I was reading Aaron Snow's blog just now and came across this: "we don’t “do” church. We BE Church."  After I read this, I thought to myself, "how many times in the last 3 years have I said, 'Let's do church!' with a smile on my face?  The answer: a large number.  

Where is the Bible does it say to "go to church" or "do church?"  Not a single verse.  We say, "We are Jesus' church" because church is a people, not a place or activity that we do.  The church gathers to do life together rather than people gathering to do church together. 

I know some of you all are thinking, "Myles, it's just semantics.  It doesn't really matter.  We know that church is not a building or activity.  We read it in Neil Cole's Organic Church."  But I think it does matter how we use the word "church."  I am a firm believer that the terminology we use to describe things often reflects are attitude.  And we may not even realize it.  

The Bible views church as the Body of Christ, the family of God, brothers and sisters - all of which are organic living things.  This living body, the church, prays, heals, preaches, obeys God, serves, loves, etc.  We need to use our subject (church, family, etc.) and verbs (pray, heal, etc.) correctly.

For the first time since I read "Organic Church" nearly two years ago, I finally understand the title: "organic" is an adjective used to describe the noun "church."  Meaning, we are to be a LIVING and ACTIVE and GROWING group of people.  

The word "Student" in front of "Church" is an adjective describing this wonderful group of believers.  "Student" describes our family, which is student-led movement of Jesus on campuses across the world.  "Student Church" is not an institution, nor a place, or some activity we partake in.  We are a group of people who intercede before God, heal the sick, preach the Gospel, love those not following Jesus, and love and honor each part of the body.  

Changing the framework and terminology that we use "church" will not only have an impact in our actions, but also in the actions of our disciples.  We want to pass along a healthy DNA that includes Biblical, rather than cultural concepts about church.  "Going" and "doing" church is part of our Christian culture rather than Scriptural.  As our disciples make disciples, they pass on the healthy concept of the church as the beloved bride and her actions being Jesus' commands.  

We don't go to church. We don't do church.  We ARE the church.  And, by the authority and power of Jesus, we DO what God commands.  

 I was there in Las Vegas in January 2009 when Erik gave this message <http://studentchurch.org/pg/izap_videos/play/runs4myles/4781/traveling-teams> on God putting traveling teams together to travel to campuses .  I remember sitting there and thinking, "Could this be me?  Eh, probably not.  At the most, I might do a short term thing.  But I probably won't do it at all." My heart did not burn for traveling from campus to campus because I thought I was leaving the country after I graduated.  At that conference, my plan was to go to unreached people groups right after I got my diploma.  But God had other plans. 

A few weeks later, Erik visited me at UCLA.  We chatted on the sundeck in my fraternity, Sigma Nu, where he said he saw me traveling to campuses to start student-led simple churches, and specifically cited how I could in fraternities since I am in one at UCLA.  I responded, “Erik, my heart is to leave go to the unreached people groups in other nations. I don’t want to wait another year.”  I remember Erik’s response as if it was yesterday.  He said something to the effect of, “Myles, what if you went to the unreached people on college campuses – fraternities – and other areas of the campus for Jesus, and then went to the unreached peoples in the nations?”  Oh boy, did that stir my mind.  At that point, I decided to keep traveling to campuses on the back burner.  I was still a third year, so I had time.  When people asked me what I might do after I graduate, I said, "Go to another country, etc. etc., oh...and I might do campus ministry thing for a year with Erik Fish, but I'm not really sure."  The months passed, and going to work for an NGO in another country still seemed more likely.

Fast forward a few months later, one of my mentors, Sam Lee, said to me, "What if students gave a year or two back to their campuses after they graduate?"  He continued to say that he could see me doing that.  So once again, I kept campus ministry on the back burner, but thought less about traveling and maybe just focusing at UCLA.  

Then over the summer, I pretty much forgot about doing campus ministry.  I was 100 percent certain I was going to do missions with All Nations, join the Peace Corps, or get a Master's degree in another country.  Even as I prayed, I still felt that God had me out of the country after I graduated.

Then I came back to UCLA in September and moved into my fraternity.  It was the beginning of my fourth and final year at UCLA, and the Lord began to break my heart for the campuses more than ever.  But I was so confused.  I thought God wanted me to go international after I received my diploma.  I spent SOO many nights crying in prayer, "God, what do you want me to do?  Where do you want me to go?  I am YOUR vessel.  Use me. Send me where YOU wish.  You know my heart is for You, to do Your will, and nothing else. Say where, and I will go.”

