“The point of being the church is to manifest, to bear witness to—not just with words but in the way we live together—what it means to be united in love in spite of our disagreements, in spite of the suffering that we go through, in spite of the gap between rich and poor, and the other things that separate us.” (Kaven Rowe, Thriving Communities)

As we love one another, we will be a faithful gospel witness to those around us, forming a community rooted in God’s love. People need to encounter the church as a network of relationships rather than a meeting we attend or a building we enter. 

“To be a community of light from which the light of Christ will emanate, we need to be intentional in our relationships—to love the unlovely, forgive the unforgivable, embrace the repulsive, include the awkward, accept the weird. It is in contexts such as these that sinners are transformed into disciples who obey everything King Jesus has commanded.” (Chester and Timmis, Total Church)

We are to work out our love for one another among a community of people. As others see our love for one another, we are actively taking part in our co-mission with God. We, as a group of people at Gulf Coast Community Church, strive to live like the family we already are because of what Jesus has done—He has made us a family of sons and daughters who are united in Him! This is not always easy and goes against our culture’s inclination toward individuality, yet it is God’s design for His people, His Church.