Working in redeveloping a small rural congregation, one of our objectives has been to instil a sense of purpose to our church.   For a long time, we were “The Free Church”.   Being “Free Church” coloured everything.   For example, our worship was “Free Church” style.   Our teaching ministry was also “Free Church” style, as one dear person in my church put it, “Free Church preaching seems to really emphasise the Old Testament.”   There’s nothing wrong with the OT – I’m hoping to begin an evangelistic-focused series on King David this winter – but often that emphasis equates to a law-focused teaching, that doesn’t quite reach grace often enough.

The problem is, aside from that one person who thought “Free Church” means “Old Testament”, nobody was able to articulate what the congregation was really about.

We’ve put a lot of effort into trying to change this.   These days we have a very…