God began to speak over the next month.  I realized that God didn't have me in another country just yet.  God stirred my heart for the nations because that is part of my destiny.  I was not incorrectly hearing about God’s will for me to go international; I just was not in tune with God’s timing.  I was too concerned about following the timeline I set for myself.  I know God is going to send me to the nations in some way. But not after I graduate.  He wants me to wait.  He has me on the campuses in the United States first.

Right around this time, I had another mentor, Peter Gent, tell me that he saw mentoring students to start simple churches on their campuses.  So I started to think, “what could this look like?”  This was my plan: I was to live in Sigma Nu for another year, get a part time job, do ministry at UCLA, and travel to campuses in the region on the weekends.  That seemed reasonable to me.  So I kept that as my tentative plan.

However, God had other plans.   In October or early November, I was on the phone with my friend and fellow UCLA Bruin, Sophie Min, one day and we started talking about our post-graduate plans.   I told her about the plan I just stated above.  Then Sophie told me that she and her good friend, Yao Cheng, thought about traveling and doing campus ministry.  At that very moment on the phone, we were both thinking the same thing: maybe we could team up.

Allow me to take a step back in the story and describe the situation a little further.  A few months prior to this conversation in October, Sophie and I hardly knew each other.  God, however, gave us a unique opportunity to change that.  He brought us together with another friend, Jeremiah, to plan an Organic Church Planter’s conference that was to take place in November.  This not only gave us an opportunity to get to know one another, but also showed us that we could do ministry together.  This was the beginning of God using out relationship, along with Yao, to mutually encourage each other into what would be our post-grad destiny.  The three of us continued to press into God to ask Him to reveal His will.  At this time, I flirted with the idea of just traveling, but I was still fairly set on living in Sigma Nu.

Now it is the end of November, and we are at the Organic Church conference at UCLA (the official name for these conference is “Greenhouse”).  It is Sunday and things are winding down.  Three spiritual fathers that I don’t see very often – Sam Lee, Jaeson Ma, Neil Cole – are all at the conference.  I talk with them about planting organic churches on college campuses.  I told them how Sophie, Yao and I were thinking of starting a travel team.  All three of them said, “Do it. Go and travel.” Jaeson said to me, “You would do what we wish we had done a few years ago.”   That REALLLY hit me.

I asked Jaeson and Neil to pray for me.  I didn’t ask them to pray for anything specifically.  They each prayed a short, simple prayer that didn’t have anything to do with traveling to campuses to plant churches.  After that, I walked around a bit.  Then, in the midst of my wondering, the Holy Spirit said, “Don’t live in Sigma Nu. Travel.” And I said, “Okay” and got really excited.  I went right up to Sophie and said, “I’m going to do it. I’m going to travel and not live in Sigma Nu!!!!” Sophie said, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, wait. Hold on.” She started walking around just so she could take in the news.

It took Las Vegas, five of my spiritual fathers, a few brothers and sisters, a lot of prayer and Holy Spirit, and nearly 11 months before the Lord fully reveled what I will do after I graduate from UCLA.   Since that day in November, my excitement for traveling to campuses has only increased.   There are many obstacles and questions: the team isn’t complete (if you are interested, let me know! J); my transmission in my car is not working properly; finances; which campuses; effective strategy; when/how are we to explain this to our families (I’ve lost sleep over this); and all plethora of other logistical problems that will come along the way.

In the midst of thinking about all of these issues, I remembered a quote on Pam Arlund’s Facebook profile.  It says, "The more obstacles you have, the more opportunities there are for God to do something."  I thought to myself, “Yes!! I have a crap load of obstacles! Woohoo!! God’s gonna do something!” God has given me so much faith that He is going to show up, provide in every way possible for His will to be done, and tear down all those obstacles.  I have more faith for this than I’ve had for anything else in my entire walk with God. 

My heart is for the campuses.  I’ve caught the simple church vision, and I’m running after it hard.  I want to see people come to know the love of Christ.  I pray for authentic communities of radical believers to be birthed and multiplied.  Jesus told us to travel, and there are examples in Bible starting with Adam and Eve.  And most importantly, I’ve fallen in love with my Creator; I am His beloved son.  No success or failure can ever take that away.  Put all of those factors together and we can do the impossible. We can see campuses transformed for His glory.

I watched the video of Erik’s Las Vegas message just a few hours ago.  It was very nostalgic to watch it because that was where God first planted the “travel to campuses” seed in my heart.  The video stirred me to share with you my history of how God led me into this in hope that it might stir someone who reads this to write his or her own “travel team” history too.  If the video or anything I said planted something in your heart, I encourage you to pray into the possibility of traveling to campuses after you graduate.

Will it be easy?  No.  Will it be comfortable?  Of course not.  Will there be obstacles?  You bet.  But this journey will be amazing. And so worth it.

For His Glory,

Myles