Note: As you may know, I have had the privilege of serving as the preaching pastor at New Life since the church began in March 2009. This summer, I’ll be taking a sabbatical – a time of extended rest that is designed to replenish me spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Because I am filled with gratitude for New Life, I thought I’d share a series of reflections on why I love our church. This post is the third in a series of five. I hope you enjoy them!

The first time Kendra and I heard Ray Ortlund at an Acts 29 retreat, I was moved by his obvious love for the Gospel. It comes out when he preaches, prays, and speaks to others. A few years ago, some New Life members moved to Nashville and joined Immanuel, where Dr. Ortlund serves as lead pastor. They love it there, which didn’t surprise me, given what he has written:

By the power of God, the gospel creates something new in the world today. It creates not just a new community, but a new kind of community. Gospel-centered churches are living proof that the good news is true, that Jesus is not a theory but is real, as he gives back to us our humanness. In its doctrine and culture, words and deeds, such a church makes visible the restored humanity only Christ can give. (Ortlund, The Gospel, 65)

New Life – for me, for my family, and for hundreds of others – has been that “new kind of community.” From the very beginning, we wanted to be a church that lived out the implications of the Gospel. We didn’t want to settle for merely saying the right things about the Gospel. In short, we wanted a Gospel-centered culture. By the grace of God, I believe we do have a Gospel-centered culture. New Life is by no means a perfect church; I’m helping to lead it, after all. But it is a church where:

• Every member – including our pastors – can be open and honest about their sins, mistakes, and failures. We believe that we are saved by the grace of God, not by our performance.
• Every member – including our pastors – is challenged to live a holy lifestyle because God in Christ already accepts us, not in order to earn God’s acceptance.
• Every member – including our pastors – is given freedom to live in light of his or her own convictions on open-handed issues. In Christ, we are free to come to different conclusions while we live in unity on the essentials of the faith and the distinctives of our church.

Grace, holiness, freedom, unity – these are some of the defining marks of a Gospel-centered church. And because New Life bears those marks, it is a church I love being a part of.

Written by New Life Preaching Pastor, Allen Duty