Thesis
True Christian community is not merely a place to be known and accepted — it is a place where believers are supported and developed into mature disciples of Jesus. Drawing from Ephesians 4:11–16, Pastor Nolan Tjaden argues that the church's mission is to make more and better disciples, that spiritual maturity is defined by unity, growing knowledge of Jesus, and convictional backbone, and that the power to grow comes through speaking truth in love, making Christ the standard, and staying genuinely connected in community.
Key points
- 1
The mission of the church — every believer, not just leaders — is to make more and better disciples.
- 2
Spiritual maturity is marked by unity with other believers, a growing knowledge of Jesus, and unflinching convictional backbone.
- 3
Speaking truth in love — not one without the other — is the means by which we grow up into Christ together.
- 4
Make Christ, not other people, the standard when measuring your spiritual growth.
- 5
Staying connected at the 'joints' — life groups, Sunday gatherings, serving teams — is not optional; a disconnected believer is like a severed foot with no head.
Outline
Introduction: The Need for Honest Community
Pastor Nolan introduces the idea that genuine Christian community must go beyond being known and accepted to actually supporting and developing one another, illustrated by the story of a camp director who lovingly confronted his future wife about dating a non-Christian.
Point 1 — The Point of the Church: Make More and Better Disciples
From Ephesians 4:11–12, Pastor Nolan reframes the church: leaders exist to equip every saint for ministry, not to do ministry on their behalf. He illustrates the 'make more disciples' call with his own conversion story and the founding of Garden Church in Surprise, Arizona.
Point 2 — The Purpose of Maturity
From Ephesians 4:13–14, Pastor Nolan defines spiritual maturity as unity with believers, a growing knowledge of Jesus through His Word, and unflinching convictional backbone — then lists warning signs of a stagnant faith.
Point 3 — The Power to Grow: Speaking Truth in Love
From Ephesians 4:15–16, Pastor Nolan explains that growth requires speaking truth in love (neither flattery nor bullying), making Christ the standard instead of comparing ourselves to others, and staying connected through life groups and serving teams.
Closing: The Community That Makes the Difference
Pastor Nolan closes with the story of witnessing honest, caring conversation between two Christians at a pizza place as a 16-year-old, which drew him toward Jesus, challenging the church to be that kind of community.
Memorable moments
To build spiritual strength, you have got to abandon relational comfort
truth without love is bullying. Love without truth is flattering. And neither of those are helpful and both are unbiblical
I'm convinced that a lot of people have not become Christians. Not because they're not looking for God or they're not looking for truth, but because they haven't seen the reality of Christianity in his existing followers.
The community that rejects the ease and comfort of living alone for the difficulty of this uncomfortable relationship is the one that makes the difference
Dear sirs, I am
Application
Pastor Nolan's challenge is straightforward: stop settling for a comfortable faith and step into the kind of community that actually changes you. Concretely, that means getting into a life group and letting people see the real you — including the struggles you haven't talked about yet. It means asking the people around you hard questions and being willing to receive honest answers, with love. It means opening God's Word consistently — 'Bible before breakfast' — so that your knowledge of Jesus actually grows. And it means measuring yourself against Christ, not against the people around you. The body only functions when every part is genuinely connected, so if you're not yet in a life group or serving on a team, today is the day to scan that QR code and take the next step.
