Open Letter to the Tribeless:
By now I should learn to never write when my emotions feel as raw as they do today. Yet, here I am pounding keys on the keyboard with words I hope make sense. I am tribe-less. I am without people.
Let me lay out for you my personal framework: I am educated, I am Pentecostal, I am for change and challenge in the church, I am for the expressions of the Spirit in our gatherings, I am also for order and not chaos. These are my preferences. These are some of my values. These seem challenging to find in group of Christians.
I never wanted to make a local church about me, please understand that right off the bat. Yet, it has been hard to find a place where I fit in the kingdom. I have often felt like the square peg trying to force myself into circle holes. No matter how much I twist and turn I cannot seem to fit into the spaces that seem available to me.
Maybe I am the only one. Maybe there are others like me. I sense that I am not as alone as I often feel.
Is it too much to ask for a church to be biblically sound? Is it too much to also love the next generation and want to release them into space and place of their gifts? Is it too much desire to see an authentic, biblical, Pentecostal move of the Spirit?
Every time I start to pen these words I picture Jerry Maguire, filled with passion about change, who takes his stand only to find no one wants to walk away with him. No one wants to do business differently. The comfort of status quo has captivated Jerry’s co-workers. I wonder if the church has found itself in the same stage.
So if you’re out there, tribe-less like me, be encouraged. You are not alone. If you feel out of place, in my life you have a place. If you have felt homeless, you are welcome in my house.
The voice of those who are tired of the box of Christian faith they have been sold has been quieted too long. We can be biblical, Pentecostal, concerned about the next gen, Spirit-filled, anointed, power-filled disciples of Jesus. We do not have to trade one for another. We do not have to yield a piece of our passions to find place in a tribe we do not belong in.
In one part, this is a resignation letter. I resign from being something God did not create me to be. I resign from being quiet about how I see truth and church. I resign from falling in line and watching a generation be overlooked, neglected, and left on their own in exchange of the comforts of a few.
So to the tribe less, this is your invitation to join us. Walk with us. Do life alongside of us. You do not have be alone any longer.
Join our tribe. Let’s begin with coffee and a conversation. I am here for you.
Jeff
Update:
We have found a home. Rachael and I have planted The Collectives Church here in Cleveland. We are a part of the Assemblies of God and the Tennessee District. From the very first moment, we have felt supported, loved, and accepted. We have been continuously encouraged to chase the God-given dreams of planting a church that is slightly different in aim. We have had other pastors in our district support us with prayer and finances. We have found a home. We have found a people. We are here for those that may feel like we felt.
