Last weekend we were privileged to visit Mallary and Chip in Michigan. On Sunday morning we worshipped at a megachurch. It had really nice music and a stellar sermon. The Sunday school class I attended was on the Apostle's Creed, and the teacher was holding to good doctrine. It was an Evangelical place.
I was asked over the weekend what our church and community are all about. While we do have a statement of "continuing the ministry of Jesus and the work of his Kingdom" that statement is pretty broad. The Fellowship (distinct from the congregation) mission is to continue the work of Jesus by being "a community of love and Discipleship and by nurturing other communities as God gives us grace."
When I was asked in the megachurch environment what we are all about at Reba, I felt like every answer I gave wasn't up to snuff. We aren't growing in number, nor is that emphasized. We don't have a lot of programs to offer. We never talk about seekers. There are hardly ever sermon series'. But I definitely sense that this is a great cloud of mature Christians unlike any other group I have seen. And I feel like the congregation is more healthy than any I've been witness to.
As far as the fellowship is concerned, I have been working with a group of people in ministry or nurturing other communities. That has seemed to me like apostolic work - visiting small clusters of believers who are trying to live an alternate way to that of the empire, of mammon, of individualism, consumerism and militarism. Helping these small communities to work through their problems and continue the work of Jesus in their part of the world. This work feels related to the work of the apostles in the new testament epistles.
Even the folks in the neighborhood that do not participate in the broader work I have just described are committed to becoming more perfect people and a more perfect society - the vision of the Kingdom.
So there you have it - some sort of answer to the question, "What are those Reba people trying to accomplish?"
- Josh
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