The Challenge

Our family recently had a chance to go up to the Bay Area to attend a wedding and continue preparations for the new church plant planned for the fall of 2012.  I was reminded how hard it is to travel with two children but in between all the complaining and bickering, I was able to think about what lies ahead for us.  In speaking with many people who are currently living and working in Northern California, it is apparent that starting this church will not be an easy task.  I don't think I fully understood the extent of the negative stigma that Christianity has in the eyes of the general public until I heard about the open hostility of atheists and the forbidding of even mentioning the word "Christmas" in the workplace.  One person summed it up well when he mentioned that people in the San Francisco Bay Area are "intolerant towards anything they perceive as being intolerant".

When a church is faced with these types of obstacles, it generally reacts in one of two ways.  The first reaction is to become completely exclusive and take an "Us vs the World" type of mentality.  There is a high emphasis on truth but little in the way of influencing the world with that truth.  The second is the opposite reaction that avoids certain hard truths of Scripture in order to maintain the appearance of being inclusive.  This may draw large numbers of seekers but it often fails to lead them to deeper spiritual growth. I believe the biblical model of church is to somehow live in the tension between these two opposite and polar reactions especially in a society that is becoming increasingly anti-Christian.  The greatest challenge facing our church is maintaining our identity as an inclusive and loving community without compromising what we believe to be true.

Jesus provides many examples of how we are called to live in this tension throughout the gospels.  As he encounters people from all different walks of life, his love as well as his message remains the same.  From the rich young ruler that is told to give up all his riches to the women who is saved from her adultery and told to sin no more, Christ alone gives us a model that is worth following.  As we look forward to laying down the foundation of this new church, I pray that we would be given the love and compassion as well the wisdom and courage to minister in the same way.
   

Beautiful Day in Nor Cal!

 

Congratulations Joe and Jing!