Signs of Change

A recent conversation on a ministry group I'm a part of sparked some thoughts far too detailed to post in a short comment on Facebook. The group is aimed at those of us who find ourselves classified as subculture ministries which merely means that we reach out to people who are considered to be outside to cultural norms, whatever those are.

The post, by a good friend and big part of the start of Freedom Church, posted the following:

"God is not looking at your forearms to determine whether you can share His Gospel with others. He’s not looking to see if you have too much makeup on or are wearing pants instead of a skirt. It’s ridiculous to think that God is so shallow that He would stop you from coming to Him because of something external. No, God is concerned with your heart and your mind. When you allow Him, not people's ideas, to transform the way you think, it will always be a positive thing."

This started a short series of posts about transformation. One commenter asked that if people do not leave their culture, how will the world know that they are changed? He did state that outward appearance wasn't necessary for salvation but did wonder about evidence speaking to the change. It was answered in brief and quite well by the moderator for the group, but there is still more to be said.

I had to set back and really consider where to go with my thinking and how best to express it. The question boils down to this: When you accept Christ, do you have to leave your particular subculture as evidence to the transformation Jesus brings?

It's a loaded question that needs to be broken down a little further. There are some cultures built around that which is sinful, usually around some type of sexual immorality. If this is the culture you're in, then yes, leave and be free from the sin. This is a much broader group than many people realize and includes a lot more than the first one that pops into most Christian's heads. These groups are ones that Christians do not become part of to reach but stand and show them the door to His freedom through love and relationship without participating in the sin.

Most subcultures do not fall into these categories. Most are just outside of what is considered to be normal society but aren't in and of themselves sinful. There's nothing wrong with being Goth, a biker, metalhead, punk, nerd, or any other group that you can think of that fits the outsider label. If they are not sinful, then why do we expect them to adopt cultural normative dress and lifestyles?

This is the same mistake that Christian missionaries from Western countries have made when preaching the Gospel in nations with different cultures. As much as preaching Christ, many also tried to Westernize the people in the name of Christ and civilizing the people. This resulted in a lot of failure in reaching people who truly need Jesus. Fortunately, most modern foreign missionaries have learned the lessons of the past and embrace local customs and attire as part of reaching the culture.

I do not mean to say that we need to alter the word to fit a culture nor that Christ needs to change a culture. But, that doesn't mean changing clothes, removing a tattoo (unless the tattoo is pornographic or directly blasphemous), or musical style preferences. It does mean abandoning sin and changing from a follower of the flesh to a disciple of Jesus. That is a change of the heart and mind and will be evident in the life of the person through behaviors, both leaving some behind and developing new ones.

Who better to see the change that the people you identify with, the group you are most comfortable? They will see the change first before anyone else could. They know the person best as they were before Jesus and are most likely to notice when that transformation begins. This is one of the most effective tools in Jesus' toolbox when it comes to reaching sinners in need of grace, the word of our testimony.

Instead of expecting people to adopt to church normative culture so they can fit in with us, why not let people be who they are yet transformed by the renewing of their minds? It's not the job of the church to make everyone look and think exactly the same but to preach the Gospel of Christ where it is needed. Last time I checked, that was to everyone for we are all in need of Jesus and His freedom through salvation.

-Pastor Mike

Why Plant?

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "Aren't there enough churches out there already?" The context of the question is usually to wonder why we're starting another one.

Setting aside the call of God to do so (which really can't be set aside for nothing succeeds without the call of God), there are some very good reasons to start new. First, with approximately 1000 people for every existing church in the Peoria Metro Area but with average church size closer to 80, the need is obvious. There are more people in this area who need the Gospel than the existing congregations will every be able to reach. People are perishing without Jesus at a horrific rate. Jesus words about the harvest being ripe but workers being few ring very true today. The vast number of people taken alone is reason enough to expand the tent of the Kingdom's presence in this area to strive to preach the Gospel as broadly as possible.

At the risk of sounding like a marketer, there are underserved people in our area. We have developed a church culture based on reaching people like ourselves. This isn't necessarily wrong. It's human nature. Since most pastors and church leaders are college educated with a white collar background, that's naturally who they connect with and are most effective reaching. Unfortunately, we aren't a predominately white collar region. We're still a manufacturing community with more than half of our population in that area or the trades.

Others just don't feel comfortable in most of the current congregations. Either they expect to be rejected because of their appearance, lifestyle, or history or because they don't see relevance to their life. In many cases, that expectation or rejection is based on real experience. A lot of these people have some past experience with the church. They may have felt cast off, excluded, or otherwise shut out for a wide range of reasons from questioning what they were taught, struggling with "one of those sins," or just being different from the group. There isn't a more difficult group to reach than these individuals often referred to as the de-churched. Pain gets in the way.

