encounter. they'll bring you back.
Sunday Stacie and I were at
Encounter Church in Dublin, Ohio (Columbus area). They are a church plant that has been meeting in a school for a little over a year, led by Sean Spoelstra.
Now, I have never planted a church. (Maybe someday God will lead me to be a part of a team like that, who knows.) But being with the people of Encounter this Sunday taught me some very valuable lessons about church planting (and, really, just church in general).
- They are welcoming. I mean, so welcoming. We got out of our car and were greeted in the parking lot, not just 'Hi', but asking how we heard about the church, who we knew there, where we were from, what we did... and that conversation led us right into another conversation, and then another, and then to meeting Sean (the pastor). We've been in some churches where we've experienced the awkward 'we're not from here and everyone knows it but doesn't know what to say to us' silence-- not at Encounter. I'm guessing it doesn't happen for any of their guests.
- The leadership is excited. We met and prayed with the team of people that was involved in the service that morning, and they were ready to go. From announcements to tech to worship to teaching, every person was energized for their part. That's contagious.
- They are servants. Church starts at 10. We were there around 9.20, and everything was already set up and ready to go (sound, chairs, coffee...) When the service was over, the space was cleaned up in what seemed like just a few minutes. What a blessing, to have a body that helps to shoulder the practical load of ministry.
- They make you feel like family. Maybe this goes along with welcoming, but it's a whole new level I think. After church we went to the Spoelstras to have lunch with their family, the Arenas (a family part who has been there from the beginning and has a daughter going on Barnabas this summer), and some friends of the Spoelstras. Again, Stacie and I have been in lots of situations like this one. It is rare that we feel so at ease as we did with these people on Sunday. We laughed and joked and talked about life and, well, felt like family. It was wonderful. And it made me want to go back. I would love to be a part of that community.
I am excited about this church. Because when people walk through the doors of that church, they will see the body of Christ. And I think that is captivating.
If one visit to Encounter can make me want to go back again, I think that says there's a lot of good things happening there. And probably a lot that we can learn from them.
Thanks, Encounter. Seriously.
Labels: church, Encounter
i'm little.
I'm reading
Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis right now. (Recommended to us by
Tony Hall of
Cornerstone Church in Columbus. Thanks Tony.) In a chapter titled 'Why Gospel?', they discuss how
the church must be gospel-centered, which implies that:
- the gospel is a word; so
the church must be word-centered
- the gospel is a missionary word; so
the church must be mission-centered
Those are 2 solid statements. They go on to discuss implications of being mission-centered (cited from Christopher J.H. Wright's
The Mission of God):
- We ask, 'Where does God fit into the story of my life?,' when the real question is 'Where does my little life fit into this great story of God's mission?'
- We want to be driven by a purpose that has been tailored just right for our own individual lives, when we should be seeing the purpose of all life, including our own, wrapped up in the great mission of God for the whole of creation.
- We talk about 'applying the Bible to our lives.' What would it mean to apply our lives to the Bible instead, assuming the Bible to be the reality-the real story-to which we are called to conform ourselves?
- We wrestle with 'making the gospel relevant to the world.' But...God is about the business of transforming the world to fit the shape of the gospel.
- We argue about what can legitimately be included in the mission that God expects from the church, when we should ask what kind of church God wants for the whole range of his mission.
- I may wonder what kind of mission God has for me, when I should be asking what kind of me God wants for his mission.
These statements are incredibly humbling. They indicate a total shift in perspective. No longer can I think the world revolves around me. To think this way indicates that I understand that all things were created through him and for him (Col 1.16), that the Lord acts primary for the sake of His glory (Ezek. 36.22), that God is LORD and I am not (Joel 2.27). It becomes increasingly evident that I am oh so small, and God is, well, huge.
Even as I reread those statements, I believe them in with my mind. But it is so hard to live it. To daily think, act, make decisions, speak like I really believe that it's not all about me.
That's what I want though. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Rom 12.2)
Labels: church, gospel, mission, Tony Hall, Total Church
different state, different church, same struggles
Today we met with a couple of pastors at a large (non Grace Brethren) church. It was so fun to talk with them, to hear about their vision for their youth ministry and their church at large, to talk about their creative ideas, to gain some new perspective.
But let me tell you what was really solidified for me today:
churches are facing the same issue across the nation.
I know, it's not all the same. Struggles vary based on culture and context and demographics and staff and... whatever.
But we meet with pastors and church staff all.the.time. The thing we hear over and over?
how do we better cultivate real, deep, life changing, spiritually based relationships.
I certainly don't have all the answers. I know some things that are working in a variety of places. I'll work on posting some of those. But I write this really just to encourage you -- if your church is struggling to really cultivate good community, you are not alone.
Let's fight this good fight of faith together.
(day 3 of the 30 day adventure. finishing up in tennessee, and on to alabama for the night. florida tomorrow!)
Labels: 30 day adventure, church
college students. and church. i'm getting worked up...
I have the privilege of discipling 3 different young women this year. One is a senior in high school, and 2 are freshmen in college. The discipleship process looks different for each one of them. I love each of them, love working with each one of them, and love seeing the unique things that God is doing in each of their lives.
There are also a number of Barnabas students from the last few years that are freshmen in college this year, and they, along with Morgan & Leah (my 2 freshmen), have been working through something that I'm becoming more and more passionate about. What is it? I'll tell you...
choosing a church
As I talk to Morgan, and to Leah, and to numerous other college freshmen about this topic, I'm learning that so many students do not know how to choose a church on their own. Now, we can't really fault them for this -- most students have gone to church with their family for their whole lives. They've never had to choose a church on their own before.
But as I recognize that truth, I'm starting to wonder something...
Why aren't we doing more to prepare our college students to find a church in college?
- We should teach them to read a church's statement of faith
- ... and that it's okay (and even important) to visit a lot of churches before they choose one
- ... and what are points of doctrine that are non-negotiable ('close-handed issues')
- ... and what are matters of preference that can be different than the way things are at their home church ('open-handed issues')
- ... and that going to church is not an option
- ... and what the definition of a church is (looking for a good one? Check out Driscoll's work in Vintage Church)
I don't even think it's too much to say that someone (discipler, parent, youth pastor) from a student's home church should do a little research alongside the student on churches in the area. Help your student, even before they leave for school, to develop a list of churches that are worth checking out.
It's exciting for me to talk with Leah and with Morgan about the churches that they visit. To hear what they liked, what they didn't like, how they're learning about biblical non-negotiables of church, how they're recognizing their own preferences. I love it.
If you know a college freshman, I challenge you to give them a call this week and ask them how the church hunt is going. I bet they'll appreciate it.
Labels: church, college, freshman, Leah, Mark Driscoll, Morgan, Vintage Church
