Church in Mission

New Quarter, new classes. I'm taking a course in church in mission and part of our assignment is to reflect on class lectures and write about it. Church is a very integral part of my life and so I wanted to share a bit of what I learn with anyone who has some interest in this topic or what I came across the country to study in seminary.

As many of you know, I've had an extremely diverse church experience since leaving home. From roots in a small, rural, traditional Presbyterian church to college floating amongst different evangelical churches and then primarily a United Methodist Church, followed by a BIG nondenominational Christian church in Florida, and then experiencing Pentecostalism in the Assembly of God church in Burkina Faso, returning to the States and attending a Mennonite church on Capitol Hill in DC, heading to Ethiopia and learning about the Orthodox church there and seeing firsthand what "slain in the Spirit" looks like, going back to Florida and participating in a Vineyard church with a tight-knit community, to the present in southern California and finally making a commitment it a Four Square Church to be my place of worship during my time here. Yes, long sentence! The bottom line is, I like to challenge myself to meet Christ in many different atmospheres of worship. We're called to see God in others since each of us are made in His image, so this shouldn't only be in a formal church setting. Where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, there can be church. Church is changing a lot around the world. Most services don't look like they did in our parent's generation. In some parts of the world, the practice of attending church can mean social suicide. In other regions the church is growing rapidly. So I look forward to thinking through this idea of church and learning more about the history and evolution of it. Follow along if you like!