Methodology

We live in a land of much forgetting

The book of Judges records a time when Israel, as a people, experienced a transition in culture. The men and women who took possession of the land God promised them lived out their lives and eventually gave way to the generation of their sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters. Judges 2:10After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 describes the situation: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.”

Our society is also experiencing a change in world view as leadership and cultural influence is handed down, moving from valuing truth to embracing relativism and pluralistic spirituality. This shift fuels a spiritual and philosophical buffet of both world religions and little-known spiritual systems. Tucson is a city firmly cemented in this mode of thought—a city bursting with culture, creativity, and spiritual curiosity, but without the knowledge of who God is, what He has done, and what He is capable of in the future. Jesus is seen as a good man, a prophetic figure with valid ideas and a solid message, but the idea of discipleship is viewed as unrealistic or even laughable.

For them to know who He is

Everything we are as Second Mile is wrapped up in living the true meaning of Church in our city. To accomplish that goal, it is imperative that we hold fast to the truths of Scripture while remaining fluid enough to translate those truths to a generation and culture without Jesus. We want to express the certainty found in the words of God to the people in the urban center and surrounding areas of Tucson in order to birth and develop genuine followers of Christ.

We are a church that allows people to process God—his story, his character, his ways—in all of life. We create environments of worship and study that use all the senses and encourage people to participate in worship using Scripture, prayer, art, and song to communicate to God and each other what we think and feel. Also, the experience of worship is taken outside our own community as we see and meet needs in the larger community of Tucson. Second Mile believes the church does not simply exist for the internal needs of its members, but for the task of glorifying God, offering food for the hungry and healing for the sick (Matt 9:12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Matthew 9:12).