OUR MISSION
to be a church where
you can exhale
Here's what we mean (and what we don't mean) when we say we want to be a church where you can exhale.
First, what exhale means:
We believe"exhale" is what happens when people experience the work of Jesus.
When Jesus began his ministry (Luke 4:14-21), he walked into his childhood synagogue, read these words, and said he has fulfilled them:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that CAPTIVES will be RELEASED, that the BLIND will SEE, that the OPPRESSED will be SET FREE, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come."
- Isaiah 61:18-19
We want to be a church where people experience Jesus. Because of his death and resurrection, people can experience this GOOD NEWS! He frees, heals, and makes whole what can be broken.
We believe "exhale" is what happens when people meet Jesus.
Jesus said meeting him is like... the moment when a shepherd finds a lost sheep:
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?
- Luke 15:1-4
Jesus said meeting him is like... the moment when a father welcomes home his wayward son.
Jesus tells this story in Luke 15:11-31. Here's what happens: the son leaves home, takes half the money, and wastes it. He comes to his senses and plans to beg his father for a job and a place to live. The father runs out to him, hugs him, and welcomes him back as a full member of the family.
Our mission is to create space where these moments of TRUE EXHALE can happen.
Now, here's what exhale DOES NOT mean:
Exhale does NOT mean...there won't calls to change parts of your life.
Spiritual maturity happens only when we continually experience Jesus and then RESPOND to that experience.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
- Matthew 16:24-25
Exhale does NOT mean... following God is easy.
Jesus promised his followers that life will be hard, but that's all the more reason why we need to truly experience him in our lives. He has already overcome all of it.
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
- John 16:33
Exhale does NOT mean... we are a "spiritual spa" where you relax and get pampered.
A Spiritual life without regularly meeting the grace of Jesus becomes stale and shallow. We are called to maturity.
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
- Ephesians 4:11-15
Every week, we create space for you and what you're going through.
... so, why are we "Delta" Church?
Delta
A delta is what happens when a river meets the ocean. The river branches out and fresh water mixes with salt water to create something different, something new. This is what Jesus wants to do with us.
Jesus wants to bring wholeness to every part of us.
Jesus (as our friend, John 15:15) embraces and (as our king, Philippians 2:9-10; John 18:36) rearranges our relationships, finances, careers, friendships, romantic pursuits, callings, politics, worldviews, passions, dreams, enjoyments, hurts, traumas, and brokenness. In every season (highs, lows, and routine middles) Jesus calls us to follow, trust, and worship Him.
And we want our world to experience that wholeness too.
The area around a river delta is full of life, thriving, and healthy because the richness of the delta naturally impacts the world around it. As Jesus makes us whole, we naturally begin influencing the people and world around us. (Proverbs 27:17; Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 7:36; Romans 15:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10).
As a church, we care about the whole person because we think Jesus does. We want to walk with you no matter where you are in faith or life stage.
Our Region
We believe our area of Ohio (Delaware, Knox, Licking, and Morrow Counties) represents a cultural 'delta.'
These communities are noticing and expecting an influx of businesses, transplants, and yes, traffic. Sometimes, it can feel like salt and fresh water coming together. We want to be a church that represents the people and heart of the region.
Finally, an overflow is a natural part of a Delta.
Jesus' kingdom cannot be confined to the four walls of a church. God wants every individual in our church to bring life and healing and hope to their families, workplaces, and neighborhoods. As a church body, we are committed to serving and resourcing spaces outside our walls.
We are becoming wholehearted followers of Jesus together.
Want to join us?