When Nordstern church closed its doors in 2023, Felix Trompell faced a crossroads he never anticipated in his church planting journey. Today, in Frankfurt's Bornheim district, he's part of Together Church, a house church that is showing how sometimes the most beautiful communities emerge from the most difficult seasons.

Early Calling Through Challenge

Felix's church planting journey began in unexpected places. Growing up in a Baptist church in Karlsruhe, he committed his life to Jesus at nine, then recommitted at fifteen with radical surrender: "Whatever it costs, I follow you my whole life, wherever you lead me." A year in South Africa after graduation crystallized his calling toward theological training and ministry.

At Wiedernest theological college, Professor Steven Beck's church planting classes ignited Felix's passion. "My heart beat faster with every word he said," Felix recalls. "The idea of building a team, going somewhere specific to build a church for people in that neighborhood, seeing people come to faith and the church grow—how amazing!"

Church planting assessments confirmed his gifting, leading Felix to combine social work studies in Frankfurt with hands-on training. This dual focus would become a defining characteristic: theological depth paired with practical community engagement.

Nordstern Years: Growth and Grief

In 2012, Felix joined the Nordstern church planting team as a trainee under Stephan's leadership. The project had already drawn twelve people who quit their jobs, moved to Frankfurt, and rebuilt their lives to plant church in a specific district. Felix contributed social work expertise, conducting neighborhood analysis and eventually moving into co-leadership.

For over a decade, Nordstern pursued Gospel impact. "There were many fruits," Felix reflects. "People came to faith. The church contributed to founding the Gemeindegründungszentrum Frankfurt, which became MainProjekt's legal structure. Various projects brought blessing." Yet the explosive growth Felix envisioned—transitioning to a hundred-person congregation, handing off leadership, moving to the next plant—never materialized.

By 2023, multiple factors converged to make continuation impossible. The painful decision to dissolve the church broke Felix's heart but didn't break his faith. "I tried to give people a grateful perspective rather than just frustration," he explains. "The fruit we hoped for didn't always look like we expected, but there were still significant results."

Sabbatical and Renewal

When Nordstern closed, Bodo and Kelly from SüdProjekt offered Felix something precious: unconditional welcome. "They said, 'Just come to our house church. If you're there, great. If not, that's okay too. You don't have to do anything—just be there and do what helps you.'"

This gracious invitation proved exactly what Felix needed. Working four days weekly as a social worker in a Bahnhofsviertel children's center, he spent months simply receiving rather than giving. The role provides natural ministry connection—offering free meals, homework help, cultural activities, and sports to neighborhood children—while maintaining clear boundaries between his calling and his job.

"I was very good at leaving work at work," Felix notes. "When I go to work, I do my work, then go home without constantly thinking about those situations. That gives me energy to invest in church ministry."

Together: Family on Mission

In late 2023, Felix felt ready to engage again. SüdProjekt's Sharmin had initiated a house church in Bornheim that needed support, and Felix was invited to join the leadership team. Rather than jumping into ambitious programming, they chose intentional community building.

The five-person core team (Felix, Sharmin, Johann, Lukas, Anna, plus Emily from Greater Europe Mission) meets Sunday afternoons for living room worship services with six to eight people. These gatherings emphasize authentic sharing: "How was your week? How can we pray for you? What did you experience with God?" The depth of vulnerability surprises Felix: "People share so much. It's very appreciative toward each other, and you notice a strong community forming."

Thursday dinners add another layer of life-sharing. "Sometimes we go out to eat, sometimes we meet at someone's home," Felix explains. "The time window is short—some people can only come from six to seven-thirty—but people love and enjoy the community."

The Lovely Village

Bornheim presents unique opportunities. "It's called 'the lovely little village,'" Felix notes, referencing its origins as a separate village later absorbed by Frankfurt's growth. The district maintains strong community structures—numerous clubs, carnival traditions, active neighborhood associations—creating natural relationship networks.

Located around the popular Berger Straße with its cafes, restaurants, and shops, Bornheim attracts residents who love urban village life. "People who live here love this district and live here gladly," Felix observes. High rents mean many residents are financially comfortable professionals and families, though the area includes more modest housing options too.

The neighborhood's innovative spirit—restaurants constantly opening and closing, high-quality food options, sustainability focus—reflects residents' values and interests. For a house church emphasizing life-sharing and neighbor relationships, Bornheim's community orientation provides fertile ground.

Learning from Loss

Felix's approach to leadership reflects hard-won wisdom. "I used to make things very complicated because we thought that was right for our target group," he admits. "Today I think more like, 'No, let's focus on the basics. We love Jesus, we want to love each other, we want to love people in our environment, and we want to trust that God uses us to reach people in this district with the Holy Spirit's help.'"

This simplified focus extends to team dynamics. Rather than trying to be present at every event or hold every responsibility, Felix intentionally invests in his strengths—shepherding relationships, investing in individuals, providing pastoral care—while encouraging others to use their gifts for tasks that drain him.

"I have a shepherd's heart," he explains. "Meeting with people, investing in people, asking how they're doing, praying for them, offering practical help when they're sick—that flows naturally from me. It doesn't feel like work."

Current Challenges and Opportunities

Together faces the essential challenge of deep community formation. "We need to first focus on strengthening this core," Felix notes. "Not immediately bringing all our friends in when we're not yet a community that really knows, loves, and shares life with each other. That has to grow first."

Developing missional lifestyle Together represents both challenge and opportunity. While Sharmin naturally engages non-believing friends in Gospel conversations, others grew up in Christian environments and need to learn authentic witness. "What does it actually mean to live missionally?" Felix asks. "That's something we definitely need to develop Together."

The team's high motivation encourages Felix. "These are people who really want this and set a very high priority on it. That's incredibly valuable. It can be exhausting when you have team members who are just sort of involved, but this is different."

Partnership and Prayer

Felix's support network reflects both formal and organic relationships. Kelly and Bodo from SüdProjekt provide crucial friendship and guidance, particularly after supporting him through Nordstern's difficult closure. Phillip Glickman serves as Together's liaison within SüdProjekt's house church network.

"I don't have formal support structures or fundraising needs since we don't require finances currently," Felix explains. "But prayer support would be incredibly valuable—having partners who pray specifically for our house church because God has laid it on their hearts."

Current Prayer Needs:

• Strong core team formation that maintains outward mission focus

• Wisdom to develop authentic missional lifestyle Together as community

• Healthy balance between Felix's social work career and ministry investment

• Natural Gospel conversations emerging from authentic neighbor relationships

• Protection from identity issues and pride that can hinder ministry effectiveness

Partnership Opportunities:

• Prayer partnerships with regular updates and mutual intercession

• Networking relationships with other house church leaders and planters

• Learning exchanges about Family on Mission models and implementation

• Encouragement for bi-vocational ministry approaches

• Support for SüdProjekt's broader house church network

"My most important prayer request is that we form a strong core for this house church that also develops and lives a strong outward focus," Felix shares. "That we grow Together and learn to have a missional lifestyle as a community, as a family community that intensely shares life with each other."

Through honest vulnerability about both failure and hope, Felix demonstrates that Gospel community can emerge from loss, that simple faithfulness often produces more fruit than complex strategies, and that God's grace transforms even our most painful endings into beautiful new beginnings.