Church Planting. Lighting the Way for the Good News

Transcription

1 Church Planting Lighting the Way for the Good News

2 SUMMARY SUMMARY Why Plant Churches? Alan Tumpkin Director of Church Planting Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.. [ Matthew 28:19-20 ] 1. We reach people who are far from God. Research shows that new churches have a higher conversion rate than any other evangelistic activity 1. In addition, new churches have also proven to be the best method of reaching new generations, new residents, and new people groups. 2. We follow Jesus mandate to make disciples. Planting new churches helps us to obey Jesus command to make disciples of every person that we can. However, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is not just a call to make disciples but to baptize. In Acts and elsewhere, it is clear that baptism means incorporating somebody into a local worshipping community (Acts 2:41-47). A new church not only helps reach new people, it also helps to bring them into the family of God and grow them as disciples. 3. The planting church experiences increased health and benefit. Despite what some may think, the typical church that starts a new church tends to do better itself. One reason is because churches committed to starting new churches focus on developing and deploying leaders while engaging people with the Gospel. These efforts help the mother church grow in its own ministry muscle and impact while planting new churches. One study demonstrated that churches which started other churches experienced a 22% increase in their own worship attendance over the next five years, while financial giving increased 48% It allows us to have greater influence for Christ throughout our region. For any movement to thrive, it has to plant churches. According to Ed Stetzer, Statistically speaking, if a population just wants to break even, it has to plant at least at a three percent level a denomination of 100 churches has to plant 3 to stay even considering attrition. A five percent increase is needed to grow. Ten percent is needed to thrive. 3 If we honestly believe the Evangelical Covenant Church is a great place for people to find Christ, then we need to expand our Kingdom influence by planting churches. Healthy missional churches are God s plan for reaching lost people, making disciples, revitalizing his church, and expanding Kingdom influence in our world!. What Have We Done This Past Year? Our goal was to plant new churches and to support and strengthen our existing church plants was an exciting year for church planting. Our goal for the year was to plant two to three churches. We met our goal, by signing three covenant agreements and launching New Community Covenant Church: Elkins (Elkins, WV), The Movement Covenant Church (Nashville, TN), and Hope City Covenant Church (Richmond, KY). These churches, led by catalytic leaders, are already making a difference in their respective communities. In addition to planting churches, the Great Lakes Conference provided many opportunities for planters, who were in years 0-5, to gain skills and resources to become healthy and missional. For instance, at the 2017 Annual Celebration, we provided training in effective evangelism, how to prepare for your fall campaign, and personal soul care for planters. In May, many planters participated in the New City Gathering (in New York City), learning how to build healthy congregations in diverse, under-resourced communities. The greatest benefit from the gathering was the relational connection among planters. Relationships were deepened as we learned, ate, drove, and did life together. One of the highlights of the year was our Fall s Retreat. Not only did we grow together as partners in the Gospel, but many newly planted church leaders received a much needed refresher in developing a thriving children s ministry, and building effective connection s ministries. Ways we have worked toward achieving this goal of supporting and strengthening our current church plants. We have increased our coaching team. We have provided coaching services for the specific needs of each church plant. We have provided context-specific training opportunities. Our goal was to help our plants move toward a place of stability and health. Thankfully, most of our plants in years 0-5 are growing, and are becoming healthy. Most of our church plants self-report that they are in a healthier place this year than they were 1-2 years ago. Several plants, including those in under-resourced areas, are thriving and are self-sustaining. They are experiencing new conversions and are engaging in exciting missional work in their communities and in the world. SUMMARY Where Do We Hope to Go in 2018? We plan to plant 2-3 churches in We are also working on developing new church plant networks (Columbus, OH; Southfield, MI; Buckhannon, West Virginia). Through coaching, we plan to help every church plant move toward becoming healthy and missional. Finally, we seek to help every church plant move toward a place where they give birth to other churches. Beyond 2018, we are also planning to plant 2-3 healthy missional churches per year but, we can t do this without you! 2 3

