When asked to write a small summary of our past year in Simple Church, I was immediately overcome with dread. Not really, but no lyin’, It’s not my thing, playing the scribe I mean. Or maybe it was I didn’t feel I had much to write home about. No, it wasn’t that either, I didn’t believe that, but somehow I felt it. What was it that made me feel that because we had started the year with two other families and now we were just one, that somehow we failed?
As I pondered this thing, I remembered what I knew what Simple Church would be when I got on the Organic Church wagon, I knew it would be dynamic, not stagnant. It would be relational, messy, and real. Well, I was right. It was all those things and more. Good things. And we are better beings for it. We have seen personal spiritual growth, a deeper love for the Word, miracles and lessons in relationships. These things happened because we challenged ourselves to step out of the box and instead of “going to church”, we started “being the church”. For us, traditional church in the box was all we’d known. Our lens’ were colored in one shade, North American Evangelical Pale Yellow (yeah, that’s a dig) and like a magnet to iron pilings, you’re drawn to replicate what you know. That’s hard NOT to do. It’s also hard to judge something a success or failure based on ZERO experience, using outdated weights and measures. But when judging from what I see in our lives, it’s been a complete success.
So, can I package the success and send you some? Nope. Because, your mission field won’t be exactly like ours. The path God has you on, the lessons He wants you to learn, or what He has for you to accomplish are uniquely yours. Your “being the church” will likely look somewhat different. This is not about a redesign of the wheel. The book has already been written on that. It’s about reading the book and learning to roll the wheel again. Learn to hear what Yahweh is saying, act when the Holy Spirit moves in you. I pray this year as we continue our journey, that we as a church continue to impact the world around us, large or small as that world may be, and that we are content to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the Gospel of our Salvation.
Mark, for the Mackeys
Our Year In Simple Church (Part 6) By Mark Mackey http://t.co/U1U5UDxYe3
Yes, there is no failing as we walk toward and with God.