Beach brought her on as a church planting resident. Donna was already growing a young adult community within their church, so they sought us out to coach her in the next steps, eventually adding Co-Pastor Gabe Fances to the coaching as well. Over 18-months, we developed an approach for sending churches seeking to launch a new community.
With coaching, consulting, cohorts, retreats and connections to experts and resources, Launchpad Partners can support a new launch with everything from filing incorporation paperwork to planning worship and beyond.
What They Do for Us
With a background in education and communications, Co-Pastor Donna Burkland curated an online platform through social media and her blog Becoming Pastor. It serves as a great model for developing your community of supporters in the pre-launch phase and beyond. Her partnership also made it possible for us to launch our first women leaders cohort. Now in its second year, the cohort is made up of 6 women launching projects across the country and is facilitated by Karen Rohrer of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
What They Do for the World
SHOC exists in a region of the country where conservative evangelical is thriving. They’ve created a healing space for Gen-Z faith seekers who desire a faith community that reflects their values and embraces all people. Led by two co-pastors with diverse backgrounds, they model shared leadership and shared power in everything they do, striving to learn from the best church planting practices and deconstructing the worst of it. SHOC is a shining example of what we can do when we rally behind the next generation and encourage them to lead us all.