Sent to Lead: Alumni Planting Churches with ARC

Posted on April 1, 2026

Church planting is one of the most powerful ways the Gospel advances. Through partnership with the Association for Related Churches (ARC), Highlands College alumni are stepping into that mission, planting churches that reach people, build community, and create space for lives to be transformed by Jesus.

Each church plant represents years of calling, formation, and faithful leadership lived out in real ministry contexts. In this Church Planting Feature, you will read the stories of Russ Daly and Andrew Atkinson, graduates of the Class of 2013, who are answering that call by planting life-giving churches in cities that need the hope of Jesus.

Russ Daly

Golden City Church, Broomfield, CO

Russ Daly, Class of 2013, didn’t set out to become a church planter when he first entered ministry. But today, Russ and his wife, Miranda, are preparing to plant Golden City Church in Broomfield, Colorado, in the fall of 2026, in partnership with the Association of Related Churches (ARC). It is a calling shaped over more than a decade of faithful ministry and anchored in a growing burden for a city where many are still searching for truth.

Denver is largely unchurched, with only one church for every 32,000 people. Only seven percent of the population attends a local church more than once a month. For the Dalys, this reality has shaped a deep desire to serve the city.

“People flock to Denver looking for something more, and we know that ‘more’ is Jesus,” Russ said. “We want to provide a church that values consistency and deep roots, where the Word is taught unapologetically, where kids can grow up knowing the truth and living it out, and where people can find home and family.”

That clarity came over time, but the story began years earlier.

In 2011, Russ found himself at a crossroads, with a growing desire to give his life to something more and return to school. At the time, he was living to make a name for himself by touring and playing in bands. Russ knew he was called to ministry, but he had never walked through a formal preparation process. One Sunday at church, Russ saw an advertisement for Highlands College in its opening year. In that moment, it became clear that God had heard his prayers and had placed the answer right in front of him.

Russ leads worship at the 2018 Wave Conference at Celebration Church in Austin, Texas.

“God took my passion for music and transformed it into a passion for leading worship and connecting people to Him,” Russ said. “Highlands College aligned perfectly with what I felt God stirring in my heart, a place where I could pursue education while also being trained and equipped for ministry.”

At Highlands College, Russ was formed in more than knowledge and skill. What began as a focus on worship became a broader understanding of how to build and lead within the local church. He developed discipline, character, and a vision for serving that would shape every season that followed.

“I was given the foundation I needed for a life in ministry while gaining experience in every area of the local church,” Russ said. “If it weren’t for Highlands College, I would not be half the husband, father, leader, and follower of Christ I am today.”

After graduating, Russ stepped into full-time ministry at Celebration Church in Austin, Texas, where his leadership began to stretch beyond what was familiar to him. Russ found himself leading in new environments, creating services, developing leaders, leading volunteer teams, and learning how to pastor people.

That pattern of growth continued as Russ and Miranda followed God’s leading to Denver, Colorado, where Russ stepped into roles at Red Rocks Church that further expanded his perspective. Through worship, leadership, and campus pastoring, he saw firsthand what it means to build something that helps people connect to the local church.

Russ served as a Campus Pastor at Red Rocks Church in Denver, CO, before accepting the call to plant Golden City Church.

“God placed a very unique calling on my life,” Russ shared. “I was willing to say ‘yes,’ even when it took me outside of my comfort zone. I learned when you stretch yourself in new areas, you give God room to teach you new things and even awaken new passions.”

For Russ, who has always loved to build and dream, it was in those years of stretching, leading, and building that once felt like separate experiences was being revealed as preparation for something specific God had in mind.

“gives some people a spirit to pioneer, and others a passion to faithfully build on what already exists,” Russ said. “Church planting has always lived somewhere in my heart, and over the last few years, God has given us the tools and experience needed to step into the challenge”

The Dalys are planting Golden City Church with a clear vision to build a life-giving church where people can find truth, belong in community, and grow in their relationship with God for generations to come.

Although challenges naturally come with stepping into something new, Russ approaches his circumstances with a different perspective. “There can be a temptation to retreat, so I reframe those as opportunities to keep the ‘why’ in front of me,” he shared. “God has called us to reach people, and He will provide. God has called us to a city that doesn’t yet know Him, and He will build His Church, not just through us, but through His power and provision.”

In Russ’ view, the local church plays a central role in fulfilling the Great Commission. “The primary goal of the Church is to make disciples. Through church planting, more churches make more disciples so that disciples can continue to reach others.”

Although the calling is missional, saying “yes” to the Lord’s plans hasn’t been a single, dramatic moment. Rather, Russ began to see God open doors through relationships, opportunities, and confirmations, providing clarity around the vision for Golden City Church.

“The way God has provided and revealed the vision as we’ve taken steps of faith has been remarkable,” Russ shared. “All I had to do was keep saying ‘yes,’ and God has done the rest. It’s been a series of smaller ‘yeses,’ moments that have shaped a clear, growing sense of: How can we not do this?!”

Russ’ story is a picture of what it means to be Called, Transformed, and Sent to Lead the local church. As the Dalys prepare to launch in the fall of 2026, they are believing for eternal impact on the lives of many.

As Golden City Church prepares to launch, join the Highlands College Family in praying for:

• Provision
• A team to assemble over the next six months to launch the church well
• Continued open doors
• For the right people to grasp the vision and call to plant

Andrew Atkinson

Collective Church, Murfreesboro, TN

Andrew Atkinson first sensed God calling him to ministry at 16 years old during a youth camp. What began as a moment of obedience would continue to unfold over the years, shaping both his calling and his direction in ministry.

Today, after more than a decade of serving in full-time ministry, Andrew and his wife, Nicole, are preparing to plant Collective Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in the fall of 2026 in partnership with ARC.

“Highlands College launched me into my future,” Andrew said. “I chose HC because of the life-giving environment, the hands-on training, and the relationships that I knew could propel me into my purpose.”

At Highlands College, Andrew developed a standard of excellence and attention to detail through hands-on ministry experiences, learning how to lead, communicate, and pastor people. Those experiences would later prepare him for planting a church.

Fourteen years ago, at the 2012 ARC Conference, Andrew wrote down a vision in his notebook to one day plant a church. Although he never fully believed that vision at the time, he held onto it. Over the years, a deeper pastoral calling began to take shape. As Andrew and his wife prayed about what God had next, that vision became clearer. What was once written down as a possibility was now becoming a step of faith.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is one of the fastest-growing areas in Middle Tennessee, and the opportunity to reach people with the Gospel continues to grow alongside it. Research shows that when a new church is planted, people far from God are more likely to connect with it.

Collective Church is being planted with a clear purpose: to see the people of their city Encounter God, Belong in Community, Discover Purpose, and Make an Impact. At its core, the mission is to be a spiritual outpost of Heaven in Murfreesboro, building a community where people find life and transformation through Jesus.

Coming alongside what God is already doing in Murfreesboro, Collective Church seeks to serve the city with the churches that have gone before them, believing that, together, they can make a lasting impact.

“God is the architect of His Kingdom, and we are just trying to be faithful by putting our hands to the plow,” Andrew said. “We believe that lost people are going to be saved, and that people who are religious truly come into a vibrant, purpose-filled relationship with Him.”

Together, these stories reflect how Highlands College, America’s Ministry Leadership University, is preparing leaders who are Called, Transformed, and Sent to Lead the local church with competence, character, and spiritual maturity.