As we prepare for Summit #2, we want to take time to ask God to show us the “identity” God wants us to live out as a unified body of believers.  Think of this process as God gathering us all together to take our Family Portrait.  This, then, can be the picture of “who we are” when we are living in ways that make our Heavenly Father proud as we move forward.

The next few days of reflective prayer are designed to help us orient our hearts and minds around the things God wants to focus on.  The important things that God wants us to be for. The devotional material for each day begins with some information, a reflection on the Scriptures, some questions to think about throughout the day, and a prayer prompt.

There is a rich history of Christian thought around how beliefs shape people. As we prepare for Summit 2, we’ll be trying to collectively answer an important question: what is our God-breathed identity? In order to do that, we’ll be praying through some important theological topics. Don’t be scared away by that word. Theology is simply what we think and how we express what we understand about God. This includes ideas and information, but it also includes actions and behaviors, both individual and as a church.

It’s important to understand that we draw theological conclusions from a few different sources. We get information and ideas from the Bible - our primary source for theological understanding. Our experiences, reason/logic, and traditions also help us to draw theological conclusions. Christians express what they believe about God through the lives they live as much, if not more so, than through the ideals they proclaim. How we act out our ideals is as important as the ideals themselves.

Reflect on 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Peter 1:3-8

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• What are the most important things I believe to be true about God?
• In light of what I believe, what are the most important things I believe about being a Christian?
• Do I know where my beliefs come from (Bible, tradition, experiences, reason…)?
• What happens if my personal beliefs are in contrast to my church community’s officially stated beliefs about a particular theological topic?

• How closely do my beliefs need to align with other Christians in order to worship together?

As you pray, ask God to help you keep an open mind and to draw honest conclusions about your own theology as we listen for our God-breathed identity as a community. Pray for clarity, vision, and courage as we move through this next step.

Father, as we receive the following daily devotional topics, help us hear your voice and your Spirit. As we reflect on each topic, help us be honest with ourselves about our own personal beliefs. Help us to open our hearts and minds to the process ahead of us and remind us that you are on the journey with us. Help us look into our past, present, and future while we listen for your voice. Let your will be done

Today, we’re reflecting on a difficult concept that truly makes Christianity unique. Christians believe in a Trinity - the God of the universe exists as one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity isn’t a word or an explicit statement you’ll find in the Bible, but for most Christians, it has become the defining characteristic of their understanding about God. This is the conclusion most followers of Jesus have drawn as they’ve studied the various pictures of God presented in the Scriptures.

Because we see the Scriptures as a unified story about God, we draw this conclusion based on God's nature, character, and action revealed to us in the Bible. Trinity differentiates Christianity from its Jewish roots. It does not totally separate us from our Jewish brothers and sisters, but it sets us apart in terms of the revelation of God’s action in Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

It’s important for us to understand that “Trinity” is not a term used in the Bible, it is the framework we use to make sense of God as we find God there. The New Testament doesn’t give us a vision of God that we have to try and stuff Jesus and the Holy Spirit into. Instead, we come to find that God is one and that this one God acts in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

It’s a bit confusing, but it’s also really important. God the Father of all creation is beyond us - outside of our understanding. But…the God of the universe also becomes one of us in the person of Jesus the Son.  Both, then, pour out their life-giving Holy Spirit for all believers.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Matthew 3:16-17

1 Peter 1:1-2

1 Corinthians 6:11

Matthew 28:16-20

Romans 8:1-3

2 Corinthians 13:14

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• Does it matter to me that the Christian tradition of a Trinitarian God is distinctive from other faiths? Why or why not?
• Is the relational nature of God important to my faith? Why or why not?
• Is it important that I understand Jesus as both fully God and fully human? Why or why not?
• What is my understanding of how the Holy Spirit acts in our lives today?

As you pray, ask God to show you the beauty of the mystery of the Trinity. Also, rest in the peace of knowing that you can’t fully grasp this idea and that you aren’t responsible for having all the answers. Ask God to open our hearts and minds toward thoughtful reflection on these topics and their implications for living as Christians. 

