HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION

Transcription

1 1 HM HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION 1

2 What is HOMOUER TEAMM YOIUSR HOSME IGOOD S MNISSION In the early church, men like Barnabas, Paul, Peter, Silas, Timothy and others were sent by a church or an apostle to build up fledgling or struggling churches. We call these at-risk churches. These men were evangelists involved in church planting or congregation building. Today, we primarily have local evangelists or preachers in the church in America. Up through the 1970 s, however, there were men who preached gospel meetings and held debates. Some did this on a full-time basis. In a way, these men were congregation builders and evangelizers at the same time. Most of the evangelism of the churches of Christ came through these gospel meetings. Churches communicated and worked with each other more in those days. The mainline churches had outside preaching, brotherhood papers like the Firm Foundation and area church of Christ bookstores to help build up churches for the work of ministry. Today, much of that has disappeared. Churches are drying up and becoming isolated. 70 churches of Christ are closing their doors each year and many mainline churches are becoming more denominational in their thinking. Some are removing Christ out of their name. Some are adding instrumental music to their worship. 2

3 What can be done? Acts 11:19-30: Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, fu ll of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. From this passage we will examine three very important details concerning an old practice that is the heart of this ministry we call HomeMission! 3

4 #1 Evangelists were sent to help at-risk churches As the gospel reached Antioch, a new church was begun and the church in Jerusalem wanted to help. Acts 11:22-24: Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Why did they send Barnabas? Why was the church in Jerusalem involved? Did that interfere with the autonomy of the church in Antioch? Instead of debating these issues, let s look at the results. Barnabas encouraged them, gave them purpose of heart, was a role model, was a good man, was full of God s spirit and was full of faith. Because of him, many were added to the Lord s church. Now this wasn t the only example: Timothy was sent to Ephesus, Titus to Crete, and Paul, Peter, Timothy and Apollos were sent to Corinth to clean up the mess there. Other congregations have had people in the past do the same thing. But because false teachers have introduced strange ideas into the church, we have become more cautious and as a result more isolated. Wouldn t it be great to have trusted, faithful men and women going out to help at risk churches. There are many at-risk congregations that cannot afford to bring in anyone, or, if they could, they have become so isolated, that they wouldn t know who to invite. They can t afford material for outreach. They do not have a purpose except to keep the doors open. And if they had a door knocking campaign, they wouldn t be prepared to handle the new Christians. 4

5 What is... HHOMEMMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION #2 Preachers received training in at-risk churches Acts 11:25: Then A B ct a s rn 1 a 1 b : a 2 s 5 ḏ 2 ep 6 a : r T te h d en fo B r T rn a a r b su as s d to ep s a e r e te k d S f a o u r l Ṫ 2 ar 6 su A s n t d o w se h ek en Sa h u e lḥa ad nd fo w u h n e d n h i e m h, a h d e brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many fo p u e n o d p h le iṃ A, n h d e b th ro e u d g i h s t c h ip im les to w A e n re tio fi c r h s. t S c o al i l t e w d a C s h t r h i a s t ti f a o n r s a i w n h A o n le ti y o e c a h r they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first. called Christians in Antioch. HomeMission was the idea of Andrew and Janae Fridelle in They were preaching for a small congregation and noticed how many at-risk churches of Christ were around them. They began with a dream, a format, and two volunteers fresh out of school. They started working with five congregations. Eventually, these young men learned by their experience and are now serving as youth ministers in congregations. One of those congregations was at-risk but is now growing and stable. Now it is time to take it to the next level. What if we could use HomeMission s design not only to assist these at-risk churches, but give training to inexperienced at-risk preachers. Notice again what Barnabas did for Paul. This was the springboard for his ministry. We desire to work with preaching students and at-risk preachers. Without training, they can become discouraged and quit, or they can be misled by false teachers. Some of these inexperienced preachers have done more harm than good. Some preachers are so frustrated, they consider leaving the ministry of the Lord. Infact75%ofpreacherswhograduatefrom school end up dropping out of the ministry. But what if we can do BOTH at the same time? 5

6 FA HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Acts 11:27-30: And in those days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. #3 Blessings came from helping at-risk churches Isn t that amazing! Jerusalem helped Antioch get established. Then Antioch turned around and gave money to help the churches in Judea which included the church in Jerusalem. And that s not all they did. And so, this fledgling church - not Jerusalem, but Antioch, became the hub for the first missionary journey. So, sending evangelists to help an at-risk congregation paid big dividends for the Lord s work and financial support for Jerusalem later on. Churches in America are very generous and spend millions of dollars each year to feed the poor in our own country and around the world. Millions more are contributed for disaster relief. THIS IS WONDERFUL! 6