3 SUMMARY SUMMARY How Will We Do This? Church planting in the GLC is a three-way partnership consisting of a parenting church (or a group of partnering churches), the GLC, and the Evangelical Covenant Church. Parenting or partnering churches provide the seed to begin a new church. These churches provide prayer, people, a portion of the financial support, and short-term hands on ministry support (hospitality, worship help, children s ministry, etc.). The ideal funding is 1/3 of the support comes from parents/partners, 1/3 from the ECC, and 1/3 from the GLC. Additionally, the GLC provides for the new church through assessment services, coaching, training, and supporting each new church and church planter. The church planter and the new developing church then face the challenge of reaching out, making disciples, and transforming their community. This is the most critical time for them, and they need support, on many levels, from all of the other GLC churches. As I say thank you, I also want to ask you to consider being a parent or partner church in our church planting efforts this coming year. There are so many more who need to find real life as disciples of Christ. However, if there are no healthy missional churches, how can they? So, let s strive to be those churches, and plant those churches!! Your Brother in Christ, Alan 1 Stafford, Tim (2007, September). Go and Plant Churches of All Peoples, Christianity Today. Article discusses why crusades and personal witnessing are no longer the cutting edge of evangelism. 2 Data from Dr. Jeffrey Farmer s PhD dissertation, Church Planting Sponsorship, New Orleans Seminary, Stetzer, Ed (2014, June) 5 Reasons Established Churches Should Plant Churches, Christianity Today CHURCH PLANTS The list below is for active church plants from 2001 to Please keep them in prayer. If you ever happen to be in their neighborhood on a Sunday, stop by, and spend some time in worship Nathan Pawl Christ Cov. Church Wixom, MI digitalc3.com 2002 Rice/Allen LifeChurch Canton Canton, MI lifechurchcanton.org 2003 Harvey Carey Citadel of Faith Cov. Church Detroit, MI citadeloffaith.org 2004 Scott Austin Artisan Church Rochester, NY artisanchurch.com 2006 Dale Dalman Esperanza Cov. Church Grand Rapids, MI firstcovgr.org/ministries 2009 Janine Davis The Bridge Cov. Church Detroit, MI thebridgecovenant.org 2009 Semmeal Thomas City Cov. Church Detroit, MI citycovenantchurch.org 2010 Mike Dexter Love of Christ Christian Ctr Detroit, MI loveofchrist.us 2010 Leeann Younger Cityview Cov. Church Pittsburgh, PA cityviewpgh.com 2010 Rich Johnson Sanctuary Columbus Columbus, OH sanctuarycolumbus.com 2011 Alan Tumpkin LifeChurch Southfield Southfield, MI lifechurchsouthfield.org 2012 Justin Bowers New Community Church Buckhannon, WV newcommunitywv.com 2013 William Mack Grace Comm. Cov. Church Louisville, KY gracechurchlouisville.org 2014 Brian Nanninga LifeChurch Livonia Livonia, MI lifechurchlivonia.org 2015 Armstrong/Ness One Church Louisville, KY becomingone.church 2016 Arthur Duren Kingdom Embassy Muskegon, MI kingdomembassy.church 2017 Bobby Benavides New Comm. Cov. Elkins Elkins, WV newcommunityelkins.com 2017 Joey Maldonado The Movement Cov. Church Nashville, TN themovementchurch.org 2017 Harvey Cozart Hope City Covenant Church Richmond, KY fb.com/hopecitychurchrichmondky 4 5

