VOICE AN INDEPENDENT CHURCH JOURNAL NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2013

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1 VOICE AN INDEPENDENT CHURCH JOURNAL NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2013

2 VOICE AN INDEPENDENT CHURCH JOURNAL NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2013 Editor... Dr. Les Lofquist Design... Jim Connelly Studio Volume 92 Number 6 Direct all correspondence to Voice Magazine P.O. Box 810, Grandville, MI / , FAX: 616/ Voice, an Independent Church Journal (PSPS ) is published bi-monthly by IFCA International. Subscription Rates: $ year; $ years; $ years. Bundles of multiple copies to one address $9.00 per copy per year. Any local church may subscribe for 100% of the families represented in its active membership at $10.50 per copy per year (domestic). Foreign subscriptions are $37.00 per year. Please make your payment in US currency or a check drawn on a U.S. bank. Address Change: Send your new address with the old at least 30 days before the date of issue with which it is to take effect. If possible, enclose the address label. The Post Office will not forward copies unless you provide extra postage. Postmaster: Send address changes to Voice, an Independent Church Journal, P.O. Box 810, Grandville, MI Second class postage paid at Grandville, MI , and at additional mailing offices. Copyright: All material in Voice belongs to IFCA International. Duplication is prohibited prior to approval. Contact the Editorial Office at for permission. Articles and advertisements in Voice are the express position of the author and advertiser; publication of either does not constitute official endorsement IFCA International Contents FEATURE ARTICLES IN EVERY ISSUE Partnerships, Ministry Teams & Collaboration Les Lofquist Partnerships & Personal Differences Earl Brubaker Lessons of a Young Pastor Chris Lofquist The Exchange Zone Chip Birch Keeping the Horror Where it Belongs David Laborde Building Up the Body Gary Gilley How Worn Is Your Path? Tom Zobrist The Exchange Zone Chip Birch Discipling Children New Members Vision World Death of His Saints Fellowship News 2013 STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP The VOICE Magazine is solely owned and published by IFCA International, Inc. The publication and editorial office are located at 3520 Fairlanes Avenue S.W., PO Box 810, Grandville, MI The Editor is Dr. Leslie C. Lofquist. There are no bond holders, mortgages or other security holders. The average circulation for each of the six issues preceding the November/December 2013 is: total copies printed 9,200; total paid circulation 4,318; free distribution 4,566; office use 316.

3 Partnerships, Ministry Teams & Collaboration Les Lofquist EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I believe that the accomplishment of ministry is never achieved alone. Ministry is about partnerships, collaboration, cooperation, networking, interdependence, sharing and teamwork and working together. Paul wrote to Timothy that ministry involves training other people, who will in turn train others to train even more people (2 Timothy 2:2). In Ephesians 4:11-16 we read that the gifted leaders in the local church are to equip the believers in the local church, and the equipped believers are to do the work of ministry (v. 12); accomplishing this work leads to the building up the body of Christ (v. 16). The word translated as equip in Ephesians 4:12 means to make someone completely adequate or capable for carrying out a task. God has called the church s spiritual leaders to lead and equip the people of the church but He never called them to do the work of the church. The work of ministry belongs to the church and every member is called to be an active part of the ministry of the church. Of course, this process by necessity must happen in a series of relationships. Another proof that ministry is never achieved in isolation is the New Testament word for fellowship: koinōnia. By its very definition, koinōnia involves commonality, community, togetherness. In the New Testament, local churches demonstrated some level of cooperation and mutual help in the fulfillment of God s purposes. One example would be the churches of Macedonia and Achaia who gathered offerings for the saints in Jerusalem. Another example would be in Philippians 1:5, where the Apostle Paul mentioned the participation (koinōnia) of those believers in the gospel and in Philippians 4:15, he mentioned the fact that they supported him while he was ministering in Thessalonica. Paul, a missionary sent out by the church at Antioch, was being supported by the church in Philippi as he planted the church in Thessalonica. These examples are two among many in the New Testament which point to the biblical precedent and historical pattern of cooperative effort. The New Testament is clear about the primacy of the local church, but this principle does not rule out cooperative effort. In fact, the above examples demonstrate voluntary participation by the churches in Antioch and Philippi in the ministry to Thessalonica. We should not, in our desire to maintain independence, forget the biblical precedent and historical pattern of cooperative effort that has been a great practical help to the spread of the gospel, the planting of churches and encouragement in the ministry. No church exists in isolation, as if it were an island. We should not, in our desire to maintain independence, forget the biblical precedent and historical pattern of cooperative effort that has been a great practical help to the spread of the gospel, the planting of churches and encouragement in the ministry. Paul s Key Team Members All of us admire solo achievement, but the truth is that no one alone can achieve anything of eternal value as a solitary individual. A study of the Apostle Paul and the people who worked with him in the New Testament gives ample proof that Paul emphasized collaborative efforts. Barnabas was the one who introduced Saul (Paul) to the apostles (Acts 9:26-27) and later brought him from Tarsus to Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). Paul was first a teammate to Barnabas. Barnabas was sent by the Jerusalem church to teach and preach to the November December

