Vision

Amanda and I have been praying for the last month that the Lord would give us His vision for our ministry in Everett.  We are starting to sense His movement in very specific ways and as a result we are now actively pursuing some partnerships in the Everett community, and are continuing to pray.  We would greatly value your prayer for us as we seek what the Lord would have us do.

John 4:13-14
¹³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Our family lives in a culture that is overall very suspicious of organized religion.  There are people that have been hurt by past experiences with bad churches or wayward Christians.  There are others who have seen the stories in the media about infighting in churches, abuse, and power grabbing, and they perceive it as a construct of man for the purpose of gaining money and power.  Still others attend churches that don't truly teach that Jesus is the only way, while many others go to churches who close the doors to nonbelievers, the community, and the poor.  These churches only serve themselves.

While these experiences and feelings don't paint an accurate picture of the Christian church as a whole, we do have to acknowledge that some in the community feel this way and may have had bad experiences with the church or other supposed Christians.  My suspicion is that many people won't mind Jesus once they gain a concept of who He is, once they experience His love and compassion for them.  But if they won't walk into a church building to meet Him, what will we do?  If they don't believe Christianity offers them anything that they don't already have, what happens?  So Christians have a choice:  we can turn our backs on society and isolate ourselves from it, or we can engage it knowing that people need the Lord that we know.  But to do this requires us to be Jesus to everyone around us all day long, not just on Sunday or Wednesday.  This dying world needs that kind of love from followers of Jesus, because the implications for not doing so are dramatic and have eternal consequences.

As I was running one morning, I saw this on the ground.  I see irony on many levels represented here.

While we still don't know if the Lord would have us plant our own church or simply continue to work through Everett Family Church to impact the community, Amanda and I have come to some conclusions about what we will do regardless of our circumstances.  We believe these things are from the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  While these statements aren't as clear as they probably will be within a year, these frame our thinking.

1. We see a church that is a set of reproducible small groups within the community.  The group will worship and serve together, along with weekly fellowship.  Gatherings will not be bound to a church building. 
2. Starting with one group meeting together, the group will raise and train at least one leader couple who will be charged with shepherding their own community in the future.  This group will consist of disciples who make disciples.  
3. Each group will be the hands and feet of Jesus in the surrounding community, particularly focusing on the poor, widows, and orphans. We will teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these individuals with a major focus on discipleship.
4. Money collected will be redistributed to the poor and the needy as the Lord directs.  No money will go to our family other than what is necessary to provide meeting space, food, or other material needs to keep the regular operations going.  Excess money will be given to missionaries around the world, or to train up and send missionaries from among our own.

As you can see, much of these ideas can be concretely implemented through our home.  Our sincere hope is that we can draw in neighbors and bring them to Jesus through what are arguably informal gatherings.  As we wait to move into our wonderful new house, our prayer is that it would become the Lord's very presence in downtown Everett.

The Lord had this to say to us as we prayed about His vision for Everett.

Isaiah 58:6-14
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
    lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
    and remove the chains that bind people.
⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
    and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
    and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

⁸ “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
    and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
    and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
    ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
    Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
    and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
    giving you water when you are dry
    and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like an ever-flowing spring.
¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
    Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
    and a restorer of homes.

¹³ “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
    Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
    and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
    and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
¹⁴ Then the Lord will be your delight.
    I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

I probably need to clarify some thoughts on money since it is a sensitive subject.  We as a family have been richly blessed and our needs are met in abundance.  I have a good job that provides time and financial assistance to allow us to do many other things outside of the workplace.  I have met few church planters who are in this circumstance, as many of them have to take financial assistance from mission organizations or churches just to keep their families afloat.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that either!  If someone has dedicated their very life to the Lord and doing his work, why can't they provide for their family with funds raised from it?

Here's what the Apostle Paul said about it.

1 Corinthians 9
⁷ What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn’t have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? ⁸ Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing? ⁹ For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.”^[c] Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? ¹⁰ Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.
¹¹ Since we have planted spiritual seed among you, aren’t we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? ¹² If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported?

As for us, we have made a conscious choice to not take funding for the purpose of directly supporting our family.  I have no idea what the future holds, but for now, we as a family are well provided for.  I believe this puts us in a unique position with the community because, regardless of how you feel about Jesus, you won't be able to say that we are it for the money, or that this is our "job."  Instead, we intend to use the resources that we have along with whatever others choose to contribute to be used to bring the message of Jesus to this place.  We will continue to make you aware as specific needs arise, in case you want to participate.
 
The Apostle Paul also spoke passionately on this subject.

1 Corinthians 9:13-18
 But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.
¹³ Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. ¹⁵ Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge. ¹⁶ Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!
¹⁷ If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust. ¹⁸ What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.

Truly I couldn't have said it better than Paul.