I’ve always wanted to pastor a church that people love so much that when they miss church they actually miss church. I don’t want people to feel bad about missing church because they didn’t so their “religious duty.” I want them to feel bad because they actually missed out on what God is doing and saying. I want them to feel bad because there is no place they’d rather be and nothing they’d rather do more than go to church.

I know I’m stretching the meaning of the word “church.” The church is not a building. In fact, you can’t go to church because you are the church. But I mean “church” in the sense of corporate gatherings of Christ followers. I think it ought to be the most exciting, most enjoyable, most challenging, most convicting, and most affirming hour of the week.

My prayer for our weekend services is I Corinthians 14:25. When people visit National Community Church I want them to walk away with one unmistakable observation: “God is really among you!”