Birthing a new community of faith

It is hard to believe that just a few months ago this community of faith was only yet a dream in the minds of a couple of fired-up United Methodist clergypersons in New Mexico. God has moved us to join together and begin seeking the members of our cornerstone group. This cornerstone group will be the seed for growth of the community and the incubator for its practices.

We seek to realign the Way of Christ as practiced in The United Methodist Church by forming a community of those beyond the margins of the mainstream church. There are many people who have been hurt or dismissed by the imperfect actions of the Church. Those people need to know that Jesus can be found in other places that are ready to be more flexible and more open than many churches. We contend that both the old and the new can coexist for the benefit of what Jesus called the Kingdom of God.

Our premise is that the modern church is comparable to the Jerusalem Temple of the Israelites of old. For a long period of time the Israelites relied upon the Temple as their sole place of worship. During the Babylonian exile, the Temple was destroyed and synagogue worship began to be practiced. It was community based. Even after the rebuilding of the Second Temple, the synagogues continued. Today we face a mainstream Christian religion dominated by "temple" worship: Many coming to the central locus of worship. We generally lack the synagogue component: An abundance of more local places to worship in more intimate ways bringing the faith out of the walls of the church buildings to where the people are.

Imagine a community of faith emerging from a mainline denomination that has no building, nor wants one. A community of faith built entirely of bands of people willing to explore new practices of Christian faith using Wesleyan roots and themes. Imagine worship taking place in the community - in a bar, in a coffee shop, in a park, at the mall, or wherever the Spirit leads! A community where contributions are almost entirely used for the needs of the community. If a participant in a band has a need, or a friend of a participant is in need, the community will be able to respond with prayer, service and financial support, if called for.

We will be missional, relational and incarnational. We will be out in the community for practically everything we do. We strive to live up to the example and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. We seek to be bearers of Jesus' love in a world suffering from a drought of such love. We believe that the relationships built between the members of the bands and their relationships with God are integral to the potential to grow as humans.
There is a concurrent effort to build such a worship community in Houston, Texas. Please keep this community in your prayers. We will post more information on the organization as the language is polished and clarified.