A shared home for churches that already know they belong together.
What if our churches walked together more intentionally?
Across Newfoundland and Labrador, there are independent churches that have shared friendship, worship, counsel, and encouragement for years. We know one another. We have worshipped together, prayed together, borrowed ideas from one another, and helped one another when we could.
But much of that connection has stayed informal. We hear about needs late. We miss opportunities to gather. We solve similar problems separately. We carry ministry burdens that would feel lighter if we knew who else was facing the same thing.
Saltbox Church Network is an attempt to strengthen those bonds. It is a way to give our existing relationships a practical home so no church has to feel like it is walking alone.
A note from Steve
I have been dreaming about what could happen if the independent churches in our part of the world started working together more intentionally.
This is not about creating another denomination, taking over anyone's church, or asking every church to participate in every possible initiative. It is about recognizing that God has already given us relationships, shared history, and trust, and asking what might happen if we stewarded those gifts more deliberately.
My hope is that Saltbox gives us a simple way to stay connected, share what we are learning, gather more often, pray for one another, and make room for the songs, wisdom, and practical help that already exist among us.
The website is part of the exploration. Instead of only describing what this could become someday, we are beginning to build it and invite trusted churches to help shape it.
Why now?
The relationships are already here. The need is already here. The tools to serve those relationships are more available than ever.
We do not need a large organization before we begin. We can start small, with a handful of churches that already share heart and history, and build the practical pieces that help those churches communicate, gather, and serve one another.
Saltbox can begin as a simple network and an online home, then grow only as the relationships themselves call for it.
Why "Saltbox"?
A saltbox house is local, practical, resilient, and familiar. It belongs to the landscape. It is built from what is available. It can grow over time without losing its identity.
That picture matters to us. Saltbox is not trying to import a ministry model from somewhere else and lay it over our churches. It is meant to be rooted in Newfoundland and Labrador, shaped by real relationships, and warmed by the shared hearth of worship, prayer, and mission.
The churches in the network do not need to become identical. Like houses along the same shoreline, they can keep their own color, shape, and local character while still belonging to the same family.