The Church Is Sent And Sends
The Paradox Church is not just about The Paradox Church. We know that we are caught up in a great movement of God to make His Name great to the city of Fort Worth and to all nations.Our hope as a church is to proclaim and display the glory and grace of God as a “sent” people, and as a people that “sends”.
We do this, primarily, in three ways:
1. City Groups: City Groups are where the everyday life, ministry, and mission of The Paradox Church happens. As we live as a family of disciples on mission in our particular neighborhoods and domains of work, we strive to invite people into our lives and families out of love for them, and out of a desire to proclaim and display the glory and grace of God to them.
2. Church Planting: The Paradox is a part of a church planting movement and network called the Acts 29 Network. Through this network of over 400 churches worldwide we help train, coach, assess, and fund church planters who start new churches all around the world. We have given over $60,000 in our two-and-half years as a church plant ourselves to church planting. In particular, we support two churches: Christ Community Church in Denton, TX, and Restore Church in Detroit, MI. As well, we have future church planters at The Paradox that we are training and will send out to start new churches in Fort Worth and in other cities and states.
3. The Gospel to the Nations: It is impossible to be a biblically faithful church and not be invested in the Gospel going forth to the nations. There are two ways this can and should happen. 1. As a church in a large metroplex, the nations come to us. There are international students at TCU, UTA, and UNT Health/Science Center. Fort Worth houses over 20,000 refugees from dozens of countries. The nations are here, in our backyard, and we are called to proclaim and display the glory and grace of God to them. And, 2. We have “senders” and “goers” to the nations. As a church we need to get behind those that are going and go ourselves. We support a missionary in Mynamar, who is helping plant an Acts 29 church there. We have sent Julie Matthews, who just got home from spending nine months in Uganda. We are sending Darcie Nicholson and Rachel L’Antigua, for 11 months and 6 weeks respectively, overseas. And we believe God is calling us to do much more.
Over the next four days on the blog you will meet some of these people. And then, on Sunday, we will talk about Church Planting and International Missions. As well, we will be taking up a special offering (something we have never done) to support these missionary efforts.Please be in prayer about how much you should give, over and above your normal giving, toward these sending efforts. Also, please be in prayer about whether or not God might be sending you: Either as a church planter or part of a church planting team; as a missionary in Fort Worth to international students and refugees; or as an international missionary to an unreached people group or particular nation.“Father...as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” — Jesus