Pursuing Justice and Making Disciples - Reflections from Church Collective, Warrington
In the early days of Just Love, we were rightly asked the question: ‘How does Just Love serve the local church?’ Our answer has always been that we would develop Christlike leaders who would shape the future of the church's engagement with social and environmental justice for the long run, both here in the UK and around the world.
In recent years, it has been exciting to see that come to life, with many members of the Just Love Network pioneering new church initiatives in marginalised areas, entering church leadership and investing in the spiritual and theological formation of a generation.
In 2016, Tee and John were part of the founding team of Just Love Liverpool. After graduating, they remained heavily involved in the life of St James in the City, Liverpool, before moving to Warrington to help set up Church Collective, a network of missional micro-churches across the town.
Tee and John write:
“We’ve been talking with The Lord about what it really means to be The Church over the past couple of years, and both felt that our lives were so full of Church stuff that we barely had any time to actually spend time with people who weren’t Christians. Jesus isn’t even on the radar for most people and he will stay off the radar as long as we hide in our buildings every Sunday. Church Collective plants micro-churches all over Warrington, usually oriented around a social justice need. We then simply live out our values in that space. Reading Scripture together, worshiping together and going on mission together. About 100 people worship with us all across town, about half of whom had no connection to Church or faith before meeting us in their spaces.
This is how the Church grows. Jesus said “go and make disciples”, not “sit in a building and try and coax them in”. There is of course always need for the saints to be built up, but if you’re anything like us, it feels like a lot of saints drink several red-bulls a week and don’t do much exercise. What if the Church starts re-integrating into everyday society again? We reckon it’d shake a few things up!"
Church Collective has three values - worshiping creatively, loving generously and serving locally. It's so exciting to see new movements like Church Collective being planted, which integrate the biblical call to social justice, compassionate action and environmental care into the very heart of church life. Church Collective is already reaching new people with the gospel and with practical love and support.
Tee and John's ministry in Liverpool and Warrington is just one expression of God's work through the Just Love Network. One Just Love graduate helps run the Basel House of Prayer, co-hosting a regular group focused on intercession for the Korean peninsula, while others volunteer with justice and mercy projects through Micah Singapore. Just Love graduate Rachel is leading a new expression of church in largely unserved parishes in the north-east of England, while Emily and Tim are running youth and student work in Southampton. A large and growing wave of Just Love graduates are choosing to build their lives on the margins, either moving back home to marginalised areas of the UK or relocating to those areas, in order to be part of what Jesus is doing in those communities. They are praying faithfully, serving their local communities and practicing the way of Jesus in places of social and economic exclusion.
We want the Just Love Network to be a movement that continues to pioneer exciting new communities, campaigns, and justice projects! To share your ideas for new justice initiatives, join us at Catalyst - a day dedicated to bringing your justice project ideas to reality - in London on Saturday 1st June, 10am-4pm. Sign up below!