A New Chapter

Friends,

A year ago, the leadership of Union Church earmarked Easter 2022 as a time of reassessment, looking into the health and progress of our ministry. One year as a church planting resident plus four years of solo pastoring seemed to warrant a fresh evaluation of resources, infrastructure and stamina.

After scrutinizing internal and external giving, personnel changes and leadership health, as well as an extended season of prayer and fasting, we have made the excruciating decision to close Union Church.

Three different times, locations and re-launch attempts (most of which, occurred inside the uncharted waters of Covid) contributed to an environment that kept us in perpetual church plant mode, stunting the critical mass needed for a self-sustaining church.

The original vision of Union Church was to plant a small, multi-ethnic network of house churches that had deep enough roots in the city to sustain the revolving door of college students that come and go though the Plains. Every four years, we would send out a new crop of disciples, equipped and trained to embody an alternative kingdom ethic, as they began families and careers throughout the South.

Paradoxically, it seems that it is actually the Bristers, who would be the ones who would be trained in Auburn for four years, so that we could be sent out. This summer, our family will be transitioning to a sister Acts 29 church in Athens, Alabama (Summit Crossing Community Church) where Chris will become the Director of Missional Communities in August.

For years now, our church has rallied behind the metaphor of the fishes and loaves from Mark 6. We understood we were a small, lightly-resourced church plant, but we believed whole-heartedly that the Lord could bless our meager offering and feed people far beyond what we could possibly manufacture on our own. While that spirit was genuine, that outcome never came to fruition.

However, as we studied the story of the woman who anoints Jesus’ body with an expensive ointment in Mark 14, we began to see a new framework for how Jesus might view the work of Union Church.

The unnamed woman is scolded by a group of men for her lack of efficiency and they bemoan the waste of such a precious resource that could have been reallocated for a more pragmatic use. Jesus, however, interprets her gesture as “a beautiful thing.”

While Union Church didn’t have the influence that we imagined or the momentum that we had hoped for, or even the fruit that we had prayed for, our church plant was not a waste. It was a simple act of obedience to the Spirit and an act of devotion to Jesus, who sees it as beautiful.

Our final worship gathering will take place at 5:30 pm on Sunday, May 29 at 1400 N. College St. where we will gather to celebrate and reflect on all that the Lord has done though Union Church. Friends, guests, current and former members are all invited to attend.

War Eagle,

Chris and Cara Jane

2020 Year in Review

This is the time of year to focus on the arrival of Jesus and the thousands of blessings that come with the miracle of his incarnation. It is also a time to reflect on the previous year – to both celebrate and lament what the Lord has done in our community.

Even by the most optimistic of perspectives, 2020 has been a difficult year. We have endured a contentious and divisive presidential campaign. We have navigated the largest racial justice movement since the Civil Rights era. And all of it has be done in the context of an unprecedented, global pandemic. Locally, COVID 19 has contributed to an atmosphere of physical and emotional isolation. It has created physical and financial pain. It has caused spiritual confusion and relational tension, as we continually re-negotiate what is irresponsible and what is overly-cautious. Weddings have been postponed, gatherings have been canceled, to say nothing of the lives that have been lost. The Church has endured seasons of political division before. The Church has endured seasons of societal chaos before. The Church has endured seasons of famine and plague. But rarely has she had to navigate all of these at the same time.

These are the cards we have been dealt, and it has taken a very real toll. Our March membership of 45 has shrunk down to 25 in December. Quarantine, stress and ambiguity has not been conducive for church growth. It’s right that we make room to process and lament these things before the Lord while also acknowledging the truth of Acts 17:26; that God appoints the times and places in which we live. Because, despite the realities of a health crisis and the logistical challenges that presents a church our age and size, we would be remiss not to take note of what the Spirit has done in the life of our church. In 2020, we have:

·       Held a weekly Prayer Meeting (122 total)

·       Hosted our 5th iteration of House Church

·       Served as foster parents

·       Supported low income families

·       Partnered with sister churches to organize 2 city-wide racial justice events

·       Partnered with Domestic Violence Intervention Center to provide Christmas gifts for families

·       Provided pre-marital counseling/officiated 3 weddings

·       Formally joined N.A.M.B.

·       Prepared 1 missionary to be sent to Japan for 11 months

·       Commissioned 11 graduates (2 into full-time ministry training)

·       Provided leadership for Opelika M.O.P.S.

·       Provided leadership for Perspectives

·       Financially supported church plants in Alabama, South Carolina, Texas and Brazil

·       Transitioned from a Sunday evening to a Sunday morning worship gathering

·       Began renting a new facility in southwest Auburn

·       Welcomed 2 new members

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  Gal. 6:9

Take courage. Because of your union with Christ, you are deeply loved by the Father. You are completely accepted by the Son. And you are strategically sent out by the Spirit. All that is required of you… is live like what you already are.

A Service of Lament

Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to gather regularly with a group of local pastors to pray. Because of COVID-19, that rhythm was interrupted. However, in light of the murder of George Floyd, and the public outcry that followed, the group felt it was necessary to renew these meetings. Ultimately, this led to the creation of a city-wide prayer service that took place last night.

The goal of this service was to gather black and white pastors to publicly lament the violent history and the current trauma the black community is enduring and point our city towards the multicultural reality of the kingdom of heaven. Because there can be no healing without first acknowledging the severity of the wound, this lament was thorough and specific.

Having served in Auburn for less than 2 years, and having by far, the least amount of tenure of any of the pastors who shepherd in this city, it was an honor to be a part of this public symbol of confession, repentance, and hope. It is my prayer that Union Church will be a part of a new era in the South where “justice roll[s] down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24).

Below is the outline of our theological foundation, specific points of lament and prayers for unity that were used in the service…

Introduction

In the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY, George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, GA, our hearts are grieving.  We see the trauma caused by these ongoing killings, the sleepless nights, the painful memories of past injustices, the mothers who are scared for their sons, and wives who are afraid for their beloved black husbands. 

Moreover, these recent injustices have caused us to reflect more on how racial oppression against African Americans is deeply rooted in our national history.

Who we are as the people of God

We gather today pastors and ministry leaders who believe in the Bible as our full authority in faith and practice, as leaders whom God has called to serve his Church in this area.   We gather as those who have by faith been born again into the one family of God.  We are all children of one Father, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is over all and through all and in all. 

As brothers and sisters in Christ, our family shares a common heritage and a common story, which is revealed in the Scriptures and culminates in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  As a people, our story has continued to unfold in the pages of church history as the gospel has been proclaimed to all nations and generations.  

