Sent People

The church is central to the journey of a disciple. My life’s work is centered in the church. I believe in the church. I will do everything I can to slow the church from becoming just one more commitment added to an over-programmed calendar.

As our cultural context continues to shift, people of faith need to explore how best to connect with culture. The church is not a destination. The church is a gathering of people, the body of Christ.

We gather as a church to be sent into ministry. We gather as a church for many reasons. We gather to cultivate our understanding of Jesus Christ. We gather to become people who live in the tension of the kingdom of God and kingdoms of the world. The church is a community of sent people seeking to make the kingdom of God a present reality. To be sent is to anticipate the transforming work of Jesus Christ in our lives and our communities.

Perhaps, then, the only task for the church is to focus our lives on Jesus Christ. As we encounter the living God we know in Jesus Christ, lives are changed. In turn, churches are changed and communities are transformed. Where there is life, power, and purpose, there are people whose very lives are transformed by the love of God we know in Jesus Christ.

As a pastor, I want nothing more than for people to experience the love of Jesus Christ. I desire for the church to be a place for people to encounter Jesus in the scriptures through worship and to be sent to live in ways that glorify the Lord. In short, if discipleship is an adventure, we need the church. We need the church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.