Neighborhood Church

Have you ever hit a wall before?

48% of Neighborhood Church are in a “rebuilding” stage of their spiritual journey.

For so many people, the church has overpromised and underdelivered.

Should I stay, or should I go?

The Expectation Gap is the space between what we hope for or believe will happen and what reality delivers.

I believe God is with me, but I don't see him.
I thought I'd be further along in my spiritual progress by now.
Steve Cuss, The Expectation Gap

Sometimes our greatest disappointments come from holding onto an idea of Jesus—or of life with Jesus—that was never actually promised.

Hitting the wall isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a sign of spiritual growth.

“The Wall, a dark and sacred place, reeks of God. In the Wall we are vulnerable enough to listen to what God says - whether it is in the guise of other people’s voices, God’s voice, or serendipitous experiences. Once we believe that God is in the midst of the darkness with us, it can be a transforming place. We don’t necessarily get cured or erase our pain or become saints, but we learn how to embrace our pain, how to stay with it and learn what it is trying to teach us, how to look fear in the face and keep moving into it. The Wall invites us each to heal.”
Janet Hagberg, The Critical Journey

It’s in those quiet, confusing moments that God can do some of His best work in us

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
• Recognize Doubt as Part of Faith
• Practice Honesty and Vulnerability
• Stay Anchored in Spiritual Rhythms
• Don’t Go It Alone
• Lean Into the Mystery

God isn’t giving up on you.

“In my judgment, there will not be a significant spiritual recovery in our land or in the world unless or until we can more gracefully and adequately sojourn with people through the Wall. And I believe the major reason we are stuck in front of the Wall goes back to a core belief most of us still hold. Our core belief is that we are not truly loved by God—unconditionally loved and accepted—or that God’s grace is not sufficient.”