Today, we’re reflecting on three important topics for organizing a church community. These topics lay a foundation for how Christians think about other topics. 

The Bible
The Bible consists of 66 texts arranged in two collections that we often call the Old and New Testaments. Together, these texts serve as Christian Scripture, which could be defined as the sacred texts that have been accepted as authoritative for the community's life and practice. Some Christian communities have opted to include more texts than these 66, but all of them recognize the 66 that most of us are familiar with. 

A summarized history of the bible is helpful, but it should be noted that the path to the Bible we have today was a long, messy, misunderstood, and holy process.

The earliest Christian communities used the Hebrew Scriptures they already had - what we often refer to as the Old Testament. These were the trusted Scriptures in Jesus’s day. Over time, these communities added stories about Jesus (the Gospels) and letters to and from church leaders and communities. These texts were also being heavily used to guide local churches worldwide. Church communities for centuries have recognized the Old and New Testament as one unified story that culminates in Jesus and looks forward to the restoration of all things. 

Christian communities have drawn various conclusions on how the Bible is authoritative. The Bible doesn’t necessarily talk about itself, so, like the Trinity, we have to draw reasonable conclusions based on what we have. Most communities have a commitment to the inspiration of Scripture, meaning that the Bible is both a human and divine product - making it the written word of God through human writers.

• For some communities, inspiration means that God has allowed humans to write the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit without suspending their real human voices.
• For some, inspiration means that the words in the original texts are exactly the words God wanted to use and were dictated to the writers.
• Some communities have stressed that the Scriptures are fully inerrant, meaning that they contain no errors in matters of science, history, geography, etc. 
• Others have stressed that the Scriptures are inerrant but that inerrancy is limited, meaning that they contain no errors in matters of faith or spirituality, but the writers were not concerned with scientific, geographical, or historical accuracy.
• Some communities have stressed that the Bible is infallible rather than inerrant, meaning that the Scriptures cannot fail.
• Others have preferred to use the terms authoritative, reliable, and trustworthy to describe the uniqueness of Scripture based on its inspiration because of the loaded nature of the terms mentioned previously.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

2 Timothy 3:14-17

John 14:25-26

John 16:12-15

2 Peter 3:14-17

1 Corinthians 2:12-13

Romans 16:25-27

The Church & The Kingdom
Let’s also reflect on the relationship between the Church (a global community), local churches, and the Kingdom. Based on Jesus’s call to disciples of all backgrounds, we can see that the “Church” is a global community of followers of Jesus that is then made up of unique local church bodies. 

The Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven) is an idea frequently used in the Bible to refer to the space in which God’s will is done. Sometimes, the Kingdom is presented as actual physical space, and sometimes, it is presented as an overlap of God’s immaterial space and our earthly location. The Kingdom of God presents past, present, and future realities to consider. How Christians believe these three concepts relate to each other has implications for how a community of Christians might organize and function.

• Some communities understand the Church and the Kingdom as the same, meaning that the Kingdom of God has come in its fullness in the Church and Christians will see the restoration of all things through the action of the Church.
• Some communities understand the Church and unique local church bodies as representative communities of the Kingdom of God in the present. They embody the realities of the Kingdom of God together as a witness until the Kingdom arrives in its fullness. This is an understanding that the Kingdom is both now (inaugurated by Jesus) and not yet (to be fulfilled in the future.)
• Some communities understand the Church as a replacement for Israel (God’s Old Testament people) - a Plan B to the failed Israel project, while others see the Church as a continuation of Israel or the fulfillment of God’s promises to covenant Israel. 
• Some communities require belief in their denominational distinctives to be considered a Christian in the global sense while others strive for unity even when theological differences are present.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Acts 2:41-47

Romans 12:3-8

Mark 1:14-15

Ephesians 4:1-6

Matthew 3:1-3; 4:23

Revelation 22:1-7

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• What do I think about the Bible and its role in the community of faith?
• How do I understand the relationships of the Church, local churches, and the Kingdom?
• How would convictions in these areas guide the function and practice of our church body?
• How do my convictions in these areas orient me toward other Christians?

