What should local churches look like? People tend to gravitate toward others of the same kind, be that cultural, ethnic, social worldview, recreational preference, or any other common ground.
Even the church has an association point, but it is one that transcends all worldly preference and passion. Our common ground is Jesus.If this is true, then our local churches should be wide open to being reflections of our local communities. Every tribe, every tongue and every nation should find a welcome and a place at the table of the local church. But reflecting our local communities should not stop there—it should also include the matters of justice and the social needs of the widow, the orphan, the poor and the stranger in our land.
David Moore Jr. has been a minister for 30 years, the last two decades with Foursquare. During his time as a leader, he has seen a propensity for churches to create worshipers but not activists. In the language of Samuel Rodriguez, who also spoke at Foursquare Connection 2014 when David was interviewed, we have majored on the vertical plane of the cross (reconciling man to God) and, generally speaking, neglected the horizontal plane (reconciling man to fellow man).
During this interview with host John Fehlen, recorded live at Connection 2014 in Dallas, David Moore Jr. unpacks the idea of releasing vision in people and encouraging them to be servants in their communities.
Throughout Isaiah and the other prophets, we see the heart of God for justice for the poor and the oppressed, and His opposition to religious communities that have “fine tuned worship” and “neglected justice.” As leaders, we need to help people transition out from a consumer mentality of worship, and into their identity as the people of God blessing the communities in which they dwell.
Watch this video to hear more about David’s heart for worship with justice, and the long-term commitments we need to make to multiply diversity and justice ministry in our own communities, which will bring the kind of worship we see in Isa. 56:7: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (NKJV).
To see more from Foursquare Connection 2014, click here.
