When Jesus began his earthly ministry, he declared that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). The kingdom of God involved both spiritual and physical realities. He came to restore our relationships with God and one another (Mark 12:30-31), and his kingdom also involved healing to the sick, liberty to the captives, and provision/good news to the poor (Luke 4:18-19). That mission of Jesus still continues to this day (Matthew 28:18-20)!
The church is meant to be a similar taste of God’s kingdom, a place where life as God intended it is lived out and spread to the whole surrounding area. It is with this in mind that God called us to plant a church in Ferguson - to join the good work he was already doing and reflect the kingdom of God in word and deed.
A key part of that mission and calling involved being a church that reflected the diversity of God’s kingdom generationally, socio-economically, and culturally. St. Louis in general, and North County/Ferguson specifically have known histories of red-lining, segregation, and continued division. The impact of historic racism lingers, and we believe the church is called to be on the front lines of responding to those inequities and divisions with the power of the gospel that speaks to these spiritual and physical realities. Therefore, in a world where division is still far too normal, where segregation is often the implicit norm, we feel called at the Bridge to embody a different way - the way of Jesus. This means our leadership, our worship services, and our small groups reflect the diversity of our community, and it is through life in this shared community that we better know what it looks like to follow Jesus in the Great commandment of loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
The church is meant to be a similar taste of God’s kingdom, a place where life as God intended it is lived out and spread to the whole surrounding area. It is with this in mind that God called us to plant a church in Ferguson - to join the good work he was already doing and reflect the kingdom of God in word and deed.
A key part of that mission and calling involved being a church that reflected the diversity of God’s kingdom generationally, socio-economically, and culturally. St. Louis in general, and North County/Ferguson specifically have known histories of red-lining, segregation, and continued division. The impact of historic racism lingers, and we believe the church is called to be on the front lines of responding to those inequities and divisions with the power of the gospel that speaks to these spiritual and physical realities. Therefore, in a world where division is still far too normal, where segregation is often the implicit norm, we feel called at the Bridge to embody a different way - the way of Jesus. This means our leadership, our worship services, and our small groups reflect the diversity of our community, and it is through life in this shared community that we better know what it looks like to follow Jesus in the Great commandment of loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).