4 new Greek-speaking Christians in Antioch (Acts11:19-26). And then the Christians of Antioch sent Barnabas and Paul back to Jerusalem to deliver some donations for famine relief (Acts 11:27-30). When Barnabas and Paul were sent out on another mission (Acts 13:1-14:28), Barnabas was the leader and Paul was the assistant (Acts 14:12). Barnabas and Paul both attended the Council of Jerusalem to discuss the issue of circumcision with other Christian leaders (Acts 15:1-35). But this team would divide and separate over how to handle John Mark. After Barnabas and Paul separated, Barnabas continued preaching with Mark in Cyprus (Acts 15:39). Paul s next team-mate after Barnabas became Silas. The same man named Silas in Acts is always called Silvanus in Paul s letters and in 1 Peter 5:12. Silvanus accompanied Paul and Timothy at the beginning of their missionary activity in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19; Acts 15:40--18:5). Paul s most important team-mate was Timothy. Paul variously called Timothy my beloved and faithful child in the Lord or son (1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2), our brother (1 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; Philemon 1), a servant of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:1), and our/my co-worker (1 Thessalonians 3:2; Romans 16:21). He became John Mark s replacement in Acts 16:1-5. It seems that perhaps Paul s secondmost important team-mate was Titus. Paul called Titus a son in Titus 1:4. He told the Corinthians that Titus was my brother (2 Corinthians 2:13) and my partner and co-worker for you (2 Corinthians 8:23). The word Paul used regarding Titus that is translated partner is koinōnos, also used by Paul regarding Philemon (Philemon 17). Other Co-Workers Paul used the term synergoi (literally co-workers ) mostly for his own missionary co-workers. Fifteen individuals were called synergoi by Paul LES LOFQUIST S ITINERARY including Prisca and Aquila (Romans 16:3), Urbanus (Romans 16:9), Timothy (Romans 16:21; 1 Thessalonians 3:2), Titus (2 Corinthians 8:23), Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25), Clement (Philippians 4:3), Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus (Colossians 4:10-11), Philemon (Philemon 1), Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke (Philemon 24). Interestingly, Paul also referred to himself and Apollos as co-workers (sunergoi) of God in 1 Corinthians 3:9 and 2 Corinthians 1:24. Paul used several other Greek terms containing the prefix meaning with to designate his co-laborers, including fellow soldier or literally soldier with for Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25) and Archippus (Philemon 2); fellow prisoner or literally prisoner with for Aristarchus (Colossians 4:10), Epaphras (Philemon 23), Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7); and fellow slave or literally slave with for Epaphras (Colossians 1:7) and Tychicus (Colossians 4:7). We also note that Paul called some people brothers, even though they were not his blood-relatives, in order to stress their close mutual connection. This included Quartus (Romans 16:23), Sosthenes (1 Corinthians 1:1), November IFCA Leadership Summit, Grandville, MI 5-8 IFCA International Board Meetings, Grandville, MI 17 a.m. Community of Faith Bible Church, South Gate, CA p.m. Carson Bible Church, Carson, CA 19 The Master s Seminary Chapel, Sun Valley, CA December SGA Chapel, Loves Park, IL January National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C. Also meet with IFCA Washington Liaison Matt Lloyd 21 Meet with leaders of Bible Training Centre for Pastors, Atlanta, GA Biblical Ministries Worldwide Board meetings, Lawrenceville, GA 31 Calvary Bible College Board meeting, Kansas City, MO Grace Bible Church Bible Conference speaker, Stilwell, KS 8 VOICE

5 Apollos (1 Corinthians 16:12), Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; Philemon 1), Titus (2 Corinthians 2:13), two anonymous companions of Titus (2 Corinthians 8:18, 22; 12:18); Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7), Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25), Onesimus (Colossians 4:9; Philemon 16), and Philemon (Philemon 7, 20). Paul also called Phoebe our sister (Romans 16:1) and greeted Apphia, the sister (Philemon 2). Whatever the case may be, Paul met for seven days with at least seven or eight other men and we can be sure they carefully considered their future ministry direction as a ministry team. I find it most interesting to observe Paul s ministry team when they conferred in Troas (Acts 20:4-6). There were seven other men listed, from five other provincial regions, who met with Paul for seven days. If the reference to we in Acts 20:5 includes Luke, then this ministry retreat involved eight other men plus Paul. Interesting that it occurred in Troas where Paul earlier received the Macedonian call (Acts 16:6-10). Did Paul return to Troas in Acts 20 for a second vision retreat? Whatever the case may be, Paul met for seven days with at least seven or eight other men and we can be sure they carefully considered their future ministry direction as a ministry team. Paul s Team in Alphabetical Order The passages above inspire us regarding the need for building ministry teams like Paul did. The list below amazes us when we compile all the coworkers of Paul that are mentioned in the New Testament. In alphabetical order, here they are: 1. Achaicus: accompanied Fortunatus to visit Paul (see Fortunatus below) 2. Agabus: a Christian prophet from Jerusalem who also visited the Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:28; where he predicted a severe famine) and Caesarea (21:10; while Paul and his companions were staying at the house of Philip the Evangelist). 3. Apphia: a woman addressed by Paul as our sister; probably a member of the household of Philemon (Philemon 2). 4. Apollos: an Alexandrian Jew who became a Christian missionary, described as eloquent and knowledgeable of Scripture; he preached and interacted with some of Paul s associates in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-26), in Corinth (Acts 18:27-28; 19:1; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4-6, 22; 4:6; 16:12), and possibly on Crete (Titus 3:13); Paul called him a brother (1 Corinthians 16:12) and referred to himself, Apollos, and Cephas/Peter collectively as servants of Christ and stewards of God s mysteries (1 Corinthians 4:1). 5. Aquila & Prisca (Priscilla): a married couple, Jewish Christians, natives of Pontus, who were expelled from Rome in A.D. 49 due to the Edict of Claudius (Acts 18:1-3); close co-workers of Paul s early mission in Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:19), then leaders of the church in Ephesus (Acts 18:18, 24-28; 2 Timothy 4:19), and later evidently back in Rome, where they were leaders of a housechurch (Romans 16:3-5). 6. Archippus: a fellow soldier of Paul, somehow connected with Philemon (Philemon 1:2). 7. Aristarchus: a Christian from Thessalonica in Macedonia; a traveling companion (Acts 19:29, 20:4, 27:2) and fellow prisoner (Colossians 4:10) and fellow worker (Philemon 24) of Paul. 8. Artemas: Paul s messenger to Titus (Titus 3:12). 9. Barnabas: an early apostle and senior partner of Paul, leading Paul s first ministry team. 10. Barsabbas: see Joseph and Judas 11. Carpus: Paul left books and parchments with him at Troas, and asked Timothy to retrieve them (2 Timothy 4:13). 12. Cephas: an alternate name for the apostle Peter, with whom Paul occasionally interacted (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Galatians 1:18-2:14); just like Petros in Greek, Cephas in Hebrew is simply a nickname. 13. Claudia: see Eubulus 14. Chloe s people: Christians who brought Paul news about divisions in the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:11). 15. Clement: a co-worker of Euodia, Syntyche, and others, of whom Paul says their names are in the book of life (Philippians 4:3). 16. Crescens: Paul merely reports that he has gone to Galatia (2 Timothy 4:10). 17. Crispus: a synagogue official in Corinth (Acts 18:8); one of the very few people that Paul personally baptized (1 Corinthians 1:14). 18. Damaris: a woman who was one of Paul s few converts in Athens (Acts 17:33). 19. Demas: sent greetings to the Colossians (Colossians 4:14) and to Philemon (Philemon 24); later deserted Paul and went to Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:9-10). 20. Dionysius the Areopagite: a man who was one of Paul s few converts in Athens (Acts 17:34). 21. Epaphras: a native of Colosse and Paul s beloved fellow servant, who probably founded the Christian community in his hometown (Colossians 1:7); Paul later conveyed Epaphras greetings back to the Colossians, calling him a servant of Christ Jesus who prayed on their behalf (Colossians 4:12); also Paul s fellow prisoner, probably while in Ephesus (Philemon 23). November December

