About The Glocal Church Blog

The idea of the Glocal Church blog came from Rich Smith, that’s me. I serve as the Minister of Discipleship in an emerging “Glocal Church” in suburban St. Louis, MO. My passion in ministry is to equip the local church body to go and make disciples, from across the street, to around the world, and to help believers grow in their relationship with Christ. As I continue to grow in my understanding of scripture, and the way in which the early New Testament Church functioned in biblical times, and they way it should function today, the concept of the ”Glocal Church” best fits the mold, because the early church set that standard. 

The ministry and mission of the early church was recorded in the book of Acts, which is a not only a historical and biblical narrative, but also a descriptive narrative. It tells the stories of the early church, the apostles, and the new believers who gave all they had for its purpose, which at its lowest common denominator, is to ”Share God and Serve People.” 

The benchmark verse of the of the Book of Acts is found in Acts 1:8 which states: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem (your local community), Judea (your region or state), Samaria (your nation), and to the ends of the earth.”

Faithfully following the Acts 1:8 Missions Model requires focus, alignment, sacrifice, obedience, but most of all balance. In order to truly become an Acts 1:8 mission-focused church, their must exist a healthy balance between reaching out to your community, your region/state, your nation, and the world. A congregation attempting to live out Jesus’ Glocal calling of the church must display and utilize effectively, the powerful and appropriately leverage of balance between the 4 distinct regions of our world today, identified in Acts 1:8.