PASTOR & CHURCH LEADER GUIDEBOOK

Transcription

1 PASTOR & CHURCH LEADER GUIDEBOOK REVIVE INDIANA 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 2 What is Revive Indiana? PROGRESS REPORTS OF THE CHURCH SIGNS OF REVIVAL IN INDIANA... 4 THE FRAMEWORK... 6 i. What To Expect... 6 ii. How To Prepare... 6 Meeting Locations... 6 Volunteers... 6 Host Homes... 7 Transportation... 7 Pastoral Commitment... 7 iii. The Daily Schedule... 7 iv. Hitting The Streets... 8 v. Prayer... 8 vi. Making Disciples... 8 Vii. Timothys & Bible Studies... 9 Viii. Revivekids... 9 ix. After Revive Indiana... 9 Local Leadership Team: Supplies & Resources FAQ i. Why Should We Get Involved? ii. What s The Cost? iii. What About Our Differences? REVIVE INDIANA RESOURCES i. News & Media Links ii. Revive Indiana Highlight Videos iii. Time To Revive Online Training iv. Discipleship Explained TIME TO REVIVE CONTACT INFORMATION info@timetorevive.com Phone: (214) Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: Web: / 1

3 INTRODUCTION What is Revive Indiana? Many have asked, What is Revive Indiana? The truth is, there is no exact definition, but we can tell you what it s not. It s not a method or strategy, it s not a name or organization, and it s not meant for anyone to take ownership of. It s about JESUS. Revive Indiana is the result of years of prayer, encounters with the Holy Spirit, and obedience by Time to Revive founder, Kyle Lance Martin and others. Revive Indiana has come together in a season that seems to be a time of great harvest for the Lord. Kyle, along with a team that God has established, has brought practical understanding to Jesus Great Commission (Matt 28) and put feet to what God has been calling His Church to for 2000 years. In 2007, Kyle sensed God s prompting to put up a tent for 40 days of prayer. Since then, through Time to Revive, revival has spread from Dallas to Santa Fe NM, to Sedona AZ, to Flint MI, to other cities like Asheville NC, Columbia SC, Devil s Lake ND, Richmond CA, Seattle WA and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, where there has been a continual leading and growing that has matured and morphed into what is now called Revive Indiana. Always responding to an invitation into a city, the Time to Revive team has witnessed an unprecedented work of unifying the church, softening the walls of race and division, and watching the transforming power of God brings hungry hearts to Him. There is undisputed evidence shown through Revive Indiana, that when the body of Christ shares the same message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in unity, your community will change and the Church will be continue to be revived in this nation. 2

4 7 PROGRESS REPORTS OF THE CHURCH I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me (John 17:23). The Church of Indiana is waking up to embrace, live, and declare the pure message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in unity, and the world is taking notice. Revive Indiana is a cross-denominational, cross-cultural, and cross-generational move of God for one reason alone: It s all about Jesus. Revival has come, but some may ask, How can we know for sure? Has this happened before? Scripture must be our guiding lens. The reports on how the Gospel is taking root and spreading in Indiana bear striking resemblance to the apostles reports in early Church: 1. Acts 2:47 The number of those saved was added to daily. 2. Acts 6:7 The Word of God spread and the number of disciples increased. 3. Acts 9:31 The church had peace, became edified, had the fear of the Lord, comfort in the Holy Spirit, and continued to increase. 4. Acts 12:24 The Word of God continued to increase and spread. 5. Acts 16:5 Churches were strengthened in faith and their numbers were multiplied. 6. Acts 19:20 The Word of the Lord prevailed. 7. Acts 28:30-31 There was bold and unhindered preaching and teaching of the Gospel. 3

