I am pastoring a church that doesn’t feel like the church of my childhood, and sometimes that bothers me. Trying to grow a missional church is very uncomfortable.
- We don’t have a building. We rent a facility that host children’s parties (www.pumpitupparty.com)
- We don’t have a mid-week service, not to mention a Sunday night service.
- I wear jeans most Sunday mornings
We naturally gravitate toward a style that is comforting to us. (I like suits, ties, and brick buildings). But I love people more. Loving people can make you do funny things and will eventually change who you are. My goal is to let the style of our church match the way our society communicates. I am sitting in the public library right now, blogging, and I wouldn’t hesitate to invite anyone here to come to TrueLife just like they are. I like that. Style has to be adaptive and missional. Song styles change through the ages, but what people sing about remains the same.
Substance is the core issue. The people of TrueLife remind me of the people in the book of Acts. They have Big Dreams, and they expect God to do great miracles through them. I love it. Substance is what motives people to get on board. We have three core statements at TrueLife: Love God, Love People, Love Life. This is our core. I may not wear a suit, but then again… neither did Jesus.