As a Sunday Civilian, I have been on a lot church campuses in Charlotte recently, and most of those churches are “welcoming” in the sense that someone greets you, helps you if you look lost, hands you a bulletin with a smile, shakes your hand if there is a passing of the peace, and pats you on the back as you head to your car until next Sunday.

I was talking with someone who had been through the church shopping process, and he sheepishly admitted that his family wanted to find a community where the pastor’s preaching could relate scripture to their lives and if they saw people around them they could potentially connect with.

For some reason, he felt guilty that this is what they were hungry for. Yet, this makes perfect sense, because we worship a God who came as Jesus Christ to relate to us, not in the Temple but in the streets and their homes.  Therefore, church is about building a community of relationships.

However, to stop doing church and start beingchurch means we need to look for a community that not only welcomes us but challenges us. One that challenges us to dig deeper into our faith to find Christ…challenges us to dig deeper in our friendships to become accountable to someone else…challenges us to approach God without suspicion but with surrender.

Therefore, I invite you to accept our challenge, and be the church by join our Trailblazer team as we prepare for April Worship. Mark down your calendar for 10am April 6th at Myers Park High School and consider three-to-five friends to start praying for and to go have coffee with.

Did you wonder why the picture above was of our worship space with empty chairs? Because worship is not where we gather to watch a performance, but it is where gather before God to be reminded of His mercies, to be inspired by His Son, and to be SENT out into a mission field.