5 6 SIGNS OF REVIVAL IN INDIANA Scripture must be our foundation for understanding, but the Holy Spirit testifies just as soundly to the Church awakening and revival of discipleship happening in Indiana. During November of 2014, prior to the initial reviveindiana prayer week in 2015, a group of intercessors from Maple City Chapel in Goshen, Indiana gathered to pray for their church and community. In this time, the Holy Spirit revealed six markers, or signs, of what the body of Christ would witness in the New Year. Here is what they shared with Time to Revive staff, as well as examples of how we are seeing these six signs come to fruition (maybe you have your own stories of how God revealing these things!): 1. Many will ask, What is going on? A truck driver traveling through Goshen, IN saw two angels standing outside of Maple City Chapel, and stopped in to ask, What is going on here? and describe what he saw and knew he had to stay. Newspapers, national ministries, and TV stations have been asking, What is going on? Many of them have come to find out. 2. Cities will be stirred up. Twelve public schools gave students excused absences after students asked the administration if they could participate in reviveindiana by going out to share the Gospel. A total of thirty-one factories and businesses in Northern Indiana invited reviveindiana teams to come share the Gospel during work hours with employees. These requests from managers and owners came in daily. Other cities are asking reviveindiana to come to their community. Pastors from Kokomo, Bloomington, La Porte, Indianapolis, Chicago, St.Louis, and others, are gathering to hear more about what the Lord is doing. 3. The House of God will be cleansed and realigned to the will of the Father. A large Baptist church in Elkhart county with a long history in the community, who had never agreed to partner with any outside ministry, opened up their doors to host reviveindiana one day a week during the first 52 Days of reviveindiana. Believers are being revived in their walk with the Lord and are leaving their church pews in order to go OUT to share the Gospel of Jesus, allowing unity in Christ to overcome varying denominations and cultures. Amish believers in Jesus are even going out to share the Gospel. 4

6 4. There will be evidence of the Holy Spirit s power at work. One person s sense of taste and smell was restored. A young boy was healed of eczema. A woman was prayed over and got out of her wheelchair something she had not been able to do before. There were miracles of the Lord multiplying the food needed to serve meals to hundreds and even thousands of people during reviveindiana. On one night, not having ordered enough food, everyone was served and there were leftovers. 5. Some will be offended by the move of God. Many leaders and members of the Amish community are taking offense to the move of God. Many Amish who are embracing Jesus and the unity of His Church are experiencing resentment towards them. Some have already experienced excommunication from their communities and even separation from their families. As teams went out to pray for people and churches in the community, offense was common. Teams were often asked to leave nursing homes, malls, and even churches. 6. A new generation of worshippers will rise up. Hundreds of children were a part of revivekids, which began during reviveindiana. Kids were able to pray, learn, and worship the Lord together each night. Many came to know the Lord for the first time. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, a 12 year old boy told his parents he wanted to skip school in order to hit the streets and share the Gospel with reviveindiana. A 5 th grader in Northern Indiana is leading a Bible study at school with kids. 5

7 THE FRAMEWORK I. WHAT TO EXPECT When the decision is made for Revive Indiana to come to a city, there are several components that must be priority: 1. Unity and willingness to work with other pastors across the lines of denomination, territory and style. 2. The desire to see God work in your community. 3. The understanding that schedules will have to change 4. Continual prayer When the initial pastors meetings have happened in your community, and the climate for revival has been made clear, there should be a growing anticipation and flourishing of expectation for what the Lord will do. As the dates are set for Revive Indiana, and the details begin to unfold, there will be responses of fear, doubt and many will even ask, Are we crazy? Pastors are used to knowing and controlling where their congregation will go. We must no longer be concerned with what happens in the sanctuary due to scheduling, but encourage our congregations to go OUT with the Gospel! Even amidst push back, you will find JOY in GOING (Luke 10). Your congregation will come back with awesome and beautiful testimonies, and maybe, new disciples of Jesus. So, fasten your seatbelts and say YES, GOD! II. HOW TO PREPARE There are a number of necessary components to make Revive Indiana happen in your community. Let s go through them one by one. Meeting Locations Revive Indiana needs buildings to gather people each morning, noon, and night. Typically, each morning and evening location are consistent, while each noontime location will vary each day, as to cover different regions of the community. These buildings are often churches, utilizing a large meeting-place or sanctuary (holding several hundred people) to host services, accommodate for meal serving, and sending teams out. If your church would like to be a host, please contact Kevin McIlravy at kmcilravy@timetorevive.com. Volunteers Depending on the size of the town, the amount of volunteers needed may vary. Time to Revive has seen great success when churches rally together to provide groups of volunteers to own different areas of service during the Revive week. If your church, or if you know individuals that would like to serve one or more days (or a part of a day), contact Alyssa Williams at awilliams@timetorevive.com. Volunteers are needed in the following areas: 6