4 GRACE COMMUNITY COV. CHURCH GRACE COMMUNITY COV. CHURCH WILLIAM MACK III Louisville, Kentucky The Covenant Agreement for Grace Community Covenant Church began on April 1, Grace is one of two ECC plants in the city of Louisville. For 2017, Grace Community averaged 57 people for our weekly worship service. Grace Community Describes Itself in This Way: We are a church plant in the West Louisville-Portland community that ministers to the spiritual and physical needs of those who are enmeshed, lost, and dying in this sin sick world. We are a body of believers committed to being the hands, feet, and mouth of Christ on Earth. A community of believers saved by the grace of God and excited to extend that grace to others. On New Life in Christ: In 2017, we celebrated Resurrection Sunday with four baptisms. In the following worship service, we had several conversations with sisters and brothers who were moved by the baptisms, and wanted to give their lives to Christ and/or connect with Grace Church. On Life Change in Christ: Janae is a bright, very intelligent, goal oriented young lady. She is also the (single) mother of one of the cutest little boys on earth. Janae came to Grace with a lot of reservations about church. Her experiences in the past were very negative. In the church she grew up in, no one had a voice but the pastor. Grace was a shock to her system. She was welcomed, loved, and embraced. Her son became a part of our village immediately gaining new siblings and an uncle/pastor overnight. In addition to her new church family, Janae found a renewed faith and desire to serve the Lord. She plugged into the Women s Bible Studies and the worship team. She has begun using her writing gift, and is now a monthly contributor to the Portland Anchor (the local newspaper), sharing testimonials and devotionals and inviting others to Grace. Janae is a wonderful reminder of what happens when we love one another and spur each other on to do the work God has created each of us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10). On Outreach and Evangelism: Since the move, our outreach ministries have tripled in capacity and service. We are in a larger, more organized space, with more volunteers praise the Lord! We partner with other churches and agencies in the area (Hosea s House, Youth for Christ, Salvation Army, Table of Plenty, Dare to Care, and Neighborhood House). We assist with the hunger and clothing needs in the community, serving approximately 65 families a week connecting them to clothing, food, furniture, and other resources as available. We host two weekly Alcoholics Anonymous groups, and a Community Clothes Closet. We also provide a monthly Family Night for families to connect with one another and the church. During the summer months, we provide Backyard Bible Clubs and literacy projects to prevent the educational drop that happens in the summer months. This is part of our new Education Ministry. The aim is to provide aid to individuals who need to increase literacy skills, obtain their diplomas/geds, obtain post-secondary education, and life skills. It is our prayer that we can gain some additional funding for materials and a ministry director. On Growing in Christ: We offer at least three opportunities for Bible study throughout the week. We ve also prepared study guides to accompany the sermon series, and created a couple of short devotional videos. We have a weekly prayer call, and we ve started a family discipleship offering called F.I.T.T. (Families in Training Together). 6 7

5 HOPE CITY COVENANT CHURCH HARVEY COZART Richmond, Kentucky Hope City Covenant Church in Richmond, KY is the newest GLC church plant. The church began its Covenant Agreement on December 1, They are in the early launch stages of being a church plant. Hope City Church Describes Itself in This Way: Seed Verse: Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. (Isaiah 58:12). Who We Are: We are called to be a community that brings hope to our city, repairing the brokenness in our community and restoring hope to those who dwell on the streets. Our Motto: Real hope for real people. Our Mission: To create a community where people find hope through the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ. Our Vison: Who We Want To Be: Our vision is to have a multi-ethnic, Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church that is actively engaging our community and the world with the Gospel. Hope City s Core Values: Invest: We want to invest in the lives of people. Because people matter to God and have been created in His image. Restore: We want to help restore lives, because God loves people. He desires to restore humanity to a place of wholeness and blessing. HOPE CITY COVENANT CHURCH Transform: We want to see lives changed and be a witness to the transforming power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God promises us new life that is found in a relationship with His Son. Hope City is brand new, but already we are seeing God make a difference in the lives of individuals and in the community. n The core group had an opportunity to pray with a lady and her family at our church. Her brother had passed away. We were able to minster to her and bring comfort. n We started a small group Bible study for the community, and we are developing an outreach program for the children in the community. So, we see the church experiencing slow but steady growth, and the Lord is bringing us gifted individuals who are grounded and rooted in their faith. We are learning to depend on God and step out in faith. People say of us that this is a place where people love through action, and spread hope through God s Word. There is truly a growing excitement and hunger for the Lord. 8 9

