What’s the story behind the name Renew?

Many people have asked us how we chose the name of our church.
Here are a few reasons.

1. It’s central to the Story of God and Man:
If you had to summarize the story of God and Man in one word we think you might be able to describe it with words like:
Reconciliation, Redemption, Reclamation, Rehabilitation, Restoration or Renewal.
Notice the prefix “re” in these words – meaning that something is done again.

The Story of God and Man started in a Garden that possessed relational union with God, but that union was broken when sin entered the world.
God’s master plan has been to bring about that relational and spiritual union and communion again (hence the “re”).

The concept of atonement (the process of God restoring us back to himself) is an important one to understand. Some scholars have said that the best way to understand this is to break the word down – at-one-ment. It’s God’s plan to be at-one with his creation. This cosmic harmony and unity is the Hebrew term shalom – meaning complete peace, or rightness, or the way things should be.
God’s purposes are to renew shalom with his creation.

Renewal is the message of the gospel.
It would be inaccurate to conclude that God has renewed us in our past completely.
Yes, theologically we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), but it shouldn’t – and doesn’t – stop there for followers of Jesus.
We are constantly being renewed (Romans 12:1-2). We have been renewed. We are being renewed.

But there’s more to it.
To understand the gospel and to be faithful followers of Jesus means that we are humble partners and active participants with God to help to renew the world we live in. We are to be a part of the renewal process holistically (i.e. physically, emotionally, mentally, culturally and spiritually).

What we mean is that the gospel is much more than simply saying a prayer and “becoming a Christian.” It is about entering into the ways of Jesus – as we are being renewed individually we join with others in community in order to join Him in renewing the world in all aspects. It’s still the work of the Holy Spirit working in us and through us, but we have the grace-filled privilege of being a participant in this renewal activity.

Paul sums up the concept of experiencing reconciliation and renewal and then participating in that process with God in 2 Corinthians:

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (5:14-21)

Paul says that we not only experienced reconciliation, but that we, as ambassadors, are to be about the ministry of reconciliation.

2. It’s hope-filled.
Renewal also speaks of something new.
There’s hope in newness.
A new school year.
A new pair of jeans.
A new house.
A new start.
We believe that the Holy Spirit oftentimes works in new and fresh ways and expressions.
It’s not to say that the old ways are all bad, but we simply want to be a part of something new and hope-filled for the region.
We believe that God is working in new, creative and fresh ways and we want to join with Him in that work!

God spoke of hope-filled newness through Isaiah who said:

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

3. We like it.
Practically, the word Renew is short, different, easy to say, not a word from a foreign language so it wasn’t too difficult to pronounce, it encompassed what we valued, it would constantly challenge us to live out our name and didn’t come across like we were trying too hard to be cool.
It seemed like it fit.

So why the name the Renew Community?
Because we desire to be a group of people who work, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to see people renewed by God’s love, who are in the constant process of having their lives renewed by the gospel story and who are joining God in helping to renew the broken world we live in.

We are a community of renewed people – our past.
We are a community that is constantly being renewed – our present.
We are a community that desires to help renew the world – our future.

The Renew Community: our hope and prayer is that we live up to our name.