Confronting the Challenge
Given this, what does the Gospel say to those of us at Village who have been around forever, and those who might be newer.
First, for those God used to build God’s Church at Village
The Gospel means change. Personally it’s the change of being out of relationship with God to being in relationship with Him. It’s the change of being who we were to who He’s making us. Corporately it’s the change from being not His people to a part of His family and being built into Him and His people (2 Peter 2:4–12). This is God’s desire for not only us, but for all those who do not yet know Him.
Therefore, the first implication for us as God’s people is that if our hearts are aligned with God’s heart, we will be praying for growth, both for individuals but also for the community. And this means we’re praying for change. As we saw with the early church, this isn’t always easy or comfortable. But we want to view this change in a way that’s consistent with the Gospel.
A question to ask ourselves as we consider changes brought about by growth in numbers and diversity is, are we becoming less than we were, or are we becoming more? Is the Gospel and our community being diluted or complemented?
There is no argument that growth will bring about change. But in giving up our rights, in accepting those who are different than us and embracing the diversity that comes with Gospel Growth in ways that are gracious, understanding and loving, we reflect the Gospel more, not less. The legacy we leave is not the work we had been involved in, but the foundation of gracious acceptance and understanding that flowed out of the Gospel which birthed us in the first instance.
Therefore, for those who have been the heart of Village, and who have poured their lives into the God’s people and the our wider community, growth and change are not moments that breed irrelevance, but opportunities where the Gospel and contrastingly displayed. A moment where we declare that what God is doing is not about us, but about Him.
Second, for those God is now (& still is) using to build God’s Church at Village
The challenge of change and the Gospel isn’t only restricted to those who God has used to build His church at Village. The challenge, as in the early church, is also for those who are joining communities to consider how the Gospel informs their behaviour.
While many local churches have the same biblical convictions, most will differ in their expression and implementation (often called a Philosophy of Ministry) of those biblical convictions. These will reflect those who lead the church, those God has used to start the community as well as the audience they’re trying to reach with the Gospel. Even if it’s not written down, there’s a way that each church community “does things” that they have honed over, experimented with, and settled on as the community has formed and grown.
The question then is – how do Christians new to a Christian community love those who have been there, and been working hard at it? That is, in the context of Acts the question would have looked like – “how do I as a Gentile Christian love my Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ?”
The answer (as we see in Acts) isn’t that nothing changes and no challenges are ever confronted. But the answer seems to lie in a willingness to put aside personal preference, even at points theological convictions that are not core gospel issues, and love others by understanding and accommodating their viewpoint.
It is not compromise for compromise sake. Nor is it passive aggressive subversion. It is an deliberate, active decision I make to honour & love the brothers and sisters in Christ I am now in community with, in a way that shows respect but still pushes them graciously toward maturity in Christ, while acknowledging that this needs to happen to me as well.
It would be a mistake to end your reading of this topic here. Because while there are always going to be growing pains in any church, the growing pains that Village Church has experienced over the past 6 years, and the sacrifices those new and old have made for the Gospel have born such exciting fruit and opportunities. So that’s what we’re going to look at in our last article coming soon. The fruit that God has produced through Village Church, for his glory. Stay tuned.
