IMAGINING THE CHURCH ANEW

Reflections inspired by Dr. Eric Barreto’s plenary address at the Luminosity Conference, March 2026

What if the church we are becoming is more exciting than the church we've always known?

As Mountain Laurel Presbytery begins its life together — uniting the rich histories of Lackawanna and Lehigh into one shared calling — we find ourselves in a moment that demands exactly what Dr. Eric Barreto invites us toward: a sanctified imagination.

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Stories That Stretch Us

Dr. Barreto reminds us that the Book of Acts doesn't give us a rigid blueprint for the perfect church. Instead, it offers us stories — imaginative, surprising, sometimes uncomfortable stories — that challenge us to see God at work in unexpected places and unexpected people.

That sounds a lot like where we are right now.

Mountain Laurel is not starting from scratch. We are building on decades of faithful ministry. But we are also being called into something new — and new things require new eyes.

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Pentecost and Our Changing Communities

One of Dr. Barreto's most powerful insights reframes the story of Pentecost. Rather than a reversal of Babel, he invites us to see Babel itself as an act of creation — God scattering people into a world rich with different languages, cultures, foods, and possibilities.

At Pentecost, the Spirit didn't restore one universal language. Every person heard the gospel in their own mother tongue — the language of the heart, the language a grandmother whispers to a grandchild.

The miracle was not uniformity. It was beloved particularity.

For a presbytery spread across diverse communities in northeastern and eastern Pennsylvania, this is good news. Our neighbors — new and longtime — don't need us to make them like us. They need us to ask: How can the good news reach them in a language that touches their hearts?

Dr. Barreto challenges us to stop seeing new neighbors as problems to solve and start seeing them as people God already loves — people God is already pursuing.

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God Is Already Ahead of Us

Perhaps the most encouraging word Dr. Barreto offers is this: God is always moving ahead of us.

When Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch on a wilderness road, God was already there. The Ethiopian was already reading Scripture, already seeking, already on his way. Philip didn't bring Jesus to him — he simply noticed where God was already at work.

When Peter arrived at Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit had already been poured out. God didn't wait for the church to get organized before acting with grace and generosity.

As Mountain Laurel Presbytery discerns its path forward — being intentional in our choices, relational in our approach, and missional in our focus — we can take heart: God is not waiting on us. God is already at work in our congregations, our communities, and our neighbors. Our calling is to pay attention, and then to follow.

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An Invitation

Our mission says it well: "We boldly risk our comfort to partner with each other in ministry, outreach, and faith."

That kind of bold risk requires imagination — the courage to ask not just "How do we get people to come to us?" but: "Where is God already at work — and are we willing to follow?"

We are Mountain Laurel. We are Better Together. And the God who goes before us is already preparing the way.

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"God was already working... so much of the witnessing that we do is not bringing Jesus with us anywhere, but noticing that God is already there along the way." — Dr. Eric Barreto

The Rev. Denise D. Pass is the General Presbyter of Mountain Laurel Presbytery.