Our out-of-the-norm approach to ministry will create an atmosphere that will help bring people to Jesus. Our purpose is to proclaim freedom through the Good News (hence the name Freedom Church) to any and all. That means using different methods than what most would expect. Nontraditional styled services, intentional hospitality, and music are among the tools we'll employ to connect with the community. We'll promote relational evangelism and discipleship by equipping those the Lord sends with the tools and confidence in the Holy Spirit they'll need to be His witnesses in a dark age.

We've been called a subculture ministry. That's a label that we embrace as it speaks to our desire to reach those who don't feel comfortable in most churches. Our motto, "In Christ but out of the box" and credo, "A church for people who don't know how to do church" both speak to the call we feel. To reach cultures that are challenging for the established church to reach is what we need to do. Our methods, by necessity, are going to be different but we will NEVER compromise on the Word of God.

By adding to the mix of existing congregations, Freedom Church is being launched to work as a partner to the rest of the local church so that we can together preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as effectively as possible. The unique flavor we have been called to create is to improve the overall reach of the Church of The Peoria Metro Area. Paul wrote that he strove to be all things to all men. The greater the variety of styles we offer, the more easily we can do that. The Kingdom is advanced when we all do our part. We will, by the grace and power of God, do all that we can to fulfill whatever part we play in rescuing the Hell-bound and adding to the Kingdom.

Pray for us and that we will find the increase necessary to fulfill His mission. Perhaps, this vision is what you've been seeking. Please, feel free to comment or contact us and let us know.

Moving Forward - What's Next for Freedom Church?

The meeting we held was very educational for us. It's often been said that we learn more from failure than from success. The informational meeting stands as proof of that. For those who are curious, no one came, not even a couple of people who had offered to help do some of the work at the meeting. Not one person joined us. To say the least, we were disappointed and a little hurt. However, from such beginnings and missteps, we learn to go forward. That is precisely what we are doing. So, first what did we learn?

In truth, we weren't ready to hold a meeting yet. We hadn't generated enough interest in helping nor had we shared the vision with enough people. In order for anyone to want to help with a ministry, they need to hear the vision. Our initial hope was that by holding a meeting to share the vision, we would connect with people of like mind but that was not the case. Of course, it didn't help that we were foolish enough to hold it on one of the most traveled weekends of the year. When the date was set, it was simply because it coincided with a vacation that was already scheduled not even thinking about Labor Day being Monday. Oops.

Second, we didn't promote it well. The thinking was that if we did the first with people we knew, it would be a friendly audience for the first one. Call it a test run. We did try some promotion using Facebook which was an utter failure. Let's just say that the expectation set by the ad manager and the reality were something entirely different. We will still use it but not to promote an event. Since trying it, I've checked for results with people who did the same thing and the results were always less than stellar.

This is hard. We knew there would be stumbles and missteps. We expected opposition from several directions. On neither count have we been wrong. That doesn't alter our resolve to see the Glory of God in what He called us to do. It does mean that we need to check our methodology and make certain we're doing this the way He told us to do it. Some changes are being made but the vision and direction are not.

Going forward, we are not going to hold informational meetings like the one we just attempted, at least not until the Lord tells us otherwise. We are looking for other opportunities to share the vision with congregations to raise funds and support for the mission. Local churches may hesitate to let us in as perhaps they see us as a competitor for people and tithes, but that isn't our heart. What we have been called to do is so unique that most of the people in any given congregation may support our efforts and encourage us but are not likely to join us. That was the experience we had when we were serving in the inner city of Peoria and there is no reason to expect a different reaction now. We need the help and the finances that they can provide either in one-time offerings or a monthly support as a mission organization.

In the short term, we will be starting some of the ministries that Freedom Church will be offering to allow us to connect with people better. One of the first will be the small group ministry. Soon, we'll be starting at least one group with more to be added as leaders and hosts become available. Not only will this provide the opportunity for people to come and join in Biblical teaching and discussion, but also a chance for someone who doesn't know Jesus to be introduced to Him in a safe and less intimidating environment than a traditional church service. We'll be announcing other ministries as they come on line.

As often as time allows, we'll also be posting short video messages. These will be more than just updates on our progress or vision casting. The message of Freedom Church is more than a vision. It's the law of liberty, the freedom brought by the shed blood of Jesus. That's what we'll share. Simple Gospel messages and short teachings. There will be updates and vision videos periodically, but the Gospel is the heart of our mission so that's what we'll share.

As  a true launch, we are planning something very special. No details quite yet, but it will be all about finding freedom in Jesus and provide the church at large with some real teaching and resources. When we are ready, we'll share more details here and all over the place. When we say it's something the church in this area needs and is right up Freedom Church's alley, we aren't kidding. Even if someone has no interest in joining us, they will want to come to this.