At To Every Tribe, we believe Jesus’s mission to save the world and the local church go hand in hand. We believe this because of the things Jesus said to his apostles and the way the apostles worked to fulfill his mission after he had ascended into heaven. Jesus told Peter that he would build his church, and Satan would not be able to stop him. To Every Tribe missionaries are working to strengthen existing churches and plant new ones where needed, so that those who become believers have a local gathering of their new brothers and sisters in Christ to grow with.
For the last five years, I’ve worked as a missionary in a small town in Northwest Ontario, Canada, called Sioux Lookout. My goal as a missionary in Canada is to see First Nations people believe the gospel and become members of a biblical, First Nations-led local church. The reason that First Nations church leadership is a goal of mine is because it’s the Lord’s plan to not only save people from every language and tribe on earth, but also to give spiritual gifts to all who believe. This means we should expect that there will be some men from every tribe who will believe in Jesus and receive spiritual gifts of leadership and teaching to serve their own people as shepherds and teachers.
When we moved to Sioux Lookout, I learned that there was already a small, First Nations-led church that was meeting every week for services. I was eager to visit the church and experience one of their services. During that first visit, I remember my family being invited up to the front to introduce ourselves and share whatever we wanted to. What felt different and a little uncomfortable that first time has now become one of my favorite things about being a part of a First Nations-led church, because I see it in the New Testament and I’ve experienced its goodness firsthand.
Before becoming a missionary and joining a First Nations-led church, I had mostly been part of churches with a more structured order of service, where a few predetermined individuals, such as pastors and worship leaders, would lead in speaking or singing. That model shaped me in many good ways, and I am grateful for it. It was in those churches that I was nurtured in the faith, equipped for ministry, and shaped with a heart to pursue missions. But being part of this First Nations-led church has helped me see how Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14:26 can also play out in a different way: “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”
Paul says, “Each one…” Not just the pastor, elders, or worship leaders. Each person in the church is there with various abilities and gifts to use during the service. Seeing this lived out in Sioux Lookout has helped me understand Paul’s words in a new light. I’ve watched brothers and sisters share songs, testimonies, and short teachings, and I’ve been encouraged by how the Spirit works through many voices. Because we all are imperfect, every message we hear should be weighed against Scripture, which is our final authority. That which is true and good should be held on to; that which is false and evil should be rejected (1 Thess. 5:20-22).
This experience has also helped me realize how valuable it is when multiple men are invited to regularly share from God’s Word. I see how it prepares them to be ready to serve and teach should the need arise. I am deeply thankful for the pastors I’ve had who faithfully taught me the Word of God and modeled shepherding well. At the same time, I’ve also seen the blessing of inviting multiple gifted men to regularly share, so that many can grow in their ability and be ready to speak the Word whenever there’s an opportunity.
I never realized how much my own church background shaped me until I stepped into another cultural context. Being part of a First Nations-led church has opened my eyes to things I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. These experiences have been a gift to me, and I pray that in sharing them, they might help us all benefit from God’s good work in our First Nations brothers and sisters.
This biblical practice of multiple church members reading and teaching Scripture, singing a praise song, or giving a testimony each service is just one example of the many ways I’ve been grateful to have joined the existing First Nations-led church in Sioux Lookout. I’ve been able to see how they do things in a way that I likely would not have been able to if I was a part of the leadership team or trying to form a new local church where I was making a lot of the decisions. This experience will be invaluable as I’m now planning to move my family up to Cat Lake, a remote First Nation reserve with a newly formed church that I want to help grow. This small church in Sioux Lookout will always be an example in my mind of the beauty of a First Nations-led church, and a reminder of what God is able to do among his people. I will also be able to lean on the friendships that I have made when I’m faced with various challenges. We are currently looking for teammates to join us in Cat Lake, so if you’re willing to live in an isolated place and patiently endure difficulties while loving hurting people that they might find true comfort and salvation in Christ, get in touch with me.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet First Nations brothers and sisters from all over this part of Canada, as they attend this church when they are down visiting from their various reserves to the north. Thanks to the practice of having multiple people share each service, I’ve been encouraged and built up in my faith by many of them as they have used their spiritual gifts to edify the body. I’ve also been entrusted with the opportunity to share from God’s Word at many services. When I first started attending the gatherings a few years ago, the messages were all topical and from different places in Scripture. I decided to take a step of faith and try teaching verse by verse through a book, something I had never seen done at this church before.
I’ve now spent most of the last two years teaching verse by verse through the book of 1 Corinthians anytime one of the two pastors asks me to share. The church’s desire to continue hearing the Word taught in this way, even when the teaching style differs from what they’re used to, shows their genuine hunger for God’s Word. I trust God has used this exegetical method of teaching his Word to help the church. The pastor has recently started his own verse by verse teaching through the book of Hebrews. This makes me believe that he has also seen the benefit of this method of teaching the whole counsel of God’s Word.
While there have been moments when I haven’t fully agreed biblically with what was happening in a service, I’ve come to realize that this is part of the Christian life no matter which church you join. I’ve come to realize no church has it all together. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and that’s true everywhere. But I’ve come to see this as part of God’s design — because together, across cultures and contexts, the church reflects more of His wisdom and beauty than any single congregation could on its own. It’s also possible that my own perspective is flawed. It’s definitely changed over time.
This experience has reminded me of my own tendency to undervalue churches that differ in non-gospel areas of doctrine or practice, and God has been patient to teach me through it. Looking back, I’m grateful for every church I’ve been part of, because in different ways each one has shaped me and strengthened my walk with Christ. While sound doctrine is very important, it’s not the only ingredient to a healthy church full of love and joy and the Spirit’s fruit. I’ve found that sometimes I might disagree with a church’s statement of faith in certain areas, yet see in that same church people who are deeply hungry for God, devoted to prayer, and sacrificially loving in ways that challenge my own walk.
I have been humbled to realize that people with different biblical interpretations or convictions than mine might be equally or even more full of the Spirit and God’s love. I’ve wondered before why God allows such differences among his people when he could easily conform all of our thinking to be more uniform if he wanted to. I think the reason is that he loves unity in diversity and wants the church to reflect him in that way: unified in love while being diverse. Where I once mainly saw differences between churches as a challenge, I’m learning to see them as part of God’s plan to glorify himself in diversity. May God grant us all more love for one another as we dwell together in diversity now and forevermore. Amen.
