Connext Conference
As a part of preparing for church planting in Philly, I went to down to NY this past weekend to attend a Conference for those interested in ministry among Asian Indians. It was a really good time to connect with a bunch of different folks – pastors, church planters, missionaries, etc. For example, I reconnected with this one guy who is planting a church in New Jersey among Asian Indians and their peers. He’s young, reformed, missional, and connected to Redeemer and Tim Keller – so you can see why I clicked with him. But it was so cool to hang out with other like-minded men who are walking through the uncharted waters of church planting among Asian Indians.
I also left the Conference with a renewed sense of gratitude for 7 Mile Road. So many in the Asian Indian community have not been introduced to a Jesus-centered, Gospel-driven, understanding of faith. Instead, many read the Bible with moralistic lenses. And so the point of Abraham’s story, or Joseph’s story, or Moses’ story is ultimately to “be like” Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. It was at 7 Mile Road that I learned that every story needs to be connected to the larger story that points to Jesus. The Asian Indian community needs a church that teaches Jesus as the hero of the whole Bible, and even of every individual part.
I also left convinced that the Asian Indian community needs a church where the Gospel is central to everything. The conference reminded me that often we see the Gospel as the point of entry into Christian faith, but then something to be advanced beyond. It’s like we say to Jesus, “Thank you for getting me in… but I can take it from here.” It’s as if we believe the Gospel to become a Christian, but then move onto more “mature” things like fasting, witnessing, missions, etc. It’s at 7 Mile Road that I learned that the Gospel is the power for life, both coming to life and living out the new life in Christ. I long to plant a church where the Gospel is central as I have witnessed it, experienced it, here at 7 Mile Road.
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