7 Y I OU S R HO S ME I G O OD S M N ISSION FaQ HOM OUE R TE M AM HOMEMISSION But what about at-risk churches that can t afford preachers, teaching materials, building repair, and outside assistance from trained teachers and evangelists? How many churches have already decided to close their doors in their community when the current membership dies off? Who will evangelize their community? Who is willing to step up and take on the tough assignments with God s help turn and this trend around? We can t wait any longer! John Orr is the Director of HomeMission under the Faith Village church of Christ elders. John and his wife, Susie, travel to congregations around the country. Working with John and Susie are 12 other evangelists that have worked with 80 churches in 18 states over the last two years. Jerry Tallman and his wife, Connie, have conducted over 220 workshops over the past ten years. They will work with churches in the North and Midwest, before winter, and in Florida during the winter. Jerry is exceptional in evangelism training and congregation building. They will also need your support. Jerry has worked with the Sunset International Bible School for 5 years, training students in evangelism. Michael Green and his wife, JoAnn, work with congregations, technical support and fund-raising. Tom Bedicheck assists congregations in Kansas. Dean Kilmer supports churches in Oklahoma and Texas. Tom Box and his wife, Jeanette, have worked with the former two congregations in Burkburnett, Texas, which have now merged into one body. Tom is preaching there at the present time. Danny Aragon, in Colorado, supporting work in that area and beyond. James Sanderson in Chickasha, Oklahoma conducts evangelistic workshops. There are others who will be joining soon. God has used us to teach thousands of souls in the US. Many have been baptized into Christ. We have also trained many young preachers to be successful soul-winners. 7

8 HOMEMISSION HM Why is there such an urgency? Today, the total number of U.S. congregations has slipped from 13,174 in 1990 to 12,300. That means a net loss of 874 churches in the last quarter-century an average of churches that closed their doors per year. In the same 25-year period, the nation's total population rose to an estimated 320 million, up from 250 million in 1990, an increase of 70 million or 28 percent. On the other hand, the Jehovah Witness church with a cult-like unbiblical doctrine claims to open the doors to a new kingdom hall somewhere in the world, every single day. 8

9 Frequently Asked Questions HHOMEMMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION So what has happened? Is Jesus still head of His church? Yes, and He always will be. But as witnessedinrevelation2-3, churches go through problems and difficulties. Attention to earthly details, budgets, and appearances often distract from our real goal of pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ. Although foreign missions are booming, local churches are suffering. We are programmed to death. Some churches Matthew 16:16: Jesus you are the Christ the Son of the living God. are trying to become Walmarts to the consumer-minded church seeker. If this is not turned around, support for foreign mission work will be dried up in lieu of building repair, parking lots, entertainment, and so on. What can be done? Weneed to go back to the foundation on which the church was built. That means making Christ Lord and owner over everything. When you surrender to Christ, you are not your own, anymore. And Christ equipped apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (elders) and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry. In the early church, many evangelists such as Paul, Timothy, Titus and Philip were not local preachers as much as they were sent to build up the Church in places where it had been established. 1Corinthians3:5-11: What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You aregod'sfield,god'sbuilding. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 9

10 HOUR TEAMM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Our Goal The goal of HomeMission is to send out skillful, trained workers to offer assistance, training, love andinstructionfromgod s Word. Our job is not to reconstruct the church, but to listen, assess, train and revive. Wedon tlay the foundation, we merely build upon the true foundation Jesus Christ. And yes, sometimes we do foundation repair. Getting our focus back on Jesus, is the key to church growth, period! Just ask Peter what happened to him when he took his eyes off Jesus (Matt. 14:28-31)! It is our goal to assist in the areas where these congregations need help. We have a strategic plan to visit on weekends, week or two week stretches, and on follow up visits OVER A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS.We may workwithasmanyas 20 congregations a year. The idea is to get the congregationreadytobringinnewmembers, and then set up a campaign for Christ, if necessary. We will teach congregations to evangelize on their own. Every year, the churches of Christ spend millions to feedthe poor and send preachers to school. How much have we invested in at-risk churches of Christ and training evangelists? We need to finish the job! 10

11 Sample Schedule HHOMEMMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Week 1: Week 3: 1. Make congregational assessment 1. Meet with leaders and their spouses. Assess based on current leadership, finances, progress made. List positives and negatives. history of the congregation, population, Work on plan of action. facilities and growth potential. 2. Help practice public song-leading, singing and 2. Meet with leaders and their spouses. praying. 3. Work with congregation on conflict 3. Present Sphere of Influence activity to those resolution. not present earlier and examine progress 4. Present lessons on congregational of those who have already participated. singing, prayer and the Lord s Supper 4. Present more How to Study the Bible exercises. with heavy emphasis on singing. 5. Visit with members who have fallen away and 5. Present lessons on reading and contact prospective members. Set up more Bible listening to Scripture. studies. 6. Visit with members who have fallen 6. Teach Leadership series. away and contact prospective members. 7. Check on Foundations study progress. 7. Make final observations and suggestions. Plan next visit. Week 2: Week 4: 1. Meet with leaders and their spouses. 1. Meet with leaders and their spouses. Assess Assess progress made. Talk about progress made. List positives and negatives. positives and negatives. Work on plan Work on plan of action. of action. 2. Help practice public song-leading, singing and 2. Conduct Sphere of Influence activity with praying. members (taken from Eph 4 and 3. Re-examine Sphere of Influence progress and Rom 12). present to those who had not attended earlier. 3. Begin presenting How to Study the Bible 4. Teach evangelism-training lessons. course. 5. Visit with members who have fallen away and 4. Visit with members who have fallen contact prospective members. Set up more Bible away and contact prospective members. studies. Set up at least one Bible study. 6. Prepare for outreach events. If desired, plan a 5. Help practice public song-leading, singing door-knocking campaign. and praying. 7. Present more How to Study the Bible exercises 6. Leave Foundations study. Plan for next visit. and share other Bible study aids. Further follow-up will be scheduled if necessary. The ideal time frame would be one week every 6-months, depending on the situation and the expense of travel. This way, the congregation will have time to work their home mission plan. There may be other needs. These will be addressed at the appropriate time. 11

