How we seek to "Be" the Church
Many people think of church as...
But we find that those definitions don’t do justice to what the Bible tells us of the early Church. Every scriptural reference to “the Church” that Jesus founded was referring to a group of people. They certainly gathered… but the Church was who gathered, not where or when. These groups of people functioned like an extended family, doing life together, seeking to live with God and intentionally invite others into God’s kingdom as people of blessing. It was way more than a one hour commitment!
Therefore, the question of how we do church doesn’t make a lot of sense. How we are the Church gets at the core much better.
We function as an extended family of faith. We hang out together, worship together, host parties together, and eat together. We watch each other’s kids and attend big events in each other’s lives. We talk about life, faith, doubts, and struggles. And we try really hard to love our neighbors.
Three focal points allow us to live balanced lives as disciples of Jesus: Connecting with God, with God’s family, and with God’s world- we simply call them UP, IN, and OUT.
- a building you go to: “I’ll meet you at the church”
- something you do weekly: “Church was really good (or lousy) this morning”
But we find that those definitions don’t do justice to what the Bible tells us of the early Church. Every scriptural reference to “the Church” that Jesus founded was referring to a group of people. They certainly gathered… but the Church was who gathered, not where or when. These groups of people functioned like an extended family, doing life together, seeking to live with God and intentionally invite others into God’s kingdom as people of blessing. It was way more than a one hour commitment!
Therefore, the question of how we do church doesn’t make a lot of sense. How we are the Church gets at the core much better.
We function as an extended family of faith. We hang out together, worship together, host parties together, and eat together. We watch each other’s kids and attend big events in each other’s lives. We talk about life, faith, doubts, and struggles. And we try really hard to love our neighbors.
Three focal points allow us to live balanced lives as disciples of Jesus: Connecting with God, with God’s family, and with God’s world- we simply call them UP, IN, and OUT.
Community Rhythms
Our Sunday Gatherings include worship, teaching, stories of where God is at work, and prayer. It’s very participatory. Some weeks we’ll simply be having brunch together (you’re invited!) or packing hygiene relief kits for victims of the violence going on in Syria (SundayServe). The goal in all of this is to actually be living what we’re learning, in a constant rhythm of deepening our UP (God), IN (our family of faith), and OUT (the world around us) relationships. Jesus seemed to hold these in perfect balance.
But, honestly, most of the work of the church happens through genuine relationships. We create formal spaces for that (Meal Communities, Triads, etc.), but we also encourage people to pursue friendships with one another that can help us become better disciples. That's not a program... it's just a journey together as a way of life. We come together on Sundays to worship and get spurred on to get back at this Jesus love thing.
If this is a lot to take in- that’s ok! LifePath is better experienced than explained, so just show up, or contact us with your questions and we’d love to help you out!
But, honestly, most of the work of the church happens through genuine relationships. We create formal spaces for that (Meal Communities, Triads, etc.), but we also encourage people to pursue friendships with one another that can help us become better disciples. That's not a program... it's just a journey together as a way of life. We come together on Sundays to worship and get spurred on to get back at this Jesus love thing.
If this is a lot to take in- that’s ok! LifePath is better experienced than explained, so just show up, or contact us with your questions and we’d love to help you out!