I was asked to be a guest columnist for the local paper’s Faith in Focus article. February was the first submission so I thought I’d introduce myself and Engage to the community. The article will be published this Friday the 5th of Feb. 
Here is what we said.
Why Another Church In Carlisle?
“So, why another Church in Carlisle,” he asked, “Isn’t there already like 400 churches around here anyway?” I nodded, affirming his sentiment, “You’re right, there are many great churches already in existence in our community.”
My name is Jon Hand. I am the pastor of Engage Community Church. I was recently invited to become a guest columnist for the Faith in Focus column so I wanted to introduce myself and share a little of where I am coming from. Engage Church started as a new church in our area one year ago last month. We were sponsored by the Brethren In Chris Denomination of Churches (www.bic-church.org) to start a new church with a unique focus. Over the last year, since January of 2009, we have had to answer that question on more than one occasion.
Here’s the deal. Anecdotally and statistically our culture is becoming more secular and less culturally Christianized. This means that growing numbers of people have grown up with less of an attachment to organized religion than say their parents and definitely their grandparents. Statistically, church attendance in the Northeastern parts of the U.S. is in decline, especially among younger generations from eighteen yrs. old though their mid-thirties. Over the past year I have personally met many in their mid twenties to mid to late thirties who are skeptical of organized religion and for a variety of reasons; they simply don’t have the same conviction about faith or religion or church as earlier generations before them.
Why another church? Because we believe that the message of Jesus is earth-shattering, life-changing, world-altering, and has the power to actually change the human heart at the deepest levels possible. But much of that revolutionary message is lost in translation for people standing on the outside looking in. For many, all they see are stereotypes of judgmental religious people, slick televangelists bilking old ladies of what’s left of their retirement, and the satirical portrayals of White politically conservative Jesus on South Park and pop culture. Right or wrong, they see church as a nice option for grandma but not a place that deals honestly with life in the way they experience it.
In a world where 24 hr. news coverage dishes out disasters in Haiti, economic recessions, corporate greed, or job loss, it’s easy to lose heart. Whether you are trying to find your place in the world in your 20s or for those of us with 2.5 kids, trying to advance our careers, and saddled with a mortgage in our 30s, life certainly feels like a facebook relationship status—“It’s complicated.” It’s hard for many to see the connection between our complicated 21st century lives and the Jesus we find in the pages of the gospels. Like background noise in our soul, often we aren’t even aware of how jaded or cynical we can be about life. I believe the answer to our complicated skepticism isn’t more plastic coated “happy thoughts”. The answer is genuine realistic hope. Not the kind we are promised in political campaigns. But the kind we find anchored in a creator God we can relate to in Jesus. One who knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us more than we can begin to comprehend.
For me that changes everything! Why another church in Carlisle? We don’t think we are better than anyone else. There’s no such thing as a one size fits all church. But we all need people who can speak our language. We all need people who get where we’re coming from and help us live anchored in hope. There’s more to life than our complicated lives can imagine. We all need people who help us live for what matters most—it’s a great question and that’s why another church in Carlisle.