8 1. Admin/Media Assistants 2. revivekids Leaders and Classroom Assistants 3. Parking 4. Hospitality a. Ushers b. Greeters c. Food Servers d. Coffee/Drink Servers 5. Clean-Up Host Homes Revive Indiana needs host homes or places for out of town volunteers that will be coming to stay in. Get your congregations to sign up if they will allow people in their homes. Remember, these volunteers will be gone all day so this is not hard. All their meals will be at Revive Indiana. This opportunity becomes a point of fellowship and relationship that opens hearts to meeting people outside your own circles of influence. Contact Michelle Mcilravy at mmcilravy@timetorevive.com for more details. Transportation If possible, Time to Revive needs vehicles for staff members to utilize while in your city. Also, incoming volunteers from other cities may need airport rides. If possible, Time to Revive seeks out locals to help with these needs. Contact Michelle Mcilravy at mmcilravy@timetorevive.com for more details. Pastoral Commitment Revive Indiana needs PASTORS who will commit by clearing church schedules and enlisting their church in this endeavor. If the pastor leads, the people will most certainly follow. Without pastoral leadership, they will not be interested. Revive Indiana will have pastor s meetings at least two times in the Revive week to listen to concerns and keep you up-to-date of what is next. III. THE DAILY SCHEDULE Each day beings with prayer and praise at 7am. At 8 am breakfast is served. At 9 am, teams are formed to go pray for and share the Gospel with people in the community. At 11:45, teams will check-in at the noon-time location, and there will be a time of testimony, prayer, and worship. This is perhaps the most fun and remarkable time of the day, where teams give witness to the Lord s work and divine appointments. Lunch will follow at 1pm. At 2pm teams are formed again to go engage the community with Jesus. From 4:45-5:30pm, teams will check-in and fill out encounter info at the evening location. At 5:30pm, dinner is served. At 7pm, the evening service and celebration begins. A Typical Monday-Saturday Schedule: 7am: Prayer time at local church 8am: Breakfast at local church 9am: Organize into teams & go out 12pm: Prayer Time at different local church each day 1pm: Lunch at the noon prayer location 2pm: Organize into teams and go out 4:45pm: Teams check-in at evening church location 5:30pm: Dinner at evening location 7pm: Evening prayer & worship (ASL interpretation & Spanish translation needed/birth-5 th Grade may participate in revivekids) 7

9 Each part of this schedule has beauty intricately built into it. The morning prayer time often sets the stage for what the day will bring, sometimes with a focus point or word and then praying through that. The noontime testimonies are faith building, tear invoking and community building times that will have you shouting. The evening services will hold a very special place in people s hearts as they learn to worship and celebrate with people they have never met and now they love. IV. HITTING THE STREETS After breakfast and lunch, teams of 3-4 are organized to go into the community to have what we call encounters. There is a team leader who is experienced in going out to share the Gospel. In the beginning of the week, many of these may be people from previous Time to Revive cities who come to help in this new region. There is a scribe who collects the information from anyone who wants follow-up. Each team is made up of both genders and as much as possible, and may be crossdenominational and cross-generational. The team then puts their team roster into a database (via by phone or ipad, and pick up their Bibles and wristbands. Then... they go out the door to ask people, How can I pray for you? This simple question opens so many doors for the Gospel to be shared. On the Revive Indiana website, the tab, team tools, is also where encounters are entered. Anyone desiring follow-up from an encounter would give their contact information to the scribe of the group. The scribe enters that information on the encounter form, making sure the information is accurate. That is not the end! That database information is printed out and put on tables which takes us to the next step... V. PRAYER Prayer is central to all Revive Indiana activities. Time to Revive s prayer mission is to develop and sustain a seamless culture of prayer for each revivecity. This includes identifying, connecting, and equipping the local prayer ministries to join in prayer for revival in the community and for the healing of spirit, soul, and body for the church and all individuals, impacting our environments for Jesus Christ. Prayer teams are also encouraged to intercede while teams hit the streets with the Gospel. VI. MAKING DISCIPLES Those who go out and encounter those in the community fill out the online encounter form. In the evening services, tables are set up and these now printed disciple-sheets are to be picked up by Disciple Makers those who desire to disciple these encounters. Getting to know these souls is very necessary work; even the most crucial work. We must continue to love, listen, discern and respond to individuals new and growing in the Lord. Pastors must encourage those doing the discipling to continue to following up with their disciples, with phone calls, texts and personal touch. Getting close to them requires there to be time spent and energy given to this part of discipleship. We dare not allow them to fall through the cracks. If we are doing our job in the church, any believer should know enough to disciple these new converts or recommitted folks. They simply need someone to give them confidence in the walk 8