6 KINGDOM EMBASSY COV. CHURCH KINGDOM EMBASSY COV. CHURCH ARTHUR DUREN Muskegon, Michigan Kingdom Embassy Covenant Church, began their Covenant Agreement on December 1, They are a church plant that has been lovingly fostered by the Forest Park Covenant Church community. Kingdom Embassy is predominantly an African-American congregation with an average of over 170 in attendance. Kingdom Embassy Describes Itself in This Way: Our motto is Real People. Real God. Real Life. The vision was to create a church that embraces real people with hurts, habits, and hang-ups and shows them the love of God, as well as helping them discover their purpose for God s Kingdom. So, we are a group of real people from all walks of life who are being transformed by Jesus Christ. We do this in three ways that we refer to as KNOW, GROW and GO (Matthew 28:19-20). On New Life in Christ: In 2017, 41 people either recommitted their lives to Christ or made first-time commitments. Many people were baptized. n Johnny Lane came to the altar with tears in his eye and said the Lord changed something in his heart. He met with me on Monday, the day after service, and told me he has to make changes, because God did a new thing in him. n A young man gave his life to the Lord and joined the church. A father brought his son to the alter for prayer after a message on the value of instilling Christ in your children. n We had several children gave their lives to the Lord and wanted to be baptized. The children gained an understanding of the significance of baptism. n We had a married couple who gave their life to the Lord. They were doing drugs and were lost. On Outreach and Evangelism: We are continually reaching out to the community in many ways. n We opened the building four days a week for children (middle/high school) to come in out of the cold, while they waited for their siblings who are at the elementary school. n We provided breakfast for the teaching staff at the elementary school. n We opened the gym four days a week for basketball. n Our fall series ended with a community-wide kick-off event, in which we fed and provided activities for the entire family. n We had a team of people go out once per month and serve at a homeless shelter. We supported Kids Food Basket. n We served our community by offering opportunities such as women s empowerment and suicide prevention. n We provided benevolence support such as assistance with funerals, utilities, and housing. n In December, we hosted a community-wide Christmas celebration with donations going to Toys for Tots. On Growing in Christ: The church offered a variety of ways for people to engage together and grow in Christ. n Eight week class for Women Empowerment. n Marriage Ministry. n Financial Peace University. n Men s Ministry. n BLESS Series (Begin with Prayer, Listen with Care, Eat Together, Serve with Love, and Share your Story). n Weekend retreat with Michelle Sanchez (from Make and Deepen Disciples of the ECC). n Created team that focused on deepening disciples

7 LIFECHURCH LIVONIA LIFECHURCH LIVONIA BRIAN NANNINGA Livonia, Michigan LifeChurch Livonia began its Covenant Agreement on January 1, 2014, and has a weekly attendance averaging 260 people. LifeChurch Livonia was built on the model of LifeChurch Canton and LifeChurch Southfield. LifeChurch Livonia Describes Itself in This Way: The mission of LifeChurch can be broken down into three words: Know, Grow, and Go. It is our desire to see everyone come to KNOW Jesus as Lord, GROW in their relationship with God and with others, and then to GO serve others (whether that be in their families, the community, or throughout the world). The key focus of our weekly services is to offer experiences where people can come to know who Jesus is and how to begin a relationship with Him. This is a place where your life matters. This is a place where your story is valued. This is a place where you are safe to explore what it means to be known by God...and by His people. We are more than just a Sunday service. We are stories being transformed: From pain...to peace From shame...to love From individuals...to family From death...to life On New Life in Christ: A young man brought his girlfriend to church who had been far from the Lord. She came for almost two months, exploring the Good News before giving her life to Christ. It was joyous, and she is now in a discipleship group. On Evangelism and Outreach: Personal invitation is still our most fruitful evangelism method. We did a series this year using the BLESS curriculum, and it was very well received. We are increasing our presence in Livonia and throughout Metro- Detroit through various ministries prison ministry; backyard bible clubs; serving those who are struggling financially. On Growing in Christ: Growing together: We put a significant emphasis on small groups and have started a discipleship program this year that has about 25 people in it. Growing individually: A man named Reuben came to us from a failed marriage. He recommitted his life to Christ, engaged in discipleship and is now in counseling with his ex-wife. They are moving towards reconciliation. We are growing, changing, falling and getting up again. We are LifeChurch Livonia

