Source: Lifeway
COMMUNITY
Following Jesus is impossible on our own. There are no “lone wolf” Christians.
This is why we want to grow in three identities:
Family: Communities “do life” together. We share meals, resources, pain, joy, and care for one another as the family of God.
Disciple: Communities actively encourage each other in the study of Scripture, learning the teachings of Jesus, becoming more like him, and carrying out his mission in the world.
Missionary: Communities pursue active ways to publicly live out our faith and share the gospel and tangibly embody the Kingdom of God in our communities. This is often centered around a common mission (local foster care, a specific business/organization, etc.) or a general neighborhood.
PECULIAR PEOPLE?
In our post-Christian culture, our challenge is to discover what peculiar lives look like in the 21st century. When predictability is high, impact is low. But when a group of people are surprised, they will think long and hard about what they have experienced. When our lives become peculiar, we evoke curiosity about the Christian message - in short, we surprise the world!
We want to teach and remind everyone in our church community that they are local missionaries in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and families, and their intentional lifestyle alerts others to the reign of God in the world with lives that are both attractive and “peculiar.”
(See: Titus 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 3:15; Sent Together, by Brad Watson; Called Together, by Jonathan K. Dodson & Brad Watson; Launching Missional Communities, by Mike Breen & Alex Absalom; When The Church Was A Family, by Joseph H. Hellerman)