A STORY THAT BEGINS IN A GARDEN...
...AND ENDS IN A GARDEN CITY
The name of our church community is rooted in the story of the Bible, a story that starts in a Garden and ends in a Garden City. It’s the story of God rescuing and redeeming broken people and renewing broken cities, and we believe we're being called to plant a church that will embody this story in every corner of the city.
THE STORY OF THE GARDEN CITY
In discernment of what the vision of this church plant would be God brought a story to mind. The Scriptural story of the Garden City.
The story of Scripture opens with a garden and closes with a city and the story of the church is told in the midst. Looking back and looking forward in the story creates a foundation of understanding for the purpose and identity of the church.
GARDEN
In the beginning, God created a beautiful cosmos and placed humanity in a garden. The garden was a place where humanity could experience deep joy in relationship with their creator and creation. A place where they could discover purpose, meaning, and value as beings made in the image of God. A place where God gifted them with the responsibility of ruling and reigning over this world. God left the earth full of potential for humans to create, manage, invent, and take care of this sacred garden. It was a beautiful state of humans experiencing peace (shalom) with God, others, self, and creation. Everything was right. Everything was beautiful. Everything was good.
Yet, it would not remain so. Humanity would decide to rule and reign this world as they determined – deceived by an evil entity that proclaimed the lie – God was keeping good from us. They would reject God’s wisdom and direction for life and choose their own. Resulting in evil, injustice, disharmony, and brokenness. The perfection of the garden needed restoration.
CITY
Restoration would need to come from the creator. God’s future redeemed world and universe is depicted as a ‘city’. Abraham sought the city ‘whose builder and maker is God’ (Hebrews 11.10). The end of the story of Scripture (Revelation 21-22) reveals the future redeemed world as a city. A city that has developed from the garden at the beginning of the story (Rev.21:1-3; Gen. 2:8-10). The Garden was never supposed to stay a garden; it was always supposed to become a garden city. This garden-city of God is the Garden of Eden cultivated and enhanced the way God originally desired. Heaven and Earth are united. Sin and brokenness are no more. All things made new. God’s people ruling over creation with increasing wisdom, skill, and creativity. Living the peace (shalom) of God forever and ever. It is everything humans were created for and everything we long for.
CHURCH
The church exists between these two worlds – the Garden of Eden and the Garden City of New Creation. It exists between what was lost in the Garden of Eden and what is longed for in the Garden City. In the middle of these two realities the identity and mission of the church is rooted in King Jesus and his kingdom. King Jesus has come to bring redemption, reconciliation, and restoration to humanity and to this world through his life, death, burial, and resurrection. Now the risen King calls the church to participate with him in this mission. This is done through the church – God’s people – through God’s powers to further God’s rule and reign.
This calling of the church is rooted in Jesus. We cannot be who we are called to be and we cannot do what we are called to do apart from Jesus. Growing in Jesus is the foundation of the church. As we look to Jesus – the author and perfecter of our faith – we begin to look like him by taking our time, talents, and treasures and developing them for the good of the world and the glory of God.
All of our existential questions: What does it mean to be human? Why do we exist? What are we here for? What’s our meaning? What’s our purpose? All of the answers are found in discovering that we were created to rule over the earth – to work it, to take care of it, to rule, to subdue, to wrestle, to fight, to explore, and to advance the garden project of creation as an act of service and worship to the God who made us. That’s our meaning, our purpose — it’s why we exist. In the beginning God created; so now shall we!
We create places for spiritual practice and prayerfulness (Ps. 48:1-2). We create places to proclaim the gospel (Acts 13:44). We create places for sin to be dealt with (Jam. 5:16). We create places for refuge and rest (Matt. 11:28-30). We create places for mercy and justice (Micah 6:8). We create places of freedom and healing (Gal 4:26). We create places of beauty (Phil. 4:8). We create to join God in his mission of salvation and restoration (Acts 3:19-21). We create for the glory of God (Matt. 5:16, Jn. 15:8). We create for the good of the city (Jer. 33:9).
Therefore, the vision of Garden City Church is:
GROWING TOGETHER FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE CITY