Finding A Community

Nearly nine years ago, I took a trip to Chicago, IL to attend a missional church presentation by Alan Hirsch. While there I met a missionary named Troy Cady who had recently returned to the U.S. after 12 years of planting churches in Spain. Over the next few months and another trip to Chicago for a Missional Learning Commons at Northern Seminary, I had the opportunity to get to know Troy and the organization he worked with, Communitas International, better. In the process, I found a network of missional practitioners that were willing to experiment with less traditional methodologies in launching faith communities that would reach people that were often missed by the common approaches to launching a church. Being a part of this network has given me the freedom and personal support needed to try things that would reach people I never envisioned before while staying grounded in the core faith the binds us together as followers of Jesus.

Our journey with Communitas is now coming full circle. Over the past few months, the North America region of Communitas has been going through quite a bit of transition. Our regional director has recently stepped into the role of President of the ministry. A new strategic development team has been formed to steward the growth of Communitas in North America. In the past three months, I have officially joined that team and taken on the role of co-leading mobilization for Communitas in North America. Together with my colleague, Darrin Jones, we will be developing strategies to connect with others who have a shared vision with Communitas and finding ways to help them step into the vision God is giving them for their community. It can be as simple as having a Zoom call with a couple who pastors a church in a small Midwestern town and are beginning to explore new ways to reach out to their community and the communities around them more. Or it can be making a three day trip to a city where we already have a Communitas presence and working with the local teams to connect with others who share our DNA and are looking for a place to belong. It's all part of the Communitas mission to start and shape communities of faith that love like Jesus in their neighborhoods.

While doing this, the work in Indianapolis will continue. My hope in getting involved in the larger Communitas vision in this way is that we will also have opportunities to invite people to join us in our work in Indianapolis and to help us expand our opportunities to reach those who are marginalized by society. Pray that God will give us favor and wisdom in helping others find the supportive community they are looking for as they seek out new ways to carry out the mission of Jesus in their neighborhoods.