Both Scripture and history reveal that our family story is marked by both faith and failure. Even the godliest among us has not been free of all wickedness, nor the most honorable free of all shame. The wisest are beset with confusion and the strongest with weakness.  The rebellion of Adam is one in which we all share. The violence of Cain we have not always forsaken.  The idolatry of Israel and the injustice it produced has been a snare to every generation.  All except Jesus, that is. He is for us the last Adam and the true Son who honored the Father unto death, even the death of the cross whereby he laid down his life for us. He is the only true hero in our story. In Jesus and only in Jesus are we one.  

As we consider how our family’s story has unfolded in America, we find this same pattern of faith and failure, honor and shame, strength and weakness, hurt and hope. The outrage erupting across our cities in recent days, like it has many times before, is an ongoing symptom of a chronic disease.  It is a disease from which our country and our churches have yet to be fully cured. It is the disease that causes us to believe that “I am better than you, my ways better than your ways, my people better than your people.” It is more than a disease from which we suffer.  It is the sin we commit when we seek the good of “me and mine” even if it comes at the expense of “you and yours.” It is the sin that, when manifested along ethnic and cultural lines, we call racism. Though much progress has been made in eliminating the most explicit forms of racial injustice, this sin has a long history in America and in the church, the final pages of which have yet to be written.  

Why we are gathered here today

Today, we gather before God to acknowledge and lament the legacy of American slavery and the racism upon which it was built.  We gather to acknowledge and lament that this legacy still plagues us.  The trauma suffered by African Americans over the generations from Jamestown to Minneapolis is incalculable.  Injustice persists in the systems and structures of our society and still tears at the social fabric of our communities.  Some wounds have not yet been healed.  There is pain that is understandably still felt.  The night of weeping for many lingers on.  Denying or dismissing these grievous facts bars the way to experiencing the unity and joy that is ours in Jesus.

We do not enter the following lament from a position of moral superiority over our forebears.  We are, as they were, influenced by the evils of the age.  This lament is also not an effort to heap upon anyone a burden of guilt for the sins committed by others.  It is, rather,  a means to understand and enter into the grief of brothers and sisters in Christ and to bring that grief before the God of all comfort. We cannot heal until we reckon with the past and recognize its persistence in our present.  We cannot heal until we bring that reckoning before the face of God.  We cannot heal until we do this together as the family of God, the Church of Jesus Christ, his body.  

The gospel of grace is what enables us to do this.  In the gospel, we not only have the promise of forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit, but we also have each other.  We do not have to face the ugly parts of our past alone.  We can face the facts together, grieve together, repent together, and receive God's healing grace together. 

We gather here today to do just that: to acknowledge the wrongs that have been done, to lament the pain and brokenness which has been caused, to repent and to call upon God for mercy and grace. 

Lament

As we offer up the following lament, it is important to recognize that we are limited human beings. We cannot carry the full weight of another person’s grief, let alone God’s. We can, at best, enter into the pain of others by faith and in measure, humbly asking God to grant us his tender love. We are also limited in our emotions. We may not yet feel sorrowful over things that we know are sorrowful. We are limited in our ability to understand how we, as individuals, relate to sins that are corporate and systemic. We struggle at times to see how we as individuals relate to injustices, past or present, in which we have had no direct personal involvement. We do not even fully know ourselves and our own hearts. We bring all of these limitations to God and ask him to share his heart with us. We ask him to grant us the gift of godly grief and the ability to lament.  

As overwhelming as it may feel, this lament is by no means exhaustive. Instead, it is a starting point. Following the reading of each statement, people can respond by saying, “Lord, have mercy.”

Lamenting 400 Years of Suffering

Colonial Period

1. O Lord, we lament “this central paradox of American history: that from the start, liberty and slavery were intertwined.”   

2. O Lord, we lament that beginning in 1525 and continuing until 1866 over 12.5 million African people were kidnapped, enslaved, and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas under horrific conditions. 

3. O Lord, we lament that nearly 2 million people died at sea during the agonizing journey. 

4. O Lord, we lament that in 1619 this evil trade made it to Jamestown, Virginia with the sale of “20. and odd Negroes.” 

5. O Lord, we lament that in 1641 the colony of Massachusets recognized slavery as a legal institution.

6. O Lord, we lament that in 1642 a law was passed in Virginia decreeing that the status of the children followed the status of the mother, which locked generations of people of African descent into slavery. 

7. O Lord, we lament that the Virginia Slave Codes of 1705 embedded the idea of white supremacy into law.  

8. O Lord, we lament that by the time of the American Revolution, the permanent enslavement of people of African descent was firmly rooted in American soil.

9. O Lord, we lament the contradictions in our nation’s foundational belief that “all men were created equal and were endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights,” because non-whites were in effect alien to these rights.     

10. O Lord, we lament the unspeakable abuse of all kinds that was let loose upon generations of precious people created in your image.

These United States until the Civil War

1. O Lord, we lament that the cementing of permanent enslavement of black people was based on the false ideology of race and that this ideology was developed and defended by Christian leaders and embraced by many Christians.

2. O Lord, we lament the scale and the horror of the domestic slave trade that rapidly expanded in the mid-1800s, how it permanently broke up families and dehumanized black people in every possible way. 

3. O Lord, we lament that many Christian leaders were complicit with the slave trade, were themselves slave owners and that a great many church buildings and chapels were built by the slaves that they owned.

4. O Lord, we lament that many leaders inside and outside the church argued for the righteousness of slavery and opposed efforts to limit it.

5. O Lord, we lament that many inside and outside the church actually argued that slavery was in the best interest of slaves themselves.  

6. O Lord, we lament that some Christian leaders argued that slavery was a God-ordained institution and essential to civil society.

7. O Lord, we lament that though some Christian leaders regarded black people as equal in human nature and dignity, though they preached the gospel to them, though they believed them to be part of the one body of Christ, they nevertheless contradicted themselves and the gospel by asserting white supremacy and defending racial inequality.

8. O Lord, we lament that many Christian leaders, especially in the South, opposed their brothers and sisters in Christ who labored long and sacrificed much in the cause for abolition.

9. O Lord, we lament that many Christian leaders supported the Confederacy’s cause to preserve slavery and preached and published literature calling upon Southerners to take up arms in what they considered to be a holy cause.  

10. O Lord, we lament that this War claimed the lives of over 620,000 soldiers and yet still did not bring an end to the diabolical beliefs and practices that plunged our nation into its misery. 

Post-War Era to Civil Rights Movement

1. O Lord, we lament that the racism that was fundamental to the defense of slavery endured long after the Civil War and the end of legalized slavery.  

2. O Lord, we lament the racial caste system that was established through the Jim Crow laws in the southern and border states as people inside and outside the church clung to the doctrine of white supremacy.  

3. O Lord, we lament that this belief in white supremacy continued to be buttressed by many sermons from many pulpits and undergirded new forms of racial oppression.

4. O Lord, we lament the practice of convict-leasing whereby multitudes of black men were entrapped on false charges without any due process and subjected to forced labor at the hands of former slave drivers and to the great financial profit to investors.  

