Christ Builds the Church

Not only did we learn to open the doors wide to creating our vision. We learned the importance of communicating what was happening.

During that summer we told our story repeatedly. We shared what we heard in scripture, prayer, conversation and reflection. Every week the vision team shared with vulnerability and humility. We talked about what we were learning together and from the South Arlington Community. We shared how our hearts broke and when the Spirit spoke.

Every worship service included a report. We weren’t going to speak in tongues. What we heard needed to be interpreted by and with the congregation. As our eyes grew wide and our vision expanded so did our excitement at the possibilities.

That’s not to say it wasn’t without tension. Discernment is tough. It is as much about the no’s as it is about the yeses. Every choice means something else doesn’t get explored. By the end of the summer, three visions emerged.

• We wanted to be a place that formed disciples.
• We wanted to stand at the crossroads and provide a space for people to connect.
• We wanted to build affordable housing.

The last one may not shock you. However, there was a difference this time. We weren’t trying to rescue the church. We weren’t trying to stave off our demise. This was our mission together.

All three of these statements fell under the umbrella of being a blessing to the South Arlington community. They redefined and sharpened our mission. They were borne of the work we did to understand our why.

Most of all, these visions reflected the people we met that summer. They represented the places and spaces where we felt our hearts break throughout the summer. This vision, we felt, was how Christ wanted to break and rebuild our church.