Someone sent me this quote today:
“No local church can afford to go without the encouragement and nourishment that will come to it by sending away its best people.” – David Penman
It echoes the mantra that we attached to the name of Antioch… that we would be willing to take the best of what God gives us and give it away.
We developed the saying from the example we see in the original church at Antioch (written about in Acts chapter 13) who took the best of what God had given them — Paul and Barnabas, and gave them away — sending them on mission to help others.
This value (what we call “missional”) is reflected in Antioch’s core commitments.
It is a pretty freeing thing to try and hold everything with open hands… even if it isn’t always easy.
In the end, we’ll have done well if we have been able to focus more on the Kingdom of God and what we can give than merely caring for our own church and what we can get.
It is a noble goal == keep at it
I like that there are more and more churches that ar beginning to see things this way. It is refreshing and gives me hope.