This is your moment…

I get a couple of emails every week from someone looking for a Red Letter Church near where they live.

I’ve put together this response so that we can all work together to make Red Letter Churches a truly global phenomenon.

1. First, every time I get one of these emails it’s encouraging and discouraging–at the same time. It’s encouraging because it shows that people are seeking Jesus and trying to find an authentic faith community that follows him. It’s discouraging because the answer is virtually always, “No, there isn’t a Red Letter Church near where you live.” By writing the book Red Letter Church it showed the world what is possible, but the infrastructure to support it is in its infancy. I am just a regular guy, with a regular job, and a regular family. It would take me many lifetimes to start enough Red Letter Churches for everyone to have access to one.
   
   

2. I am reminded of the scripture in Luke 10:2 where Jesus says, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” So many people want to be a part of a Red Letter Church, but the problem is that we need more workers. We need people who are willing to start Red Letter Churches. We have been taught by most churches that as Christians we are simply consumers of religious goods and services, and therefore finding a Red Letter Church nearby is the goal. In reality, the goal is to start a church in your neighborhood so that others can experience church, and find Jesus, in a profoundly different way.
   
   

3. I know that this isn’t the response you wanted. I know that you were hoping for a Red Letter Church within a few miles of your house so that you could go to it this Sunday and “try it out.” The truth is that you need to start a Red Letter Church, as a worker, not as a consumer. The fact that you read the book and emailed me means that you might be the one to start a Red Letter Church for your community.
   
   

4. What I am asking you to consider is much harder than visiting a church nearby. I am asking you to serve, build, create, and do. I don’t apologize for this. Everyone wants the resurrection, but no one wants the painful death. The only way for you and your friends and family to have a Red Letter Church within driving distance is for you to start one, and yes, this will require sacrifice, doing something that scares you, and probably was not what you were looking for.
   
   

5. You probably don’t think you are qualified. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking that having religious degrees, or knowing Greek, is necessary to starting a church. This might be the greatest weapon of satan. None of us feel qualified so we just watch from the outside. However, remember what was said about the original followers of Jesus. In Acts 1:14 it says, “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” The only qualification you need is to be with Jesus. We don’t need more workers with fancy degrees. We need more workers who have been with Jesus. When you start a Red Letter Church you are not managing a budget, creating an experience, or preaching emotional sermons as a trained orator. You are being the family of Jesus, learning from him every Sunday, and helping others to follow him. The kingdom advances through people like me and you. I don’t have the right degrees, but I do follow Jesus, and that’s enough.
   
   

6. I can support you on this journey. I will literally do everything I can to help you. You will not be alone. A few months ago a couple in Ohio read the book and emailed me, much like you did. I told them that there isn’t a church nearby, but that I would help them start one. My wife and I did Zoom calls with them almost every week to teach them scriptures, answer questions, encourage them, and serve them. The husband was soon baptized and they started a RLC, and even their adult children started attending. They regularly have people from the community at their house on Sunday as they are trying to live out the scriptures. There was another couple who drove an hour and a half to our house on Sundays, and we helped them start a Red Letter Church in their own city, and now they have a living room full of people, including friends, family, and neighbors. The gospel is spreading through people like this.
   
   

7. I know that 9 out of 10 people will ignore this plea. I am still praying for the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. Being a worker doesn’t mean you already have the answers. It means you are willing to learn and grow and do. If you are the 1 out of 10 that is willing to be a worker in the harvest (you know you can’t ignore this, and that this is your moment to be a part of God’s story–instead of simply reading about it), then here is what the next step is.
   
   

8. Email me and let’s have a phone call. We’ll get to know each other and decide next steps. I’ll learn about your situation and try to provide whatever wisdom God has given me. After this phone call maybe we will start doing Zoom calls. Maybe you can come to Florida for a weekend to see a RLC for yourself and get more direction. We’ll figure it out. If you are willing to be a worker then simply email me back “I am ready to work.” Email me at bronson.taylor@gmail.com
   
   

9. If you have already started a Red Letter Church then email me your information so I can direct people toward you who email me from your city!
   

In Him,
Bronson – A regular guy who is trying to follow Jesus.