Jesus made a statement at the beginning of His ministry that defined what His life on earth was about. He said, “the kingdom of God has come near.” (Mark 1:15) Jesus said this because His very life and body being present on this earth, God being here, was the actual cause of heaven arriving on earth. Because when Jesus Christ walked into a scene everything was different. Blind people began to see, hungry people were fed, lonely people were no longer alone, the dead were raised, the hurting were healed, and the list goes on and on. Because when Jesus was there, death, brokenness, pain, loneliness… had no option except to leave. And when Jesus was there, life, hope, love, joy, peace, comfort… had no option except to arrive.
Our dream as Kaleo Nashville is to see how the kingdom of heaven breaks into our lives, our city, and our world. Because we believe as we are the church, the people of God, the body of Christ, we are called to the same mission Jesus has. To see heaven come to earth, to see lives changed and healed, to see the places where we live marked by a community of peace, to see our world transformed by the love of God.
Kaleo is Greek, it is the root word in the term Ecclesia, which is the word we translate as “Church.” An Ecclesia is a gathering, it’s a community of people. The root word kaleo means, to call, invite, to bear the name of. We as the church are the called. We are called by Christ to take up our crosses and carry on the mission He began as it continues through us, His people.
Kaleo Nashville is a local church in the city of Nashville, TN. We are a church with a missional heart. We are a church who is simply taking some steps back and asking questions like, What does it mean to be the church instead of just doing church? We hope to be a source of light and hope for the people in the city of Nashville, to not simply exist, but actually make our community better because the people of God are in it. Our desire is to see people excited for Jesus, finding a place to grow as a person in Christ, and using their lives in loving and serving others.
We are excited to have just begun this great journey here in Nashville! We hope and pray that you will join us on this way to being the people God has called us to be, a people of love, a people of healing, a people of hope, a people of action.