6 22. Epaphroditus: delivered gifts from the Philippian Christians to Paul, while he was imprisoned (probably in Ephesus); Epaphroditus became ill, but later recovered (Philippians 2:25-30; 4:15-18). 23. Erastus: the city treasurer of Corinth (Romans 16:23; 2 Timothy 4:20), whom Paul later sent to Macedonia (Acts 19:22). 24. Eubulus: Paul conveyed greetings to Timothy from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia (2 Timothy 4:21). 25. Eunice: the mother of Timothy who was also a Christian (2 Timothy 1:5). 26. Euodia and Syntyche: two women whom Paul urged to be of the same mind in the Lord, and of whom Paul said, they have struggled beside me [Paul] in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life (Philippians 4:2-3). 27. Fortunatus and Achaicus: Christians from Corinth who visited Paul in Ephesus; Paul commended them (along with Stephanas) to the community, saying they have refreshed my spirit (1 Corinthians 16:17-18). 28. Gaius: a Christian from Macedonia who became a traveling companion of Paul, was with him in Ephesus (Acts 19:29; 20:4), hosted Paul and the church in Corinth (Romans 16:23), and was one of the few people that Paul personally baptized (1 Corinthians 1:14); probably not the same Gaius who was a leader of a Johannine church plant (3 John 1). 29. Hermogenes: Christian associated with Phygelus from Asia Minor who later abandoned Paul (2 Timothy 1:15). 30. James: not the son of Zebedee (killed by Herod Agrippa in Acts 12:2), but a brother of Jesus (Mark 6:3), who later became a prominent leader of the Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 10 VOICE 21:18; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19; 2:9; cf. James 1:1); Paul called him an apostle (Galatians 1:19), although there were some tensions between Paul and some people from James who insisted that non-jewish Christians must be circumcised (Galatians 2:12). 31. Jason: a Jewish Christian who housed Paul and Silas in Thessalonica, and was arrested because of his association with them (Acts 17:5-9); possibly, but probably not the same as the Jason mentioned in Romans 16:21 (see Lucius below). 32. Judas also called Barsabbas: not Judas Iscariot, nor the same as Joseph Barsabbas (below); an early disciple sent as a representative of the community in Jerusalem to the Christians in Antioch after the Council of Jerusalem; he and Silas were leaders among the brothers (Acts 15:22) and messengers (15:27) and prophets (15:32). 33. Justus also called Jesus: one of only a few Jews ( ones of the circumcision ) among Paul s co-workers; Paul conveys greetings from Justus to the Colossians; a comfort to him (Colossians 4:11). 34. Linus: Paul conveyed greetings to Timothy from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia (2 Timothy 4:21). 35. Lois: the grandmother of Timothy who was also a Christian (2 Timothy 1:5; Eunice). 36. Lucius: Paul conveyed to the Romans the greetings of Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives (Romans 16:21); he is probably a different person from the following two. 37. Lucius of Cyrene: one of the prophets and teachers of the church in Antioch, named along with Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Manaean (a Herodian), and Saul (Acts 13:1). 38. Luke: described as the beloved physician; sent greetings to the Colossians (Colossians 4:14) and Philemon (Philemon 24); with Paul again later according to 2 Timothy 4: Lydia: a female merchant ( seller of purple cloth ) from Thyatira; a worshiper of God (Jewish proselyte?) who was Paul s first convert in Philippi (Acts 16:11-15); Paul briefly stayed in her house after being released from prison (Acts 16:40). 40. Manaen: see Lucius of Cyrene 41. Mark / John Mark: a young Christian from Jerusalem at whose mother s house Peter stays (Acts 12:12); an early missionary associate of Paul and Barnabas (12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37-39); called the cousin (nephew?) of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10); involved in preaching to the Christians in Colosse (Philemon 24); Paul later called him useful in my ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). 42. Mnason: a Christian from Cyprus, who gave Paul and companions hospitality on their journey to Jerusalem (Acts 21:16). 43. Nympha: a Christian who hosted the community of believers in Colosse; Paul greeted her and the church in her house (Colossians 4:15). 44. Onesimus: a slave belonging to Philemon, but converted to Christianity through Paul s ministry (who calls him son in Philemon 10); Paul asked Philemon to free Onesimus, so that he can become a useful brother (i.e. a missionary; Philemon 11-15); he later evidently did become a Christian leader (Colossians 4:9). 45. Onesiphorus: a faithful benefactor; Paul sent greetings to his household in Ephesus (2 Timothy 1:16; 4:19). 46. Philemon: a Colossian convert and co-worker of Paul; Paul pleaded for him to release his slave Onesimus (Philemon 1). 47. Phoebe: deaconness of the church at Cenchreae (a port of Corinth)

