Upside Down Church

In Zambia, Orchard Ministries is living out a story that we are proud of and that honors God. From running teams of young leaders and mentoring youth, to training indigenous missionaries to bring hope to forgotten places—there’s life, and activity everywhere. But if you visit our church, you’ll notice something very different right away.  It’s loud.  It’s colorful.  It’s bursting at the seams with laughter and joy.

And it’s upside down.

We call it our Upside-Down Church because we have around 200 children that we serve weekly, and less than 20 adults. In most churches, the ratio is the opposite. Adults lead, children follow quietly, and things are a little more orderly. But not here. Kids are highly valued, front and center!   They show up with bare feet and open hearts. They dance. They pray. They laugh. And they bring so much life to our gatherings. This unique church is a reminder that God’s Kingdom is upside-down too.

It’s a Kingdom where servants are the greatest.  That sounds upside down.  In this kingdom, those who are last will be first.  What?  The meek inherit the earth and children will lead the way…more upside-downness!  The weak are strong, sinners are welcomed to places of honor at the royal table, and so on.  

 This is the glorious paradox of the Gospel. Jesus flipped the world’s values upside down, and He invites us to do the same.

All over the world, God is at work.  And he’s using things that seem small and insignificant to do massive, unexpected things! He’s using what seems messy to show His beauty. He’s using the upside down to set things right. 

Don’t be afraid of the upside down. Don’t be afraid to go where the world tells you not to go.  Don’t be afraid to serve and to lead by lowering yourself.  Don’t be afraid to be overlooked or underestimated. Don’t be afraid to value people the world discards.  Don’t be afraid to go against the grain of culture or popularity.  Don’t be afraid to follow Jesus!

When you live an upside-down life, you’ll find out you’re finally standing right side up in God’s eyes.  And then your life will truly roar!

P.S.

If you’d like to be part of establishing our first ever upside down church plant at the Kawama Roar campus, please consider a donation (Button Below).

Thank You!  We are so excited to build this dream out!  there will be a church building, a quarter-mile running track, an obstacle course, and much more!