Pastor's Welcome
When I was in high school I was a big Pearl Jam fan. (I'm still stuck in the grunge era). I had a poster of lead singer Eddie Vedder on stage at a massive outdoor concert venue. He was leaning back on his heels at a forty-five degree angle with all his weight resting on the back of lead guitarist Mike McCready. When I see this picture I think of faith - a leaning back, relying completely on the strength of another to prevent a devastating fall.
This is a picture of a new community that we call Reliant, a community of people leaning on something bigger than themselves. The 21st century is an unparalleled era in human history. Technology has spurred vastly evolving cultural worldviews in an increasingly shrinking global society. In this culture we are quickly seeing peers within our generation slip into beliefs and lifestyles that are detrimental.
In the middle of this cultural context is a crumbling church. While there are exceptions, Christian congregations in America largely operate as if they were in the heyday of Christendom - safe, tame, "suburban," tradition-bound. As a result, much of the 21st century church in America is aging, declining, and impotent.
Reliant is a mission inspired and supported by Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in South County St. Louis. We feel God calling Reliant to be a Christian community not unlike the fist century church. In an authentic way, we seek to rely on the historic Christian faith, engaging modern culture, while transforming the world. Our mission is to renew life, reveal Truth, and reform the world. This means:
- Renew Life. A community centered in Christ. We value relationships, community, and together living a life informed by sacred Scripture.
- Reveal Truth. A message defined by the Gospel. Rather than moralism, legalism, or self help, we proclaim Jesus - his life, death, and resurrection creating a new reality for our existence.
- Reform the World. A mission transforming lives. We relentlessly seek to transform our generation, engage our culture, and renew our city with the Gospel
We don't believe in more programs, activities, or events. We believe God is building a movement in our generation. I personally invite you to join this mission with us. It will be adventurous, dangerous, and risky. But Jesus has called us to live out radically different lives in our vocations, in our culture, and in our city. Consider joining this mission with us.
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Jeff Cloeter
More questions? Feel free to e-mail me -