7 and benefactor of Paul, whom Paul recommends and who probably delivered Paul s letter to the Romans church (Romans 16:1-2). 48. Phygelus and Hermogenes: Christians in Asia Minor who later abandoned Paul (2 Timothy 1:15). 49. Pudens: see Eubulus 50. Prisca: see Aquila 51. Quartus: Paul called him our brother, and conveyed his greetings to the Christians in Rome (Romans 16:23). 52. Secundus: a Christian from Thessalonica who accompanied Paul on his final journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). 53. Silvanus (Silas): a Christian leader from Jerusalem who became Paul s key team-mate after Barnabas separated from Paul; he worked with Paul and Timothy during their initial preaching in Macedonia and Achaia. 54. Simeon Niger: see Lucius of Cyrene 55. Sopater, son of Pyrrhus: a Christian from Berea who accompanied Paul on his final journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). 56. Sosipater: see Lucius 57. Sosthenes: an official of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth who became a Christian; Paul called him a brother (1 Corinthians 1:1; Acts 18:17). 58. Stephanas: a Christian from Corinth; Paul s first convert in Achaia (1 Corinthians 1:16, 16:15-18). 59. Syntyche: see Euodia 60. Tertius: Paul s secretary, who sent his own greetings to the Christians in Rome (Romans 16:22). 61. Timothy: Paul s closest missionary companion. 62. Titius Justus: a worshiper of God (Jewish proselyte) in whose house Paul stayed and preached in Corinth (Acts 18:7). 63. Titus: a missionary who worked very closely with Paul. 64. Trophimus: a Christian from Ephesus in Asia who traveled with Paul for a while (Acts 20:4; 21:29); Paul left him ill in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20). 65. Tychicus: another traveling companion of Paul from Asia (Acts 20:4); Paul s messenger to the Ephesians, Colossians and Titus, delivering news and encouragement (Ephesians 6:21-22; Colossians 4:7-9; 2 Timothy 4:12; Titus 3:12). 66. Zenas: a lawyer whom Paul told Titus to send along with Apollos, seeing that they lack nothing (Titus 3:13). The following people are only mentioned in the list of people to whom Paul sends greetings in Romans 16: Ampliatus: Paul greets him as my beloved in the Lord (Romans 16:8) 68. Andronicus and Junia: a husband/ wife team, or possibly a brother/sister pair of missionaries, whom Paul calls my relatives and prominent among the apostles; they were in prison with him at some point, and were Christians even before Paul was (Romans 16:7). 69. Apelles: Paul greets him as approved in Christ (Romans 16:10) 70. Aristobulus: Paul greets the members of his family (Romans 16:10) 71. Asyncritus: Paul greets Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them; but we know nothing else about any of these early Christians (Romans 16:14) 72. Epaenetus: Paul greets him as my beloved and the first fruits (i.e. first convert) in Asia (Romans 16:5) 73. Hermas: see Asyncritus 74. Hermes: see Asyncritus 75. Herodion: Paul greets him as my relative (Romans 16:11) 76. Julia: see Philologus 77. Junia: see Andronicus 78. Mary: Paul greets her, telling the Christians in Rome she has worked very hard among you (Romans 16:6) 79. Narcissus: Paul greets the members of his family who are in the Lord (Romans 16:11) 80. Nereus and his sister: see Philologus 81. Olympas: see Philologus 82. Patrobas: see Asyncritus 83. Persis: Paul greets him as the beloved, saying he has worked hard in the Lord (Romans 16:12) 84. Philologus: Paul greets Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them; they are probably members of a house-church in Rome, but we know nothing else about them (Romans 16:15) 85. Phlegon: see Asyncritus 86. Rufus and his mother: Paul greets them, calling Rufus chosen in the Lord, and describing his mother as a mother to me also (Romans 16:13) 87. Stachys: Paul greets him as my beloved (Romans 16:9) 88. Tryphaena: Paul greets them as workers in the Lord (Romans 16:12) 89. Tryphosa: Paul greets them as workers in the Lord (Romans 16:12) 90. Urbanus: Paul greets him as a coworker in Christ (Romans 16:9) November December

8 That is an amazing list of co-workers and team-mates! I m wondering if I even found all of them listed in the New Testament. And no doubt there were many, many more people who were members of Paul s extended ministry team who aren t even listed in the New Testament. That s a staggering thought. Conclusion The accomplishment of ministry is never achieved alone. Ministry is all about collaboration, cooperation, networking, interdependence, sharing and team-work and working together. Ministry involves training other people, who will in turn train others to train even more people. When you investigate the New Testament co-workers of Paul you see just how important it is to be solidly connected in a cooperative effort as you serve the Lord. How would you rate the value you place on team-building and collaboration? No one alone can achieve anything of eternal value as a solitary individual. 12 VOICE

9 Partnerships & Personal Differences Earl Brubaker Earl Brubaker is a veteran church planting missionary in the NW United States. He was General Director of Northwest Independent Church Extension located in Tacoma, WA and was president of IFCA Board of Directors from Two men sat in a café and shared ministry concerns over a cup of coffee. Young, energetic, and visionary, they dreamed of the things they could accomplish for God. They were already busily involved in ministry, but they saw so many other needed things they would like to do. There just did not seem to be time to do it all. There is so much we could do, one of the men commented, If we could just get organized and make better use of our time. Energy, vision, and time management are essential for effective ministry. These two men might have become moderately more effective by better time management. Sharing their vision and zeal with ministry partners could, however, have made them markedly more effective. Ministry partnerships are an exceptionally effective way of increasing both the effectiveness and scope of one s ministry. Partnerships not only afford faithful prayer partners and encouragers, but also enable pursuit of vision that is beyond one s personal gifting and abilities. Additionally, partnerships help one maintain ministry focus through difficult circumstances that might otherwise result in overt ministry failure or even abandonment one s God given calling. Ministry partnership is more than merely seeking the approval or endorsement of a church or influential person. It is more than finding financial investors to fund one s vision and ministry. Rather than lending endorsement or making a financial investment, ministry partnership is two or more people or organizations planning and serving together toward common goals with mutual accountability. Planning, serving, and accountability shape partnership even when the partners are active in differing aspects of that ministry and in different locations. The appointment of seven godly men to take responsibility for service to widows (Acts 7) is an outstanding early New Testament example of partnership that increases effectiveness. The appointment of these seven men enabled the apostles to give themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). It also facilitated further ministry development of these seven men as evidenced by the account of Stephen s ministry and martyrdom in Acts 6 and 7. Partnerships not only afford faithful prayer partners and encouragers, but also enable pursuit of vision that is beyond one s personal gifting and abilities. Interpersonal Challenges Accompany Partnerships The Apostle Paul, who was arguably the greatest formative force for God in growing the Church to world-wide influence, highly valued ministry partnerships. Such partnerships are a natural result of equipping others for the work of ministry, a concept which Paul specifically taught in Ephesians 4:12 and practiced when he added young Timothy to his ministry team in Acts 16. In spite of their many advantages, however, ministry partnerships are frequently accompanied by great interpersonal challenges. It should not come as a surprise, given the sinfulness of the human heart and the world-wide racial and cultural diversity of the Church, that when we involve many people in ministry there will often be conflicts among those people. Though such conflicts may well begin during the mentoring for ministry process, they intensify when a trainee develops to the point of ministry partnership or even leadership. Could this be one reason that Great Commission Partnerships are relatively rare? Could it be that we faithfully develop and practice our individual ministry skills, thanking God for not to say being proud of what we have been able to accomplish, because by working solo we avoid the need to address such personnel challenges? Could this also be one reason November December

