What Moves You?

The effort you expend to get to a destination says something about its importance. If the journey is difficult, the destination must be worth it.

I want you to meet Dwayne, a pastor from Poinciana Church of God, a Pentecostal church just outside Orlando. A while back, Dwayne began to ask questions about his church’s structure. What he saw in Scripture simply didn’t line up to what he saw on Sundays. So he started to investigate and, eventually, he encountered the resources of 9Marks.

Dwayne was so intrigued that he drove to Washington, D.C. to join us for our recent September Weekender. Do you realize how far that is? 847 miles. Thankfully, Dwayne wasn’t alone. He brought along his wife and their three kids, all under the age of 10. Not to mention, all of this happened as Hurricane Florence approached the I-95 corridor. That’s some determination!

After more than thirteen hours in the car, they finally made it. Dwayne joined us for the Weekender, and we were glad to meet him.

But their drive to the Weekender was nothing compared to their drive home. Flooding along the coast delayed them an extra 12 hours. In other words, they drove for 24+ hours with all three kids in tow! Well, at least Dwayne and his wife had plenty of time to debrief.

When talking to Dwayne after his return, I asked him, “Was it worth it? The driving. The detour. The inconvenience. Was it all worth it?” He responded, “Yes, because I saw the church.”

Biblical ecclesiology doesn’t sound glamorous. But its effect on people can’t be overlooked—it raises its voice to pastors and shouts across the country saying, “Come and see.”