Sublime

A hard reality we’ll need to face is that some churches can pivot and reorganize to embody belief, belonging, and behavior as we were designed to, but others cannot.

• More focused on listening than telling or doing • Open to partnership with neighbors • Full of opportunities to listen to the Spirit Experiments tend

God intended the church to use all the resources of the world he created. And just as Christ’s earthly ministry and his heavenly authority is evident in every aspect of life, so his church is to be his heart, hands, and feet at home, at work, at school, and in the marketplace. Most would agree the church has fallen woefully short of this calling.

While gathered environments (such as Sunday services and small groups) can grow the church, only scattered servants can bring life to broken cities.

believe that the Holy Spirit is calling our Church to participate in God’s mission in a faithful and life-giving way in a changing world.

Mike Cosper, Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013);

So maybe we really have three principles. Christian practice must be (1) gospel-centered in the sense of being word-centered, (2) gospel-centered in the sense of being mission-centered, and (3) community-centered.

• As we join with people in our neighborhood, are we seeing fresh ways God is already at work? What are we seeing? • Are we being transformed by this experience? What is