When Roots Grow Deep – Missional Rhythms and Faithfulness

When I first began to serve in North Canton, OH I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing. But one thing God had made clear to me – don’t sit behind the walls of a building. Go out among my people and love them as I have loved them. Unclear of what it entirely looks like – over 5 years later and God has taught me much about being on mission with him and that setting up rhythms and remaining faithful to those rhythms for the long-haul pay dividends for making His name known.

In this post I am going to look at 3 overarching themes God has taught me, and then I will break down further what it looks like to set up missional rhythms in order to disciple middle school students and create concrete disciples of Jesus.

#1. Get to know the community

This is huge – I was a boy from an urban-ish city who attended a private Christian university shielded from its urban surroundings that moved into what was clearly a city with small-town mentality. I had never grown up where most people knew each other – with big families with big names who others had heard of. Where everyone was trying to be on the same team. I was from Akron – you know, where LeBron grew up?

As time went on, I got to know the community. I began to sleep, eat, breathe, dream, and wrestle with what it meant to be a middle schooler in North Canton, Ohio. Tomorrow I will break down steps I took to learn the community, the students, etc. Began to ask yourself what the rhythms of a middle school student in your community look like. Where do they go and why do they go there? How involved are their parents?

#2. Don’t stop at “no”

While this is a two-edged sword – and I will dive deeper into this one in regards to how our missional rhythms while partnering with schools look like – but don’t stop just because you hear no. I had a lot of people tell me no – and I heard and saw a lot of “nos” compared to what it seemed others were doing. But when I was faithful to the little things – God worked through those people and made the “no” a “yes.”

If we let it be on our own power – we will never get very far. But if we have to let God do something only God can do – then we will see mountains be moved. The relationships God has brought with the local community and the rhythms he has blessed me to be a part of are mountains which I was not able to move – but that God delighted in moving for me.

#3. Longevity brings trust – stay faithful

I must say it is not easy to make missional rhythms a part of my week. I am now married and have a child on the way. I have less and less time – and yet there is something about staying faithful with the doors God has opened. And while I will touch on this more – discerning which doors to stay faithful and where to equip others to carry rhythms – I am blessed to say that the current middle school students have never known a time where God has not allowed me to be a part of their rhythms. From football games to track meets to after-school events – I am thankful that even when I was worn, pressed down, tired – I remained faithful to the rhythms God had set before me.

I have watched others I have tried to partner with grow weary – and though I am wired differently than others – I am so grateful I pressed into God and kept going. Even when others in the community gave strange stares, even when others wondered – I knew what God had and is calling me to do.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10 ESV

Whether you have been faithful in your context for years or just starting – what do you need to do in order to make your everyday rhythms intentional to be on mission with God? Making disciples, especially of middle school students, must go beyond a gathering once or twice a week. So what is God asking you to do? What rhythms is he asking you to be a part of or adapt for His glory? And what are you going to do about it?