Do people make churches or do churches make people?
We’ve been nomadic church goers since 2019. Some people take 2-3 years to “church hop,” but we’ve been displaced and sojourning for hundreds of Sundays.
After finishing our time at Eastview Christian Church during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, we began an interim ministry at First Christian Church in Clinton until we moved to Connecticut. Since landing in New England, we’ve visited and preached at dozens of churches.
In October, we began meeting every week as City Coast Church. In the first few weeks, we’ve found ourselves settling into a rhythm of weekly worship with 50-75 other people. It feels good to have a church again. And, we are optimistic about what this weekly rhythm will enable us to become.
I [Charlie] have been an exercise enthusiast most of my life. I’ve done everything from cardio kickboxing and yoga, to organized sports and long distance running. No matter the activity, one thing holds true: you have to do the reps.
Nobody gets stronger or faster or more flexible by skipping repetitions.
In some ways, this shift to weekly worship is an opportunity for us to get more reps – to slowly, consistently, and methodically build a spiritual community.
As we journeyed through churches, we found that people really are the foundation of any church. There is no “body” without bodies. Jesus didn’t come to share an idea or write a book, He came to build an eternal family of nations.
But churches also form people. The values, beliefs and practices of a faith community form people in the likeness of Christ.
One repetition at a time, churches make people. And one person at a time, people make a church.
Other people are starting to establish City Coast alongside of us. We’re doing the reps together, building a culture of formation, and enjoying the labor God has assigned to us.
There’s weariness after this initial wave, but we are not weary in the good work we’ve been given. We trust, in time, God will reap a harvest, and we’ll get to celebrate His faithfulness.