10 our churches sometimes avoid legitimate ministry partnership opportunities with other churches? Potential Outweighs the Hazard Though ministry partnerships increase the possibility for interpersonal conflicts, that hazard is far outweighed by the greater potential for increased gospel outreach. Interpersonal conflicts carefully, scripturally, and graciously resolved enable ministry partners to serve even more effectively, increasing both the quality and scope of their ministry. A review of Paul s ministry indicates that his ministry was nearly always a partnership and that personnel issues frequently accompanied that partnership. An interesting series of events shapes Saul the persecutor of the fledgling church (Acts 7:58) to Paul who was acknowledged as the leader of New Testament church planting at the onset of his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40). That series of events included his tense disagreement with Barnabas which resulted in his appointment as team leader. Interpersonal tensions continued even after Paul became the leader of the team, receiving mention in 2 Timothy, his last known letter. Paul s Ministry: Always with Partners Even before his conversion Paul s was not a solo act. He was an apparent leader among the group that stoned Stephen (Acts 7:58; 8:1). When he set out for Damascus, he went with letters of authorization from the high priest in Jerusalem to the synagogues in Damascus to imprison believers and bring them back to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1, 2). An undetermined number of men journeyed with him from Jerusalem to Damascus (Acts 9:7). Their intended task was probably to help transport prisoners, but their presence nonetheless underscores the partnerships Paul always utilized, even before his conversion. After Paul s conversion, his preaching immediately incurred the wrath of his erstwhile allies, the Jewish leaders. This conflict with non-believers was to be expected. Later Paul would write to Timothy that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). As a 14 VOICE result, his personal safety became the focus of the first very limited partnerships in his ministry as a disciple. In Damascus (Acts 9:23-25) and a bit later in Jerusalem (Acts 9:29, 30) the disciples helped him escape threats upon his life. The interpersonal tension of ministry partnership first became evident when the disciples in Jerusalem avoided him, considering his conversion a fake, until the highly respected Barnabas intervened on his behalf (Acts 9:26-28). Dealing with this tension carefully and scripturally resulted in effective ministry partnership as Paul was accepted by the disciples in Jerusalem. Paul seems to have established a very unique relationship with this church, and his appreciation for their partnership is evident in the letter he sent them during his imprisonment. Paul again appears in ministry partnership when he was recruited by Barnabas to join the team in Antioch (Acts 11:25, 26). The partnership continued when the church at Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Paul for what has become known as Paul s first missionary journey (Acts 13:2, 3). The ministry team included John Mark. Two interpersonal relationship matters are noted in the account of God s working during this first missionary trek: John Mark abandoned the team and Paul became the spokesman of the team. While no details are given, these are just the kind of situations that frequently cause great tensions among ministry partners. Paul & Barnabas: Interpersonal Tensions The tension that often accompanies partnership is perhaps most evident in Acts 15:36-41 when Paul suggested to Barnabas that they initiate a second missionary tour. Barnabas was determined to take John Mark with them. Because John Mark abandoned the group during the first trek (Acts 12:25; 13:13), Paul contended that he should not be part of this second trek. So great was the contention that they parted company; Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and, commended by the brethren, returned to strengthen the churches established on the first trip. Scripture relates only the cause, intensity, and result of this conflict. Imagination might fill in the gaps of how this was handled, but for this review two things are most evident. First, neither Paul nor Barnabas went solo from this point. Both continued in ministry partnerships. Second, though Barnabas disappears from the pages of Scripture at this point, his ministry does not because John Mark whom he chose as his partner developed into a faithful servant of God. Near the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy, Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). What a great testimony of the value of partnerships as well as the long-term positive reward of working through the conflicts they can cause. The first church planted on this second missionary journey was at Philippi. Paul seems to have established a very unique relationship with this church, and his appreciation for their partnership is evident in the letter he sent them during his imprisonment. In that letter he mentions their fellowship in the gospel (Philippians 1:5, 7), his confidence of their continued spiritual prosperity (1:6, 11), and his appreciation for their financial sacrifices for the furtherance of the gospel. He writes to them as well about his appreciation for both Timothy and Epaphroditus (2:19-30). In this context he also makes two references to interpersonal conflicts. One is positive, one negative. Not All Similar Ministries Are Partners Paul discovered that his imprisonment encouraged most of the brethren to preach the gospel more boldly (Philippians 1:14). He makes an interesting statement about these brethren. Some he counts as partners in the gospel because their increased boldness was the result of their love for him and their respect for his commitment to the defense of the gospel (Philippians 1:17). Others he describes very differently.

11 These, he says, Preach Christ of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains. (Philippians 1:16). In both cases Christ is preached and because of this Paul says he will rejoice in both. Notice that the Apostle s greatest concern was that the Gospel was preached and not that some love him and others did not. In this same chapter he declares, For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). This is important in our present consideration because it illustrates that not all who engage in similar, doctrinally compatible ministries are ministry partners. The second reference to interpersonal conflict in the context of ministry partnership is an almost passing personal note in Philippians 4:2, 3. Paul pleads for Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. His plea is based upon his concern for these women arising from their labor with him in the gospel. In the same context he mentions Clement and others whom he refers to as the rest of my fellow workers. Though brief, this account presents one of the often overlooked responsibilities and benefits of ministry partnerships. The relationships formed through ministry partnerships uniquely prepare the participants to minister to one another, in the manner urged in Hebrews 10:24: And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Such exhortation is productive among those who labor together in the gospel. It is not productive when it comes from an uninvolved person watching with a critical eye. Paul addressed both the value and the difficulty of ministry partnerships in his last letter in which he passes the torch of ministry to Timothy. Early in the letter he urges Timothy to make training of ministry partners a priority: And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Near the end of the letter he turns to the matter of interpersonal conflict in partnership when he writes, Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica Crescens for Galatia. Titus for Dalmatia (4:9). He rejoiced in Luke s presence (4:10), and indicates that he has sent yet another partner, Tychicus, to Ephesus (4:12). This letter to Timothy then closes with one more indication of the importance of ministry partners. In 2 Timothy 4:19-21 nine additional ministry partners are cited even as Paul urges Timothy to bring Mark with him (4:11) and come before winter (4:21). Concluding Principles Several important conclusions can be drawn from this quick review of how people interact in partnerships: Interpersonal issues will always be present in partnership ministries. Partnerships provide unique opportunities of ministry to one another while pursuing the ministry of the gospel. The perils of partnerships are far outweighed by its potential for more effective ministry. Ministry partnerships are valuable that they should be created and pursued it in spite of their difficulties. Partnerships are best facilitated through mentoring others for ministry who eventually become partners in ministry. Ministry partnerships must be built upon common vision, and goals. Partnerships may need to be dissolved because vision and goals have changed. Though partnerships enhance ministry, solo ministries are sometimes necessary and are used of God. Ministry partnerships are an exceptionally effective way of increasing both the effectiveness and scope of one s ministry. Partnerships not only afford faithful prayer partners and encouragers, but also enable pursuit of vision that is beyond one s personal gifting and abilities. Partnerships help us maintain ministry focus through difficult circumstances that might otherwise result in overt ministry failure or even abandonment one s God given calling. November December

