The Heart of Sincerely Kindred
Sharing stories and starting conversations ... one letter at a time.
When we stumbled upon the idea of Sincerely, Kindred I never thought we would be in the place we are now -- in the middle of a Kickstarter to make one of the most amazing issues of a publication (that I have ever worked on in the ten years I've been in the publication industry) more affordable for more millennials.
This Kickstarter journey has been a wild ride. There has probably been over 50 people we have face to face chatted about this idea. Seeking affirmation, asking business, marketing, printing, and logistical questions. And we have found ourselves really emboding the theme quote of this Issue.
I discuss this a bit in the Letter from the Editor found in Issue two, how this quote from C.S. Lewis has become the anthem of this chapter of our lives:
"Only until they are wholly His will they ever truly be themselves."
For me, in the context of Sincerely, Kindred, this quote exudes surrendering fear and choosing to be bold. I have been enraptured with insecurities time and time again. Our managing editor, Taylor, can attest to how many Slack notifications she has received from me with prayer requests for dealings with anxiety, struggles to hear what a silent and steady God is saying, and overall seeking assurance in the direction we were heading.
And all of this introduction is purposed to show that this was not our idea.
Now if you consider yourself less charismatic than the average Christian at a Hillsong concert, bear with me. Set your skepticism aside, I know I have had to.
I have come to believe that this publication was God's idea. I think He has tried to use it with different people and they have let themselves get in the way, as I have 99.9% of the time.
But that 0.1% that trusted God enough to type in $10,000.00 for our goal. That 0.1% that trusted how He was leading me to pursue a Kickstarter, a printer, a shipping company, eight other people to work for free, huge instagrammers for shoutouts, and to overall pursue the topics we are covering when the Church falls silent about them...
That 0.1%, the least amount, has produced the most amount of fruit than the 99.9% of skepticism ever will.
Our God is mighty. Our God is kind. He is gentle. And He is fierce.
He is intimate. But He is simultaneously HUGE. Our God is the Creator of all ideas. And He ultimately created Sincerely, Kindred.
When we seek the Creator for help with His creation, we get to step into how God sees His work.
- I believe God wants to use Sincerely, Kindred to KEEP encouraging Christians and nonChristians alike.
- I believe God wants to use Sincerely, Kindred to speak boldly about the dichotomy of Biblical truths and current events.
- I believe God wants to use Sincerely, Kindred to be a voice of our millennial generation.
- I believe God wants to use Sincerely, Kindred to be a parachurch, ministry-minded, publication.
- And I believe God wants to use Sincerely, Kindred to be a safe place where we can ask hard questions to encourage everyone that they are not alone in their wrestlings with real life and truth.
The heart of Sincerely, Kindred is to set our millennial generation up for a win with the Church.
We are the largest generation that is walking away from churches, and we are actively trying to understand why and how to help.
We love the Church. Well, we're trying to. Sometimes it's hard. And we want to convey that we understand, we all have been hurt by Christians. But maybe there is something we can do to help this generation heal and then thrive as we grow into being the leaders after the generation before us steps down.
Through writing letters, sharing stories, and starting conversations we believe we can help the Church, help the people that have left Her, and encourage a million people if not more, in Kindred's lifetime.
Imagine a Church culture where we care about the deeper issues, where we don't let politics, social classes, or other boundaries get in the way of people issues. Imagine if the American Church cares about the heart of a person before their sexual orientation, mental illness, or citizenship. Imagine a world where people knew we were Christians because of how proactive we were about environmental issues (stewardship), donating to help relief funds (benevolence giving), bonding with people who are different than us (fellowship), and eating with forgiven friends who used to be hurtful internet bullies (communion). Imagine a Church culture where we actively act like we are family. Where we care for one another's burdens, where we talk about the real issues and wrestle together how Jesus would of handled it.
Imagine a Church where we all knew the same Jesus, instead of being hurt by someone else's idea of what He cares about and the limits of His care for others.
We know what the Church is supposed to be. Maybe through hearing out other people, trying to encourage them, and digging into God's truth we can spark life into half alive Christians.
Maybe the world can know a Christian through the love they practically show others and how they are honest about their real issues they struggle with.
This is the vision of Kindred. This is the heart of why we are doing what we are doing.
And we sincerely hope you want to come along.
We are just sharing stories and starting conversations ...one letter at a time.
Consider sharing about our kickstarter. And please consider donating.
If we do not get the full 100%, we will not receive anything.
We have 8 days left.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/626717166/sincerely-kindred-print-magazine?ref=user_menu