5. O Lord, we lament the prevalence of lynching that also began in this period which terrorized black people in an effort to maintain white social and political dominance.

6. O Lord, we lament the rewriting of southern history according to the Lost Cause narrative in order to justify the evils of the Jim Crow era.

7. O Lord, we lament how many white southerners inside and outside the church have been sympathetic to this nostalgic view of an idyllic “Old South,” even to this day.

8. O Lord, we lament that so many inside and outside the church supported segregation never believing that things were or should be equal.

9. O Lord, we lament that many inside and outside the church appealed to “science” to support the doctrine of white supremacy.  

10. O Lord, we lament that after both WWI and WWII, black soldiers who bravely fought overseas in the cause of freedom returned to a home that was not free of oppression.

From the Civil Rights Movement until Today

1. O Lord, we lament that so many inside and outside the church remained ambivalent to the moral claims of the Civil Rights movement.

2. O Lord, we lament that The Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not end illegal discrimination or racism, but only gave black Americans the legal tools to fight back against legal injustices.

3. O Lord, we lament that since 1964 racial injustice evolved into other forms, still undergirded by a tacit belief of racial and cultural superiority.

4. O Lord, we lament the corrupt practices of red-lining and unjust lending practices.

5. O Lord, we lament the racial discrimination inherent in the War on Drugs and mandatory minimums.

6. O Lord, we lament corruption in the justice system that yields starkly different outcomes for white people on trial than blacks and has led to mass incarceration.

7. O Lord, we lament racial profiling, the excessive use of force and the killing of unarmed people of color killed by police.

8. O Lord, we lament that the enslavement and oppression of black people in the United States has created wealth, opportunity, and prosperity for millions of white Americans.

9. O Lord, we lament that while white Americans have since colonial days enjoyed the possibility to pass on wealth and opportunities to their children and grandchildren, this has not been possible for many black Americans until more recent generations.  

10. O Lord, we lament that legalized, institutionalized, and spiritualized racial oppression of the severest form lasted in our country for 345 years and roughly 15 generations.  We lament that in the mere 56 years and 3 generations since, there remains the naive and hurtful belief that the social structures and attitudes constructed over such a long period of time and over so many generations can be so quickly dismantled and overcome.    

Petitioning Our Father

• Father, we in this present day long to be a church who “does justly, loves mercy and walks humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8). 

• Father, we agree with your Word that “Christ himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14-16) 

• Father, we rejoice that in the Church of Jesus “there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Col 3:11)

• Father, we look forward to fulfillment of the story of which John spoke  - “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10)

• Father, we make it our aim to pass these Biblical and gospel truths to our children so that their hearts and minds will not be formed by the injustices of our national past but will be shaped by the justice and righteousness of our eternal future. 

• Hear our cries! Come Lord Jesus, Amen

From the Archives...

(originally posted September 2018)

It is easy to be disoriented by the South. Underneath the charm of sweet tea and bow ties, sear sucker onesies and SEC tailgates lies a devastated region. At its foundation, Southern culture was designed to accrue wealth for Christians – with a workforce that was considered to be sub-human. This stunningly efficient economic strategy was able to flourish because of a predominant worldview that normalized and then institutionalized Christian hypocrisy. To a large degree, the church in the South either directly promoted or passively allowed the creation of a society that required (at minimum):

· The systematic abduction of African people.

· The enslavement of those people into an uncompensated labor force.

· The political will to secede from the United States in order to maintain control of this economic model.

· The human and material resources dedicated to the violent overthrow of the United States government.

This was apparently done with enough cultural consent that the general public saw no inconsistency with Biblical doctrine or ethics.

The ripple effects of this theological compromise on the current spiritual landscape of the South cannot be overstated. Obviously, tremendous strides have been made - both socially and legislatively to correct many of the evils born out of this theological perversion and there are notable examples of prophetic resistance, but the fact remains that the South’s original sin of slavery (and the theological foundation that justified it) set into motion the perfect storm of white supremacy and nominal Christianity.

This paradigm is responsible for the current church dynamic that largely identifies as a white, middle-class, conservative voting bloc, rather than the multi-ethnic missionary movement described in Ephesians or the eschatological reality revealed in Revelation. To be clear, every church in the South is not inherently racist or theologically compromised, but it must be noted that the “Christian” heritage of the Bible Belt carries significant barriers to or at least a great deal of confusion about the gospel of Jesus.

In order to be a faithful witness of the gospel and develop disciples that actually embody what Jesus stood for, we must be aware of these specific cultural blind spots:

· the legitimization of nominal Christianity

· the normalization of mono-ethnic communities

· the ignorance of or apathy towards social justice

· the separation of doctrine from its ethical implications

As we work to plant new churches and established churches refine their ministries so that the South can be saturated with the gospel - we must directly confront these areas or the same worldview that justified slavery will come for us too.

Part 2: The Anatomy of Courage (or what is courage made of)

Courage tends to be contextual. An athlete could be very bold and aggressive on a football field and yet timid and withdrawn in a classroom. An extrovert might have the courage to take the stage in front of a crowd and yet completely panic in isolation. It seems that a great deal of courage is actually just confidence in situational talent. This begs the question, what is real courage made of – what is its consistent, internal source as opposed to its external, situational stimulus?

The apostle Paul has a simple but brilliant recipe for courage that is embedded in the structure of his letter to the Ephesians. The six chapters of Ephesians flow this way:

·       this is who you used to be

·       but… the gospel

·       now this is who you are

·       act like it

 Paul begins with the elephant in the room. You’re a mess. You stand condemned because of sins of omission and commission alike. Like a physician, Paul delivers a devastating but accurate diagnosis that you have earned divine wrath.

But there is good news – you are now, in Christ. “In Christ” is Paul’s favorite theological shorthand for what is at the heart of the Gospel, which is the reality of being permanently and exclusively attached to Jesus Christ. This union creates a spiritual adoption – a new “legal” status, where those in Christ receive the rights, privileges, and benefits of the one true Son of God.

This new condition, in Christ, replaces the old one of sin and condemnation. Believers now have the approval of The Father, the presence of The Spirit and the status of The Son. This is not wishful thinking or spiritual cliché – this is reality. Believers now have access to an eternal supply of approval, security, direction, hope, and comfort.

The trick is to act like it.

Paul concludes his letter by encouraging his readers to put on the armor of God, which is to say don’t just be able to articulate doctrine, live in a way that is consistent with your doctrine – act like it is true – wear it. The gospel is like armor; it protects us from the fears and dangers that unbelievers have to take into account. In the same way that a motorcycle rider is emboldened by a helmet or a gymnast is comforted by protective pads, we can be brave because of our union with Christ.

