In late September, Main Street Baptist (Saint John, NB) was featured on video at Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit. Here’s a bit of background on how that video came to be. In 2010, Willow Creek Canada and World Vision Canada jointly published, Going Missional, a book about churches across the country who are taking a distinctive approach to the task of evangelism and mission. Main Street’s community outreach work in the city’s Old North End was profiled in that book. One thing led to another, and when Willow Creek was preparing for the Leadership Summit this past August, now familiar with Main Street’s work, they once again approached the church to see if they could come shoot a video.
They were particularly interested in producing a short film that would highlight one of Reginald Bibby’s important new findings published in his recent book, Beyond The Gods & Back, namely, that it’s ministry, not churches, that are driving people’s engagement with “things spiritual.” People are not so much looking for a church to call home, as for churches engaged in meaningful, community-focused ministries that are making a real difference in people’s lives. That’s precisely what Main Street is seeking to accomplish through its community outreach work.
Its approach to ministry is intensely incarnational, driven by a desire to model the presence of Christ for others, in order to let loose the transforming power of God within and among them. It’s a call to take the initiative and come alongside and befriend people, in the belief that God intends a hope filled future for them. It’s a call as well to intentionally reach out, to touch and heal in body and mind and transform in spirit, with God’s help – so that people will welcome God’s reign into their lives and be restored to the wholeness of Shalom. To find out more about what Main Street is up to, contact John Knight, Community Outreach Pastor, at [email protected].
The Convention is a member of the Willow Creek Association. For more information about Willow Creek Canada and the Leadership Summit, visit their website – www.growingleadership.com.
Main Street has been a recipient of a grant from the Atlantic Baptist Mission Board since the beginning and this work would not have ever grown to this level if not for the support from our Convention.
