Fairview Mennonite Church

Fairview Mennonite Church is a gathering of Jesus followers and seekers with a long history and, I believe, a bright future. We are a mix of generations and backgrounds that join together each Sunday. While nurseries are available during the service for parents to take their children, we don’t have scheduled programs for kids during our services. The result of this is a service in which all ages join together in worship and the teaching of the Word. Our youth group fills the front benches of the sanctuary each week, while the rest of the congregation fills in around them.

The word “discipleship” comes to mind as I reflect on what I have been witnessing take place in our church. Over the years, I’ve heard so much about methods and approaches to discipleship, and yet in this season of our congregation, I’ve been struck with the reality that, while strategy is important to some degree, strategy can never replace what happens when people simply care for and walk with others in sincere love and concern. A wise friend once told me, “Brandon, culture eats strategy for lunch…and breakfast.” This has stuck with me ever since, and helps me understand what the Apostle Paul was driving at in Romans 12:9-13:

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (ESV).

While we will never live these out perfectly, I see the desire to be these things, and the posture of many to live them out in our fellowship. We all need each other if we are going to turn against evil and toward what is good. If we are going to love one another and show honor, someone has to go first. If we are going to maintain lives of purpose and direction instead of apathy and service to the Lord, we need other people to work alongside. Rejoicing on one’s own can be difficult and being patient in tribulation extremely lonely. It is difficult to be constant in prayer without others testifying to the power of prayer in their lives. Whether these commands of Paul are being lived out by mature, long-term Christians walking through unprecedented circumstances in their lives, or new believers coming out of various backgrounds into faith in Jesus, both parties have something to learn from each other and to contribute to the spiritual well-being of their brother or sister.

My friendship with Mike is one that has meant a great deal to me recently. Mike came to faith in Jesus out of a long history of Mormonism. Before Mike and I knew each other, we both went to an event where the host of a call-in radio show was speaking. After one of the sessions, we both got to the front of the line at the same time to visit with Steve. Steve introduced the two of us. Steve had led Mike to the Lord through the program, and baptized him not long before this. But since he lived in California, Steve and Mike’s relationship was from a distance. On that day, Mike and I exchanged numbers and a friendship started. Mike has become a regular attender of our church and while we have journeyed together through discipleship material in recent months, the real blessing has been the gain of a friendship and a brother in Christ to share life with as we both seek to walk with Jesus.

My prayer is that our desire for impressive programs and growth strategies would be replaced with desire for authentic community. Not one where we wallow together in defeat and call it authenticity, but one where we are honest about struggles and encourage one another to continue to pursue victory in Christ, and genuine evidence of the fruit of the Spirit exists. May we be known most of all by our love.