Our armor gives us security and security produces courage. Therefore, Christians don’t need to spend time and energy manipulating people or situations to manage our insecurities. Because we are filled, we have a reservoir of courage to give instead of take, to be vulnerable instead of defensive, to be calm in the midst of chaos.

 We are in unprecedented times of fear and uncertainty. One by one, the crutches that we have grown accustomed to leaning on for confidence have been taken away. Now is the time for the Church to be brave.

Part 1: The Necessity of Courage (or how to deal with exile)

Whether we are enjoying sunshine and tacos or experiencing ‘Threat Level Midnight’ anxiety because of Coronavirus, there are two realities Christians need to consider. One, this world is not our home, we have always been exiles (Hebrews 13:14) and two, we are saved through faith and not work (Ephesians 2:8-9). Oddly enough, the thread that runs through both of these spiritual realities, is courage.

Courage is essential for life as an exile. Eugene Peterson defines exile this way, “The essential meaning of exile is that we are where we don’t want to be. We are separated from home. We are not permitted to reside in the place where we comprehend and appreciate our surroundings. We are forced to be away from that which is most congenial to us. It is an experience of dislocation – everything is out of joint; nothing fits together… life is ripped out of the familiar soil of generations of language, habit, weather, story-telling, and rudely and unceremoniously dropped into some unfamiliar spot of earth.”

Our exile is not political and geographic like the Babylonian captivity Peterson was referring to in Run with the Horses. Ours is medical and experiential, but it is disorienting just the same. As helpful as test kits and a competent federal government would be, it’s actually courage that is required to navigate all this uncertainty and pain. The prophet Jeremiah’s charge to the panicked exiles of his day was not to look for shortcuts or buy into naïve optimism. Instead, it was to build houses, plant gardens and raise families. In other words, have the courage to be a faithful presence where you are, not where you wish you were, whether that’s scrolling through Twitter as a quarantined citizen or swimming against the current as a theological minority.

Courage is a wildly appropriate attribute for existential crises and global pandemics but it is also simply foundational to the gospel itself. Bravery has always been closely tied to faith because faith, rightly understood, is something closer to an act of courage rather than simply the accumulation of correct theology. Think of the heroes described in Hebrews 11, what was credited to them as steps of faith were actually acts of courage. Saving faith is not just properly articulating doctrine, it is a faith that leads to action. Something must be risked because the conviction warrants it. James reminds us, “Faith, without works is dead (James 2:14-26).” Believing that a bridge exists is not faith (it may or may not be true) but simply holding the belief is not faith. Faith is the courage to walk on the bridge, trusting that it will hold you and accepting the possibility that it won’t. Courage is not a rare characteristic displayed by a handful of spiritual heroes during a crisis, courage is at the root of all genuine gospel faith.

The good news (in a broad, Old Testament sense) that was preached to the slaves in Egypt, the wanderers in the wilderness and the exiles in Babylon was this: take courage, you don’t have to be afraid anymore, God is with you and He will not forget about you. That same message (in a specific, New Testament sense) is the Good News. Jesus is with us, in the flesh. We don’t have to be afraid anymore.

As we enter into a new normal and begin to deal with the deep realities of the anxiety and disorientation caused by this global health crisis, I pray that we would have the courage to a) stay at home when everything in you screams to go out b) remember that God is still with us in this exile and c) remember that on the surface, Jesus’ death on the cross was considered a chaotic, governmental miscarriage of justice and a pretty justifiable reason to panic, and yet, in actuality, it was the greatest act of love the world has ever known.

Lent Guide 2020

Description:

Lent is a season of prayer, fasting and contemplation leading to Easter. Many Christians commit to abstaining from certain foods, habits or luxuries as a spiritual tool to sharpen prayer and declutter the mind in anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection. Lent lasts for 40 days (mirroring Jesus’ 40 days of fasting prior to his public ministry), beginning on Ash Wednesday (February 26) and ending on Holy Saturday (April 11). Lent incorporates 46 calendar days (the six Sundays during Lent are considered feast days and therefore not counted in the 40 days of Lent).

Theology:

Because of our union with Christ, we understand that we cannot earn the forgiveness of sin or the approval of God through fasting or sacrifice – these things have already been permanently credited to us by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore, spiritual disciplines do not make us more precious to God but can be an effective tool to help make God more precious to us. Furthermore, we understand that some spiritual breakthroughs, victory over demonic opposition and kingdom advancement can only come through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29).

Purpose:

There are many reasons to participate in corporate fasting, perhaps the most crucial are 1) an increased devotion to and margin for prayer - particularly in areas well beyond the resources and capacities of our church (e.g. revival on campus, racial reconciliation, the salvation of our friends and neighbors), 2) a symbolic but meaningful declaration that our desire to see the Spirit move supersedes our physical cravings, and 3) a shared investment in the spiritual health of our church.

Logistics:

·      Start Date: February 26

·      End Date: April 11

·      Abstain from a singular food, habit or luxury (coffee, sugar, bread, Instagram, Netflix, etc.) for the duration of Lent in order to devote that craving/awareness/margin to prayer.

·      Set “daily prayer reminder” on watch/phone (example: 10:02 am – pray Luke 10:02 – raise up workers for the harvest)

·      One day a week – fast from one meal – use time for specific prayer.

·      Sundays – Feast and pray together at 9am Prayer Breakfast (March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12)

Prayer Emphases:

Personal

·      Pray for a unique understanding of your union with Christ.

·      Pray for a special sensitivity to the Spirit.

·      Pray for courage.

Church

·      Pray for Sunday morning worship space.

·      Pray for permanent worship leader.

·      Pray for width (60 people across 4 house churches by December)

·      Pray for salvations (2 new believers via relationships in each house church)

·      Pray for diversity (first black family to join Union)

City

·      Pray for specific unbelieving friends to be saved.

·      Pray for revival on campus and in Auburn/Opelika.

·      Pray for racial harmony across Auburn/Opelika.

Christ Satisfies Our Hunger For More

Starting this July, Tokyo will hold the 24th edition of the Summer Olympics. The Olympic Games are considered to be the most elite and greatest sporting events in the entire world. Only the best athletes from each country are allowed to compete which naturally draws a great deal of attention worldwide. The last summer Olympics (2016 Rio de Janeiro) drew in an audience of 3.6 billion people. It’s by far the biggest stage in sports.

Because of the sheer level of competition, people train their entire lives to not only be a part of the Olympics but to compete and win a medal. The goal is to not just win any medal though. The goal is to eventually stand on the stage and hold up the gold medal. Many can only dream of what it would be like to win a gold medal. With the magnitude of the situation, imagine the delight and satisfaction these athletes must feel when they finally win the gold after spending hours upon hours upon hours of intense training just to reach that very moment. It has to be one of the most memorable moments in any athlete’s entire life. 

