The world is not the same as it was just weeks ago. How can we see the possibilities to be the church in a different world? Join conversations hosted by REACH Resources.

TOM ARTHUR
REACH Movement Team

Winston Churchill is reported to have said, “We shape our buildings and afterward our buildings shape us.” But what happens when we’re not in buildings anymore? 

My own experience with doing church in diners and pubs is that architecture creates expectations. When you’re in a church building it comes with the expectation of quiet focus. But when you’re in a public space like a pub the architecture creates the expectation of conversation and community. 

So what happens when the building isn’t a church building but our living rooms (or really anywhere you can get an internet signal) and the architecture isn’t gothic but online? What expectations come with that? The only clear answer is that the expectations are different.

So how do we do church different? That’s the genesis of the idea for these three Reach Resources webinars #churchdifferent.

Over the past years through leading the Reach Movement, I’ve had the opportunity to build relationships with some of the most adaptive church leaders and consultants in the country. These women and men are on the front end of the bell curve. I’ve pulled nine of them together for three conversations about how we can be and do #churchdifferent right now.

Each of these webinars will traverse a wide spectrum of topics to help us envision a #churchdifferent: Connection ♦ Worship ♦ Discipleship ♦ Evangelism ♦ Service ♦ Volunteering ♦ Outreach ♦ Communication.

Here’s the schedule:

May 7 @ 1PM
Jorge Acevedo – Lead Pastor of Grace Church, a multi-site in Cape Coral, FL
Kim Griffith – Consultant, coach, and church planter specializing in StrengthsFinder
Mark Aupperlee – Campus pastor of Sycamore Creek’s first adoption in Potterville, MI

May 14 @ 1PM
Jon Ferguson – Founding pastor of Community Christian Church and New Thing in Chicago
Rachel Gilmore – Church planter and Path1 staff helping assess and train church planters
Eric Kieb – Lead Pastor of Grace Church, a multi-site in the Bay City, MI area

May 21 @ 1PM
Michael Beck – Pastor of Wildwood UMC, FL and a pioneer in the Fresh Expressions movement
Olu Brown – Founding Pastor of multicultural and fast-growing Impact Church in Atlanta, GA
Cathy Townley – Worship coach and consultant working with new starts and existing churches

There’s no need to register ahead of time.  Just mark your calendar, then join the webinar in one of two ways:\

• Zoom: bit.ly/churchdifferent;
• Facebook: facebook.com/REACHsummitMI

Video recordings will be available on the Reach Summit Facebook page and audio will be available at reachresources.org. 

I know you are wanting me to say, “Do church differently.” But I think back to the Apple commercial, “Think Different.”  It’s not 1984, but it’s a whole new world, and those with the missional imagination to see it and live into it have the opportunity to grow and multiply in unique and different ways to build the kingdom and advance the mission of Jesus: to make more disciples to transform the world.

The church has never really been a building, and that’s more evident now than ever.  So let’s take the opportunity to be and do #churchdifferent for the sake of the mission of Jesus.

Last Updated on October 31, 2023