I LOVE MY CHURCH

I am fascinated with the church. I love her and her doings! I really enjoy seeing all the great ideas that different people have for their communities of believers and for reaching those that don't yet believe, come to life.

In my life, I have been able to get aquainted quite intimately with about 23 different gatherings of believers. Though I don't know entirely why God has given me these experiences, I am beginning to realize that I am uniquely gifted by them.

Most recently I have been able to get behind the scenes views of some rather large doings of the church at The Crossing in Quincy, IL and at Granger Community Church in Granger, IN (both of which I highly recommend that you go for a visit if you live within an hour of; if for no other reason than to expand your view of church and culture.)

I was brought up in the church that took the approach of being somewhat traditional and geared toward sheltering believers from culture and not exactly 'seeker-friendly'. And I am now very convinced that this model is not where God calls me. Though a strictly 'seeker-friendly' church is not my place either. There's a new, or an old, way of doing things that I believe Christ modeled for us. It is found in a church that uses the best of both of these types of methods. It is both culturally relevant and top-notch in creating disciples.

One of my goals for this next year is to be able to honestly say, "I LOVE MY CHURCH!" I absolutely already can say, "I LOVE THE CHURCH!" but I want to actually attend that place. So, just as I am being very picky about our future career choices and the place that we will call 'home', I am being very picky about the church body that I commit to. I want to be able to truly throw myself into the work of the church and see the fruit she is producing.