The Plan
The Problem.
There are 1,116,459 unchurched people in Suffolk County, NY
That means at least 7 out of every 10 people in Suffolk County are either far from God or far from God’s people, the church.
Here’s what we’re going to do about it:
We’re going to plant a church dedicated to representing Jesus and inspiring people to follow Him
Why a new church?
Evangelism
Did you know that new churches are 6 to 8 times more effective evangelistically?
Discipleship
Did you know new churches typically experience 1 baptism for every 3 people? Contrast that to the fact that existing churches typically only experience 1 baptism for every 95 people per year!
Opportunity
Did you know a church is typically most fruitful in its first 3 years? Can you think of a better time in our nation for fruitful churches to make a difference?
Light of the World
Jesus taught that His followers are the Light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. He explains that whenever we are functioning as we should, people will begin to take notice and actually start praising Him. Matthew 5:14-16
Long Island needs the church. It’s God’s primary vehicle for spreading His wonderful message of reconciliation to the world. We must be the beacon God created us to be so that more than one million unchurched people on Long Island will be inspired to follow Jesus.
It’s easier said than done, we know.
We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we think the following values are the starting ingredients to fulfilling this vision.
We love always.
Flashing lights, excellent music, and engaging sermons are nice but they’re not what makes the church irresistible. What makes the church irresistible is followers of Jesus who genuinely love…and love like Jesus. After all, people who weren’t like Jesus liked Jesus. The same will be true of the church when we love always - just like Jesus.
We model first.
Perhaps nothing is more relationally off-putting than a hypocrite. Yet, political and religious scandals are so common that they don’t even seem to surprise us anymore. In a world where loud arguments and social media seem to be the primary platforms for moral values to reveal themselves, we will instead choose to model what we believe first and foremost.
We ask questions.
Once upon a time if you wanted to question your faith you had to learn how to read, find some literature and challenge your thinking - assuming you weren't killed in the process for abandoning your heritage or your country. Today, someone can hear a lecture in college or watch a youtube video and their whole spiritual outlook can be shattered. The church has primarily responded by trying to shelter students or forbid them from being curious and asking hard questions (probably because they didn't know how to answer them). We refuse to operate this way because we believe our faith is strong enough to withstand any questions, doubts, or critiques that could come its way. So, we don’t expect anyone to check their mind at the door; instead, we welcome questions.
A note from Michael…
When you make the decision to follow Jesus you begin a journey.
My spiritual journey has taken me many places throughout the years. As I reflect, I think I can boil the journey down to four foundations and how God used the local church to meet four basic needs in my life. Maybe you can relate to some or all of them…
Grace
For the first 14 years of my life I lacked an understanding of God’s grace. God used the local church to open my eyes to the gift of His undeserved love.
Belonging
We’re all looking for our place in this world. God used the local church to show me mine.
Understanding
No matter how hard I try I can’t stop asking questions. And the “just have faith” answer gets a little old after a while. Luckily, God used the church to show me there actually are answers to most of my questions.
Purpose
It can be tough getting out of bed in the morning without purpose. God used the local church to fill me with it.
Here’s the catch, for me not all of these needs were met by a single church. In fact, some churches seemed to frown upon my curiosity or my search for purpose. Others seemed to lack a culture of belonging and grace. The church we plant won’t be perfect, because we’re not always going to get it right. But with God’s help we’re going to try because the people of Suffolk County deserve a place where they can grow in their journey - just like I did. Will you help us create it?