Now imagine what it would feel like to not only win one gold medal but to go out and win 18. This is exactly what Michael Phelps did in the 2012 Olympics, and by doing so he secured his spot as the greatest Olympian ever. The greatest. No questions asked. Anyone would say that this must be it. He’s finally reached the pinnacle of success, and this should leave him fulfilled. Except it didn’t.

Following his retirement in 2012, he told ESPN that he struggled to “figure out who he was outside the pool”. In his words, "I was a train wreck. I was like a time bomb, waiting to go off. I had no self-esteem, no self-worth. There were times where I didn't want to be here. It was not good. I felt lost”.

This leaves many wondering how on earth could this incredible achievement not leave him with a sense of self-worth? How could he have reached rock bottom so quickly following this moment? I mean he was considered (and still is) not only the best swimmer of all time but the greatest Olympian ever. This story illustrates to us an important truth: The satisfaction and fulfillment the world offers are short-lived. They only leave us feeling like there is something more to life.

John 6:27- “Do not work for the food that perishes…”

Christ illustrates this very principle when speaking to the crowd in Capernaum. The world offers us temporal and momentary gratifications (food that perishes) which leave us feeling more empty than beforehand. The things the world offers to us such as fame, success, money, affirmation, and comfort will never give us what we deep down really want and need. See the world can never fully fulfill our lives because our lives were only made to be fully fulfilled by God alone.

John 6:33,35- “33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Being in a relationship with Christ, the Son of the Living God, is the only thing in this world that can truly satisfy our hungry hearts. By believing in his work on the Cross, we will fill the void in our heart that there is something more to life because Christ offers all that we could ever want in himself. He will satisfy your desire for something more. He will bring to you the joy, fulfillment, security, and satisfaction that you’ve always wanted. Run to him today.

Richard Phillips: “Coming to Jesus starts with realizing the hunger of your soul. Do you not realize how unfulfilling life is apart from fellowship with the Son of God? Do you not realize that your need for new experiences, new thrills, and new achievements merely proves that you were made for something higher? God’s provision for our highest, eternal needs is Jesus Christ, the true Bread whom God has sent into the world.”

- - Grant Watson

Why We are Preaching through Exodus

This fall we are preaching through our third full sermon series. Our first series was a study of the book of Ephesians (the foundational document of the New Testament church felt like an appropriate place to start). Over the summer, we turned our attention to 9 different marks of Christian maturity (discipleship characteristics that our church is designed to help one another grow into). This fall, we have been working our way through the book of Exodus. We landed on Exodus for three reasons:

One, in many ways, the story of Exodus is the story of the entire Bible. We see the narrative arc of creation, fall, redemption and restoration laid out in one, single book. It is almost impossible to understand the New Testament without the underlying framework of the Exodus story. Jesus is the new Moses who has come to set the captives free. Jesus is the spotless lamb who was sacrificed in order to protect his people from God’s judgment. Jesus is the new law-giver that creates a set-apart community of believers. Understanding the book of Exodus provides invaluable insight and context as we consider the theology of the New Testament.

Two, it has become obvious within our own community, that we are all slaves to something; whether it is sinful habits, shame from our pasts, or anxiety about our futures, we all feel a sense of captivity to these domineering slave masters. Therefore, it is exceedingly good news to be reminded that God loves to free people that cannot free themselves.

Three, while we must be repeatedly reminded of the reality of our freedom, we must also be reminded that our freedom is not for the purpose of personal autonomy, it is for worship. We are not only set free but we are also set apart – to be a holy, counter-cultural, nation of missionaries who demonstrate and declare the glory of the God who saves people who can’t save themselves. We are not our own, we were bought with a price and in a Bible Belt culture where the dominant religion is fraudulent Christianity, we must live lives that are consistent with who God is and what He has done.

We would love for you to jump into both our worship gathering (Sunday evenings in the First Pres Opelika chapel at 5) and our house churches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, as we help each other remember that we are both set free and set apart.

Summer Series: Marks of Maturity

This past spring, our church completed its first sermon series by going through the book of Ephesians. Many scholars view Ephesians as the foundational document of the church, a type of New Testament “constitution”, making it a timely and helpful guide for our newly formed community.

As we transition into the summer months, when many of our people are temporarily scattered from the body, we wanted to preach a series that focused less on the life of the community and more on individual maturity - with the hope that the more mature each disciple becomes, the healthier the entire church becomes.

While there are dozens of biblical marks of Christian maturity, these 9 were specifically curated for our community, aided by inventories used in other Acts 29 and Soma churches (specifically Bob Thune and company at Coram Deo Church in Omaha, Nebraska). This hybrid collection has resulted in a 9-week sermon series that we hope acts as an index of sorts for our members to measure their proficiency and commitment to Union Church’s core values of Gospel, Family and Mission. We hope that a deeper dive into these 9 characteristics over the summer will increase our commitment to following Jesus and a healthier church to serve Auburn.

Week 1 - Self Awareness

Week 2 - First-Hand Knowledge of Jesus

Week 3 - Fruit of the Spirit

Week 4 - Gospel Fluency

Week 5 - Deep Friendships Inside and Outside the Church

Week 6 - Faithful Presence

Week 7 - Servant Posture

Week 8 - Generosity

Week 9 - Courage

Sermons will be posted weekly at unionchurchao.com.

Lent: A Season of Prayer and Fasting

Description:

Lent is a season of prayer, fasting and contemplation leading to Easter. Many Christians commit to abstaining from certain foods, habits or luxuries as a spiritual tool to sharpen prayer and declutter the mind in anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection. Lent lasts for 40 days (mirroring Jesus’ 40 days of fasting prior to his public ministry), beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 6) and ending on Holy Saturday (April 20). Lent incorporates 46 calendar days (the six Sundays during Lent are considered feast days and therefore not counted in the 40 days of Lent).

Theology:

Because of our union with Christ, we understand that we cannot earn the forgiveness of sin or the approval of God through fasting or sacrifice – these things have already been permanently credited to us by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore, spiritual disciplines do not make us more precious to God but can be an effective tool to help make God more precious to us. Furthermore, we understand that some spiritual breakthroughs, victory over demonic opposition and kingdom advancement can only come through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29).

Purpose:

There are many reasons to participate in corporate fasting, perhaps the most crucial are 1) an increased devotion to and margin for prayer - particularly in areas well beyond the resources and capacities of our church (e.g. revival on campus, racial reconciliation, the salvation of our friends and neighbors), 2) a symbolic but meaningful declaration that our desire to see the Spirit move supersedes our physical cravings, and 3) a shared investment in the spiritual health of our church. 

Logistics:

·      Start Date: March 6

·      End Date: April 20

·      Abstain from a singular food, habit or luxury (coffee, sugar, bread, Instagram, Netflix, etc.) for the duration of Lent in order to devote that time/awareness/margin to prayer.