As you pray, ask God to give you insight and to help you be honest as you explore your convictions. Ask for clarity as you reflect on the extent to which your own personal beliefs need to align with the rest of your local church body or that church’s officially stated beliefs.

Today, we’re reflecting on humanity, sin, and salvation. These important concepts shape the way a particular community might behave.

Let’s start with humanity. The stories of creation found in Genesis 1 & 2 indicate that the purpose of humanity is to bear God’s image as a community and to be stewards of his good creation. Reflect on Genesis 1:26-28, and Genesis 2:15.

Sin enters the picture by way of action. The humans take the task of defining good and evil as their own prerogative. Genesis 4-11 shows us the spiral from a community that is in right relationship with God, each other, and creation to a corrupted world filled with violence that grieves the very heart of God. Reflect on Genesis 6:5-13.
 
The picture of sin presented most often in the Bible is of “missing the mark” of bearing God’s image by participating in disordered living. Sin is disorder in contrast to God’s order, which disrupts our relationship with God and leads to death.
From Genesis 12 on, the Bible tells the story of God’s saving work culminating in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. It does this while keeping the future restoration of all things in view.

Salvation from sin and death and the restoration of all affected relationships are rooted in the work of Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God to humans also known as grace. Reflect on Romans 8:1-11
There’s a lot to think about, but here’s the gist:

We are restored to right relationship with God the Father by the person and work of Jesus the Son. Jesus, being both human and divine, is the mediator between humanity and God. The Holy Spirit is the applier of divine life and transformation. 

We might say that salvation is the work of God the Father by Jesus the Son and through the Spirit.
Christian traditions throughout history have come up with a few different ways to interpret what the Bible says about humanity, sin, and salvation. The following are some fundamental questions, and some short summaries of conclusions faithful Christian communities have drawn. Each conclusion drawn about these topics has implications for how those communities will function together.

• Is sin something we do or something we are?
• How should we think about human nature?
  • Humans are fundamentally corrupt from birth because sin is an inherited state. Humans are incapable of good apart from the transformative work of God through grace. Because of this corrupted state, humans cannot and will not choose God without God’s intervention first. Sin is what we are and that is why it is what we do.
  • Humans are capable of both good and bad and are predisposed to sin. Because of this, grace is God’s movement toward humans who can willfully choose God in return. Sin is what we do, and it can become who we are.

• What does it mean to be saved?
  • Salvation means the freedom from the effects and consequences of sin and death (now to a limited extent, and totally in the future).
  • Salvation means I go to Heaven when I die.
  • Salvation results in living in right relationship with God and others.
  • Salvation is about the future.
  • Salvation is about the present.
  • Salvation is about the flourishing of all creation. 
  • Salvation is about individuals. 
  • Salvation results in redeemed communities.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Acts 4:5-12

Romans 3:21-26

Romans 5:12-21

Acts 10:34-43

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 John 1:5-10

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• How does my view of humanity, sin, and salvation shape the way I think about being a Christian?
• How do my views shape the way I think about non-Christians?
• What do I believe it means to be saved?
• Do I know where these beliefs come from?

As you pray, ask God to show you the great love with which all humans are loved, how sin corrupts and what it means to be saved. Ask for clarity in your own convictions about humanity, sin, and salvation and for clarity in areas where the Church may provide insufficient guidance. 

Today, we’re reflecting on the mission of the Church. Many Christian communities point to Jesus’s words in Matthew 18:18-20. You might call this a mission statement of the global community of Jesus followers. These verses have been commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Most English translations read something like this:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Discipleship & Evangelism
Most church communities rightly see this as the foundation for their mission statements. Jesus claims authority as the King of Kings over both heaven and earth and sets the Christian project in motion. Jesus is commands his Church to make disciples of all people groups by baptizing, teaching and obeying his commands as they go into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. They are to remember that Jesus’s authority is what empowers them to do this until the end of time.

