By Kyle Tubbs

The Gospel reading from church on Sunday challenged our church plant: Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot” (Matthew 5:13, NRSV).

In the first century, salt had many useful purposes. Salt seasoned food, worked as a preservation agent, and was even used for medicinal purposes.

Jesus warns that salt can lose its saltiness.  If salt can’t season food, doesn’t preserve food right, and loses its purpose, you may not only lose the salt, but lose that which the salt should usefully help.

Our church plant, Grace Baptist Church, has “salty” purposes.

Like a flavor, our salt includes inclusive ministry, liturgical worship, thinking deeply and loving widely.

Like a preservation agent, our salt seeks to incorporate historic Baptist distinctives into our rhythm of church life.

Like a medicine, our salt seeks to engage in contemplative practices, affirm the freedom to engage faith with an open mind, and embrace all people through love and service.

There are many different flavors of salt in the Baptist world, as well as the universal church.  We hope by being faithful to our particular saltiness, we can be useful to God’s mission in the world.

Each of our churches have saltiness to us.  How will you and your church be useful and distinctive as salt to the world?

The following post is by Kyle Tubbs, a CBF church starter and pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Williamson County, Texas. Read more about Kyle and Grace Baptist in a recent fellowship! magazine feature titled “CBF church starters use creativity to build community.“ Kyle is writing as part of a monthly blog about church starting. Read his other blogs here: October, November, December, January.