10 they are on. They need someone who will answer questions or research answers to bring to them. Surely the church can step-up to this challenge and make discipleship a reality. VII. TIMOTHYS & BIBLE STUDIES The model and process for discipleship outlined by Time to Revive is what makes Revive Indiana tick. Pastors may submit to the Revive team, the names of people who have been involved in, or are trained to effectively lead a small group. It s not rocket science, but it is a commitment that these individuals (if willing) would lead a small group each week for one year. These individuals are what Revive calls, a Timothy (2 Tim. 2:2). A Timothy secures a location to meet, gives a time, and then commits to being there to facilitate a time of Bible Study using the 52 STORIES provided by Revive. These meetings are held so those discipling (Disciple Makers) and their disciples will be plugged into a group environment with others desiring the same thing. These groups should not be larger than 12 people. The beauty of this scenario is there can be a disciple from one church and a Timothy from another church working together in discipleship to bring a person to deeper faith in Christ and we haven t had to decide which church they will attend. Truth be told, the disciple will probably follow either the disciple or the Timothy to church at some point. This is the importance of the discipler and the Timothy, which really and rightfully brings church growth. VIII. revivekids Revive Indiana is the first region to experience revivekids. revivekids is a ministry of Time to Revive that allows the entire family unit to experience worship, prayer, and hitting the streets during a revivecity week. While parents are able to attend the evening worship service during revive weeks, their children can experience worship and learn God s word among their peers in a FUN and safe environment. More importantly, the heartbeat of revivekids is to share the truth of God's love and His purpose for each child. revivekids ministers to children ages Birth - 5th Grade through music, a bible lesson, memory verse activity, games and a craft (preschool only). Volunteers are essential to this component of the ministry. revivekids functions well when churches help provide leaders and volunteers for each classroom. For more information, contact Michelle Davidson at mdavidson@timetorevive.com. IX. AFTER REVIVE INDIANA At the end of the Revive week, there will be information given for a formation of a local group to continue the work that was started in the Revive Prayer Week. The roles for training, discipleship, communication and several other key areas will be spelled out so that a cross section of those involved could be used to facilitate further meeting and outreach. This model has been used in previous cities and can be modified at the local level, but it will certainly provide footing for the next steps. Before Time to Revive leaves your city, the following leaders need to be established. 9

11 Local Leadership Team: 1. Evangelism & Training Leader: A coordinator to lead outreach and help put training teams together to teach new churches or groups who want to learn and be a part of outreach. 2. Discipleship Leader: Coordination and training of disciple makers. TTR Contact: Ali Isabell, aisabell@timetorevive.com 3. Prayer Leader: Coordinate with local prayer groups and for the effort there. It is intended to be tied into the national effort with Time to Revive. TTR Contact: Mike Swecker, mswecker@timetorevive.com 4. Church Relations Leader: Continue to expand the base by approaching other churches not involved, seeking to expand the effort of those involved. Work with and minister to Pastors and other church leaders. TTR Contact: Kevin Mcilravy, kmcilravy@timetorevive.com 5. Administration Leader: Maintain the mechanics of the organization and what is required for each outreach or other event. 6. Communications Leader: Communicate outreach times, dates, info as necessary among the group. Assist with social media and seek local PR opportunities to spread the word. 7. Worship Leader: Facilitate worship during prayer meetings and other gatherings. Incorporate musicians from other local churches to promote unity in Christ. 8. revivekids Leader: Will oversee ministry to kids with local volunteers during evening gatherings as requested by the overall leadership team. Assist in approving volunteers to lead teams of kids/teens on the streets. 9. reviveyouth Leader: More information to come 10. Chairman: To oversee the whole ministry team as described below, coordinate with Time to Revive as the main contact for your revivecity/region. Supplies & Resources The Time to Revive Bibles and wristbands can be ordered on or by churches who will either continue in their own outreach, or may provide them for the corporate Revive gatherings once Time to Revive leaves.this can all be decided locally. Each locality will have its own special needs and features. The leadership team should meet together and strategize best practice and most effective ways to approach future needs. 10

