About Narrative
Why Narrative?
A narrative is a story, something that each of our lives will tell.
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The narrative of Jesus' life defies a brief summation. It is a life of good news, revealing a gracious and loving God, who seeks intimate relationship with the pinnacle of his creation, humanity - you and me.
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We believe that Jesus did not intend for this story to end with his time on earth. He calls the Church to tangibly live out his continuing story. We are a community committed to this call.
Vision
As we live out Jesus’ narrative, our prayer is that - more than just having fun with us, hearing a good sermon, or singing with some moving worship - you will say, “I see Jesus here.”
Community Style
We strive to live as a participatory community:
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We participate in life-receiving community with God
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We participate in life-sharing community with our church
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We participate in life-giving community with the world
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This participatory community goes beyond just supporting others as we can. It also pulls us to be vulnerably dependent on others as we have need - allowing community to come full circle.
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Through this full-circle community, the narrative of Jesus comes to life.
Where We Start: Prayer
The first work of the Church is:
“...that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 2:1-5 NET)
Key Values
• Love
Jesus not only left us with an exemplary life of love, but with a new command to live by: to be known to the world by our communal love.
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• Wholeness
To most effectively live as the Church, we believe we must care - in a holistic manner - for our spiritual, emotional/mental, and physical health.
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• Spiritual Healing
Inner pain and suffering runs rampant in and out of the greater Church - often caused by churches - and we work to be a place where spiritual healing can take place.
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• Anticipation
As Narrative Church, we started with a core group of people who dared to anticipate what God’s unfolding story held for this community. Others have continued to come in who enjoy the community today while anticipating what is ahead for tomorrow, and the day after.
Sunday Details
Our Sunday services are spiritually and communally focused rather than production style. Our services begin and end with coffee, donuts, and community time. The worship and service itself strives foster a intimacy with each other and God.
Our worship style is an invitation to meet God that morning as you want or need - you are welcome to stand, sit, kneel, or even go to a back corner of the room for a private moment if you feel like it.
Kids are welcome in our service, and we consider any noise they make to be the sound of new, young life. There are coloring books and toys available, as well as a kids’ room or nursery.
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We do not make asking for money part of our Sundays. There are giving boxes set up around the church for each person to freely give as God leads them.
Communion is open to all who wish to join us in taking it.
Giving
Giving of our resources, including time and money, is a voluntary act of worship, as we give back to God a portion of what God has given us.
Money is well described as “boots on the ground.” Money is action. That action might be as simple as keeping the lights on in the church building, or it might help support foster kids locally, or dig a well on the other side of the world.
Giving creates and sustains action, starting where we are plugged in and directly rely on others, proceeding outward to impact our community and our world.
Communion
Most Sundays you will find us taking communion to mark the sacrifice of Christ and our communal, life-bringing time with God and one another. Often the most intimate of community has revolved around food. Food is life, and around life we find life with one another!
At the Last Supper, it is from the communal bread and wine that Jesus reflected on the pinnacle work he was about to undertake for his community. His body would be broken like bread, and his blood would be poured out like wine. By these instruments, we remember and reflect on Jesus’ work for his Church.