come to the table.

At the mill, we believe that living in community is an act of great courage and sacrifice as well as a source of joy, hope, and love.  Through the redeeming act of Jesus conquering death on the cross, we are able to live in community with one another.  Living alongside one another allows us to work out our salvation and die to ourselves, while reflecting the beauty of our God who is in constant community with Himself.  Through the years, we have tried many different small groups with the goal of aunthentic community. However, we are unveiling a new approach that has been stirring in our hearts and minds for months.  It is called DINNER GROUPS, and the idea behind it is simple: we gather, read scripture, pray, and eat.  Sounds simple, right? That's because it is. Let's take a look at these ideas in depth.  

            First, we GATHER. Let's talk about the timing of the group.  Dinner groups should happen once every week, or once every other week.  Having this kind of schedule will allow relationships to actually form and grow.  Relationships take time, so meeting every week helps us be known and understood (without the pressure of telling your darkest secrets in a awkwardly forced 30-minute counseling session).  

             Then, we READ SCRIPTURE.  We won’t argue about it, we won’t delve into the meaning of it, or share our opinions on it.  Slowing down and simply listening to scripture is a lost art in our current day busyness.  At each group there should be two to three chapters read aloud for everyone to hear.  Ideally, each group could read consecutive chapters over the weeks to fully grasp the context of the scripture being read.

            We will also PRAY for each other.  This time of prayer doesn’t need to be an hour-long prayer meeting for the nations.  It is simply a time to bring the current day's needs & joys to our loving Father amidst the rich context of community.

            Finally, after reading scripture and praying, we EAT.  The best time for these groups would be at dinner.  Eating an evening meal together allows the space and time to actually enjoy one another’s company without moving on to the next thing.  We understand that not everyone has evenings available, due to work or schooling.  Therefore these groups aren’t constricted to dinnertime.  You could have breakfast on Saturday or lunch on Monday.  The goal is that food is present.  Most conversations are better had over a meal.  Plus eating together eliminates the classic awkward small group circle where everyone takes a turn sharing their feelings. 

     The groups are for everyone and can be lead by anyone.  Each group will have a host, who is simply the one to coordinate the when & where of the group.  It is not the job of the host to supply food for everyone.  The eating, praying, and reading should be an effort that everyone participates in. As a result of eating together, and the goal of knowing people well, the size of the group is limited.  Each group should consist of 5-8 people.  These groups aren’t designed to hold 50 people.  If it’s more than eight, separate. Ideally the group should be able to all sit at a dinning room table together. These groups can be a great way to develop new relationships, but they are even better for the relationships that already have a bit of history. 

            In conclusion, we want to live in a way that brings glory to God.  We want to chase after the things that he loves, living freely in the glorious beautiful mess of community.  We think that these groups will help set the stage for such a life.  When friends have a true depth of relationship, it creates the foundation for honest confession, repentance, forgiveness, and healing.We were never designed to live the Christian life alone. 

We are part of a family.  We are part of a bride.  We are part of the body.  It’s time to be fully grafted in.             

bekah wagner.

Our very own Bekah Wagner has led worship at the MILL and around New Life Church for years, and has been a staple in productions, on albums, and during worship services. But this year, she is going beyond the familiar and embarking on a completely new journey. She is recording an album that is all her own. This album will be a beautiful display of the her talent and voice, while also being the product of a deeply rich and inquisitive relationship with Jesus. The songs weren't written just for the sake of an album; they're from the depths of Bekah's heart as a follower of Jesus, a friend, a worship leader, a sojourner. Her processes, her frustrations, her triumps, and her learning have helped mold and shape this venture. We are so excited to hear the melodies shaped by a life of engaging the Lord through the high's and the low's. 

This deput album will be released this summer, but this is an independent project which needs our help. Bekah has partnered with KickStarter to back this new endeavor. To learn more, check out her Kickstarter page by clicking here. You can watch other videos, hear a free sample track, and learn how you can support our friend in making this dream a reality. You can also follow Beks on Twitter at @BekahWagner. 

give night update.

