When people tell their faith stories, they always talk about the individuals they believe God put in their path. They say things like, “Then I met this couple.” “A friend in my neighborhood invited me to church.” “A young woman at work asked me to go to church with her.” I’ve never heard a faith story without a relational component. Someone always mentions that guy, that couple, that neighbor, that friend.
At Imagine Church, we call these authentic relationships, because when people tell their stories, they are convinced that God used that person, or that couple, in their lives in a powerful way. Two things make a relationship like this so meaningful: when we hear from God through someone or when we see God in someone. When either of those things happen, our faith grows bigger. Isn’t is true that when we see God’s faithfulness in someone else’s life, it is easier to trust him with ours? That’s the power of authentic relationships.
When we started Imagine Church, we were determined to create a model that was relationship-centric. We wanted to find ways to get people connected more quickly and keep them connected longer. We wanted to do everything in our power to create authentic community. We selected a committed group of servant leaders to create our Imagine Kids ministry. We believed that the longer an adult leader was with a group of kids, the more likely it was that a relationship would develop — and thus the greater chance of God using a group leader in a significant way in the lives of our boys and girls.
We are discovering that God uses authentic relationships to catch people’s attention and grow their faith. We are doing whatever we can to facilitate and make room for those relationships to develop. The more authentic Christian men and women you come in contact with, the more likely it is that one of those individuals will open the door to a conversation that leads to a defining moment in your life.
