What Should Church Community Look Like?

Dear reader,

I was recently reminiscing about some times I had experienced.

It will be hard to capture with words, but I'm going to give it my best effort.

I was once in a gang.

Not the kind that dealt drugs or did drive-bys, it was a small group of people that loved each other so deeply that we walked through so much crap together and pointed each other to the cross as we did so.

I don't make friends easily. They tend to break too quickly. They can only be trusted for so long, they hurt me or I hurt them inevitably. It's quite hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we were created for a relationship but our views of what that looks like are so fractured.

It started off slowly. And quite divinely I must add. God was very intentional with drawing the four of us together, you couldn't make it up.

I moved to a small town in Iowa and my cousin was insistent that I meet his best friend. We go for a walk in the middle of the pandemic and talk about our thoughts, dreams, and desires for The Church to mobilize and be effective in the community around us. I wasn't planning on moving to Iowa by any means, but after our initial meeting, I wanted to stay close to this Man of God and support him in any way I could.

Next, I went to a Youth for Christ meeting. There I met gang member number two. She was in charge of the discipleship of the youth in the middle school and held her responsibility with so much care. The way she would talk about Jesus and the Gospel affecting the youth around her was inspiring, she clearly had the Spirit guiding her steps and direction in life. I wanted to introduce myself to her before everyone parted ways, so gang member number one introduced us.

As we were leaving the coffee shop where the meeting was held number two guided me to another table where gang member number three was working on some homework. She invited us to a bible study that was happening on Thursday nights and wanted to make sure I was plugged into a solid and thriving community for however long my stay in Iowa was going to be.

After that, it's a bit of a blur. The two ladies were leading the study, combined with the CRU at the college in town, and there was a large community of young adults who were trying to survive their young adult lives while pleasing God at the same time.

One night after a bible study the four of us met in the McDonald's parking lot. (There was also a fifth guy there, but he didn't end up joining the gang long-term.) We shared our stories with each other, the crap, the highlights of our lives, and the direction we thought God was taking us. We became so close that night, we actually cared for each other. Our late-night worship sessions in that special parking lot became more and more frequent. And just like everyone knows no gang is official until you have a group chat created.

We became the McDonald's Parking Lot Gang.

We grew so close so fast. We talked as often as we could and were always the first ones to be at each other's side through any trouble. We celebrated ginormous victories together and embraced each other when horrible events hit us all individually. We were constantly praying for each other and were sharing our thoughts on theology, scripture, and even if the word 'try' should be used in everyday sentences. (The jury is still 50/50 on that one.)

These three amazing people were placed by my side in the most confusing season of my life. And they were willing to lock arms and wade through the mud with whatever came our way. I have never experienced a closer community and friendship than this gang. And I desperately miss it.

Now there is a time and a season for all things.

I do think God placed us together for each other's benefit, but he also brought us apart as well.

We were a group of humans that didn't see eye to eye on everything. We all were intentional with seeking God out and how He wanted us to live our lives, and over the span of about a week of uncomfortable and unforeseen circumstances the gang was no more.

Satan loves to rip people apart. He thrives in disunity and hurt. I believed a lot of the lies he threw in my face when I lost my gang.

"They never loved or cared about you."

"Look what you did, they'll never forgive you."

"Was all this pain worth it?"

Yes. 100% yes.

If I was given the chance to live that season again with those people I would do it in a heartbeat. Yes, I experienced a great loss when we all split up. But I guarantee we were all better off in the long run walking through the trial we went through together.

I must disclose the truth. I am the main factor in all of us splitting up. I made a choice that was unintentionally harmful and trust was shattered amidst all of us. But the beauty of the Gospel has completely redeemed all of that. Grace has been given and accepted, forgiveness was extended, and we have all successfully moved on in our individual stories.

Gang member number one was married to his lovely bride (my little sister) in January of this year. They are doing fantastic and are constantly involved with their church and the community around them.

Gang member number two is doing so many different serving projects in this community and overseas in the near future, actively seeking to bring God glory through the Gospel being shared in every circumstance.

Gang member number three was recently married and moved out of state. She has spent a large chunk of her time in the medical field and is currently with her husband getting ready to start a family of their own.

Then there's me. The last member of the McDonald's Parking Lot Gang. I can't say I've gone off and gotten married, but I will say that God's been working on my heart more than anything since the gang split up. He's shown me a lot of my sinful tendencies and how He is redeeming the parts of me that I didn't know even existed. He's preparing me, I know that there are things He wants me to do for The Kingdom. But for now, I am to go and put cookies in boxes, and as I do that I will live in a way that demands a Gospel explanation.

I share all of this for one reason. If God allows you to be a part of a gang take the opportunity. You will not regret it. Whether its a small group or some other hip name for a small group, just be as intentional as you can with the people nearest to you, love and serve them in word and deed, be open and vulnerable with them, and be ready for the day God calls either you or them away from you.

It’s bound to happen.

If any of you MDPLG Members ever read this I want to say one last thing.

Thank you for putting up with me, you played a key role in my story, and I am forever grateful for every minute I have spent with you.

Sincerely The Fourth Member of The McDonald's Parking Lot Gang,

-Mitchell