Roots anchor a plant in place, allowing it to resist the forces of wind and rain, while also feeding the development of the plant itself. Everything we love about plants – flowers, fragrance, foliage, fruit – are the result of healthy roots.
As our family has spent the past several months settling into our apartment, as well as life and ministry in Verona, I have reflected on the importance of being “rooted.” We have breathed a collective sigh of relief having all our possessions removed from two years in storage, clothes no longer in suitcases, the familiarity of our own kitchen and of course everyone with their own bedroom. As common sense would suggest, research confirms, and to which our own personal experience can attest, a family best flourishes in a stable environment. The same can be said of a local church.
Being rooted in Christ (Col. 2:6,7) is essential to weather inevitable trials and to bear fruit that remains to the glory of the Father (Jn. 15:8,16). In preparing to plant a church in Verona, our initial work has been in nourishing healthy “roots” from which the church can grow; that is, establishing our identity, our mission, our core values, our beliefs as well as our constitution from the word of God. In the end, we desire to see a group of Italian believers “rooted and grounded” in their faith, bearing the fruit of a transformed life in Christ, and spreading the gospel in their neighborhoods, their province, throughout Italy, and the regions beyond, all to the glory of the One who gives the increase.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6,7
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8
Comments