In the fall of 2008 Jason and Suzi Lantz were sent from RiverTree Christian Church as living link missionaries to the people of Canton. They did not have a plan to plant a church, or start a program, but to enter with no box and a couple questions. “What is Jesus already doing in Canton, and what does Jesus want us to do to be a part of it?” It was also in this time that Brent and Ashley Barger were sent from First Christian Church to Canton to join in leading this new adventure.
Over time a couple of things became clear. First, God had already placed people all over the city who loved Jesus and were making a tangible difference in other’s lives through relationships – in schools, non-profits, businesses, courtrooms, and countless other neighborhoods and networks. Secondly, at the same time, there were many people sitting in RiverTree, First Christian, and other churches that God was moving to serve in their communities but did not know how or where to start. So initially LoveCanton was a google map on a website filled with non-profits who were serving. And the goal was to connect people who wanted to serve in Canton with people who were already doing it. And it was a very good thing for a season.
As we continued spending time getting to know people in Canton, it became clear that as great as serving a couple times a month was, that the only way to bring lasting life change was through discipleship – consistent, intentional, Jesus centered relationships over time in the same proximity.
So in May 2009 the first LoveCanton Sending Community was started, made up of about 30 people who had a love for Jesus and a heart to build a culture of disciples of Jesus that would infiltrate and tangibly bless every neighborhood and network in Canton. That group of 30 basically spent a lot of time together focusing on relationship Up to God, relationships IN getting to know each other, and relationship OUT to the people of Canton. As that happened, the Holy Spirit began pointing groups specifically towards certain people and neighborhoods in Canton. And so those groups were sent to plant small churches that we call Villages in those areas and with those people.
Today LoveCanton is a network of churches, Villages, sent to love the people of Canton in Jesus’ name, and to make disciples of Jesus in each of those places. We currently gather those Villages a couple times a month to celebrate what Jesus is doing in people’s lives, and are constantly looking to start new Villages focused on those Jesus is sending us to. Our hope is that through our everyday intentional relationships we build, that every neighborhood and network in Canton would become a bright light shining for Jesus Christ.
We believe what Orthodox Christians have called the essentials for over 2000 years.
These are summarized well in the Apostles Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
The Creator of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit
Born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
Was crucified, died and was buried
He descended to the dead
The third day He arose again from the dead
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father
He will come again to judge the living and the dead
I believe in the Holy Spirit
The Holy universal church
The communion of saints
The forgiveness of sins
The resurrection of the body
And the life everlasting
Values are like the rudder of a ship that keep it on course and protected from being carried away by currents, storms, and waves. How we do things are shaped by these values.
The X factor is the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ plan for us to be a part of what He’s up to. The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible, which we believe is the absolute authority and guide for everything we do. We believe that the Holy Spirit lives uniquely through each Christian and that together we can do nothing without Him.
A Culture of Discipleship
Jesus asked certain men to follow him, to learn from him, to be like him, and then gave them the Holy Spirit so that they could go and make disciples of every nation. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit to do the same thing. This means asking others to walk with us, to be like us, as we follow Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit we will begin to create a culture where we are all beginning to look more like Jesus.
Lightweight Low Maintenance
We’re all busy. And so it is important that we keep things focused and simple. We will work hard to prepare, but always try to keep Villages, Celebrations, and Huddles from being high weight and high maintenance. This will allow us more time to invest in the relationships that the Lord has given us.
High Accountability Low Control Leadership
The organization exists to serve the organism, not the other way around. Leadership in LoveCanton exists not to tell people what to do, but rather to teach people to listen to the Holy Spirit and then help them obey what He’s telling them to do. Village leaders will meet in leadership huddles consistently to receive both support and accountability in their personal lives and ministry.
Relationships UP IN OUT
We want to be communities of people who live like Jesus did until Jesus returns for us. Jesus lives his life based on relationships. He had a relationship UP to His Father through the Holy Spirit. He had a relationship IN with his friends the disciples. He had relationships OUT with people even if they did not believe in him. Everything we do will be based on pursuing these 3 relationships UP IN OUT.
Partnership with Like-Minded People
The work God is doing in Canton is much bigger than any one person, organization, or church. We will join arms with other like-minded organizations and churches in Canton to do more together than we could ever do on our own. We realize that this could get messy and that our egos are probably going to have a hard time with it. But it’s worth it, because we can do so much more when we don’t care who gets the credit.