12 Type of Assistance Provided HM HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Congregational Assessment Conflict Resolution Outreach & Church Growth Evangelism Training How To Study The Bible Improving Congregational Singing & Song Leaders Getting Others Involved ( Sphere Of Influence Study) Leadership Training & Assistance Elders, Deacons, Preaching, & General New Christian Training Teacher Training Ideas For Bible Classes,VBS & Special Events Preparation For Door Knocking Campaign & To Receive New Members & Keep Them Building A Successful Youth Ministry Giving, Church Attendance, Prayer, Communion, & Worship Materials will be offered for members who are interested. The local church will decide what ITS needs are. Nothing will be presented except what they specifically ask for. HomeMission Michael Green mjkkgreen59@gmail.com 4100 McNiel Ave. John Orr johnorr444@yahoo.com Wichita Falls, TX homemission444@gmail.com 12

13 Type of Assistance Needed HM HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Volunteers: Song Leaders Who Can Train Others Singers Who Can Train Others On Parts EvangelismTrainers Teachers And Trainers (Bible School, Youth & Involvement) Supporting Congregations and Individuals Workers For Special Needs Volunteer Staff Those Who Will Edit Materials Support for travel expenses, materials and some salaries - we depend upon churches and individuals for support. We do not charge the churches we work with for assistance or materials. Every year, the first week in December is HomeMission Week. We encourage everyone with a willing and generous heart to support HomeMission, especially at this time. You can send checks to: HomeMission 4100 McNiel Ave. Wichita Falls, TX Online dontations accepted at The Elders at the Faith Village Church of Christ have agreed to oversee this work. This is a big task, as well as an expensive one. We will be partnering with others, but it will take the teamwork and finances of many individuals and churches to sustain this effort. 13

14 Assistance & Team Members HM HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Contact Info Name: Address: Phone #: How Would You Like To Help? Financial Support - Amount: Monthly Yearly One Time General Assisance with a Congregation Locate churches for HM presentation Be a Bible School Teacher Assist a Bible School Teacher Edit Handouts Work with Fallen-Away Members and Prospects Song leader, Singer or Trainer Other: 14 If you travel to a congregation, you will need to provide your own support. All volunteers and staff must be approved bytheelders.ifyouwanttosupportthis effort, please make checks payable to: Faith Village church of Christ 4100 McNeil, Wichita Falls, Texas (Please indicate for HomeMission

15 Request Form HM HOMEMISSION OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Church: Address: Contact Person(s): Phone #: Current Situation & Needs: Can you provide a place to stay? Y/N Are you willing to help with some expenses? Y/N Do you have elders? Y/N Who makes the decisions? Spiritual Needs: More focus on Jesus Problem solving Conflict resolution Song Leading training and support New Christian development and training Bible School training and support Leadershipsupportandtraining Evangelism training Preacher encouragement Singing improvement 15 How to study the Bible Preacher Selection Plan Outreach Event Worship Improvement

16 Request Form (continued) HOUR TEAMMYOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Materials Needed: Habanero Visitation Ministry Circle of Influence Starting Over CDs Starting Over Lesson Stars (Evangelism Training) New Life Behavior Greatness of the Lord s Church CDs AcapellaMusic CDs I Died Last Night Business cards Tracts for Tract Rack DiggingTools (How to Study the Bible Course) Bible Studies to Teach Non-Christians 50 Ways to Love the Father 50 Ways to Save Your Neighbor 50 Ways to Make a Visit One Heart, One Mind (acapella singing study) New Christian Training and Development Gospel-Sharing Ministry 16

17 Request Form (continued) HOUR TEAMMYOUR HOME GOD S MISSION Other Needs: Building Preacher Training Song Leader Training Work with Youth Other 17

18 Letters of Recommendation HM (Following this document are five attachments) 18

19 HM Every church spends hundreds,even thousands per year to feed the hungry in America; we spend thousands each year on foreign aid and foreign missions. In America,we spend millions to educate preachers and missionaries. THANK GOD! But how much are we investing in at-risk churches in our own back yard? What if someday, your congregation becomes an at-risk church? Who will help you? PLEASE HELP US BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST IN AMERICA BEFORE IT S TOO LATE! HOMEMISSION 19 OUR TEAM YOUR HOME GOD S MISSION

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