·      One day a week – fast from one meal – use time for specific prayer.

·      Sundays – Feast and pray together at 9am Prayer Breakfasts (March 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14)

Prayer Emphases:

Personal

·      Pray for a unique understanding of your union with Christ.

·      Pray for a special sensitivity to the Spirit.

·      Pray for courage.

Church

·      Pray for increased racial diversity at Union Church.

·      Pray for width (increased Sunday attendance, House Church participation, relational growth).

·      Pray for depth (increased gospel fluency, spiritual maturity, community intimacy).

City

·      Pray for specific unbelieving friends to be saved.

·      Pray for revival on campus and in Auburn/Opelika.

·      Pray for racial harmony across Auburn/Opelika.

Their Wedding and The Wedding

Ultimately, Christianity is a wedding feast. It is a marriage.

 And if you don’t understand that, you are missing out on the greatest hope humanity has ever known.

 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure…” Revelation 19:6-8

If you are a believer, this is your future. This day is coming.

I went to a wedding recently that reminded me of this wedding to come. The wedding was incredibly Christ centered, but the bride’s entrance is what most stuck out to me.

As soon at the doors swung open, She began crying and laughing uncontrollably – at the same time. She laughed and cried, the entire walk down the aisle.

The. Entire. Walk.

 The crowd couldn’t help but join with her. It was such a genuine response to the situation. How often she had dreamed of this day! How much had she gone through to get to this moment! What else could she do but cry? What else could she do but laugh? I can’t think of two more authentic reactions. Her joy was palpable. It was almost like there was a feeling of relief in the room. I can imagine her thinking it now.

“Finally this day has come. Finally, it is here.”

Dressed in pure white, she passed row after row of joyful, teary-eyed faces (mine included) towards her adoring husband who waited for her eagerly. Who waited for her with excitement. Never have I seen such joy in a wedding. Never have I seen such unadulterated happiness.

People think crying is synonymous with bad. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. We cry because we care. And when we care about something that makes us happy, we cry and smile. That day, smiles and tears abounded.

I think that is what it’s going to be like at the wedding of the Lamb. I think we, The Church, Jesus’s bride, are going to be laughing and crying the whole way down the aisle. I think the heavenly hosts will join in with us as they see us walking down the aisle towards our Savior. 

This is our hope. The wedding feast of the Lamb, where God and Man will one day be reunited forever is coming. The hope of that day is how we get through this day.

And on that day, all of the fear, all of the tears, all of the failures – on that day we will realize it was all worth it. The pain will disappear. The long night will be over. “The joy set before us” will finally be before us. It will be before us because He will be before us.

 “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called." Isaiah 54:5

P.S – Taylor and Brandy, you (and your wedding) are truly inspiring. Thanks for everything. 

- Drew Mixson

Weekly Worship Gatherings

As this semester cranks back up and the city and campus come back to life, we are making the transition from a monthly worship gathering to a weekly one. We are excited about this strategic move for three primary reasons:

1. It will provide us with 17 consecutive opportunities (January to early May) to invite friends and neighbors, preach exegetically through the entire book of Ephesians, and enjoy a regular rhythm of worship and communion. Our house churches are designed to be familial and intimate which can actually can make it a difficult introduction for those used to a more traditional, Southern church expression. Weekly gatherings are an easy first step for most Southerners and function as a gateway towards the house church where the majority of our discipleship takes place.

2. It will allow our house churches (we're expanding to a second one in February - our living room is already maxed out at 40) to function as a pure missional community and not carry the weight of being the only weekly point-of-contact for the body. This shift will allow our groups to become more localized as we begin to more specifically engage in local neighborhoods.

3. It will provide more opportunities for the body to serve and assume leadership roles as the scope and complexity of the church expands. Transitioning to weekly worship gatherings will force our members into new roles as kids volunteers, greeters, musicians, audio technicians, etc. These are all roles that must be regularly filled and provide an opportunity for our people to serve and invest rather than watch and consume.

From day one, our vision has been to be a church that exists primarily as a network of scattered missionary teams that reunite each Sunday to worship Jesus. We are in the middle of transitioning from a single family, to a family of families and we are excited to see this evolution take shape.

Union Church is growing and we're so thankful that the Lord has put this new family together. We covet your prayers as our leaders, systems, and structures grow along with it.

Silent Night and the Loud Man in Front of Me

I went to a candle light service on Christmas Eve.

And just like many of you, my favorite part was at the end of the service - holding my candle high while singing Silent Night. With relief, longing, and joy, everyone’s voices rise in unison to sing out “Chriiiiiist theeeeee Savioooorr is boooorn”.

But this year’s rendition of Silent Night was different. And honestly, looking back I’m glad it didn’t go as smoothly as it normally does. It was better this way.

There was a man with special needs sitting a few pews in front of me and he was singing. Loudly. Like, really loudly. And he wasn’t getting the words exactly right, and his timing was off.

And I won’t lie to you.  At first I wasn’t super pumped about it. I’m not asking for much. Remember, Silent Night is my thing. I didn’t want to have to deal with a really loud guy in front of me singing off key. No hiccups. No missteps. Just a perfect Silent Night. I wanted it my way.

But by God’s grace, I quickly saw the beauty of it all.

I realized that him singing super loudly wasn’t a hiccup or a misstep. It wasn’t distracting – it was disarming, unrestricted, and relatable. The guy was singing his heart out. More than anyone else in there that night, that man was genuinely celebrating the birth of Christ.

The man with special needs in front of me is exactly what worship is all about. He meant the words he was singing. He was excited. He was present. He was there to worship. It’s irrelevant if he had the words right or if his pitch was perfect. Is the point of singing Silent Night to sound “good”?  No.          

The point is that Christ the Savior is born.

The point is that Jesus Christ is finally here.

The Son of God, the living breathing actual Son of God has been born onto planet earth.

The one promised to save us from all of our sorrows, the one who’s going to defeat death itself? Yeah, he’s here. We should sing loudly.

I’m so thankful God put that man in front of me Christmas Eve. God used his authentic worship to show me how inauthentic mine had been. Honestly I came in wanting a perfect performance. I came into church wanting Silent Night checked off the list of Christmas traditions. I came in worried about myself.

I left filled with wonder – Jesus Christ, the promised savior of all mankind, the one we’ve been waiting for was born two thousand years ago. He was born in the humblest of ways – on a silent sight in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. He’s here. He has come.

Christ the Savior is born.

Let’s sing loudly.

- Drew Mixson

The Gospel, brought to you by Chevrolet...

