As part of the rhythms of our small group, we recently finished studying the book of Romans. Romans is one of the most profound letters in the New Testament because throughout the entire book, Paul works tirelessly to help both Jewish and Gentile believers understand a simple but life-changing truth: The gospel is not something you inherit, and it is not something you achieve. The gospel is something you receive.
For the Jewish believers, the temptation was to believe that their heritage somehow gave them a privileged position before God. For the Gentiles, the temptation was to think that their efforts, morality, or spiritual growth earned them a place in God’s family. Paul dismantles both ideas and points everyone back to the grace of God through Jesus. Salvation is a gift. It is received through faith in Jesus.
At the same time, Paul is doing something else throughout the letter. He is calling believers to embrace unity and interdependence. The gospel creates a new family where people who would otherwise have little in common become brothers and sisters because of Jesus. The church becomes a living testimony that God’s Kingdom is bigger than ethnicity, culture, social status, language, or personal preference.
Then we arrive at Romans 16.
At first glance, Romans 16 feels like the section most people skip. It is a long list of names and greetings. It can read like the end credits of a movie – and let’s be honest, most of us don’t stay for the credits.
But when you slow down and pay attention, something remarkable emerges.
Paul intentionally closes one of the most theologically rich books ever written by highlighting people.
After spending 15 chapters explaining the gospel, he finishes by reminding us that the mission of Jesus moves forward through ordinary men and women who have chosen to participate in what God is doing.
The final chapter of Romans reveals three beautiful realities that should shape the way we think about networks, churches, and mission.
Diversity Is Not a Problem to Solve – It Is a Gift to Celebrate
When you read through the names in Romans 16, you discover an incredibly diverse community.
Some names are clearly Jewish. Others are Gentile. Some belonged to people of influence and means. Others likely came from humble backgrounds. There are men and women. Business owners and laborers. House church leaders and faithful servants whose stories are mostly unknown to us.
The church in Rome reflected the diversity of the city in which it lived. Paul does not apologize for this diversity. He celebrates it.
What’s fascinating is that Paul is not trying to create diversity. Diversity is already present because the gospel naturally reaches different kinds of people. His role is simply to recognize it, honor it, and remind the church that every person has a place in God’s mission.
As I think about the work of the Chicagoland Collective, I cannot help but see parallels. Today, there are 18 networks connected to the Chicagoland Collective. Some include large churches with multiple campuses. Others are made up of MicroChurches meeting in homes, coffee shops, apartment buildings, and neighborhoods. Some operate primarily in English. Others are entirely Spanish-speaking. Some are led by women. Some are focused on reaching South Asian communities. Others are serving urban neighborhoods, suburban communities, immigrants, young professionals, or families.
This is not something we brag about. It is something we celebrate. Because unless we intentionally pay attention to where God is moving, we may completely miss the incredible diversity already present throughout our city.
I recently had the opportunity to meet with a few people in the Fox Valley area of our region. Four very different people sitting in front of each other thinking on how to reach more people to Jesus. I myself a Hispanic pastor focused on networks and microchurches, one local African American pastor leading a diverse congregation in Aurora, one Asian leader who recently moved to the U.S. from India because of persecution, and our white brother who leads a number of networks around the world … all of us coming together to see the Kingdom of God being expanded in our city.Â
Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in the world. If our networks do not increasingly reflect the diversity of our city, we are missing something important. In fact, I would argue that it is missionally critical that we embrace the diversity of the people God has placed around us.
The Kingdom of God has always been bigger than our personal preferences.
The question is not whether diversity exists. The question is whether we have eyes to see it and hearts willing to celebrate it.
Mission Moves at the Speed of Trust
As our group continued discussing Romans 16, we noticed something else.
Paul is remarkably personal. He does not simply mention names. He describes relationships. He remembers sacrifices. He honors contributions. He celebrates friendships.
Again and again, Paul refers to people as fellow workers, beloved friends, co-laborers, and trusted partners. These are not transactional relationships. These are transformational relationships. Paul did not view people as tools to accomplish the mission. He viewed them as brothers and sisters who were accomplishing the mission together.
At the Chicagoland Collective, we often say it this way:
We are friends on mission.
That phrase matters. Because genuine collaboration cannot be built solely around projects, strategies, events, or goals. It must be built on relationships.
