The motivation to explore the idea of planting a new church came through conversations with those who had once been part of a Presbyterian fellowship in the Stanwood/Camano Island area. After nine months of moving through a discernment process we felt that God was indeed leading us to start something new in the area. That being said, we recognize that God's Church is already present in this community and we have no desire to recruit people out of their existing congregations. We are called here by the Holy Spirit to participate in something that God is already doing and to partner with other churches in the community to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In particular, we are committed to reaching out to those that do not yet have a church community and are unlikely or unable to come to a traditional worship service. This is why our primary model for Tidelands is based around missional communities rather than an attractional or programmatic model.