Spending a lot of time at church is not the same as loving the church and its members.
Church planting was never on the radar. It was a vaguely familiar term for me, but it was something other people in faraway places did. We were not seeking it out when we moved to Atlanta, GA, for my husband to go to school. In fact, the idea of leaving our comfortable small town to live in the heart of a large city was scary. Our plans were clear – move to Atlanta, live there for exactly 2.5 years while Daniel completed his program, and leave the day after his graduation. Just get through this short season and go back to our “normal life.”
In February of 2018, we walked into the rented law school auditorium where M28 Church gathered weekly for worship for the first time. The church was smaller that what we were accustomed to, and it was young – only about 4 years old. We were greeted with kind smiles and hellos, and worshiped God with the congregation that Sunday. We liked the church and planned to go back, maybe even get more involved for the duration of our short 2 years in Atlanta.
It’s 7 years later, and we are still here, and that is largely because of this church family. Over the course of the last 7 years, the Lord has changed, sanctified, and challenged me. He continues to use our local church family to encourage, love, and care for me and our family. Our time serving at M28 Church has led me to love the local church and understand its purpose and importance more than ever before.
Daniel and I did not plant M28, nor were we part of the launch team. However, God led us here while the church was still very much in the planting stage of its life, and He used (and continues to use) our experiences in serving in a planting context to deepen my love for both the universal Church and the local church body. Here are a few specific ways God leads me to this deeper love.
1. He gives me a greater gospel urgency.
Two areas that our church focuses on are faithfulness to God’s Word and love of our neighbors. Faithfulness to the Word of God is top priority. This is evident in all church gatherings (Sunday services, small groups, etc.) and in the informal conversations that happen among members of our church. As we spend time in the Word of God we increase in our knowledge of who God is, who we are, our constant need for God, and the work He commands each of us to do in His name. With this ever-increasing knowledge comes love for our neighbors and a sense of urgency to share the gospel with lost people here, there, and everywhere.
Every person is born in sin, which causes us to be apart from God. BUT – He loves us, pursues us, and redeems us through Jesus Christ. Serving in this urban, post-Christian context, alongside humble believers whose greatest desire is to walk faithfully with Christ challenges me everyday to respond to the lostness around me with boldness in sharing the truth of the gospel.
2. He exposes my own need for the local body of believers.
From day one, the people in our church were welcoming and kind. We connected well with people there and enjoyed the services, small groups, and other activities. However, joining M28 Church was not a decision based solely on the great people we met. We are followers of Jesus, and as such, we need Christian community. Time and time again, the Lord uses this church family to carry me when I can’t keep walking on my own, to bear my burdens, to remind me of His goodness and push me to turn my eyes to Christ even when that feels impossible. God does not expect us to live this Christian life in isolation. In fact, he commands the opposite (Hebrews 10:19-25). We need each other.
3. He reshapes the motivations of my heart.
Seeing my brothers and sisters in Christ do amazing work while faithfully using their gifts to serve the Lord, helps me in so many ways. God has shown me my own gifting and the responsibility I have to obediently serve Him and His Church with these gifts. Working alongside humble leaders, whose confidence is in Christ and not in their own abilities, challenges me to lead and serve in a more Christlike manner – not for my own glory but for His. I’m encouraged to grow and lead, not for my own gain, but for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom of God expanded.
By God’s grace I’ve spent my life in great churches. I had to learn, though, that spending a lot of time at church is not the same as loving the church and its members. The Lord has worked mightily in my own life through the faithful witness of this local body of believers, known as M28 Church. I am eternally grateful for this gift and for the true and lasting joy we share in Christ. To lock arms with these brothers and sisters has changed me and continues to shape me more into the image of Christ. I praise God for the great joy of serving this city, with these people. I praise Him, for His plans are far greater than mine!
Emily Dunlap 