Transitioning Into a Father Church: Growing Into Maturity

The journey of the church is not static - it is a continual process of maturing, shifting, and aligning with God’s will for each season. In Session 2 of Transition into a Father Church, we are reminded that this transition is not simply change for the sake of change, it is a divine crossover, a movement from one way of walking with God into another.

A Season of Transition

Pastor JP Huish describes this year as “strange,” not because God is absent, but because the usual rhythm of teaching and building has shifted into a prophetic focus. This is the nature of transition: God changes the rhythms, and even the manner in which He speaks so that His people can align with His unfolding plan.

Like Israel crossing from the wilderness into the Promised Land, the manna ceased, and their provision now came through possessing the land. To continue looking for manna would have meant living in yesterday’s instruction while God had already moved on. In the same way, the church today must discern the times and embrace the new instructions God is releasing.

Understanding Before Acting

One of the strongest reminders in this session is that understanding comes before action. Too often, we rush into doing without fully discerning the mandate. But true alignment requires clarity of sight, and that sight comes through the Word. Encounters may stir us, but it is the Word of God that opens our eyes and enables us to see what He is doing.

From Individual Focus to Corporate Purpose

For many years, much of our prayer and focus has been on personal breakthroughs - “my blessing, my breakthrough, my calling.” But God is shifting His church from the “I” to the “we.” The emphasis is moving from individual success to corporate purpose.

When we align ourselves with what God is doing corporately, He will take care of our individual needs. Our breakthroughs are not isolated events but are tied to what God is accomplishing in the body. This is the heart of Psalm 133: “How good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity.”

Becoming a Father Church

What does it mean to be a “Father Church”? It is not about hierarchy or titles but about expressing the nature of the Father. Just as children reveal the character of their parents, the church must reveal the nature of God to the world.

Maturity in the church is not measured by how spiritual we appear in isolation but by how we function in relationships. Loving those who love us is easy, but maturity is proven when we love, forgive, and serve even those who challenge us. True growth happens in family - where patience, humility, and submission are tested and refined.

Proving Our Maturity

Withdrawal and isolation may feel comfortable, but they do not prove maturity. It is in community that our character is tested. A Father Church embodies the maturity of Christ - expressing love, unity, service, and the ability to reveal the Father’s heart to the world.

This transition is not simply about changing church language or structure - it is about growing up into the fullness of Christ. As individuals and as a corporate body, we are being called to lay aside childish ways of thinking, to embrace corporate purpose, and to reveal the nature of our Father in every relationship.