By Josh Ross
Family reunions typically carry with them a mixed bag of emotions. There is joy and sadness, excitement, and even anxiety (when we forget a name or can’t place a face).
A small part of family reunions is catching up with everyone. But for the most part, family reunions are about reminiscing about the past, and this can be delightful and frightening simultaneously. It’s nostalgic to hear stories we haven’t heard in years. It’s frightening when the stories entail embarrassing moments from our lives. We all have stories of breaking windows, running over a mailbox, and getting caught sneaking out of the house.
Building Future-Focused Relationships
In a way, when Rick Atchley (senior minister at The Hills Church in Fort Worth) took me and a group of about a dozen young pastor friends of mine to Bob Russell’s retreat site outside of Louisville about a decade ago, it felt like a family reunion. We had grown up in the churches of Christ, the noninstrumental branch of the Restoration Movement that’s mostly found south of the Mason-Dixon Line. We are typically referred to as the group that “doesn’t have music.” A friend once joked that if the Christian churches had just stuck with an acoustic guitar, all the churches of Christ from Texas and Tennessee would have been on board years ago. We were all once part of the same group, but in the early 20th century we split and went our different ways. Throughout the years, God has worked to put us back together.
Connecting with leaders from the independent Christian churches launched me on a decade-long journey of forming meaningful relationships with Christian church pastors. Every time I connect with new leaders from the other side of the Restoration Movement heritage—whether it’s at a conference, guest preaching, or crossing paths in other ways—it feels almost like a family reunion.
Almost . . . but it’s different.
Remember, family reunions often focus on the past, but the relationships I have formed with Christian church leaders aren’t about dwelling on the past. Don’t get me wrong, we talk about the past, but only for a few minutes. The majority of our time is about pressing into the future. We dream together. We talk about the mission of God together. We encourage one another in character, godliness, courage, and adventure. The past plays a part in connecting us, but it’s the future that inspires and motivates us.
‘Putting Broken Pieces Back Together’
If we aren’t careful, the church can become more about preserving than restoring. We can diligently work to preserve what came before us, but to the detriment of joining Jesus in his mission to restore the world that is right in front of us. We can easily slip into being more like a preservation movement than a restoration movement. Growth comes from learning from the past and remembering the past in healthy ways. Growth doesn’t come from setting up residence in the past. In the kingdom of God, the movement is before us, not behind us.
This is why “restoration” language still resonates when leaders from independent Christian churches and churches of Christ fellowship. To restore is to return to life, and this will always be good news. More than good news, it’s a story worth stepping into and living out. We can never outgrow or outlive the Restoration plea. It’s rooted in God’s heart. It has always been at the heart of the church. God delights in putting broken pieces back together. God passionately works to restore beauty from ashes. Our God diligently works to bring life from death. Restoration isn’t an every-once-in-a-while activity of the Divine; restoration is the heartbeat of the Divine.
Unity with a future . . . that is a movement worth investing in!
Josh Ross is the lead minister for the Sycamore View Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He is married to Kayci, the proud dad to two energetic, fun boys, the author of three books, and is honored to pastor in the city of Memphis.
Our prayer for 47 years has been the restoration of the New Covenant model. We are watching with great interest in several groups that have come to Restoration Movement beliefs by other means and do not embrace the traditional model but are seeking the ancient Way. There are many voices speaking many different doctrines today. One of the questions is who has the humble spirit to wash the brothers’ & sisters’ feet in unity? We want to restore the “First Works” of the Ekklesia. We want a unity based on followers discipling, not fans, [and] unity based on clear teaching, not the divisive rules of men or denominational bravo sierra. Thank you!
It seems, though, each individual must abide by his conscience whether about music, cups, Sunday school classes or – on and on so there is still this “difference.” When the “differences” are accepted and not condemned, unity can show itself.
Christ’s last prayer for us was that “They may all be one.” It is essential to live this goal. It is at the core of the Restoration Movement, is Christ’s wish as well, and is our own central core value. So I thank you for those unifying words. It seems that Christians everywhere like to emphasize how they are different and, “the true believers.” This is such a stumbling block to unbelievers, believers, and the growth of the body.
We MUST strive for unity or we will cease to fulfill Christ’s wishes.
And, by the way, have you heard the “Church of Christ” with “no music” on YouTube? I am a member of the Christian Churches and have very rarely heard such beauty as when one listens to the heartfelt singing that comes out of the Churches of Christ! Look it up! It will make your day.
Dr. Jane Vert
Phoenix