What does “Soma” stand for? Why would we pick such a strange word to name a church?

The New Testament is filled with rich metaphors describing the countercultural community of people who have been transformed by the gospel of grace. One of the most frequent designations for this community is the Greek word Soma, which simply means “body.”

This body is called to become more like Jesus daily. Just as the human body needs every part to function, every individual who follows Jesus needs other Christ-followers to grow and use their talents effectively. We want to be that kind of community.

We are the body. Jesus is the head of the body – He is the Senior Pastor.  Therefore, church is all about Jesus, not us. Just as a physical body must have a head in order to function, we depend on Jesus to guide and direct our lives, marriages, families, and work. As the body of Jesus, we want to continue the work He started, calling people to come back to a relationship with God.

As individuals, we are all different and can easily get tired and distracted, but together as a community, we hope to be Jesus to our community and become like Him in our lives. Our hope that what you see are new people shaped by the Spirit of God for His glory and our joy.

Soma will seek to embody the person of Jesus Christ first to Lincoln University and surrounding neighborhoods, Jefferson City, Mid-Missouri and the rest of the world, displaying the riches of God’s grace to our great city in both word and deed. We also desire to be family to one another as we love, serve, forgive, engage, pray, and pursue God’s glory and our joy in a deep community of faith.