Canada

Jeremy and April McClung moved to Huntsville, Ontario, Canada in 2007 in response to God’s calling to plant a new church there. After they spent about a year laying foundations and getting connected in the community, Sunday services were launched in October 2008 and Muskoka Community Church was born. 

This new church seeks to engage Canada’s largely secular society with the Christian message through classes, groups, Sunday services and outdoor experiences. Emphasis is placed on community involvement and relationships as a means of connecting with those who are spiritually curious. Composed largely of people new to church and spiritual seekers, MCC continues to be a safe place for them to explore the life and teachings of Jesus for the first time.
 

If you would like to receive Jeremy’s monthly email update, please send him an email at jeremy@muskokacommunitychurch.com.

Visit the church website at www.muskokacommunitychurch.com.  

Recent Articles

Muskoka Community Church's Journey to Haiti

Web Content Image
... this trip was an amazing journey; ... we all found a desire to continue to serve people in such incredible need and poverty, which is at the very heart of our faith.

Read More »
508 Views
Updates From Canada
Thinking about discipleship
By Jeremy McClung, On 12/8/09 11:44 AM

I had a bit of a re-revelation this morning during my quiet time.

For the last couple of years, April and I have been focused on outreach, finding ways to connect with unchurched people here in Huntsville and help them discover God through Jesus. It seems to be working, and we're getting ready to do our first baptisms. People are actually connecting with church for the first time and deciding to follow Jesus, but because our Sunday attendance growth has not been what I desired, I am often overly-obsessed with reaching new people.

This morning I read a devotional about how often we judge success in church-world by quantity of people dicscipled rather than the quality of their discipleship. It really struck home, and immediately reminded me that some of laser-focus on reaching new people needs to be directed toward discipling the ones we have reached. Immediately the "pressure" came--pressure to find or develop the best "program" for discipleship, so that people are turned into "super-Christians" overnight. My mind was racing about how I could best strategize to grow in this area, the different experiences I could give to people, the ways I could shift our efforts to have a lasting and dramatic effect on those we reach. How could I make our church's discipling strategy something effective, unique and life-changing?

Then I quietly heard a Voice reminding me of the essence of discipleship: "Follow me, as I follow Christ."

The most important thing (maybe the ONLY really important thing) in discipling is to ensure that my own relationship with Christ is alive and growing, that I'm not just living as a "hired servant," but a son of my Father. If I am connected to the vine, the most natural thing in the world would be that the shoots that spring off of me will also be connected. If I am not...well, they're in trouble too. I'm sure I'll still do some strategizing and maybe even adopt a great program, but I'm glad God reminded me where disciplehip happens--at the junction of my relationship with God and my relationship with others.

0 Comments
Subscribe to this blog. Subscribe to this blog.
Showing 1 result.