A little about us...
We are on mission in South Carolina. What Mission? The Mission to share Jesus Christ with the people of Summerville and the greater Charleston area. Nearly two years ago we sat at the Ole Spaghetti Factory and listened to our friends explain that they were moving to a place in SC to start a new church. On that day we didn't know that on this day we would be here and actively helping in that mission.
Sarah and I have worked as lay leaders or paid staff in the church for nearly our entire marriage. As good as those experiences were we have felt for some time that churches in general have moved away from being triage centers for those engaging in the evangelistic battle and have become more like country clubs with all the amenities one could need.
Sitting on our couch one spring evening '06 not long after hearing of our friends impending move, we watched as our neighbors walked by with their kids and dogs, and we had a vision for what God would have us do. Move to South Carolina and start a church? No, that would come much later. No, the vision was to actually get to know our neighbors and somehow share the good news of Jesus with them. Not a revolutionary idea to say the least, but for us it was a turning point. Up until this point we had been working as part of a big machine known as 'the church' - not the church Jesus establishes and Paul works for in the new testament, but Activities, Adult Bible Fellowships, Men's Bible Studies, Women's Bible Studies, Events, Work Days, Volunteer Days, Committee Meetings, Small Groups, Worship Services, Care Groups, Prayer Groups, Prayer Meetings, Teaching Leaders Meetings, and the list goes on... We were certainly busy doing church work but I am now painfully aware we were not busy being the church.
Fast forward to today and we are in a new place trying to hear from God as we plant a different kind of church. Our goal is simple, make disciple-makers - not just people who will fall in love with Jesus but people, who will meet, accept, fall in love with Jesus and also have a passion for those around them to do the same. Keeping it simple and focusing on the message is the strategy. Will it work? I don't really know - I do know that what churches have done in the past is not working anymore and a whole generation is being lost. I pray God's gives us the wisdom to penetrate the lostness of my generation no matter what the strategy or approach.
The views and opinions expressed on this site are solely ours and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Journey Church or any employer.