What If ?
What if the culture of the church was one of loving each other and loving their community together? What if once a quarter churches in the quad city area gathered at their local houses of worship prayed, lifted up the name of Jesus and then went out into the community to serve as a form of worship? Maybe at a nursing home, cleaning the local park, neighborhood, food bank, or wherever. But what if once a quarter the church actually went outside its walls to worship in real and concrete ways in the community? Then after worship they returned to their individual houses of worship prayed, sang, and shared in a meal together in celebration of God granting them the privilege to serve a hurting community in real and concrete ways? What if our Sunday service went from “serve us” to service?
What if that culture of loving each other and loving their community together was so ingrained that the churches in the quad city area actually planted Missional Communities in every neighborhood? Missional Communities filled with Believers from that neighborhood no matter where their home church on Sundays was? Meeting every week in someone’s home where they studied the Bible, prayed, ate, developed meaningful relationships and had fun. And what if regularly the group would skip the gathering and share Jesus in ways that are seen, heard, and felt in their neighborhoods. What if the culture of the church was unity and sharing Jesus in real and concrete ways with each other, their neighbors, their community, and the world?
Well believe it or not we here at the Ridge along with the Church Next Door, and Cornerstone have already begun to do just that. If the Church Next Door, or Cornerstone have a Missional Community Leader in a neighborhood and people who go to the Ridge live in the same neighborhood we’re going to encourage them to go to that Missional Community and vice versa. In addition, we are going to be skipping our Sunday morning service once a quarter to go into the community and show Jesus’ love in tangible ways. We really don’t care if you go to the Ridge, if you love Jesus, let’s work together. And by the way check out the Church Next Door and Pastor Scott Mitchell at www.churchnextdooraz.com and Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Prescott with Pastor John Dickerson at www.prescottcornerstone.org . If you’re looking for a church, these are both great choices.