The Church Has Left The Building

In just 4 long weeks (I say long because it seems like forever between Sundays), Kristi and I have learned a good bit about Jacob’s Well, our new church home. There is still so much more to learn and many new personal relationships to build. Opportunities abound for us to do just that. Observation and initiative will take care of that over time. Kristi hooked up with a young lady on our first visit actually and they really look forward to seeing each other each week and this has inspired Kristi to pursue her long desire to learn sign language. We’ve had opportunity to spend time privately with the pastors and their wives over coffee, pizza and sandwiches (I made good choices by the way) allowing them to learn a bit more about our heart and us-theirs. Life groups are an integral part of JW with several hosted through the week and we discussed that a good bit.

Last Sunday Kristi and I had lunch with Pastor Ken and his wife Kelly. What a great couple; we enjoyed the short time together. Ken brought a couple of books for me to read-“The Externally Focused Church” and “Sticky Church” and the accompanying DVD set. I just finished reading “Externally focused Church” I only had 7-days to complete it before passing it on. I felt a little intimidated that I had such a short time to read this book yet I think Ken knew I would probably get sucked in pretty good. I love this book and I am going to buy a copy so I have it for reference. I think this is essential reading for leadership at all churches involved in outreach or planning to. Though this book was written with a couple of specific church examples, it may as well have been written about Jacob's Well because you see its about churches being (as the title says) externally focused. Though teaching, saving, baptizing and serving the needs of the flock (internal focus) are all great and necessary, you aren't whole as a church unless you are serving the needy and serving community and doing so by commissioning your membership out of the confines of the four walls in doing so. From my observation, serving in these ways is not by “department” and by that I mean it’s not a philosophy of “we have a group for this and a group for that” but rather a church-wide philosophy. Certainly Life Groups take on some special interests as a small group as well and that is healthy in growing the group as a close-knit family of its own and serving needs of others as such. It is also healthy for a church to serve together as a larger body...youth and adults serving together even.

Last week, youth from Texas joined alongside Jacob’s Well in serving community; they like what JW is doing and believe in its vision and its commission by God. This week, youth are visiting from Arkansas also to serve alongside JW in the community. You know-its one thing to believe in your church and what God is doing with it; it’s a whole other thing when you are blessed that other churches believe in your church as well and I’m not just talking Texas and Arkansas, I’m talking other local churches JW partners with-yes, even across denominational lines to serve a common purpose-to simply serve.

I love Jacob’s Well. This church lives the heart of the gospel as a church that “thinks, cares and DOES.” I would love to say that God is doing great things at Jacob’s Well but its more than that. God is doing great things THROUGH Jacob’s Well. From what I see the outreach by Jacob’s Well is not an attempt to increase attendance or simply take care of their own with an internal focus…no, not at all. If someone asks you for a cup of cold water you give it to them, not as a condition of anything, not to bring them to Jesus, not to bring them to your church-no conditions. You give someone a cup of cold water for the same reason Jesus would, because that person is simply thirsty and needs a drink of water…period. You feed someone that is hungry because they need something to eat. You lift someone up because they are too weak to stand on their own.

You know, its probably a couple of more years before Jacobs Well breaks ground on a church building. Some might wonder how does a church survive-let alone thrive without a building? It just goes to show you that in fact church is not at all about brick and mortar or steeple-envy. Its about what happens the other 6-days of the week and where and how you spend your time serving. This is how you truly love God-by loving people tangibly. By being His hands and His feet, by putting your efforts where your mouth is walking the walk and putting boots on the ground...willing boots at that.

If you are looking for Jacob’s Well after Sunday service look quick because the church has left the building and that’s how its supposed to be.