There are a lot of things that make a church "distinct" - worship, preaching, teaching, a website, a church logo, demographics, traditions, or a building. These are all good things that have their places in a church. But what does Jesus say about this?
In John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples,..."
Jesus is about to tell his disciples what the one distinguishing factor of The Church is and should be.
Jesus continues in John 13:35, "...if you have love for one another.”
Love is the one distinction. Of all of the things Jesus could have said, or of all of the things we prefer to distinguish ourselves by, none of them matter if we don't have love. Love isn't about warm fuzzy feelings, but love cares, love serves, love challenges, love disciples, love corrects. Love is action, not merely feelings. In any gospel-centered church community, the outside world should see a diverse, unified community of people that radically loves each other. There is no ceiling and we will never arrive, but at Streamsong, we aim to grow in our love for one another. We aim to speak the truth of the Gospel in love, and allow God's grace and truth to confront us, challenge us, and grow us in His redemptive love.