Hey Centennial,
When you hear the word “Church” what comes to your mind?
I hope we think of things like strong friendship and support, or guidance and encouragement for life. We probably think of our faith in Christ, something central and life giving. We might have fond memories and exciting hopes based on our experience.
But what about people who have never been part of a church? What would they think?
If you don’t have any personal experience, or if you have had a negative experience, there’s a good chance that nothing positive comes to your mind. Then, when we consider how frequently churches are portrayed as negative or judgemental places – especially the portrayal of the American Evangelical church – it’s reasonable to conclude that lots of people might have entirely negative things come to their minds when they hear the word. Sometimes, I’ve even wondered to myself,
Why would anyone come to church? And if that’s a fair question, we can take the next step and ask, Why would anyone come to our church?
That last question is the title for our new summer sermon series that begins this Sunday. We will kick the series off by looking at Matthew 16:13-20 and asking a basic and foundational question,
What is a church?
If you know anyone who has wrestled with negative experience or understandings of church, this could be a good Sunday to invite them to come sit with you.
Grace and peace,
Karl Helvig
Lead Pastor
CENTENNIAL COVENANT CHURCH
P.S. Remember, we are in our new summer schedule with only one worship gathering at 10:00am.