Here are some other FAQs:

“Why is this our vision?” - In Scripture, we see God constantly at work to bring peace (shalom) to the chaos in our world. The ultimate example is when Jesus died for our sins and rose again. He defeated Satan, death and our sins (all the agents of chaos in our lives) and made a way for us to have peace with God. As His Kingdom spreads, that peace spreads with it. We believe the best way we can be part of that process is by loving our neighbors, one heart, one family at a time. We know that most people in our community will never choose to attend a church. But God has placed them into our lives. They are our neighbors, co-workers, and classmates. They cut our hair, serve our food, teach our kids, or check our vital signs at the doctor’s office. Every one of those relationships is an opportunity for us to be part of God’s redeeming work.

“Why 10,000?” - We chose that number for two reasons. First, because we believe 10,000 transforming relationships would make a huge impact on our community. It would truly bring peace to the chaos in Montgomery County. Second, we believe it’s attainable. If every active member of our church only engaged in one transforming relationship each year, we would easily reach our goal.

Honestly, the number isn’t the point. We want FBC members to engage in transforming relationships not in order to help us reach some arbitrary goal, but because it’s how God has commanded us to live.

“How are we keeping track of transforming relationships?” - Click here to fill out a card. Or stop by the Transforming Relationships table in the atrium and fill out a physical card. There, you can also see the display that shows us how many transforming relationships we’ve recorded so far.

“I don’t want to report my relationships. It feels like boasting.” - No one outside the ministry staff sees the list of transforming relationships. It will never be published. If you still feel uneasy, use a nickname or initials on your card. The point is not to give you any sort of “credit” in the eyes of humans.

Think about it this way: We tend to track the things that matter most. If you attend Life Group or give an offering, both of those things are recorded, so that we know how our church is doing. Frankly, we believe investing in other people with the love of Christ is even more important than attending church or giving financially. So when you report your transforming relationships, you’re helping the ministry staff see how our church is doing at reaching our community.

“My friends would be offended if they knew I was reporting our relationship.” - Again, the list of transforming relationships will never be published or seen outside of the ministry staff. And you can use initials or a nickname to describe your friend, if you prefer. We just want to know how many people our church is currently making a real effort to reach with God’s love.

“I’m trying, but I haven’t seen anyone’s life transformed because of me.” - We want to know about those relationships, even if you can’t see results yet. We’re keeping track of transforming relationships, not “transformed” relationships. We believe that every time one of our members invests in someone else, God will use it…even if we don’t always see the fruit.

One last thing: Most of us can think of someone outside our family who made a difference in our lives. Maybe it was the person who led us to faith in Christ. Or perhaps it was simply a person who invested in us when we needed them, who taught us something that made us better or was there for us at a key moment. That was a relationship that changed your life. We’re challenging our members to be that person to someone else. Someday, someone will say, “Because you chose to invest in me, my life changed for the better. God used you.” We believe that’s what the Church should be about.