GIVE. Each year, before we say goodbye for the holidays and come back together for the new year, we give. It has become a core of what we do and how we approach the giving spirit of Christmas. On the last mill of 2011, we talked about how the world has a view of giving and how that view is so very different from the true Giver's character. (Didn't make it to that one? Click here for a link to the mill podcast.)

Usually we have one specific cause to which we rally around and give. But this year, we're doing things a little different. Instead of giving a large amount to one need, we are creating a General Giving Fund to dip into throughout the rest of the 2012. There are always need that will arise; a single mom needing a stroller, a full-time students with unexpected car troubles, a mill missionary to bless while overseas. Our goal is to give to those who least expect it, to bless those busy in working hard and being good stewards with what they have been given.

We thought you'd like to see how much we gave as a community. 

 Thank you for your generous giving! What a blessing to be a part of community who sees beyond their own needs and desires to help those around them, even if it takes sacrifice. What a beautiful picture of the gospel.

So where will this go?

We have already sent a check to our friends in Asia to help with their orphanage. And we are about to help a single expecting mother with the practical needs of adding a little one into her life. And you can expect that this year will be filled with helping those around us who have the unpredictable hiccups of life crop up.

Thank you for being his hands & his feet. It is beautiful, it is eternal.

missions update: ruth.

This past June of 2011, we sent out our beloved friend Ruth as she embarked on the journey of a 20-somethings' lifetime with The World Race. (To read the story and watch the video, click here.) Since that Friday night in June, Ruth has lived & served in to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Albania, Romania, and South Africa. We thought you may like to see what she's been up to during her time overseas. Check out one of her latest blog posts:

That’s right.

I am officially half way finished with this crazy Race.

The question “What are you doing after the Race?” seems to happen more often. My answer is still the same: I have no idea. It’s got me thinking, though, about some ideas...

Maybe I'll finish school. Maybe prepare to come back to one of these countries long term. Maybe live in a different state for awhile. Or live back at home with my parents for a few months. Maybe work at a coffee shop and rebuild my savings from zero. And definitely take some time to rest and process and pray about what I want to be when I grow up.

But sometimes I get scared thinking about the transition from this crazy, ever-changing lifestyle (that I do LOVE, by the way) and into my routine in America. As these thoughts started getting a little overwhelming, I got a word from one of my teammates, who had no idea I had been thinking these things:

You are where He wants you. You do not need to be anywhere else.

Stop worrying about what your calling should look like, because it looks exactly like it should.

You were called as you are and that is all you need to be, so keep walking as you have been.

The Lord will provide peace and security along the way.

I love how God knows exactly what you need to hear and when you need to hear it. I realized I had begun straying from God’s love and began looking for my security in other people, in how ministry was going, and basically anything but Him. I also was reminded how I usually come back empty when I seek reassurances from others first.

I read a quote from a previous racer’s blog today. It said, “I'm becoming homeless- meaning I'm rejecting the fantasy that I'll ever obtain enough physical comfort in this world to satisfy my soul."That really hit home, because I want to return to America with a thankfulness that I have never had before. But I also want to remember that I was made for another world and that I will never be fully satisfied on this earth. Ignorance might be bliss, but reality has given me a responsibility: to live in the tension of heaven and earth. To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable (something Wess Stafford from Compassion always used to say). To live a life of thankfulness, passion and good stewardship. I want to live like I was made for eternity, no matter where God has me.

So as I continue this Race with perseverance, fully trusting God to move me however and wherever He wants. And though this “Race” will end in about 5 months, I will continue racing toward Him until the end.

To keep up to date with Ruth and read other posts, go to ruthcortese.theworldrace.org.

why 20-somethings are leaving the church.

This article from RelevantMagazine.com by Kara Powell is an interesting view into the current status of church activity within the college-aged generation. We are so grateful that our community is thriving with 20-somethings passionately pursuing knowing Christ in His fullness and making His name known in their own neighborhoods, campuses, and to the far corners of the earth. But let us not be naive; our nation as a whole is not composed of college students waking up at 8am on a Sunday morning to make it to their local fellowship. What are your thoughts? Let us know what you think.