• Some church communities have emphasized the go portion of this command resulting in missionary evangelism - taking the Gospel into parts of the world where it is unknown and making it known. 
• Some communities have emphasized the importance of baptizing - adding followers from all stripes to the Church through a public ritual of commitment to the church community and to Jesus.
• Some communities have emphasized teaching - helping disciples grow in their understanding of the Scriptures in order to put them into practice and to develop mature believers.
• Some communities have emphasized obeying - focusing on discipline and practice in the ways of Kingdom life that bear witness to God’s work of reconciliation, justice, and restoration.

All of these emphases are beautiful. They aren’t meant to be mutually exclusive. It is important that we understand the need for all parts of the body working together. Different focuses have also produced different methods of making disciples.

• Some communities have emphasized discipleship as a large group of people learning and practicing together. 
• Some communities have emphasized discipleship in smaller, more intimate communities.
• Some communities have emphasized one-on-one discipleship as the primary method for training Christians. 

Baptism
Before the time Jesus walked the earth, the practice of immersing something or someone in water to symbolize rebirth or new commitment was common. God called early Christian communities to adapt this practice as the symbol of entry into the Christian community. Nearly all Christian communities today celebrate some version of this practice as baptism.

• Some communities baptize only those who are old enough to make a conscious decision and who have publicly confessed belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is commonly referred to as believer’s baptism (or credo-baptism). 
• Some communities baptize infants of believing families into the Christian community. This is commonly referred to as infant baptism (or paedo-baptism). Some communities hold to the belief that this baptism washes away original sin. Some see this simply as entry into the community of faith. Some of these communities practice confirmation of those who are old enough to make a conscious decision and publicly confess belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
• Some communities immerse the entire believer in actively running water, a pool, pond, lake, or other baptismal structure.
• Some communities baptize by pouring water over the head of the baptizee or some combination of immersion and the sprinkling of water.
• Some communities recognize one baptism with water for the recognition of belief or entry into the community and then recognize a second baptism of the Holy Spirit that is made evident in the life of the believer by signs/wonders (speaking in tongues, miracles, healing, etc.).

• Some communities believe that baptism is required for salvation while others see it as a symbolic, public commitment to follow Jesus.

There is evidence for all of the above mentioned in the Scriptures and surrounding early church documents. Variations of these actions have taken many forms, but the common thread is a recognition of entry into the Christian community and a symbol of new life.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Matthew 5, 6, & 7

Romans 6

1 Peter 3:18-22

Acts 2:37-39; 10:44-48

Ephesians 4:1-6

Matthew 4:18-19

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• What do I believe about evangelism?
• What do I believe about baptism?
• How do I define discipleship?
• Do the convictions I hold about any of these require me to break fellowship with others who do not hold the same convictions?

As you pray, ask for wisdom, clarity, and discernment as you ponder how each of these important aspects of Church mission have shaped you. Ask for guidance as to the appropriate methods and models of these concepts for the local church.

Today we’re reflecting on the things church communities do when they gather for their Sunday Service. Let’s call these Sacred Actions. The term sacred action refers to particular activities that reinforce beliefs. It is not only what Christians believe that makes them unique. The things Christians do should coincide with how they think. These sacred actions are responses to God and are formative for the life of a body of believers. Sacred actions have changed over time. Many of the sacred actions of different Christian communities can trace their way back to Hebrew practices that became Christian ritual.

As the church spread over time and territory, more and different ways to express worship through sacred action became available. The gathering of worshippers has moved from meals in homes as persecuted minorities to liturgies in cathedrals as government-ordained religious organizations and everything in between. Some churches have emphasized communion as the focus of their gathered worship and some prayer and the Holy Spirit as the focus of their gathered worship. Some have emphasized music and singing, and even particular styles of music as more appropriate (chanting, hymns, acapella singing, contemporary bands, etc.) Some have emphasized preaching, teaching, and sermons, and some have emphasized peaceful resistance to power. ‌We can see examples of all of these in the New Testament, but all churches do things in their own unique ways because there are no two local churches exactly alike. 