We often hear the phrase, “The mission moves at the speed of trust.” Trust is not created through organizational charts. Trust is not created through emails. Trust is not created through shared documents. Trust is created through shared meals, honest conversations, laughter, prayer, and time spent together.
That is why we intentionally create spaces where leaders can simply be together. We want to know one another beyond ministry titles. We want to hear each other’s stories. We want to understand the unique challenges and opportunities each leader faces.
And if I can speak honestly to my fellow vocational pastors – including myself – I think this is an area where we can grow.
Many ministry gatherings happen during traditional business hours. While that may be convenient for those of us serving in full-time ministry, it often excludes bi-vocational pastors and leaders. These leaders frequently work 40, 50, or more hours each week at their jobs and then invest countless additional hours serving their churches, often for little or no compensation.
When we fail to consider their reality, we do more than miss ministry opportunities. We miss relationship opportunities. Some of us who have the flexibility of full-time vocational ministry need to be intentional about creating space in our schedules to connect with leaders who do not share that same flexibility.
Because every leader matters. Every pastor matters. Every church matters. And every relationship matters.
Shelley works as a ful- time therapist. At the same time, she started a church within an assisted living facility for adults with disabilities. Shelly is passionate about ministering to these beautiful groups of people. We recently held a gathering for leaders like her. We were able to get about 30 bi-vocational leaders with some of our vocational leaders in the city. We brought a top speaker to talk about unity in ministry. Shelley would have never been able to come to a gathering like this if we held it during our working hours.Â
This is my conviction, the stronger our relationships become, the stronger our collective witness becomes.
Every Expression of the Church Has Something to Contribute
There is one more thing that stands out in Romans 16.
Paul not only celebrates diversity. Paul not only celebrates relationships. He celebrates contribution.
Throughout the chapter, Paul identifies specific ways people have advanced the mission of Jesus.
Some opened their homes. Some risked their lives. Some served faithfully behind the scenes. Some traveled. Some led. Some encouraged. Some sacrificed. Everyone had a role to play. No one was insignificant. This remains true today.
Every church expression represented in our networks has something valuable to contribute to the mission of God.
From churches discipling 25 people to churches discipling thousands, each plays an important role.
I recently spoke with a pastor who had recently started a network, planted a church, and was already helping incubate another church plant.
By many standards, his church would be considered small.
Although, if we’re honest, “small” is actually the norm for church size throughout Chicagoland.
As we talked, he shared that being in rooms with leaders from larger churches can sometimes feel intimidating. At times, he has felt as though he has little to contribute because of the size of his congregation.
That breaks my heart because that is not the way of Jesus. The Kingdom of God has never measured significance by attendance numbers. The Kingdom measures faithfulness. The Kingdom celebrates obedience. The Kingdom values contribution.
Every church has something to teach. Every church has something to share. Every church has a role to play.
When we learn to celebrate the unique contribution of every church, we become stronger together. We stop competing and we start collaborating. We stop comparing and we start learning. We stop measuring worth by size and we start measuring faithfulness by obedience.
Opening Our Eyes to What God Is Already Doing
As we pursue the vision of seeing 16% of churches in Chicagoland become multiplying churches, Romans 16 offers an important reminder.
The future will not be built by one church. It will not be built by one network. It will not be built by one personality, one denomination, or one strategy. It will be built by a diverse collection of faithful men and women saying yes to Jesus in their own contexts.
Our call is not to manufacture what God is doing. Our call is to pay attention. To notice where God is already at work. To celebrate the different ways He is moving. To honor the different people He is using. To recognize the contributions of churches both large and small. To build friendships that transcend our preferences. To make room at the table for voices that are different from our own.
If we are serious about the 16% vision, we must pay close attention to the places and people where God is already moving. We must open our eyes to the neighborhoods, languages, cultures, generations, and communities where the Holy Spirit is at work.
And then we must celebrate it because God is doing far more than any one of us can see from our own corner of the city.
As I look across our networks, I am encouraged. I see pastors encouraging one another. I see churches planting churches. I see microchurches forming in neighborhoods. I see leaders gathering for prayer. I see people opening their homes. I see believers serving their communities. I see ordinary followers of Jesus living on mission where they live, work, learn, and play.
The movement may still feel small in some places. But the impact is real. Lives are being changed. Communities are being reached. Disciples are being made.
And together, through the beautiful diversity of God’s people, the mission of Jesus continues to move forward throughout Chicagoland.
