Belong: Living in God’s Family
Interview with Chris Horton- part 2
Q4: Could you share with us your own journey to find a community to belong to? Did you have any doubts or struggles about the benefits of belonging to a community of believers?
I have been hurt, let down and disappointed from time to time in every church context where I have belonged – plenty of practice in forgiveness, and in asking forgiveness because I have treated others badly too! But I have seen by revelation something of how God views the church so I will not let go of it!
We have not moved church often. The first time was when the church became unhealthy – the story is there in Belong – and we moved to a healthy church in Kirkby, Nottinghamshire. It was relatively easy to find because some good friends were leading the church and we visited and immediately felt at home.
Next time was harder: we knew God was calling us back to Wolverhampton and it cost us to leave close friends. This was especially hard for our three children. At that stage we did not know in which church community we belonged and visited several churches in Wolverhampton (we had friends in several of them). For a few months it felt very lonely but we were still close to friends in Kirkby and continued to be accountable to the senior leader there. When we visited Holy Trinity, Heath Town, an Anglican church in an area of some deprivation, we quickly felt at home, even though we did not have existing friends there and the style and some of the theology were very different from what we were used to. It was a difficult change of culture for us and our youngsters but we knew we had much to learn from that context. We were invited to join the leadership and preaching teams and we were there for 12 years before transitioning to All Nations (with the Vicar’s blessing, which is very important if at all possible).
All Nations was the easiest move because God quickly joined our hearts with Pastors Steve and Esther and we also had close Christian friends and accountability partners here. But there was culture shock again, moving to a large church that was then very platform-centred and influenced by US Pentecostalism.
In each transition, we had a sense of coming home and being where God was planting us for the next season, even if it seemed uncomfortable at first. Each time there were one or two prophetic words shared by reliable friends to confirm the sense we had. In each case we talked and prayed things through with our accountability partners and pastors and had the security of their wisdom and affirmation. And each time it was more than worth the challenges.
Q5: I love that in your book, you were upfront about the difficulties of living in a family. What in your words does it take to be ‘real family’?
A lot of Christians can attend church meetings without really getting to know one another but our vision of church is to live open lives with several people alongside. You can only do that with up to about a dozen people but when we are close to others we cannot pretend. They see what we are like. Just like natural families, church families have people we cannot get away from but who seem to be placed by God to rub us up the wrong way, until we allow ourselves to be changed by His grace.
That doesn’t mean we always quietly put up with being wronged but it does mean we have to forgive first. Only then can we have an honest conversation, with gentleness (which is strength under control). It is only when we have forgiven and have grace to be humble and loving, that we can challenge others. These things are not the whole story but are perhaps the most important elements of being real family.
Q6: Beyond the friendships with fellow believers in our locality, you also wrote about the wider family, the universal church. Why do you think it is essential for us to have an understanding about the Christian communities beyond my neighbourhood or the UK?
Because I have been in churches with different styles and because I read a lot of church history, I can understand something of how other Christians think and do things differently … and why. Unity is huge in God’s heart and plan. There are reasons I think some things are more faithful to scripture and God’s heart than others, but we can learn from people who love and follow Jesus in different ways from us.
But there is more. A home church might be 10 people and it is likely they are from a similar background. But the church is made up of people from all people groups and backgrounds and there are times when those who are in need can be supported by those with resources – it might be financial but it is more likely to be people doing things together that one group alone cannot do.
And there is more – most important of all is that churches need to be connected with apostolic and prophetic ministries to be soundly based and fruitful. Churches are built on a foundation of apostles and prophets – people who have a calling to build and to speak out what they feel God is saying in our context.
Q7: Last but not least, how are you and your family celebrating this Christmas season?
We will be with some local Christians at the midnight Communion service in the village and will probably be with some neighbours beforehand. We have the great joy of our elder son coming to stay on Christmas Eve for two or three nights and our younger son with his wife and two children coming on Christmas Day and staying one night. Then our daughter with her husband and three children will come on Boxing Day and stay two nights – so all our youngsters and grandchildren will overlap on Boxing Day. It is a very special blessing to gather all together!
Chris and Catherine Horton served as part of the leadership of All Nations church from 2012 to 2021 and are currently part of the Movement apostolic team. With master’s degrees in law and theology, Chris brings together the worlds of business and church and is now focused on leadership training in All Nations and is chair of trustees. He is passionate about family, hill-walking and cross-cultural mission.
To find out more about Chris’ book, click here for a free sampler. You can purchase a copy of Chris’ book on Amazon here.
You are invited!
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