By Michael C. Mack
Like Rick Chromey, I love the Restoration Movement . . . but for very different reasons. Rick grew up in an independent Christian church. I had never heard of these churches until I was 27.
In his article, โWhy I Love the Restoration Movement,โ Rick says he is thankful for his upbringing in the church; Iโm thankful for a church, and a movement of churches, that exist to carry out the mission of Jesus to go and make disciples. I am an example of someone whose life was forever changed because a church in our movement decided to call people in their community to invite them to Easter Sunday services. Though the call that reached me was a wrong number, God used it to change my life and my eternity. (See the full story of this โwrong number,โ on our website at christianstandard.com/the-wrong-number.)
That independent church in Centerville, Ohio, was planted one year earlier to reach people like me, and Iโm glad they did!
That church is just one example of churches in our movement that work hard at keeping first things first. Thatโs just one of many reasons I love our movement. I love that we focus on Christ and his mission unencumbered by all kinds of denominational distractions. I love that we are Christiansโdisciples of Jesus, churches of Christโand thatโs enough; no need to add any other labels. I also love that weโre not so pretentious to think weโre the only Christians. I love that we seek for Christians and churches to be one, an answer to Jesusโ prayer. I love that we believe the Scriptures are Godโs Word and we let them speak for themselves.
So, thank you, church, for getting out of your comfort zones and seeking people like me. Thank you for focusing on the mission of Jesus to go and make disciples. Thank you for calling people to Jesus and then equipping them and sending them to go and make a difference.
Iโve gotten to know the movement far better overย the past 30 yearsโespecially during the year Iโve served asย editor ofย Christian Standardโand Iย continue to appreciate it more and more. Sure, we have our flaws, but I see in this movement something worth being a part of, worth investing into, worth strengthening in every way we can.
The articles in this July issue, particularly, indicate some of the good things happening within the Restoration Movement today. Our movement itself is in need of restoration, and only God can provide itโon his terms, not ours. We see examples of that among independents and a cappellas in Victor Knowlesโs โPaddling Together in the Same Directionโ and in the story I tell about Disciples pastors in โBack at the NACC.โ
We see an example of faithfulness and compassion in our movement in Jerry Harrisโs story about Cam and Sarah Huxford. And we see renewed hope for our movementโs future in Jon Fergusonโs โRestoring Godโs Dream for Our World.โ Youโll also want to read David Dummittโs column about church planting in the Restoration Movement and Jeff Faullโs e2 column in which he provides some of the best practices for Restoration Movement elders and leaders.
Weโre all about restoration, and one of the best cases of that in our movement today is the long overdue reconciliation among people of all nations, races, and peoples. Relentless Church in Cary, North Carolina, is an example of a church planted to be intentionally multiethnic. I hope their story by Justin Horey provides an example other churches can follow.
By the way, this month we start a new column called MinistryLife, a personal narrative essay about some aspect of the writerโs life in ministry. Tyler McKenzie throws out the first pitch for this new column. Weโre inviting you to send your 500- to 700-word essay telling of an experience through which you gained wisdom or learned some vital ministry principle. See more about writing for this column at christianstandard.com/contact-us/submit-articles.
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