8 NEW COMM. COV. CHURCH: ELKINS NEW COMM. COV. CHURCH: ELKINS BOBBY BENAVIDES Elkins, West Virginia New Community Covenant Church: Elkins, along with New Community Buckhannon, are a network of Covenant churches that share a common mission, vision and values, and a heart for WV and Appalachia. Though they work together and are similar in many ways, they are unique in their context and their ability to reach the folks in their unique ministry settings. New Community Elkins began their Covenant Agreement on October 1, In 2017, they averaged 71 people at their pre-view services. New Community Elkins Describes Itself in This Way: At New Community Elkins we are about equipping and empowering people for the glory of our Creator. We believe everyone has a place at the table and are welcome into our space. We are a community of people striving to live life well, together. We aren t looking for perfect people, but for real people. We want to grow in authentic relationships, walking alongside each other on this journey of life. On New Life in Christ: John and Britany, attendees of New Community Buckhannon, joined the launch team for New Community Elkins. Bobby Benavides had the pleasure of providing marital counseling for the couple and then officiated at the wedding. John decided that he wanted to demonstrate his faith by taking the step of baptism at the wedding reception. Britany decided to make a rededication of her faith. During the baptism, Bobby was able to share the Gospel and asked if anyone else would like to be baptized. One of the guests, a young lady from another church, accepted the invitation and Bobby baptized her as well. One of the women at the church shared that Bobby described the birth narrative of Jesus differently than she had ever heard it before. Bobby spoke of the shepherds and how they were the outcasts of the society. They were ceremonially unclean and unable to participate in worship. Yet the news of Jesus s birth went to them first. They were the first to receive the message, the first to go and see, and the first to spread the news of the joyous event. The woman was deeply impressed by the fact that just like the shepherds, she could be part of the Kingdom, and truly had a role to play in spreading the Good News regardless of her past mistakes and flaws. On Outreach and Evangelism: The church is already impacting the surrounding neighborhood by building bridges. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the church had a Come as You Are meal. We invited folks from the area low-income housing complexes. The dinner was basically a communion meal. Bobby explained about the Lord s supper, and the connection between Jesus and his disciples at that last meal, before Jesus went on to crucifixion and resurrection. The Come as You Are dinner was a fruitful outreach. Everyone enjoyed the meal and are looking forward to reprising the event in We baked or purchased Christmas cookies to place on the community tables of the low-income apartment complexes near us. Also, we partnered with the housing authority that oversees the senior living complex and disabled apartment building to give fun seasonal socks to the residents. The church gave out 100 pairs of socks. On Growth in Christ: We help others grow in Christ by providing places for people to fit and be part of the church. Like Mandy who came in December and said, I would love to help with the offering. She then said, most churches are man driven. Women aren t allowed to do many things. Bobby explained she is welcome to serve in the church to take a part. Mandy s teen daughter is also excited to take a part. She has been given the role of photographer. It is her job not only to take pictures, but to train up others to join her team

