[nlcf] – a church community for Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a list of questions we get from people who visit our community. Some of them are asked more often by those who aren’t accustomed to attending a church gathering, and others, by those that are. Either way, this is a good place to start and let us know if these don’t answer your questions or serve to create more.

What is your basic mission? What are you trying to do?

Our mission, goals, whatever you want to call it, can be summed up in three simple words: Invest, Invite and Inspire. We invest in one anothers’ spiritual growth, but alos the spiritual growth of those we live and work around everyday. We Invite those that haven’t become followers of Jesus to do so, to accept his forgiveness and to begin to lead a life that he led. Then we Inspire one another to change the world. We aren’t just here to soak up all the God stuff we can and then wait until heaven for the good stuff to start. Jesus actually taught quite clearly that he saw great beauty among the brokenness in our world now and he wants us to be heavily involved in drawing attention to what God is doing today. We are constantly sending each other out into the world to be witnesses to the risen Messiah. Sometimes this works out as a church ministry but more often than not this looks like each of us seeking to live out the values of Jesus in our families, neighborhoods, work places, towns, cities and world.

Shouldn’t the order be invite, invest and inspire?

We get this question fairly frequently. And the way many churches approach this issue, it should be that way. But we have seen that many of those who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah and have begun to follow him have done so through a process of questioning their own beliefs and have the opportuntiy to question and learn about what the bible teaches. We also see the invite as being more than just an invitation to initiate a relationship with Jesus, as central as that is. As I have looked back on my walk with Christ, there have been times I wasn’t really following him. I have been sitting by the side of the road and watching others do it for me. So, the challenge to follow Jesus isn’t just for someone who needs to start things up, but also for those of us who already have. In fact, the inspire one another to change the world really only makes sense if we see that we are called to invest in the spiritual development of ourselves and those around us and to be active followers of Jesus. That is why we order it the way we do.

Are you guys part of the Emerging Church movement?

The short answer is no.  Since the Emerging Church movement is such a diverse group of people from many different theological persuasions, it is not something by which we want to define ourselves. At the same time, this question demands some further definition and our answer usually depends on what someone is implying when they ask it.  If you define the emerging churches like Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bloger do in their book, Emerging Churches with an emphasis on identifying with Jesus, welcoming the stranger, transforming secular space, emphasis on community, serving generously outside their community, moving from consumers to participants and leading as a body – then the answer would be “Yes.”

But, we know that emerging churches are not always defined that way.  They are often defined as denying truth, embracing pluralism, watering down the gospel, denying the authority of the scripture, avoiding accountability, or having no leadership. If that is how you are defining the term, then we are definitely not an emerging church.  We believe Jesus is truth. We realize pluralism is a reality and seek to speak the truth in the midst of this cultural climate.  We fully trust and count on the authority of scripture. We are passionate about holding each other accountable to Christ-likeness and holiness.  We believe that God has called leaders to lead His followers. Our simple goal is to know God’s love for us, and to act on this love through loving our neighbors.

Who are you affiliated with?

We are affiliated officially with a network of Churches called the Ecclesia Network. This network serves us in many different ways.  We are provided with accountability; coaching; networking and, most importantly, partnership in mission.

Why do you meet in so many places and not just a big church?

This may seem like a simple answer, and it is. For us, there hasn’t ever been a felt need to gather together in a particular kind of place. Over the history of the New Testament church, they have met everywhere from tombs around decaying bodies, to magnificent cathedrals. For us, the issue is more about what we are trying to do. We then look for a space the meets those needs. And one that we can afford

What are the names of the places you meet?

Colonial Hall
We meet in the Squires Student Center on Sundays at 11am. It is a big ampitheater type classroom and it allows us to get just over 600 people into one space. We love it for that.

130 Jackson
Our downtown congregation meets at 10am at 130 Jackson St.  It is also where a smaller crowd from the campus congregation meets at 7.07pm.   Overall, we also have many types of groups that meet in the 130 Jackson building. Everything from Tech classes to hard rock bands, to festivals put on by the Theater Department at Tech to Beckett plays put on by a local arts group. We have had a few local artists hang their art on the walls, have had multiple Christian and non-Christian groups meet there as well. During the academic year we have open hours and the facility can be rented for parties or wedding receptions.

What is your model for leadership?

We believe that God has gifted and called all different kinds of leaders, while calling all of us to be deeply involved in the life of the community.  We have a team of community leaders and Pastors/Elders who lead and guide our mission.

What role do kids play on Sunday Mornings?

You already know that your children are beyond value and their development is critically important, you don’t need us to tell you that. You may have read what the scriptures say about the importance of training them; and at the same time you may wonder why your ten and eight year old were just wasting time before school chasing each other with dirty laundry, slamming doors and irritating their little sister (okay, maybe that is just our family).

Just know this, at nlcf we deeply value your children and the development of their hearts and minds, and the challenge of it all. Whether it is with our Little Lights program for 6 month olds to 5th graders, or our middle school and high school youth programs, you can be confident that your kids will have a great time, learn scriptural truths and be encouraged all in a very safe and secure environment, by caring and skilled staff and volunteers. Your kids are a part of your family, and we will treasure them as a part of ours.

What are your beliefs about the Bible and Jesus?

Very simply, we believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God that testifies to the truth that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Messiah for whom the people of Israel were awaiting. As Messiah, Jesus Christ has defeated death through his death, burial and resurrection. We eagerly await the future when God will dwell with His people and all things will be made new (Rev. 21). A a church we stand together with Christians throughout the world and across the centuries who express their faith through the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.

Why does the downtown congregation take communion most Sundays?

If you were to attend both congregations, you would notice many things that are alike. This is because we both make up one church with one mission. This mission is occasionally accomplished differently. One of those differences is the frequency of communion. Here is why the leadership of the Downtown Congegation, with the blessing of the elders, chooses to celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly.

We believe that our life together as a community, joined with the global and historical body of Christ, is shaped by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In partaking in this practice, we follow the words of Jesus and “proclaim his death until he comes.” Communion is Christ’s invitation to be partakers of His life, death, and resurrection ; made whole in Christ and called to be agents of His message of reconciliation to the world.

While there is no explicit command to participate in the Lord’s Supper every time we gather together, we do take the examples we see in the early church as good patterns to follow:

Acts 20:7 reads, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread…”

Acts 2:42 reads, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

In 1 Corinthians 11:25 Paul writes, “In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

In our Campus Congregation, we celebrate communion as often as we sense the prompting from the Lord. At times that has been weekly, other times about monthly.

This is just one example of how we feel linked together as a church to value and participate in the Lord’s Supper, but we demonstrate that value with some variation.

Why does Mike Swann always win the “Dancing with the Staff” Fundraising Dance Competition?!

At [nlcf], we try to speak to the aspects of this world that we can explain and allow the mysteries to remain mysterious. Enough said.