When I go to Montreal I try to visit this great jeans store. The service is phenomenal and so is the selection, but it is in the basement of a run down building and the décor is nonexistent. In the middle of the store hangs a long-winded, hand-written poster that says if you want to pay more for the jeans, they'd happy to give the place a makeover. I like their attitude. I feel like churches should write a similar felt-pen poster, “If you want us to focus more on the show, then pardon us while we ignore you and God.” It doesn't mean that we can't pursue excellence; it just means that above all else, churches need to be about relationship. This is what we've tried to capture in our purpose statement:

Multiplying disciples who love God, one another, and the world (Matthew 22:37-40; 28:18-20)

We explain this purpose in our “discipleship wheel.” It describes the core qualities of what it means to be a disciple:

The Hub
A disciple is one who follows Jesus as Lord and Saviour (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11). This is the hub or heart of the Christian life.

The Rim
Spiritual health is not measured individualistically. It is determined by the health of our relationship with God, one another, and the world (Matthew 22:37-40; 2 Corinthians 5:19). This is where the rubber meets the road; it is what the Christian life practically looks like.

The Spokes
It is one thing to have a purpose, but it is quite another to know how to get there. God gives us key tools to build toward relational health (Acts 20:20-21):

• Truth -- The Bible shows us God and His will
  
• Repentance -- Turning our life to line up with that truth
  
• Faith -- Trusting God to fulfill our repentance

We aren't trying to be unique. We're just trying to follow what authentic Christians have lived and believed for centuries - namely that we are a people who follow Jesus by loving God and others in truth repentance and faith. This is what transforms Christianity into the life-giving reality it is meant to be.