Viral Faith

Speaking the same Language I have a confession. I love the church. I love reading about church, thinking about church, and dreaming about the church. It consumes me most of the time. As I was thinking about church I began to realize that when people speak about "church", we are often speaking about different things. I recently had a conversation with a pastor in which I realized that we were talking about two different things. He was talking about overseeing buildings, and I was talking about people and purposes. Not that building maintenance is not important, but that it often eclipses the "main thing" which is Jesus Christ moving in and through people who are completed devoted to him. Biblically speaking, the church represents communities of disciples of Jesus Christ who fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ to bless/redeem/heal our broken world. It is not buildings, traditions, or a collection of creeds and doctrines. It is this special community of discip...

Leading for Growth and Movement New Hope is in a wonderful place right now. Lives are being transformed by the love of God in amazing ways. Its a privilege to behold and an honor to be part of a movement of God. As the lead Pastor, you have probably heard me speak of being a "movement" many times. About two weeks ago, Pastor Louis Colon of Heart and Soul Church in Rochester, asked me about this term, "movements". I shared with him that as I labor in prayer for New Hope (its members, its ministries, and its mission) and God's presence and power in Rochester, God continually impresses upon my heart that He desires New Hope to be a movement that fulfills the mission of Jesus to bless the world. A movement is: A Collective, sustained challenge to the status quo (the predominant culture and beliefs) I believe that God desires that we begin to be a movement or a catalyst of change for the Rochester community. Our movement is centered around the person of Jesus ...