12 Lessons of a Young Pastor 16 VOICE Chris Lofquist Chris Lofquist is pastor of New Hope Bible Church of Seven Valleys, PA just outside of York. He is a member of IFCA International. I have the humbling opportunity to serve our Lord as a local church pastor in York, Pennsylvania. The church the Lord has brought into my life is currently a growing, family-friendly country church, positioned between historic towns and thriving farmland. But God s work in my life to bring me where I am today started many years ago. I was raised in a pastor s home, and was able to watch and observe my father as God used him to lead a local church. I saw him have good days and bad days, and learned from him many things which I incorporate into my own ministry. However, when I realized the call of God in my life to become a local church pastor as well, I thought I knew it all. After all what else is there to learn that I have not already observed growing up in a pastor s house? Naively I thought to myself, this is going to be easy it s all I ve ever known. I was wrong and the Lord taught me early, and often, lessons to mature me in my ministry. As I grew in the real world of ministry I have learned life lessons along the way. I have encountered happy surprises and blessings, and have persevered through the challenges that come with the job. I would like to share some of those with you. Happy Surprises A Deeper Passion for the Word of God Studying in order to prepare for a sermon, to teach a Sunday school class or small group Bible study have required me to dig deeper into the Word of God than I ever have before. One of the benefits of being forced to appropriately study the Word of God each day and each week is the biblical truth that I am being challenged with daily. Paul writes to Timothy and says, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). I have learned that diligence in study leads to an accurate handling of the Word of God. And that is a growing passion of mine. A Wonderful Helpmate God in His sovereignty has brought into my life a wonderful woman and life long ministry partner. I met Emily Rummel my sophomore year at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. As the Lord led our lives together in love and grace He also prepared her for ministry. She never dreamed of marrying a pastor or of ministering alongside one in a local church, but God showed her that all she had to do was be faithful in service while being herself. She was nervous because she did not play the organ or speak at women s conferences. She had never taught a women s Bible study or directed a choir during a Christmas cantata. But that was not what God had in mind for her (at least at this point). Emily has been by my side giving appropriate counsel, loving encouragement, and a cheerful response in almost every situation. That is what God knew I needed in a life long ministry partner and wife. She has been a great helper in the ministry and I am very grateful for this blessing from God. I was raised in a pastor s home, and was able to watch and observe my father as God used him to lead a local church. A Time of Growth in Wisdom At the age of 23 I was given the uniquely humbling opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for FIM (Fellowship International Mission). There I have had the ability to learn from and seek the counsel of many godly men, while seeing the Gospel of Jesus spread throughout the world in obedience to the Great Commission. I am also involved in my IFCA Regional. This has proven to be one of the greatest blessings in my young life of ministry. At these meetings I can talk to, ask questions of, and gain godly insight from being around more experi-

13 enced and wiser men. I am thankful for the IFCA, which stands on truth and purposes to enhance the strength of the Church by equipping for and encouraging toward ministry partnerships to accomplish Great Commission objectives. These resources of ministry partnerships have benefited me greatly. A Community of Believers As we look at the early church in the book of Romans we see that they were devoted to one another in brotherly love (Romans 12:9b). I was involved in church from birth and experienced a lot of things by attending Bible studies, Sunday school, prayer meetings, and worship services. But it was a wonderful blessing and surprise to see the Body of Christ at its best from a leadership perspective. Being a pastor can be a lonely calling at times, however I am constantly reminded that I am not alone as I minister, nor should I be. The community of believers among whom God has placed us has often been our strength when times are difficult. They comforted us when we were discouraged. They rejoiced with us and laughed with us at life s favorable moments. They battled with us when we needed some soldiers alongside of us in the trenches. They have made being their pastor an absolute joy and an unforeseen blessing. Challenges Working with Volunteers As much of a blessing as it is to serve amidst a community of believers, one of the challenges I have found in the ministry is leading that same army of volunteers. I learned quickly that the advantages of paying an employee are not mine. I cannot motivate a Sunday school teacher to be punctual by threatening to lower their pay. I cannot prompt an usher to make sure he does all of his responsibilities by rewarding him with a Christmas bonus. I work with volunteers who love the Lord, but are sometimes less than dependable. Opinionated and overly critical people can lead to discouragement and frustration as well. And I am often reminded by Scripture, If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. As a minister of grace and truth I must lead in love. The Apostle Paul continues to characterize this type of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as patient, kind, not proud, does not keep a record of wrongs, bears all things, and endures all things to name a few characteristics of this love. Although working with an army of volunteers can bring about frustration, I love them deeply, and am so grateful for their willingness to actively serve our Lord. The community of believers among whom God has placed us has often been our strength when times are difficult. Administrative Tests There is a real danger for pastors to become lazy. In a sense, there is no one to hold you accountable administratively. You have the freedom to choose your hours, to choose your location of work, and to cut corners administratively. However, when you are slack in administrative skills it is noticed, and others will follow your undisciplined way of life. If you do not resist the temptation of slothfulness, after a while your leadership will take your church down the path of becoming an undisciplined and undependable church. It is so important to live a disciplined life when you are leading others. Husband, Father, and Pastor A challenge that I never realized before was the balancing act required in being a fully committed pastor and an entirely devoted father and husband. I knew the three commitments in my life could and should be balanced, but learning how to do this has been critical in my life. Many men in ministry inadvertently neglect their family in order to help others, and have reaped the consequences of rebellious children and bitter wives. I will not allow this to happen, and so I have learned to make certain sacrifices in order that my wife feels loved, my children feel like dad is there for them, and my church feels ministered to. Leading in Humility or Reigning as Dictator When I was attending Word of Life Bible Institute for a one-year Bible degree I had the fantastic opportunity to be involved in a weekend local church ministry. This meant I was a part of a four-person team that would travel to a church within driving distance and serve the church in any way that would assist their ministry. One of the things I noticed right away was the leadership style of the pastor of that congregation. He was more of a dictator and what he said went. Every family event, every church opinion, and every social gathering had to be approved by him. Perhaps his leadership style, one of a dictator, was due to his aggressive pride. It can become easy for a pastor of a small church to reign as dictator instead of lead in humility. When we look to Christ as our Lord and Leader we see that His leadership style was one of service and selflessness. He had compassion for the lost and hurting. He washed the feet of His disciples and preached a message of humility. Jesus Christ, our model for leadership, led in humility considering the needs of others in service, and we are to do likewise. Holding the office of pastor carries with it a certain degree of respect and if allowed, that respect can be elevated to the point of sinfulness as your congregation wrongly follows you first and then Christ. It is easy to allow others respect and high regard for you to inflate your ego and pride. The lesson I am continually learning is that when you lead in humility you optimize the opportunity to allow God to receive the glory instead of yourself. Inexperience and Youthfulness Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:12). My inexperience and youthfulness was seen as a reason for many to be uncertain about following my leadership. Even if I said all the right words, and quoted the appropriate Scriptures at the appropriate time, I had not gained credibility. I was lacking experience. Then God allowed me to experience some of life s tribulation, pain and grief. As I walked through the trials of life, the eyes of my congregation were upon me. How my family and I responded to difficulty, November December

