active kingdom passive church

A church is passively planted when the kingdom is actively pursued.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to actively plant a church and passively pursue the reign of God in my heart.  We are the church because the kingdom of God and his righteousness has been (and continues to be) pursued.  A church is a people who participate in God's mission.  We are not necessarily participating in the kingdom of God if our focus is solely on church.  This may seem like a subtle difference, but it has huge implications.

Christ teaches that we are to be a kingdom minded people (Matthew 6:33).  We are to be a people that love the Lord holistically.  We are to be a people that embody the incarnation.  We are to be a people that serve as a light to our community - a group of shenanigans that add flavor to the people around them.  God's kingdom is something I want to be focused on.  It's something I want to have my eyes gazing upon.  The reign of God in my heart is what I want more than anything else.  I'm passionate about living "in shalom" with God.  

I don't want to actively create or plant another church.  I don't want to feel good about how many people show up on a Sunday morning koinonia gathering.  I don't simply want to focus on what happens when we come together.  In fact, if this is ever our focus, there are plenty of other churches in Saranac, Ionia, or Lowell that we can merge with to do this sort of thing.  Instead, I want to actively pursue the kingdom of God.  Because I'm around others that are passionate about the same thing, church is a word that defines who we are.  If we are pursuing God's kingdom and righteousness, then "church" is who we are.  

When the kingdom is actively pursued, church plants are passively unfolding.