Episode 774
Hosts Noah Oldham and Vance Pitman sit down with Send Network’s Vice President for Planter Development Tony Merida to discuss why we are called to gather as the body of Christ. From topics like Christ’s incarnation to the COVID-19 pandemic, listen in to discover how your presence impacts the life and culture of the local church.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
- The pros and cons of online streaming
- How God’s presence is encountered through physically gathering
- Ways to combat the entertainment-driven consumer mentality of the modern age
- Why gathering is more than just a Western interpretation of Scripture
- How to “read the room” on your family conversations within the body of Christ
Helpful Resources:
- Interested in learning more? Check out our Church Planting Primer.
- Are you ready to enroll in our Church Planting Masterclass?
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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):
We not only have a new Father, but a whole new family through adoption into the gospel. I not only get to call God “Abba Father,” but I get to call those who look and have radically different backgrounds than me my brothers and sisters. — Tony Merida
The senior pastor and worship pastor are not leading worship; they’re the lead worshipers. So, don’t sit in a green room. Be engaged in every moment of worship because you want your people to see that gathering together matters. — Vance Pitman
Jesus didn’t just Zoom from heaven and tell us what to do, but He incarnated Himself and lived among us. The Word became flesh. We are embodied beings, and our faith is best lived out in embodied ways. — Tony Merida
Church is not an event you attend or watch; it’s a family to which you belong. So many of the “one anothers” in the New Testament cannot be lived out apart from fellowship, community, and gathering together. — Vance Pitman
Don’t get so locked in on Planning Center that you don’t leave room for the Holy Spirit of God to move and redirect your time of gathering. — Vance Pitman
Published October 3, 2023