Jesus Tribe Core Practices

Dancing - the worship of God is our delight.

Worship is not an event. It's a life lived. For us, it's a life lived for Jesus.

Worship is relational. It's being flooded by the love of God, freed from the things that hold us in bondage, and lifted to a higher level of living and being. In response, we love God back, and we join him in loving the people of the world as unrelentingly, unconditionally, and sacrificially as he does.

Like all relationships, a relationship with the creator of the universe is not effortless, its not cut and dried simple, and its sure not a simple matter of "do's and don't do" lists. In short, its not religion. (Man, is it not religion!) A life lived in relationship with Christ is all-encompassing. It integrates our compartmentalized lives, and transforms the whole. In Christ, we find meaning and hope and other-worldly joy that is otherwise unattainable.

Hunting and Gathering – Mission is why we exist

If God only created us for a relationship with himself, he’d have X’d us out already and taken us to the “other side” We’re here for a purpose – Mission. Mission is about going to all people everywhere, sharing the love of Christ, and bringing people together as a community of Jesus followers. Our prayer is that people will respond to Christ, be freed from the power of sin, and embrace him as the leader of their life.

No where in the Bible did Jesus ever force himself on anyone, and neither will we. Jesus did love people, and he spelled out who he was and what he was about. So will we. Naturally, some people will disagree and reject us, but if we love them any less for it, we’ve failed to follow Christ. Jesus knows our every crummy thought, hurtful word, and moral failure, and his response is to love us anyway. The least we can do is dispense love to others as freely and unconditionally as we’ve received it.

Exploring – Relevance to culture is not optional; neither is diversity.

Jesus lived among the people of his day, spoke to the issues of his day, used the language of his day, and dressed in the everyday clothes of his day. Makes sense to us. Jesus Tribe wants to be a church that’s “out there,” not an insulated group telling people to “come in here.” We’re interested in more dialogue, and less “preaching to.” We want to worship God with music that’s speaks our hearts in our language. And we want to wear our normal clothes – whatever normal means to you…um…unless of course you’re a nudist. Sorry for the visual.

Jesus also came to break down the walls that divide us. Our love of Christ trumps color, gender, and economic status. In the church there was to be “no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free.” In other words in God’s sight we’re on a level playing field, no exceptions. The Church is a couple thousand years behind schedule, but its time we embrace our role as God’s chosen instrument of reconciliation. At Jesus Tribe, that happens as we worship and serve God together, recognizing and celebrating our differences but confessing those difference don’t amount to much when compared to the love we share for Christ.

 

Nurturing – It takes a group.

Jesus created the church. We might have given him reasons to be sorry about that through the ages, but the church (as he created it to be) is a beautiful thing. The church is a group of people who support and encourage one another, celebrate and cry together, and spur one another on to share God’s love with the world.

By design, we’re relational beings. “Belonging” is fundamental to God’s plan for us. At Jesus Tribe we embrace that plan by providing small groups where real, intimate, family-type relationships can be developed. Small groups share life together – learning, serving, and supporting one another in good times and bad.

Storytelling – Creativity is a natural result of spirituality

We are made in the image of God – the creator of galaxies, subatomic particles, sunsets, melodies, and sea horses. Humanity’s history shows that we are inherently creative. Positive creativity should be especially true of the church, not less so.

Art, dance, structure, poetry, and music are gifts from God, and they can and should find their highest expression in his church. At Jesus Tribe we’re committed to the arts and to creating opportunities for artists of all kinds to express their God-given gifts for his glory and for the joy of his people.

 

 

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Designed By Zach Jorgensen