Not to be a grinch, but the commercials leading up to Christmas are out of control. These things usually fall into two categories. First, is the gratuitous sex and violence category. I can’t watch the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (an American tradition we all should cherish and clear our schedules for…) without covering my 3-year-old’s eyes 4 or 5 times a half to shield him from video game ads. What the heck? Additionally, have perfume ads always been this explicit? Why does selling cologne require people to be half-dressed and soaking wet all the time (its a predominately visual medium why are we selling fragrances on here anyway)? The second category is less offensive but somehow more annoying; in what universe are these young couples buying luxury cars for each other? What economy are these cats living in? What 29 year-old is buying a Jaguar for his wife? How is this, in any way relatable to a normal person in 2018?

Anyway, I’m ranting now but the point is I’m having to stay on my toes now during commercial breaks; which is why I was particularly engaged, and strangely encouraged when Chevy tried to sell me a truck over the weekend.

Just in time for the Christmas holiday, Chevrolet is now offering employee discounts to the general public. Real, live Chevy employees (not actors) decked out in flannel and mittens, making Christmas cookies and selecting Christmas trees said, “My mom works for Chevy, we’re part of the Chevy family and right now… so are you.” The hook is simple, what is normally available only to insiders is now available to outsiders as well. This is good news.

Consciously or not, Chevy has waded into theological waters. The logic of the Gospel (which literally is fleshed out at Christmas) says that outsiders, enemies, and traitors like us are now welcomed into God’s family and treated as if we actually deserve to be there. Because of our union with Christ, we are not treated like the rebellious orphans we are but instead, receive all the rights and privileges of the one true son of God.

Im probably not going to buy my wife a car, but Chevy did remind me of the gospel this week and considering what I usually get from commercials… I’ll take it.

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ…” Eph 2:12-13

The Method of Christmas

Sunday evening we will gather again for worship, but this time, we will gather through the specific lens of the Advent Season. Advent (which simply means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’) is the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas and is reserved to intentionally reflect on the arrival of Christ.

Because of the overwhelming pomp and circumstance of Christmas in the Bible Belt, it’s difficult to not be aware of the arrival of Christ (the message of Christmas) but few of us consider how Jesus’ coming affects our going (the method of Christmas).

The incarnation (God taking on flesh) is a mind-bending doctrine. A cosmic deity voluntarily becomes a local, physical person is a staggering truth. But it is far more than just orthodox information to be aware of - the incarnation should shape how we interact with the world.

Here are three ways that the incarnation, that we uniquely celebrate at Christmas should affect our everyday Christian walk.

1. This was an intentional act, a direct mission of God, therefore we shouldn’t be casual or haphazard about reaching out to our lost friends. We should have a specific and thoughtful approach to loving our friends. Jesus did not enter the world as a generic human - he came as a first century, Aramaic speaking, Jewish man. Therefore we do not have generic, stock gospel presentations, instead we spend time listening and interacting with our friends and neighbors - specifically looking to understand their questions, concerns, wounds and insecurities.

2. This takes time. While there is a real urgency to share the gospel, there is not a single instance in Scripture where Jesus is described as frantic or rushed. In fact, Jesus worked in relative obscurity for 30 of his 33 years as a local carpenter before beginning his public ministry. The incarnation reassures us that it is God who saves. Spiritual birth and growth will not be rushed.

3. Jesus did not enter the world as a conquering king, he didn’t even enter as an adult – he came to us as an infant. This suggests to me that the church should always assume a posture of humility, vulnerability and service. Philippians 2:6-8 says, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…”

The church does not need rock stars to make the gospel relevant, she doesn’t need celebrities to make the gospel popular, she just needs obscure local carpenters that will be faithful… that’s how our founder did it.

Jesus is the best thing I’ve ever come across.

Jesus is the best thing I’ve ever come across.

He’s perfect. Not just in a moral sense (though he is and his purity is a theological necessity) but he’s the perfect mix of awe-inspiring strength and tear-jerking mercy. He always demands justice while maintaining a posture of unmerited kindness. He puts the arrogant in their place and yet gently coxes the outcasts out of hiding. He is unflappable in the face of overwhelming opposition; he naps in the face of hurricanes.

He’s the most interesting man in the world.

He is unlike anything we have ever seen and yet is accessible, relatable. He’s intensely serious yet relaxed, unhurried. He has every right to be judgmental, dismissive and distant and yet moves into our neighborhood, lives in obscurity, voluntarily submits himself to fabricated accusations, corrupt proceedings and excruciating torture – as a ransom for those who don’t deserve it.

He had no personal agenda, never once did he make a calculated effort to advance his career. He assumed the role of a servant, even though he was the anointed king.

Jesus is the literal, historical incarnation of the best parts of every fictional hero ever written.

He’s Robin Hood.  He’s Luke Skywalker. He’s Superman.

Except he’s real.

What kind of hero dies for the villains?

But even more than that, he’s MLK without the sexual impropriety, He’s Lincoln without the political calculus. He’s the better version of Jonah, Moses, David…

He’s Adam 2.0.

He is the prototype that every politician, CEO, parent, coach, doctor should aspire to.

I love him. I want to be just like him. I want to be on his team and walk next to him every day.

I can’t believe the good news that I am functionally, spiritually, legally connected to him. My Union with Christ is a mystery and a blessing to profound too comprehend.

If the Houston Astros planted a church...

I have been a Houston Astros fan my entire life – a birthright handed down to me by my father, who, as a brand-new Texas resident, not knowing a soul in the entire state, would drive around his new city with only the Astros radio broadcast as company. As a family, we have endured decades of futility and disappointment but, last October, we experienced one glorious season as World Champions! We have wandered with the ‘Stros through the wilderness and have finally emerged in the promised land!

2014 was about as bad as it had ever been - the Astros were in the middle of 3 consecutive, 100-loss seasons – widely regarded as the laughing stock of Major League Baseball. That was the context of the now famous prediction that was made on the June 30, 2014 cover of Sports Illustrated - the historically pathetic Houston Astros would win the 2017 World Series, just three seasons away. I still have a copy of that magazine. I devoured that article – curious to see if this was a tongue-in-cheek jab at my team or a bold sports prophecy.

What I learned (and what was fleshed out in greater detail in a book called “Astroball,” published after the World Series) had led to the author’s confidence to make such an outrageous claim, was the Astros organization’s commitment to looking at baseball through a completely new lens.

More than any other sport, baseball has the largest (and loudest) base of purists and traditionalists. This segment believes the game has a certain pace, a certain history and a certain system of values that sets it apart from other sports and therefore, should be revered and left untainted. This attitude (combined with the economic realities of small market teams, salary caps, luxury taxes, etc.) has led to an environment where innovation is not a driving force.

As a result, the Astros, as a part of the larger baseball culture, were steeped in these values, suspicious of change and largely fine with operating inside the status quo. This also meant however, that little to no progress toward winning was being made.

