Stories from the Short North

We spent a few days in Columbus this week - Steve, Stephen, myself and a few friends and potential ministry partners...

We set up shop in the Polaris area at a really cool new hotel called Cambria Suites. If you're visiting Columbus, I'd recommend this place.

Anyway, we focused a lot of our time in the Short North arts district. It's situated between downtown Columbus and OSU. Just passing through, it's easy to overlook its glamor and appeal, but after parking our car and trekking through the snow we found it to be everything it's cracked up to be, and then some...

The Short North is overflowing with young, creative and innovative artistic types. Trendy and diverse dining opportunities, impressive art galleries, sweet coffee shops, local boutiques like What the Rock and Milk Bar...Let's just say, Stephen fell in love with the place and was wishing he had worn his blue mo-hawk! It's definitely the kind of place that's thriving with potential - a seemingly untapped market if you will.

As we walked along the street, appreciating the rich, dynamic culture that was oozing from everywhere, a friend of mine said, "Intelligent and creative people just don't like church - Church is just not smart and it's most definitely not creative".

It got me thinking. How can we, as a church, tap into the creativity and artistic passion of a place like the Short North? How can we engage the artistic community and provide outlets for them to use their talent within the church? How can the church partner with these people, these shops and support their creative passion? Maybe it's a lost cause. Maybe they're just not interested in church. Maybe it's like my friend said, church is just not smart or creative enough.

Then we met two guys that ran a sweet fashion boutique right in the heart of the district. As we combed through their unique selection and carried on a semi-casual conversation with the two owners, the question finally came up -

"So what are you all doing in Columbus?"

"We're starting a church", I said.
"What kind of church?", they asked.
"A different kind of church", I added.
"How's it going to be different?", they inquired.

We just kept it rolling. They were intrigued, interested, maybe even a bit inspired.

After a few minutes, one of the owners told us about a very prominent church in the area. He said at least 8 or 9 of his friends went there and that they all played instruments and were apart of bands and stuff in the church. I asked him if he ever went with them. His response -

"They never ask me."

"It's weird", he said. "They go to church all the time. And they're never like, yo, you doing anything tonight? You want to come to church with us? I'm always doing stuff, hanging out. Honestly, I'd go if they asked me to, but they don't. So I don't have any idea what that church has going on."

"We'll, I'm officially and personally inviting you to our church", I said.

I couldn't believe it. We left, I got their business cards. And I was at a loss for words.

For too many churches, community has become the mission. A bunch of people from this church or that church all get together and hang out, in community. They do things with each other, in community. When community becomes the mission, its easy to forget the people who are on the outside of your [church] community.

When community becomes the mission, we lose. They lose too.
We all lose.

Rather, community is a result of mission.

Mission is what drives community. Mission is what creates community. Community isn't then, a bunch of people who just want to hang out. Community is driven by people on a mission, the same mission, which brings them together, in community.

So what kind of church will we be?

Our mission is what drives us - to be a church for God, the city & the world.

Our mission is to see the lost and the hurting, the hopeless and the oppressed, the seeking and spiritually restless meet Jesus. That's our mission. And we should always be doing our mission.

The moment we just want to start hanging out together because its fun and safe, we need to hang it up, close the doors and not pretend to be a church.

A church is a community driven by mission, a mission to seek and save the lost. And the more we do the mission, the more our community will grow!