I see what you’re trying to do with the article. But it misses what Jesus actually told us to do.
Jesus gave us two clear assignments:
1) The Great Commandment
2) The Great Commission
We have love well so you can serve well.
The Pharisees raised their families to love the institution.
They killed Jesus.
A disciple is not a disciple until they make a disciple.
Reproduction is the sign.
Discipleship does not happen inside the church building.
The church exists because discipleship is done well.
We’re a softball family. Some weekends we have two-day tournaments that land on Sunday. We miss the gathering sometimes. That does not mean we miss the scattering.
Our family motto is: “Show a watching world a loving God with living proof.”
So we make it a priority to make disciples where we live, work, and play.
We see the Sunday gathering as a place to pour ourselves out at the altar, so God can use us where we live, work, and play.
A vessel that is already full cannot be used. It is at capacity. A lot of people show up to get “filled up.” That is consumer thinking. The Pharisees lived there too.
On sports weekends, my kids have personally led 11 girls to Jesus and are discipling them. We have baptized every one of them, including in hotel pools.
Over the years, we have led 27 adults to Jesus. Most have been baptized, in pools, lakes, and sometimes at church. We are actively discipling them.
Most of these people would never have walked into a church building.
So we went where they were and became the church for them. Church on the dirt.
This Sunday, before we play, I will lead a small group. There will be 30 to 40 people gathered, hearing the gospel. That is only about 20 less than the average church in America.
That is ekklesia. The church.
Out of this, eight other adults have started similar movements. One started a bow-fishing hobby group. They meet at 2 a.m. on Sundays to go bow-fishing. In four years, he has baptized 50+ people. Over 200 people show up. Five years ago he was just a softball dad who heard the gospel from me, said yes, and now he is changing lives.
So do not fall in love with “church.”
Become the church, the ekklesia, where you live, work, and play.
I appreciate your heart in this and honestly love your passion for making disciples where people actually are. That is absolutely part of the Great Commission, and stories of people meeting Jesus on ballfields, in hotel pools, and through everyday relationships are powerful and needed.
I also want to clarify something important from the article because I don’t think we actually disagree as much as it may seem.
I’m not advocating for people to fall in love with “church” as a building, an institution, or simply attending a Sunday service. I’m talking about loving *THE Church* — the people of God, biblical community, worshipping together, serving together, being equipped together, grieving together, growing together, and living on mission together.
Hebrews 10:25 (ESV) reminds us not to neglect gathering together, especially as the Day approaches. Why? Because gathering matters. Encouragement matters. Community matters. Corporate worship matters.
At the same time, I completely agree that the church should never become a holy huddle disconnected from mission. We are absolutely called to scatter, make disciples, love our neighbors, and bring the gospel where people live, work, and play.
I think the tension is balance.
The gathered church and the scattered church both matter. Discipleship and evangelism both matter. Worship and mission both matter.
My concern in the article is simply this: many families today are not replacing gathering with intentional mission and disciple-making like you described. They are often replacing it with busyness, sports, screens, and packed schedules that slowly push both community and mission to the margins.
And honestly, I think your story is a beautiful example of what it looks like when families truly live on mission together. We need more of that, not less.
I see what you’re trying to do with the article. But it misses what Jesus actually told us to do.
Jesus gave us two clear assignments:
1) The Great Commandment
2) The Great Commission
We have love well so you can serve well.
The Pharisees raised their families to love the institution.
They killed Jesus.
A disciple is not a disciple until they make a disciple.
Reproduction is the sign.
Discipleship does not happen inside the church building.
The church exists because discipleship is done well.
We’re a softball family. Some weekends we have two-day tournaments that land on Sunday. We miss the gathering sometimes. That does not mean we miss the scattering.
Our family motto is: “Show a watching world a loving God with living proof.”
So we make it a priority to make disciples where we live, work, and play.
We see the Sunday gathering as a place to pour ourselves out at the altar, so God can use us where we live, work, and play.
A vessel that is already full cannot be used. It is at capacity. A lot of people show up to get “filled up.” That is consumer thinking. The Pharisees lived there too.
On sports weekends, my kids have personally led 11 girls to Jesus and are discipling them. We have baptized every one of them, including in hotel pools.
Over the years, we have led 27 adults to Jesus. Most have been baptized, in pools, lakes, and sometimes at church. We are actively discipling them.
Most of these people would never have walked into a church building.
So we went where they were and became the church for them. Church on the dirt.
This Sunday, before we play, I will lead a small group. There will be 30 to 40 people gathered, hearing the gospel. That is only about 20 less than the average church in America.
That is ekklesia. The church.
Out of this, eight other adults have started similar movements. One started a bow-fishing hobby group. They meet at 2 a.m. on Sundays to go bow-fishing. In four years, he has baptized 50+ people. Over 200 people show up. Five years ago he was just a softball dad who heard the gospel from me, said yes, and now he is changing lives.
So do not fall in love with “church.”
Become the church, the ekklesia, where you live, work, and play.
I appreciate your heart in this and honestly love your passion for making disciples where people actually are. That is absolutely part of the Great Commission, and stories of people meeting Jesus on ballfields, in hotel pools, and through everyday relationships are powerful and needed.
I also want to clarify something important from the article because I don’t think we actually disagree as much as it may seem.
I’m not advocating for people to fall in love with “church” as a building, an institution, or simply attending a Sunday service. I’m talking about loving *THE Church* — the people of God, biblical community, worshipping together, serving together, being equipped together, grieving together, growing together, and living on mission together.
Hebrews 10:25 (ESV) reminds us not to neglect gathering together, especially as the Day approaches. Why? Because gathering matters. Encouragement matters. Community matters. Corporate worship matters.
At the same time, I completely agree that the church should never become a holy huddle disconnected from mission. We are absolutely called to scatter, make disciples, love our neighbors, and bring the gospel where people live, work, and play.
I think the tension is balance.
The gathered church and the scattered church both matter. Discipleship and evangelism both matter. Worship and mission both matter.
My concern in the article is simply this: many families today are not replacing gathering with intentional mission and disciple-making like you described. They are often replacing it with busyness, sports, screens, and packed schedules that slowly push both community and mission to the margins.
And honestly, I think your story is a beautiful example of what it looks like when families truly live on mission together. We need more of that, not less.