The Patient Ferment - 11/05/25

If you ask a church leader today, "What’s your strategy?" you’ll likely hear about five-year plans, digital outreach metrics, and engagement funnels. We have become experts at planning, branding, and building. We are, in many ways, obsessed with human intention.

But what if the church was never meant to be a "plan"?

In my recent studies, I’ve been captivated by the counter-intuitive story of the early church. How did a small, marginalized group of "resident aliens" in the Roman Empire manage to grow? As scholar Alan Kreider notes, it wasn't through "aggressive evangelism."

Instead, the church grew by being "odd but intriguing."

Alan Kreider, in his book The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, attributes their growth to this quality. Like yeast, this growth wasn't loud or explosive, but a slow, persistent, life-altering presence. He terms it a "life-giving deviance." 

This "deviance" is key. Nijay Gupta, in Strange Religion, notes early Christians seemed bizarre. Why? Because they lived by a "new set of ethics" that directly collided with Roman values. They cared for the poor, valued every life, and rejected the empire's definitions of power and status.

This "strangeness" didn't repel people; it made them curious.

The first church wasn't a product of human intention. As the Book of Acts shows, it was "born naturally" when disciples gathered in the Spirit. It was a community formed by God, not a corporation built by men.

This challenges us. While successful programs are practically important, perhaps our primary calling is to be that "patient ferment" in our lives. To live by Kingdom ethics so "oddly intriguing" the world asks why. That may be the most powerful "growth strategy" of all.

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Combination Robot - 10/22/25

​Do you remember combination robots? Those wonderful toys where small robots would transform and combine into one magnificent giant robot?

​I have such fond memories of those. As a child, I would save up my allowance—earned through chores, good grades, and listening to my mom—to buy each piece, one at a time. First the torso, then an arm, then a leg. The waiting was hard, but the joy of finally connecting all the pieces together? That feeling stays with me even now.

​Recently, I found myself thinking about those robots again, and it struck me: The Church is kind of like a combination robot.

In Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul writes that Christ is "the head over everything for the church, which is his body." And in 1 Corinthians 12:27, he reminds us, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

​Christ is the head. And we—each one of us—we're the different parts of his body. Each person matters. Each person belongs.

The beautiful difference, of course, is this: I bought those toy pieces with my small allowance. But Jesus purchased us—his Church—with something far more precious. Acts 20:28 tells us that the Church was bought "with his own blood."

​One by one, Jesus has been gathering us. Calling us. Drawing us close. Some of us have been here for years. Others have just arrived. But all of us have been carefully chosen and dearly loved by him.

​When those little robots came together, they became something wonderful—something stronger and more beautiful than any single piece could be alone.

​The same is true for us.

When we gather as the Church, we become the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. Together, we can bring his love to places that need it. Together, we can serve, welcome, encourage, and heal in ways we never could by ourselves.

​But a combination robot doesn't work if the pieces stay in the box.

​So I want to invite you—gently, warmly—to consider where you might fit in this beautiful body. Maybe you're someone who loves to serve. Maybe you have a heart for children or youth. Maybe you're gifted at welcoming others or creating beauty through music. Maybe you're called to support God's work through your giving, helping to sustain the ministries that reach our community.

Whatever your gift, HRUMC needs you. Not because we're incomplete without you—but because Jesus has a place for you here, and we would be honored to serve alongside you.

​If you've been wondering how to get more connected, this is your gentle nudge. You belong here. You're already part of this family. And when we come together under Christ, our head, something beautiful happens.

We become his presence in this community—moving with his love, serving with his hands, walking where his heart leads.

And honestly? That's more wonderful than any toy I ever had as a child.

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