14 trusting in God s sovereignty, has earned the trust of my congregation. The way to overcome inexperience and youthfulness is to live in faithful obedience to God for all to see - especially when life is less than ideal. That is what Paul speaks of when he tells Timothy to set an example for those who believe. God has taught me many lessons as a young pastor and I am excited and humbled at what God will continue to teach me in the future. It is a humbling and wonderful opportunity to serve our Lord as a local church pastor. 18 VOICE

15 The Exchange Zone Chip Birch Chip Birch is Senior Pastor of Southwest Community Church in Miami, Florida. He has also served several terms on the IFCA International Board of Directors. One message to take from baton blunders: U.S. track has hit rock bottom 1 It was Thursday, August 21, 2008, in Beijing at the XXIX Olympiad. It was the worst performance by the USA track program in memory! ESPN commentator Pat Forde wrote, Twice in an inept thirty minute span, the Americans fumbled the baton in preliminary races and eliminated themselves from the 400 relays they historically have owned. In a meet that has revealed the precipitous decline of U.S. track and field, the twin tink-tinks of aluminum hitting track heralded the arrival of rock bottom. 2 It would be hard for Olympians to pass through the public gauntlet unscathed by average performances, but to embarrass your country and yourself by neglect to basic details was unforgivable in the final analysis! At least that is what the world s sportscasters concluded. Isn t it interesting how critical we can be when our team lets us down with a dropped pass, or a strike out with two outs in the ninth, or a field goal that is wide right at the end of the game? How do our heavenly observers view our competition here in this life? How are we faring with our team goal to accomplish Great Commission objectives? Have we dropped our baton on the track? How will people look back at our race in the final analysis? Paul the Apostle reflected the games of his day when he wrote to the churches: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win (1 Corinthians 9:24). that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). These metaphors allude to a higher race and much higher final analysis. Often preachers liken it to the grueling 26.2 mile long marathon. But the emphasis is often on running your race, with an individual s success as motivation to persevere. However, is it really only about doing our thing to the end? Is it only about me? It is not just how well you run your leg; it is about successfully passing it on to your teammate. Yes, it is clear we all run in a race, but what kind of race? Is it a sprint, a distance, or a marathon? Or, is it more akin to the relay? The relay race is so much more than just being fast or having talent. It is about the team and the stick, a simple tube of aluminum, the baton carried by each member of the team and then across the finish line. It is not just how well you run your leg; it is about successfully passing it on to your teammate. On a typical 400 meter oval, exchange zones are 20 meters long. The baton handoff must take place within that zone. A violation within the zone immediately disqualifies the team. Fumble or drop the baton, your team is done, just like the infamous teams of Consider Three Key Words The team: When we are talking team we mean participants, not the audience. In a track relay there are four athletes per team, each running their leg. Our team is not restricted in number, but requires each team member to be in the race, running with all their heart. This analogy means we need to look at our churches differently. It is not how many are in the stadium watching us do our thing, but how many runners are on the track, striving to win their leg. God s Word highlights many relay runners for our example. John the Baptist ran a rugged leg in his time: And while John was completing his course How did John run his race? November December