The purpose of gathering on Sundays to worship together is an important idea to reflect on. Many communities have seen the weekly gathering of worshippers as the primary mode of discipleship - the place where followers learn together and practice Kingdom life. Some communities see Sunday services as a large gathering of smaller discipleship communities that meet throughout the week.  These communities also tend to believe that non-belivers should feel welcome into the community during these services.

New Community has traditionally focused its weekly gathering around a pattern commonly known as the 4-fold Pattern of Worship:

• Gather - We greet one another, sing songs together, and practice Community Time.
• Word - Sermons/messages and the public reading of Scripture.
• Table - Weekly communion, corporate prayer, meditation, and taking an offering are also common.
• Send/Response – A call to action or response designed to remind us that we are Christians out there as well as in here.

All of these sacred actions are adaptations of Christian practices that have fostered discipleship. The Bible does not prescribe any one particular mode of gathered worship. The two most common sacred actions practiced by nearly all Christian communities are baptism and communion. We’ve addressed baptism previously, so let’s reflect on communion. 

There are a few important ways in which different church communities have viewed the consumption of bread and wine (or juice) in remembrance of Christ.

• The substance/essence of the bread and cup are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ when the elements are blessed. This is known as transubstantiation.
• The substance/essence of the bread and cup coexist with Jesus. The elements and Jesus are not the same, but are with each other together. This is known as consubstantiation.
• The bread and cup are only symbols of Christ's presence in Communion. This is known as the memorial or symbolic view.
• The bread and cup are symbolic, but they are also more than symbols. Mystery is present. The elements and practice of Communion bring us into the real presence of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. This is known as the spiritual presence or real presence view.

Many church communities hold communion up as one of the two ordinances of Jesus alongside baptism, meaning that Jesus commanded his followers to do these things. However, Jesus didn’t really give many ground rules for how these were to be done. There are also many views on the frequency, emphasis, and who should or should not take communion.

• Some communities emphasize that communion should be practiced every week when the church gathers.
• Some communities practice communion once a month or on special occasions a few times a year in order to preserve its sacredness.
• Some communities only allow baptized adults & children of a particular age to participate in communion.
• Some communities only allow members of that local community to participate in communion.
• Some communities allow anyone to participate in communion.

These different views come from various understandings of the Bible and traditions stemming from the earliest church gatherings. Of course, there are many other sacred actions and disciplines like prayer, Sabbath keeping, silence and solitude, fasting, community service, generosity, etc. that the Church has emphasized in various forms. It’s important for us to consider how each of these practices shape a community and where there might be neglect or overemphasis. 

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Ephesians 5:17-21

John 6:29-71

Mark 14:22-25

Matthew 28:16-20

Luke 22:14-23

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• What sacred actions do I believe are the most important for the local church to practice?
• Do I know where these beliefs come from?
• How has my participation in sacred action formed me as a Christian?
• Are there any sacred actions that I or my local church are neglecting that would be beneficial?

As you pray, ask God to help you sort out what things are important enough to keep at the front of our Christian practice, what’s missing, and what is ok to let go of for a time. Ask God to show you if any of these convictions are being held in a way that hurts the Church or its witness.

Today we’re reflecting on some of the contemporary issues that have risen to the forefront of many Christian communities in the US. These can be tricky and somewhat divisive because there are a lot of opinions that are often carried with more heat than light. That means they deserve our attention, but we’ll need God’s assistance to approach them with honesty, humility, and thoughtfulness.

The Church & Political Engagement
How should Christians engage in politics? The church is under the authority of God. In addition, each body of believers functions in a specific physical location that is governed by human authorities.  Christians find themselves with one foot in the Kingdom of God and one foot in the citizenship of human governance. Christians recognize that their primary allegiance is to the global Kingdom ruled by Jesus, that all other allegiances are secondary, and that all forms of human governance will not exist in the restoration of all things as it does now. This makes a Christian political witness akin to living as exiles in an empire that will one day submit itself to the reign of God. We are, however, called to prosper the places we inhabit while maintaining faithful allegiance to the way of Jesus. The New Testament holds the view that Christians should participate as Kingdom witnesses and citizens within their local communities.  The official stance of New Community has been to pray for guidance and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Romans 13:1-5
Revelation 13:1-18; 19:11-21
1 Timothy 2:1-4

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• How do I believe Christians should engage in American politics?
• What are the implications of my convictions for church participation?

