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Tangible
Compared to 3 million people in
are
people to a worship service but
If you’re like us, you’ve gone down with a
to be the faithful church in small ship or two trying to make the Kingdom
story tangible. Maybe you’ve abandoned
pockets throughout the city. the boat and are treading water, hoping a
rescue vessel will appear. Or, you’re already
sitting up on the rocks, sopping wet, staring
off into theological oblivion, wondering
Go. Create places of inclusive how much of the the ancient story can
really be true for today. Maybe you’ve
community where God’s captained one of these ships and, without
knowing it, found yourself sailing toward
alternative Kingdom can irrelevance. You have people on board, but
they seem to have lost their heart.
be experienced.
Our purpose is simple: we want to talk to you about the church. THE CALL OF THE CHURCH
We want to let you know that the unsettling feelings you are
experiencing are ones that hundreds of thousands
of people are also working through. We also want to give
Our story is simple: as a bunch of friends living in you hope and a real-life picture of a preferred future.
Denver who were committed to live out ancient ways
in a modern context of community, communion,
and mission, we suddenly found ourselves in the
company of followers, most of whom did not come
from a meaningful church background or any church
background at all.
Creating To Find and Help
Incarnational Others Find God’s
Beautiful City
CommunityTHE POSTURE AND PRACTICES OF ANCIENT CHURCH NOW
Things we have:
1. good friends
2. good food
Missional
3. good times
Incarnational
Each evening after the church planting training sessions, we headed out to
Things we care about: grab dinner and ended up frequenting an Irish pub in Queens. Over several
1. becoming a part nights we got to know a few of the waitresses and some of their stories
of God’s people about growing up in Ireland.
2. Living out the Gospel
3. Being more like Jesus These two words together describe an orientation toward the ancient faith One young waitress, Fiona, shared about her religious upbringing in
communities described in the Book of Acts and throughout history, who lived a Northern Ireland. As you can imagine, she seemed to have some faith in
countercultural, communal experience that always influenced the cultures in which God, but she wasn’t too fond of Protestants, Catholics, or the church.
Things we don’t care about:
1. bigger buildings they found themselves.
2. bigger crowds The Yankees were in the playoffs, and the place was packed. I walked in
These missional/incarnational communities were therefore the natural framework and headed toward the bar looking for a seat. As I made my way deeper
3. bigger budgets God’s church was and must still be built upon if we are to continue their rich legacy into the crowd, I heard Fiona calling two bartenders over to meet me.
of making apprentices of Jesus worldwide. Although small and unsanctioned, these “This is the guy I was telling you about,” she said. “You’ve got to hear how
early communities were powerful and authoritative. Although they were on the he talks about God.”
run and decentralized, they were organized and strategic. Although they didn’t
know much about starting or growing churches, they did both naturally. Church Suffice it to say, you don’t get that type of enthusiasm from most church
just happened, and it was deeply meaningful. members. At that introduction, the room split to make room for me.
Over the course of the next few hours,
I got to share a bit of my story and listen to theirs. I began to cry. Harder than I’ve ever cried. Heaving tears, shaking
As the bar thinned out, the bartenders invited uncontrollably. I had to sit down on the dirty curb and put my hands over
me to help them clean up. Eventually, everyone my head so no one would see me. I’m sure I looked like a drunk puking in the
was gone except Fiona, a few other waitresses, street. I suddenly knew what God was doing.
bartenders, and the owner. We all sat around one
table as they asked one question after another. I knew he was saying I could trust him again with my son’s health, that I
could trust him with our finances again, that he’d just been in that pub with
Their questions were so sincere, their anger so me, and therefore, there was no better place for me to be.
justified. Yes, they were jaded, too, but their
intrigue with me seemed honest and open. The call was clear.
I knew I couldn’t talk about church.
I knew I couldn’t share the four spiritual laws or
tell them I was a pastor. I just talked about the
only thing I knew they might like: Jesus and the
alternative world he called the “Kingdom of God.”
It was just before 6:00 a.m. as I opened the heavy The Twin Towers had just gone down; the world seemed fragile at best.
pub door to head back to my hotel. The sun was Golf, fishing, the comfort of my custom home, perfectly popped popcorn,
just starting to creep out above the buildings. and shifting the burden of people onto someone else seemed like luxuries
I would gladly give up for this feeling of being fully alive and fully engaged.
As soon as the door slammed behind me,
I met God again. The call was to get back in the game. To enter the tension again!
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facilitating a Tangible Kingdom Primer study
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piloting a missional community here in our community
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please contact me with more information. REMIX