The reasons 20somethings are giving up on Sunday morning

What does it say about our generation that 40 to 50 percent of young Christians fail to stick with their faith or connect with a church after high school? Most likely, you’ve experienced or been witness to this exodus of twentysomethings from the faith community. At this point, it’s not even surprising to watch young adults become disillusioned with church as they go to college, build a career, start a family or begin their “real life”. But can it be stopped?

We recently spoke to Kara Powell, executive director of Fuller Youth Institute and co-author of Sticky Faith, to answer just that. Drawing from her extensive research with Fuller Youth Institute, she gave us a little more insight into what it takes to find a faith that sticks.

Do you think young people are just leaving the church, or leaving faith? Or is it both?

Probably my best answer to that is to describe what Tim Clydesdale—who is a sociologist in New Jersey—refers to as “the identity lock-box.” What students tend to do after they’ve graduated from high school is place important parts of themselves in an identity lock-box, and their faith is often part of that. The good news is that you put something in a lock-box when it’s important to you. So there is some sense that students still value their faith at one level. But the problem is when your faith is in a lock-box, especially as a college student or emerging adult, you’re making so many important decisions about worldview, and marriage, how you engage in risk behaviors, and vocation, and calling, and all those considerations are made while your faith is locked up in that lock-box. So there is some sort of residual sense that students value the faith, but it’s not influencing their day-to-day, or even major decisions. Given the long-term impact of those decisions throughout their adulthood, it’s pretty disconcerting.

Do you think there are any misunderstandings or misconceptions that contribute to young adults leaving the church?

The students involved in our research definitely tended to view the Gospel as a list of dos and do-nots, a list of behaviors. We asked our students when they were college juniors, “How would you define what it really means to be a Christian?” and one out of three—and these were all youth group students—didn’t mention Jesus Christ in their answer; they mentioned behaviors. So it seems like [young adults] have really picked up a behavioralist view of the Gospel. That’s problematic for a lot of reasons, but one of which is that when students fail to live up to those behaviors, then they end up running from God and the Church when they need both the most.

Are these mindsets limited only to young adults, or does it affect all ages?

Oh, yes, absolutely, [they] aren’t making this up on their own. They’re getting this from adults. Another issue that is particularly relevant to church leaders across the board is the importance of intergenerational relationships. We looked at 13 different youth group participation variables in our study, things they did in the context of youth group, to try and see what would be the biggest levers for sticky faith. To our surprise, the participation variable most highly related to mature faith both in high school and college was intergenerational worship; helping them connect with adults of all ages is a vital part of building adult faith. What we’re seeing is that not only are [intergenerational relationships] transformative in the lives of the teenagers, but they make a difference in the overall church. Imagine what a church would be like, what the adults in church would be like, if they were infused with the vitality that comes with teenagers? At the very least, if they were getting to know a few teenagers by name so they could pray for them, how life-giving would that be for the adults in a church?

What is an ideal model for the relationship between different generations in the faith community?

The original churches in the first century were multi-generational, were multi-ethnic. Especially as youth ministries become more professionalized in the last 50 years, [we’ve] ended up segregating kids from the rest of the church. Having said that, there’s definitely a time for 6-year-olds, and 16-year-olds and 86-year-olds to be together on their own. We need to provide space for folks in similar life spaces to chat and share community, but balance is something we swing through on our way to the other extreme.

It’s a common story: Young adults stop going to church, then once they have kids they return. It’s not like that’s a new phenomenon. Do you think this generation is different—or will they return to church again in a few years when they start having kids?

About 50 percent of those who drift from church seem to return, and it’s often because when they get older they get married and have kids. We at the Fuller Youth Institute are still grieving over the 50 percent who don’t return, and even in the 50 percent who do return—you make those important life decisions as college students, and then there are consequences you live with even after you’ve returned to the faith. It seems like students are drifting at a slightly higher percentage than in the past, and as adolescence is lengthening, they’re staying away from the church longer. As age of marriage is being delayed, having children is being delayed, so it’s just more years under the belt apart from God and full of the heartbreak and disappointment that comes from living your life apart from God.