9 ONE CHURCH ONE CHURCH JA MEL ARMSTRONG and MATT NESS s Louisville, Kentucky One Church was birthed out of two church plants, uniting to reflect God s Kingdom on Earth. The Avenue and The Soul Center (a GLC church plant that began April 2013) began partnering together in ministry projects in After several combined outreach projects, the churches began to question whether or not they could serve the city of Louisville and the surrounding community as one church. One Church launched January 31, One Church Describes Itself in This Way: Our Prayer: My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me [ John 17:20-21 ]. Our Mission: We will: Explore who Jesus is; Experience God through worship and life in community; and Engage the community around us. On Life Change: Eva Shaw has been attending for several months. Prior to joining One Church, she had not gone to church since she was about 10 years old. Over the past 20 years, she battled social anxiety, and has lived almost like a recluse. Since attending, she has started driving again and now has a pretty functional social life, to the point of even taking a vacation out of the country. One young man, and new husband and father, nearly had to give up on his dream of being a police officer due to crippling anxiety. The church especially men came around him prayed with and for him, and walked alongside him. He is currently living out his dream as an officer. He and his wife are expecting their second child, and he is a faithful volunteer in our youth ministry. Dianna, who has been with us for a couple of months, spoke to us about why she decided to join us. She was on the verge of giving up on church, and wondered if there was a place where people genuinely cared. Right when she was about to call it quits, she was invited to one of our events. She saw a group of people committed to living and doing the hard things, and it inspired her heart. One of our regular attendees expressed how she never understood church before, but now she feels alive and connected to God like she never has been before. She recommitted her life to Christ and will soon be baptized. Stories like these are examples of the life change and recommitments that are taking place. As leaders, we are encouraged at the fruit that we see. On Evangelism and Outreach: Monthly, on the 12th of the month, we have an outreach called Pass the Love in Action, in which we engage our future neighbors (One Church will soon be relocating to a new facility). It has been fruitful. During each visit, there are multiple spiritual conversations, and we are seeing people move towards Christ. We show them the hope of Jesus, and meet their needs in multiple ways. Our neighbors are witnessing us cleaning up the neighborhood, and business owners have been hopeful because of our engagement. We also provide a safe place to learn how to process and live out biblical justice. On Growing in Christ: We strategically plan our sermon series to challenge our congregants towards growth. We also offer a variety of Bible study and group Bible learning opportunities. This past year we have been walking our staff through Emotionally Healthy Leadership

10 THE MOVEMENT COV. CHURCH JOEY MALDONADO Nashville, Tennessee The Movement Covenant Church began its Covenant Agreement on October 1, The church, located in Nashville, TN, is in the early launch stages. The Movement Church Describes Itself in This Way: Seed Verse: Acts 17:28(a) For in him we live and move and have our being Who We Are: The Movement Church! We are a community where we long to express who Jesus was and is, in every area of our lives. As stated in Acts chapter 17, Paul speaks to a people who worshiped a God that was unknown. We desire to live out the truth of Acts 17:28, that as we walk in relationship with Jesus, we will not only better know who He is, we also will better understand our identity in Him and His love for this world! As we embrace our identity in Jesus, together we will love as we live to be more like Him. As a community we will deepen our love for God, for each other, and for those outside of our community. We desire that all would intimately know the truth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Our Vision: Who We Want To Be: The Movement Church is a community of belonging, where together we desire to be a true expression of Acts 17:28...to Live, Move and Be like Jesus Christ. Together we will love, as we live to be more like Jesus. THE MOVEMENT COV. CHURCH The Movement s Core Values: n Authentic Diverse Community Authenticity begins when we embrace how God has given each of us a different story to live. We find beauty in our diversity, whether cultural, ethnic, gender, or socioeconomic. By embracing our common humanity and brokenness, we find that our differences, instead of dividing, only strengthen the vibrancy of our community and faith. We continually seek to deepen our relationships with God and with one another, because this is where we believe true life and transformation happens. n Worship Worship is our expression of appreciation and adoration to God. We believe the beauty of life which God offers us, flows out of a lifestyle of worship. This way of life leads us in relationship and true intimacy with God, which brings true impact to the world around us. n Radical Generosity We long to be a counter-cultural community that is marked by radical generosity in everything we do. Whether it s with our time, talents, or treasures, we want to reflect this value in all our relationships, including with the underresourced. n Mission Renewal We want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ through our words and actions whenever possible. We believe starting new churches can make an impact locally/globally and new churches are places where relationships can be nurtured into authentic growing communities. We believe in God s mission to heal and renew the world that He created to be good. Each of our lives are part of God s renewal process, and God invites us into the work of making all things new. We do this by pursuing justice, engaging in social and cultural renewal, and being committed to prayer for the flourishing of the city of Nashville. n Delight We want to celebrate life as often and as loudly as possible. We love that Jesus was the king of dinner parties, and we want to be a community that is known for the fun we contribute to the world

11 CONTACT INFO: Great Lakes Conference 6900 North Haggerty Suite 90 Canton, Michigan The Evangelical Covenant Church