“So what does The Foundry do?” We get that question a fair amount these days. My first answer is: “Go.” It might sound simple, but the first step in everything we do is “go.”
Go to meet and connect with pastors and church leaders. Go in order to listen. Go in order to sit with churches and understand where they are at and how we might partner together. Go to teach and train people preparing for a life of ministry. Go to equip lay leaders like elders and deacons. Go to equip young people to be rooted and grounded in their faith.
Practically speaking, this means more time on the road, and less time sitting in an office.
To be honest, this was one of the reasons I was hesitant to follow God’s call to The Foundry. I liked my 8-minute drive to work each day. I liked telling students they had to come to me. That’s how our current system works. And it was comfortable for me.
But as I sat in my office on the Beltline in Grand Rapids, I increasingly heard the voice of God say, “Go!” After all, as a professor of Bible and theology, I knew the biblical model: Jesus didn’t set up a Bible college in Jerusalem and tell people to come to him. Paul didn’t set up a seminary in Ephesus and tell people to come to him. He was on the move, partnering with fellow co-workers to travel and invest in churches, equipping and raising up more leaders of the church of Jesus.
This Christmas, I’m reminded that the biblical command to go is not just about teachers or missionaries. It’s the shape of Jesus’ whole life. Everything depends on Jesus, the eternal Son of God, answering the call to go. He came to us. This Christmas, we at The Foundry are grateful that he’s called us to follow the pattern of his life, and we are grateful for your prayers and support as we answer his call to go and make disciples.