Happy New Year from Relentless Church! I thought it would be a good time to pause and thank God for all He has done in the short history of our church. I am going to share some numbers with you that represent lives and stories that God is touching here at Relentless. Please don’t read this as bragging- our flaws are too numerous to count!- and we have barely scratched the surface in so many ways. Yet God is moving, God is blessing the church that He called into existence, and lives are changing! Here are a few numbers to chew on as we turn the calendar:
We had record attendance on December 14th with 127! Now we don’t count our opening day number of 179 because we had at least 80 out-of-towners in that number. So on Sunday, December 14th, we had more people from right here in the greater Raleigh area than any day in our history. We followed that up with a great family Christmas service on December 21st which marked our last service of 2014, closing out December with our best monthly attendance average ever. It is so encouraging to see our attendance climb higher each month because it is a reflection of our people buying in to our mission. We have had 58 first time guests over the last 5 weeks, which is 100% a result of our people inviting and bringing people with them. I am so fired up by our people who are willing to be bold and take a risk and invite people to church with them! We prayed from the very beginning that every week in our church we would have new first time guests, and God has honored that 15 weeks in a row.
We came here to reach people who weren’t plugged in to a church for whatever reason. It blows my mind that 40-45% of our people each week were not in any church 4 months ago. This is our heart- to reach people that are untold or unconvinced. We have a great group of people that are excited about what God is doing at Relentless, and they are excited for the first time in a long time, or for some, the first time ever.
Around 30 people of our 127 on the 14th were not white. Don’t get me wrong, we like white people, but we believe it is the heart of God that the gospel would unite His people across racial lines. We are part of a multiethnic church movement, and we are just beginning to learn what that means and how that works. What I know is that we are not trying to build a church where people coexist, but a church where people actually unite under the gospel. I cannot tell you what it does in my heart to see the very beginning signs of our potential for Christ-exalting diversity.
We have an incredible group of volunteers, and there are about 30-35people who show up early every Sunday to set up signs, set up children’s theaters, and set up stage and adult worship theater. Included in this number is our incredible team that teaches and takes care and has a blast with our two kids theaters each week. This number has to grow in 2015, and it will, but what an amazing crew that selflessly shows up each week to do their part in fearlessly making known the gospel.
Financially, the numbers are always a challenge with a brand new church. We are so blessed to have 23 individuals from outside the area who choose to give every month to the cause of Relentless Church. You guys move me every month with your consistent investment in the gospel. Additionally, there are 4 churches that help support us financially in this critical stage of our church. Thank you WCCC, The Crossing, Pinedale Christian Church, and Shelby Christian Church. There will be a day in the future where our own Relentless people are able to totally fund the ministry of Relentless Church, so we track the money that comes from people right here in Wake County. I am humbled to report that our local congregation gave 40% more in November than they did in our first month of September. In fact, we have had at least 33 people contribute to Relentless Church locally, and they gave more in October than September, more in November than October, and it looks like the streak will continue with more money given in December than in November.
God is moving in so many lives in our church, and I have to highlight 1 amazing decision by Matt Wagner to give his life to Jesus and be baptized! Matt represents so many others who are investigating their faith, who are on the verge of making a decision for Jesus, who are studying up on the biblical purpose of baptism, and who are learning what it means to be saved. Matt is so special to us because he is our first, but he definitely won’t be the last! Looking forward to a 2015 that sees us stirring the waters of baptism on a regular basis!
We are off this Sunday and then we will come back strong on January 4th, 2015! I am so excited to be walking into a new year, and I cannot believe God allows me to lead this church! I am learning every day how to lead this deal, and am thankful for your patience as we learn to crawl before we walk. We are a baby church, and are so thankful and privileged for God’s blessing in these first 15 weeks! Rest up this weekend and plan on bringing someone with you on January 4th at 10am. Happy New Year!