Redemptive Quests - A Reflection by Steve Beck

I just returned from a 3-day “Summit” in California run by Praxis, a venture-building ecosystem supporting founders, funders, and innovators motivated by their faith to address the major issues of our time. It was in turn inspiring, challenging, humbling and encouraging. And it felt like home.

As a community of venture builders, we talked a lot about our ‘redemptive quests’ defined as the good, hard work of creative restoration through sacrifice, compelled by love, that invites us to risk our reputation and resources. I connected with many sisters and brothers from all over the world who are imaginatively and obediently loving God, neighbor, and his creation through their entrepreneurial capacity, resources, and ventures.

Wish you had been there? That would have been amazing, but you know what?

It was a lot like Renewal Church Nairobi on a good day. I mean it!

At Renewal, we aspire to be a community of ‘venture people’ learning to follow Jesus and join with him in an Epic Adventure – a Redemptive Quest - as he renews and restores all things. We are home to the redemptive quests of breaking people out of prison who don’t belong there (AJAR) and creating a safe space in Nairobi’s red-light district where marginalized women in commercial sex work can find healing, hope, and pathways to sustainable employment (Rejesha). But we don’t have to start a non-profit or for-profit venture to be engaged in ‘creative restoration through sacrifice’. If you are a parent you are engaged in the deep, costly, enduring redemptive quest of raising children to be people of faith, wisdom and courage. Each of us is called to be engaged in the work of creative restoration through sacrifice in our everyday lives, right where we are.  

While we love to gather for worship, prayer, teaching, conversation, food, and single origin specialty coffee ;), a key purpose in coming together is to be equipped and sent out to be the living embodiment of the Good News of Jesus right where we are. To pursue our God-given redemptive quests at work, at home, in school, in the marketplace, among our neighbors.

May we each of eyes to see our everyday walk with Jesus as this kind of adventure and embrace the redemptive quest.