While on study sabbatical at Oxford, pastor and church planter Jim Belcher used the opportunity to take his family across Europe in search of their Christian roots.  He recounts their discoveries in the book In Search Of Deep Faith.  Jim shares his passion, not only for a more robust personal faith, but for creating and sustaining deep churches as well—going beyond familiar issues of traditional vs. contemporary.

What does it mean to have a deep church? Jim points out that a deep church is rooted in the Word of God, crosses generational lines, and works to combat consumerism. The deep church keeps Jesus at the center of everything, as the “well of living water” described in John 4. When we lose sight of Jesus, we lose sight of our purpose and calling.

The church should make an effort to reach out to culture, but “we can’t reinvent ourselves” in our attempts to reach them. In an encouraging trend, Christians are moving back toward the “weighty things” of church and theology. In Jim’s words, “It’s not the depth of a church that scares people away but how the depth is presented.”

What does it mean to have deep faith? Jim took us to the beginning of the pilgrimage he took with his wife and children through Europe, tracing the roots of the Christian faith.

Highlight: How the journey started

While it’s beneficial to be exposed to different cultures, Jim’s main hope was to equip his children with “articulate faith.” He points out the three pillars of deep faith:

• Rediscovering our roots. “Church history is really the history of the Holy Spirit… [and] how God has shepherded and taught His early churches.”
• Learning that life is a journey that needs a map
• Understanding our destination, and where our hope comes from.

Deep faith