12 FAQ I. WHY SHOULD WE GET INVOLVED? Three big reasons that SHOUT for you to be a part of Revive Indiana: 1. Unity: Every place Revive goes, there is a uniting of the pastors, churches, worship leaders, service groups and even community leaders (John 17:23). 2. Growth: As people are encouraged to share their faith, they enter a new dimension of faith that fuels their desire to tell others! They see the power of God working in and among them and they can t get enough. Your congregation should grow as a result of God s people doing the Great Commission. 3. Souls: It s time the Church goes outside the walls! We have been complacent and even uncaring towards the lost; God is not satisfied with the ninety-nine, He rejoices over the one that is found! II. WHAT S THE COST? Time to Revive asks for no financial offerings or money for participation. Time to Revive sincerely believes that people who respond to the work of God during this time will be compelled to give and meet the needs of the staff and those they minister to. There will be boots (yes, rubber rain boots) put on the registration table or on meal serving lines; this is the extent of donations taken in. Often times, during a Revive week, there will be sales of t-shirts to commemorate and bring excitement to the community of what God is doing. III. WHAT ABOUT OUR DIFFERENCES? Like Paul, Time to Revive & Revive Indiana focuses only on the fact that accept Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected and hold to John 1. Questions and issues about doctrine are to be expected, but the unity of the Spirit will quell all those doubts and disputes. Trust the Lord to be the best advocate for what He wants to be accomplished. 11

13 REVIVE INDIANA RESOURCES I. NEWS & MEDIA LINKS 1. One Cry: Revive Indiana Interview with Kyle Lance Martin 2. Elkhart Truth: Revive Indiana Brings Northern Indiana Churches Together 3. Kokomo Tribune: Revive Indiana Draws Hundreds to Kokomo 4. American Family Association: What I Learned at Revive Indiana 5. Goshen News: Local Youth Take Part in Christian Unity Event / Thousands Gather for Revive Indiana Finale 6. American Family Radio Journal: Interview with Time to Revive / Revive Indiana II. REVIVE INDIANA HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS Here are five videos that document a day in the life of Revive Indiana. You will see firsthand, how the Gospel of Jesus is impacting lives in Indiana and how the Church is coming together. To download these videos directly to your computer, click the link below. A zipped file will automatically download you will need to unzip it in order to see each individual video file. Revive Indiana Video Files To watch each video via YouTube, click the linked titles below: Day 99: Hitch Hiker Day 100: Nervous Day 101: Washed Day 102: Awaken Day 103: Open Door III. TIME TO REVIVE ONLINE TRAINING Often times, sharing the Gospel is a daunting task for people. In order to help you, and your congregation prepare for Revive Indiana, Time to Revive recommends taking their online training course. There are five videos, with handouts for you to follow-along with. There is also a short quiz at the end. This will help you better understand the message and style that Time to Revive has when approaching people for Jesus. Click the link below to get to the training: TIME TO REVIVE ONLINE TRAINING 12

14 DISCIPLESHIP EXPLAINED Discipleship Model Based on 2 Timothy 2:2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Who should I disciple? Women should disciple women and men should disciple men. It helps if the person you are discipling is near the same age or a little younger than you are. Get plugged in to an appropriate Bible Study group. Bible study locations, times and contact information for the Timothy Bible Study leaders can be found on reviveindiana.org. Please contact a Timothy to let them know you will be joining their group. Or find a small group at your church and begin taking the person you are discipling to that group. The person I chose to disciple won t call me back or has already been contacted by someone else. What should I do? Sometimes a person that was encountered by an evangelism team isn t ready to be discipled or has already been contacted. Keep praying for that person and for God to open a door to disciple them at a later time. In either case, you can try choosing another person to disciple who might be ready to begin immediately. Be patient as you work to develop trust and a relationship with the person you choose. What if the person I m discipling has difficult questions or circumstances? Discipleship is messy. It s okay if you don t have all the answers. The Timothy leading your group can help you, and so can your pastor. Remember that growing in Christ is a process. It takes time. Be patient, pray continually, and be encouraged by your Timothy Bible Study leader. What curriculum will we use? The Timothy will teach through the Project 52 guide provided by Time to Revive and will give you and your disciple a book at your first Bible Study meeting. In the guide, you ll find the Replicate pages, which expound on the orange tab in the back of the blue Bibles, explaining what it means to be New In Christ, to Grow in Christ and how to Share Christ. Following the Replicate pages are 52 Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments. Your Bible Study leader or Timothy will read the Scripture, go over the short devotion, then you and the person you are discipling will answer and discuss the questions together. Many local churches also have small groups that meet weekly. If you know of one or are already involved in one, bring the person you are discipling to that group. Curriculum will vary from group to group, the important thing is that you are available to walk through life with someone growing in the faith. Thank you for your desire to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). 13