Thank you for taking time to see what we offer. Here is a word, from our hearts, about why we started Basic G5.6.

Claire and I believe the Bible is God’s Word for life, that Jesus Christ is God's son, and that trust-filled relationships are God’s foundationally designed platforms for giving and receiving care and for building worthwhile things.

We have been married 26 years and have two children. Both of us have served in church ministry for much of that time.

We created BASICS as a place to return to God’s basics (how Christ’s early followers did church).

• Form positive relationships.

• Prioritize 2-way conversation over monologues from stages.

• Explore God’s Word together.

• Worship Jesus together.

• Pray together.

• Meet needs together.

• Equip and encourage one another in living rich and meaningful lives.

Here is why we each left paid church leadership positions to build this church community.

Robin –

Before Claire and I started Basics G5.6, I had been learning in, serving in, and teaching in churches for 27 years.

During that time, I was ordained as a pastor, went to seminary and attained a Master of Divinity, went back and earned my Doctorate. After all that, I found myself still unclear on some basic things about our faith.

The reason is that while growing in my knowledge of scripture, I had begun to recognize some divisions between Biblical teachings and institutional traditions of the denomination I served.

It wasn’t easy to see at first. The Bible and these traditions were presented together. That made it difficult to see God’s Word for what was there and not get it confused with something that was just a rule or practice added by the denomination.

As I grew in discerning this divide, a desire to prioritize God’s Word over tradition grew in me. From the beginning, I had served in churches to help people find the living Jesus (just as someone helped me). I wasn’t serving to get anyone caught up in empty routines.

Some of these traditions may have started with good intentions but ended up being unhelpful. Others became obstacles, turning the experience of following Jesus into a burden rather than a path to freedom.

Some are even harmful, causing people to serve the leaders instead of the leaders serving the people. In recent years, increased access to information has exposed a pattern of abuse by leaders in institutionalized, commercially driven churches across nearly all denominations.

It seems that the more we sideline Jesus and the Holy Spirit in favor of our own methods and ideas, the more likely we are to value things like money, power, and comfort over people.

In extreme cases, we may even start to believe we are like gods ourselves, expecting others to serve us. This kind of mindset is common in secular leadership, and clearly, the Church isn’t exempt. It’s not a new issue—Jesus addressed it during His time as well.

“Some Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, ‘Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?’ He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.’” – Mark 7: 5-8

I prefer to devote my time to following Christ and serving others, rather than leading within institutions that prioritize themselves and expect to be served by the very people they ought to be serving.

Claire –

I have been in church my whole life. As an adult, I have worked in churches and in parachurch ministries. Like Robin, I also noticed this divide between Bible basics and some traditions.

We started the Basics G5.6 community to share the essentials of living genuine faith in Christ without added things mixed in.

Robin and I had been working through this for years. What does Jesus really want His followers to do with our lives? How do we do it in our homes, in our families, and in our workplaces?

We wanted to clear away the barriers and get to the applicable living benefits of what the Bible calls the good news of the gospel. 

Robin –

The famous Christian philosopher CS Lewis once wrote that denominations each had beliefs they added to the Bible. He contended that those additions were mostly where they disagreed. Removing those, they would basically agree.

The Lord instructed His people to not add or subtract anything from His Word. Learn what's there, because it applies any time and place. We’ve found that's true. God is Good. His Word leads to human thriving. 

“Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“Do not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it. Keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” – Deuteronomy 4:2

“If you reject the least important command in God’s Law and teach others to do the same, you will be considered least in the kingdom of heaven. But if you follow and teach others its commands, you will be considered great in the kingdom.” – Matthew 5:19

Basics G5.6 is our attempt to provide what Lewis called “Mere Christianity”.

Claire  –

We lead and teach in a conversation style. Everyone is encouraged to engage, discuss and even question. All of us helping one another know God’s truths and grow closer to Jesus.

If you are looking for a back-to-basics approach to growing with Jesus, give us a try. We would love to meet you!

Hope to see you and serve you soon!

Robin and Claire Redick

“Encourage one another and build each other up.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11