A Bittersweet Commissioning


Today is a bittersweet Sunday.

Bitter, because dear friends are leaving our church to move across country; sweet, because we commissioned them to go as part of a church planting team.

Bitter, because unreached people groups still exist; sweet, because they are going to share the good news with them.

Bitter, because so few evangelicals know that the United States is home to the third-largest number of unreached people groups in the world; sweet, because they said, “We see at least one of them in our backyard.”

Bitter, because few evangelicals are laboring to reach this large Arab Muslim population; sweet, because they said, “We’re willing to sacrifice, serve, and love them.”

Bitter, because evangelicals widely believe no ordinary, Spirit-called believers can be church planters without giving up their day jobs; sweet, because they are taking their marketplace skills and health care practice and relocating as church planters.

Bitter, because most evangelicals consider this team’s way of thinking about church planting in North America as the exception; sweet, because they read the Word and believe an apostolic approach should be the expectation.

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