Women in Church Leadership
This reflection focuses on women in local church leadership roles. The question we must ask ourselves is, “What is the role of women in local church leadership?”

• Some church communities have prohibited women from serving or holding particular titles in church leadership such as Elder or Pastor. Some church communities prohibit women from holding specific titles like Lead Pastor, but not other titles like Associate Pastor. These communities generally root their convictions in passages like: 1 Timothy 2-3, Titus 1, and Ephesians 5:22. Sometimes communities that hold these convictions interpret the creation of male and female in Gen 1 & 2 and Gen 3:16 as indicators of male authority over women as God’s ideal design.

• Some church communities do not prohibit women from holding any particular leadership roles in the organized church body. They generally root their convictions in the ways Jesus and Paul both worked alongside and elevated women, Jesus’s claims about leadership, power, and hierarchy in Mark 10:41-45, Paul’s call to mutual submission in Ephesians 5:21, and a rich tradition of female leadership throughout the Bible and early Church traditions. These communities generally critique the use of the passages mentioned previously as errors in understanding the context and intent of the writer. These communities also generally interpret Gen 3:16 as a description of corruption due to sin, not as a prescribed mode of authority. 

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Genesis 1:26-28

1 Timothy 2:8-15; 3:1-13

1 Corinthians 12:4-13

Genesis 2:18-25

Titus 1:5-9

Romans 12

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• What roles do I believe women should be able to hold in local church leadership?
• What are the implications of my convictions for church participation?

Sexuality and Gender
The cultural conversation around sexuality and gender is important for churches to engage. The church’s primary objective when it comes to all relationships is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This means we try to approach this conversation with understanding while maintaining faithfulness to Christ and the Church’s role in the world. The Bible doesn’t make very many universal commands about marriage, sexuality, or gender for all times and places, so, like many of the previous theological topics, Christians draw reasonable conclusions based on the text of the Bible, experience, reason, and tradition.

For most of Christian history, church communities have drawn the conclusion that sexual intercourse is reserved for a life-long committed marriage between two sexually different partners (male and female) from different families. This has meant that all sex outside of this committed union is in contrast to God’s good order.

In an attempt to reconcile the Bible with these cultural issues, some church communities have drawn the conclusion that contemporary conversations about sexual orientation are not the issues the writers of the Bible were writing about. They contend that the prohibitions in the Bible against same-sex sexual practices were aimed at abusive sexual practices and power dynamics, not committed unions or consensual sex as we understand it today. Some communities have permitted same-sex marriage unions on the basis of life-long monogamous commitment.

Some church communities have also begun to reckon with today’s cultural understanding regarding the relationships between sex and gender. Culturally speaking, sex generally refers to biology, while gender refers to social and cultural aspects of a person’s identity that are related to but not the same as biological sex. Sex and gender are important ways in which all people understand and express identity. It’s important to remember that no matter the conclusions drawn by church communities, they should be rooted in Christian love, the image of God, and an understanding of God’s mission of reconciliation and restoration. For Christians, all identity markers become subordinate to the identity found in Christ. Church communities must find faithful and helpful ways to navigate these important conversations while understanding that real people embody these issues.

Scripture for reflection and further study:

Leviticus 18:6-30

1 Corinthians 11:11-12

Romans 1:18-27

Galatians 3:28

1 Corinthians 1:9-11

Isaiah 56:3-5

Here are some questions to reflect on today:

• What do I believe about marriage, sexuality, and gender?
• What are the implications of my convictions for church participation?

As you pray, ask God for open ears, mind, and heart as you consider the various conclusions that can be drawn by those attempting faithfulness to Christ in varied contexts and circumstances. Ask for thoughtful exploration and discernment as the local church navigates its role in these important contemporary issues.