It was probably one of the best questions I’ve ever been asked by a first-time visitor to our church. After telling him that we we’re “contemporary” and “different” and “casual” which I guess at one time was really worth something…today its just another church in many places. So he asked, “But tell me what’s distinctive about Woodland”? I felt like he was honestly saying, “So your worship rocks and I don’t have to dress up – but what is significant and how do you differ from the next place?”
I have spent a lot of time thinking about that in the past month and I’m ready to take a stab at it.
Three things are distinctive here right now.
First, we value unity over all. Wouldn’t it be great to be a part of a church where baptists, pentecostals, catholics, charismatics, cessationists, black, white, latino, asian etc. could all worship together?… A place where being the whole Body together was more important than any gift display or color or particular practice… A place where people believe different things about the gifts or politics, etc…but they were united in thinking that all of those things are secondary. The one thing that is most important is that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and body and that we do that together not separated. So for one hour-and-a-half each week we meet to sing, pray, encourage, and learn together and lay aside the things that would cause us to look at each other more than Jesus. The diversity is a rush, especially when we pull it off in unity. So that is what is distinctive about us. Its not baptist or pentecostal or even nondenominational – It’s just unispiritual.
