Missional Church

Today I had the real privilege of going to Madison, NC to view the "Talking Murals" at Mt Tabor United Methodist Church.

Now I know that many, many church leaders/pastors/denominational heads/church-growth gurus, etc, etc, pay big dollars to go to conference after conference to hear the latest in "missional" churching. This idea of really reaching out to the world, out-of-yourself style of living, promoting Jesus.
Most of these conferences, books, websites, all seem to look the same and are bought by people who look the same. Goatees or soul-patches, and black clothes; using the latest in technology and using all the cool buzz words.

Then I go to Mt Tabor UMC in Madison, NC. Here is a teeny-tiny church, established in the 1800s, right off of HWY 220 in little ol' Rockingham County, North Carolina. I doubt that Mt Tabor and the Talking Murals have ever been written up in Christianity Today magazine, ever been featured or noticed by missional, urban church planter-type websites or blogs.

But here, since 2005, nearly 20,000 people have come through the doors and rested in the quiet little sanctuary -- it truly is a sanctuary (not a "worship center") -- and been nourished with the old, old story of Jesus and His love. You are invited off of the busy highway of the world, to come sit quietly (you walk into the sanctuary under the words from Psalm 46 "Be still and know") and hear about the Lord Jesus Christ - what He has done and what He invites you to do - receive His gift of salvation and love into your heart.

You are encouraged to leave your prayer requests in a box at the back, and the church looks at each one every Sunday morning and prays over them at the altar. No money is charged, but Gospel tracts are offered for the taking.

I am thankful for the Mt Tabor United Methodist Church and pray that the Lord will use this ministry in a tremendous way. They are not trying to be like the world to win the world, they simply want to declare Christ Jesus to the world.

May all churches, church leaders, and Christian men and women do the same.

www.thetalkingmurals.com