The proposed vision for the proposed new church is: “Church New” is a sacred community rooted in faith, hope, and love where people experience God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we learn, love, go, and act to unite people, bring peace and justice, and share God’s love with our community and the world.
I continue to reflect on the practical ways we can live into this vision. Recently I have been reading the work of Rev. Michael Adam Beck, a United Methodist pastor in the Florida Annual Conference and the director of Fresh Expressions for the United Methodist Church. Rev. Beck notes that modern people, especially those with no particular faith, are not concerned with eternal salvation and they see with their own eyes that religion does not necessarily lead to moral and ethical living.
Yet, Beck observes, modern people do have many deep questions. “Why am I so lonely?” “How do I stop doing this thing that I know is hurting me?” “Am I unlovable?” “Is there more to life than just making money and getting likes on social media?” “Does my life even matter to anyone—do I matter to anyone?” “Would the world be better without me in it?” These and similar questions are not the exception, but the rule. We know from our lived experience that Jesus not only has answers to these questions, but that Jesus is the answer.
Beck says “The essence of the church is not to huddle together in the safety of our sanctuaries. Instead, it is to move out into the world with acts of love that offer the Good News of Jesus to a lonely, hurting society. This is a call to become the church in the world, not just the church in a building. And it’s not just a call for pastors and church leaders, but for every Christian to be a part of this movement.”
As we begin to live into a new vision, whether we consolidate or not, we must rethink what it means to be the church, how we “do” church, and where to be the church. (Hint: it is mainly and primarily outside of the church building.) As the Body of Christ, we are the incarnation of Christ in the world. The answer to questions about loneliness and meaning are to befriend our neighbors, build community, and live as if people truly matter enough to us and to God that we put aside our cares and wants for the sake of who God cares about and wants. I can hardly wait to see what will happen!
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