A Church for the Broken

To some, this vision may sound a bit negative or depressing at first.  But we see it as a truly hopeful message, and Jesus reveals why in Matthew 9.  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  The Bible reveals one irreducible fact: God is for broken people.  It’s found all throughout the Bible.  Passage after passage reveals a God who embraces the broken-hearted, the marginalized, the oppressed, the sick and the sinners.  We at New Mercy Community Church believe God has called us to place this foundational truth at the center of our vision.  And although this vision sounds simple, it is both a profound and dynamic undertaking that requires a nuanced understanding of the gospel as well as careful application of the gospel’s implications.

We know it will take time to build a culture like this.  This is why it is our vision.  And brokenness comes in all different forms (e.g. poverty, pride, anger, sickness, etc.).  Our vision is to help people see there is real brokenness in everyone and that there is only One who can rescue them.

Our vision encompasses the fact that we are a church made of broken people, a church that seeks to grow broken people, and a church that welcomes and serves other broken people radically – a church truly for the broken.

A Church OF the Broken

Contrary to the mainstream understanding of the church – the church is not supposed to be filled with “perfect” people.  In fact, our pews, leadership teams and families are filled with broken people.  And the Bible is clear in its teaching – when we come to faith, we are children of God because of Christ’s work on our behalf not because of anything we have accomplished.  From this point of pure, unadulterated grace, the journey into the Christian life has only just begun.  Coming to realize in our hearts and in practice what it means to be a child of God takes time and work.

So even after conversion and some transformation, much brokenness still remains.  The Christian gospel is this: we are redeemed first, and then from this foundation we are rehabilitated.  In Christianity, we are not motivated to change through fear, but through love and security in Jesus.  The difference is an unbridgeable chasm.  In the world, there is no other message like the gospel.

“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” – Abigail Van Buren

A Church TO GROW the Broken

As a church we are committed to helping broken people grow to realize God’s vision for their lives.  God does not just leave us in our brokenness.  God wants us to find healing and wholeness in all aspects of our lives so that we can have life and have it to the full (John 10:10).  The Bible also teaches that even as we struggle through life’s hardships and brokenness, we will still find overflowing joy and fullness because of Jesus, our indestructible treasure and never-ending fountain.  Our prayer is that our church would be a place where people can find healing, growth and hope in Jesus and his life-changing gospel.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know that the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” – Ephesians 1

A Church TO SERVE the Broken

In the midst of our brokenness, God calls us to serve others.  Paul writes, 2 Corinthians 4, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  In the gospel the redemption of the world comes through broken people who lean on God’s power, mercy, love and truth.  Through our words and our service, we point to Christ not to ourselves.  And as we lift him up, Jesus promises, “I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

We believe our calling to serve the broken is a radical calling to active engagement not simply having an “open door” policy.  As a community church we are committed to serving our local neighbors as well as our global community.  And we serve not only to “save” souls, critical as that may be.  But we also hope to see the power of the redemptive gospel impact all aspects of their lives including the physical, mental, emotional, financial, social and spiritual.