There were, however, a handful of baseball revolutionaries – reformers, who were challenging this system. This crusade is well documented in the book “Moneyball” – which catalogues the history of the sabermetric movement through the eyes of the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane. The Astros were one of the first teams to take the principles of Moneyball and implement them throughout the entire organization.

The Astros’ shift in philosophy began with the admission that the old-school wing or the traditionalists inside the organization had a limited or at least a heavily biased view of how to win baseball games and therefore managed pitch counts, evaluated talent and drafted players with limited or biased metrics in mind.  Because their values were short-sided, their measurements were skewed. The Astros had the presence of mind to take a step back and say, “this is how it’s always been done but is there a different way – an alternative value system that will go unnoticed by other teams and give us a competitive advantage?

This is where my worlds began to collide as a diehard Astros fan and as a church planter in the South. What if, in the same way, that the baseball purist misses the value of a player with a less-than-ideal size, but walks regularly and steals bases – could the religious establishment miss the value in neighborhood based missional communities or bi-vocational pastors or a non-revenue-producing college ministry?

Has the Church developed blind spots because of tenure or fatigue or tradition? Has this led to flawed metrics of success or a misdiagnosis of the culture? What if the Church had become too intimate with partisan politics or too comfortable with middle-class sensibilities to notice that the values (and therefore the measurements) of the kingdom of heaven should be overtly different than the status quo of the surrounding culture?

The metaphors for Jesus’s kingdom in the New Testament suggest that the reality of normative gospel growth is small, slow and incremental and yet our worship environments are built to be large, flashy and professional. Jesus, our founder took the posture of a foot-washing servant while our leaders are promoted as celebrity gurus. The early church grew among the messy margins of society while we continually value strategic platforms and cold pragmatism. We verbally assent to the doctrine “of priesthood of all believers” and yet structure our churches so only professional clergy can meaningfully participate. We claim to value missional sending and yet all of our measurements of success revolve around seating capacity. The Bible clearly upholds ethnic harmony as a kingdom value and yet the Church remains as segregated as any other social institution.

The Church is supposed to be a counter-culture, an alternative city within the city and yet we measure success the same way that any Fortune 500 company would understand. How can this be? Is this vicious hypocrisy or sloppy inconsistency? To quote Billy Beane, “It's hard not to be romantic about baseball. This kind of thing, it's fun for the fans. It sells tickets and hot dogs. Doesn't mean anything...”

Martin Luther and the reformers wrote the ecclesial version of Moneyball 500 years ago, perhaps it’s time for the Church in the South to be like the Astros and actually implement these things and stop worrying about tickets and hot dogs.

Go ‘Stros.

The Resistance

I was speaking recently with another minister in our city, lamenting the fact that so much of Southern Christianity is shallow at best and counterfeit at worst. Christianity in the South is largely viewed as an accessory to be added to a life already filled with accessories aimed at cultivating an aura of wealth and propriety (to be fair, all people from all cultures chase these idols but it is a uniquely Southern instinct - in our secular age - do this with church life instead of jettisoning it altogether).

Perhaps it is because Christianity has held a place of prominence and prestige for so long in the South, that the gospel has become domesticated from its offensive roots. So much of the church’s messaging is now targeted toward comfort and safety (despite living in one of the most luxurious and secure times and places in the world). The Church, in large part, has become therapy for stressed out, white suburbanites where social and political ideologies are massaged and not challenged. In a real sense, the church has presented spiritual reality as a portfolio to be managed rather than a war to fight. And therein lies the real danger, most Christians are living in a way that is incongruent with not only their true identity (in Christ) but the urgent reality of spiritual warfare.

During World War II, Vichy France was the headquarters of the displaced French government after Paris was occupied by the Third Reich. Vichy came to represent the legally recognized administration of France while in actuality, the Vichy government were de facto Nazi collaborators who assisted in advancing Hitler’s agenda. What politically and militarily happened in France in the 1940s has spiritually happened in the South – nominal Christianity has capitulated to the enemy (materialism, white nationalism, systemic injustice, secularization, etc.) and now promotes that agenda rather than the kingdom of heaven.

If the “front lines” of missionary activity are pioneer efforts into unreached contexts, then perhaps ministry in the American Bible Belt is more akin to a civilian resistance during enemy occupation. In the same way that the French Resistance or the “Maquis” laid the ground work for the eventual Allied advancement - not only by fighting the enemy but providing hope that there is a different way to live - so should the church.

Rather than existing as the spiritual chaplain for the cultural status quo, what if the church postured herself as the resistance movement? What if the church was the counterculture that refused to give in to the dominate force of the day? What if there were communities that didn’t surrender to the Left and didn’t capitulate to the Right - that simultaneously stood up for the underprivileged and maintained historic orthodoxy?

This is a much more difficult way of doing church, and it’s hard to consistently swim against the current, but one day The Liberator will come. Until then may we fight the good fight and remain faithful to the end.

Our Southern, Christian Heritage

It is easy to be disoriented by the South. Underneath the charm of sweet tea and bow ties, sear sucker onesies and SEC tailgates lies a devastated region. At its foundation, Southern culture was designed to accrue wealth for Christians – with a work force that was considered to be sub-human. This stunningly efficient economic strategy was able to flourish because of a predominate worldview that normalized and then institutionalized Christian hypocrisy. To a large degree, the church in the South either directly promoted or passively allowed the creation of a society that required (at minimum):

·      The systematic abduction of African people.

·      The enslavement of those people into an uncompensated labor force.

·      The political will to secede from the United States in order to maintain control of this economic model.

·      The human and material resources dedicated towards the violent overthrow the United States government.

This was apparently done with enough cultural consent that the general public saw no inconsistency with Biblical doctrine or ethics.

The ripple effects of this theological compromise on the current spiritual landscape of the South cannot be overstated. Obviously, tremendous strides have been made - both socially and legislatively to correct many of the evils born out of this theological perversion and there are notable examples of prophetic resistance, but the fact remains that the South’s original sin of slavery (and the theological foundation that justified it) set into motion the perfect storm of white supremacy and nominal Christianity.

This paradigm is responsible for the current church dynamic that largely identifies as a white, middle-class, conservative voting bloc, rather than the multi-ethnic missionary movement described in Ephesians or the eschatological reality revealed in Revelation. To be clear, every church in the South is not inherently racist or theologically compromised, but it must be noted that the “Christian” heritage of the Bible Belt carries significant barriers to or at least a great deal of confusion about the gospel of Jesus.

In order to be a faithful witness of the gospel and develop disciples that actually embody what Jesus stood for, we must be aware of these specific cultural blind spots:

·      the legitimization of nominal Christianity

·      the normalization of mono-ethnic communities

·      the ignorance of or apathy towards social justice

·      the separation of doctrine from its ethical implications

As we work to plant new churches and established churches refine their ministries so that the South can be saturated with the gospel - we must directly confront these areas or the same worldview that justified slavery will come for us too.