Anne and I started dating 20 years ago this week.  Five years in, we started our family when she and I got married. Six years after that, our first child, Max, was born.  The girls - Ella and Phinley - came later. Think about it this way; we didn't start our family with a family. For all of us, it was one becoming two that established the beginnings of "family".

As we are in the initial steps of Selah Memphis, I think about it in the same light.  Jesus left behind the organism of the church in order to reach the world - not for us to start new churches filled with just “church people”.  The "church" is designed to be community for both the believer and non believer. The world must see our love for one another; that is attractive.  Unfortunately, we often like each other more than we want to reach others. So it can be very easy, when starting a church, not to focus on the mission but on the meetings.

In order to establish a church that begins with deep, healthy relationships but still focuses on those who are not here yet, we have decided to have 2 launches for Selah Memphis. 

This Fall, we will start gathering on Sunday nights every other week. This will allow us to worship, gather, encourage, and build a solid community, so that in early January we can launch FOR the city of Memphis. (click here for more about the timeline)

I've grown up in Memphis and if you have been around me you know that I have said "Memphis doesn't need another church. Memphis needs its churches to work." This comes from seeing a majority of the 3800 churches in the city of Memphis isolate themselves.  Memphis, we have lost our Kingdom mindset.

I just finished an incredible book by an incredible man.  In Everybody Always, Bob Goff talks about how, when he travels, people always want to know where he goes to church.  He says he always replies, "Our Church". You see, we ARE the church! We attend separate gatherings on the weekends to worship, but our mindset should be that these separate gatherings are like different muscles groups inside "The Body".

An incredible example of this has been some dear friends at Ridgeway Baptist Church.  They have allowed us to use their student space on Sunday nights for our launch this Fall.  This is an "Our Church" philosophy. But for Selah Memphis to only benefit from the "Our Church" model is not how this should work.  So we will be investing back into Ridgeway as well.

In Acts 2 the Bible describes the beginnings of the church like this; 

Acts 2

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

- Devoted to breaking bread and prayer

- Witnessed many signs and wonders

-Believers united together 

-Gave generously to others out of their own sacrifice

-Continued going to the temple

-Gathered in their homes with glad sincere hearts praising God

-Added to their number daily

THIS is the original design! This is the heart of OUR CHURCH! This is the goal of Selah Memphis.