16 He perished at the end of his exchange zone, but the baton was successfully passed on to many. Who ran the race with Paul? Men like Barnabus, Timothy, Silas, Titus, Luke, and Peter. Paul handed off the baton to these and countless other people and encouraged them to do the same. Serving Christ is done in His Body, it is corporate in nature, and it is about team, not me. The church does not belong to a pastor; he is a player-coach serving the Head Coach, to whom the team belongs. It is about running with stewardship. The baton: We do not carry an aluminum stick, but the faith! Because faith encompasses many meanings in the minds of the church, we need to clarify what we mean. There are at least three biblical aspects of faith and it is essential to understand their distinctions. The first aspect of faith is saving faith, the faith taught in the Gospel, the faith in Christ that saves a soul completely. The jailer asked What must I do to be saved and the answer was believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:30, 31). Saving faith is the faith that saves. Once it is enjoined, it lacks nothing and its effect is eternal. The second aspect of faith is called your faith. This begins with saving faith and matures until we arrive in heaven with the Father. It is subject to growth or decline, depending on how you add to it and run with it. Paul writes And we sent Timothy, our brother and God s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith (1 Thessalonians 3:2) Paul also wrote to the believers in Rome, Now accept the one who is weak in faith (Romans 14:1) and The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God (Romans 14:22). Clearly there are times of discouragement and weakness in believers as they run their course. Our faith depends on our walk at the moment and whether we are growing in the Word, which bolsters our faith. This is our faith, something powerful that motivates and guides our run in the race. The third aspect of faith is the faith. This could be called the whole counsel of God. It is our baton to carry and to hand off. It is the faith Jude wrote that we should earnestly contend for (Jude 20 VOICE 3). Regarding this verse, A.T. Robertson explains that this faith is objective not subjective: For the faith... Here not in the original sense of trust, but rather of the thing believed as in verse 20 3 It is this aspect of faith that Paul writes to the Philippians, you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). And again it is echoed in Ephesians, Until we all attain to the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13). This is the baton that we must grasp, carry, and then pass on! The exchange zone: It is a place and time. It is always today, this day. Our race is won or lost today. It is a moment of opportunity to pass our baton. We must pass the faith on to the next runner. But who could that be in our life? Easy answer: look to see who is running with you. Who has God put in your sphere of faith? Who is serving with you in the work of the ministry? Who is eager and responsive to the Word? It might be surprising how many are waiting for us to reach out to them. We may ask why are many faith batons being dropped to the track? No sense of urgency or purpose is the likely reason. We can easily become involved in the structures of church business while becoming deadened to church life. Don t we see a sense of urgency driving the early church leaders? How could Paul establish a church plant in weeks while we work at one for years, or maybe not at all? One may respond, But they were Apostles! Of course they were, but aren t we similarly called to follow their example and aren t we similarly empowered by the same Spirit? Where are you in your race? Have you intentionally planned to pass the faith baton, or are you going to throw it in the air, hoping someone will catch it and run to the next station? The biblical relay runner trusts his Coach and runs according to His welldesigned plan: And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Your Race Our Coach has laid it all out for us. He monitors our leg in our race, and places faithful runners with us in our lane. We are to look for them while we fix our eyes on the exchange zone. The hand off must take place we just have to hand it off without fouling. Why was Paul so careful to make foul-free passes? But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). Like Paul, we must also compete according to the rules, run our leg, and complete the hand off! The U.S. men s 2008 relay team failed. They were in a close race when Darvis Patton came around the turn and reached with the stick. Anchor Tyson Gay reached back, the baton hit his palm for at least an instant. Then the two men separated and - tink - there it was lying on the track. 4 They just stared at it. They lost focus of their task and lost their chance for gold! How are you doing in your race? Have you been focused or distracted? Have you lost sight of the goal or are you pressing on to those waiting for you? Remember, you are in the exchange zone- today! Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3). ENDNOTES 1. Pat Forde, One Message to Take from Baton Blunders (ESPN.com August 21, 2008) sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/columns/ story?columnist=forde_pat&id= Ibid. 3. Robertson, A.T.: Word Pictures in the New Testament. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1997, S. Jud 3 4. Forde, One Message to Take from Baton Blunders

17 DISCIPLING CHILDREN Raising Disciples: Your Strategy, Part 2 Mark Steiner Mark Steiner is Founder & President of DiscipleLand in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visit where IFCA members are entitled to discounts. Or call In the September/October issue of VOICE, I outlined six steps to get started in personal discipleship with children: purpose, people, period of time, place, plan, and program. In this issue, I will expand on that last step: the program. Step 6 - Program Jesus: Over the course of three years, Jesus taught His followers many essential topics: salvation, servanthood, relationships, prayer, God s Word, God s kingdom, worship, judgment, priorities, the cost of discipleship, future events, and so much more! You: Where do you get started with your disciple or small band of followers? Try these six starter topics. Truths - Three Foundations of Victorious Living 1. Message: Begin with the Gospel, the Greatest News ever proclaimed. Jesus died to forgive our sins and rose again to give us new life! The Gospel is the Good News that everyone needs to hear. Choose your favorite, age-appropriate method of presenting the Good News. Walk through the steps of salvation together, making sure that your students genuinely grasp each one. 2. Mission: Explain God s command to make disciples, the Greatest Commission ever given. Go make disciples of all people everywhere. Jesus poured His life into twelve disciples. Training the twelve was Christ s sole weapon to win the world. Study Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:6-11 together. 3. Motive: Emphasize God s love, the Greatest Commandment ever received. Love God with all your being. Love your neighbor as yourself. Selfless love motivated the Lord to abandon heaven s glory. Love kept Him on the Cross, paying for the sins of His beloved. Jesus really loved His disciples, and they knew it! Study Mark 12:28-34 and 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 together. Growth Goals - Three Dimensions of Growing Disciples 4. Knowledge: Encourage your disciple to know God intimately, seeking to know the loving Father, the obedient Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord s amazing names, qualities, and abilities reveal incredible insights. God delights to unveil His greatness to all who truly seek Him. Study Proverbs 2:1-6 and Philippians 3:8-14 together. 5. Character: Learn to love God passionately. God s unconditional love is more than a feeling or emotion. It is active; it remains constant regardless of circumstances. Character describes who you really are, the person you choose to be. Jesus modeled character traits that all Christians can develop. Study Galatians 5:6-26 and Philippians 4:4-9 together. 6. Conduct: Demonstrate how to serve God selflessly. Freely give because Jesus has promised to meet your every need. In addition, the Holy Spirit empowers you and distributes spiritual gifts for each believer to serve others. Selfless love has arms and legs that serve. Your disciple can demonstrate faithful conduct that honors God and helps people. Study Mark 4:1-20 and Mark 9:33-41 together. What s next? After the initial six sessions, congratulate your disciple(s) with a small reward, certificate, or prize. Discuss taking discipleship to the next level, to prune your plants so they can produce even more fruit. Let your protégés know that Christ s ministry model included doing ministry together in real life experiences. Jesus discipleship methods are radically different from what often takes place in small group settings. As your group continues together: make adjustments, fine-tune your plan, and keep making disciples! November December

18 Keeping the Horror Where it Belongs 30 VOICE David Laborde Dave Laborde is Pastor of Community Bible Church, Paris, IL. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Midwest Church Extension. I have never enjoyed horror stories. Monsters, mummies, and mayhem may excite some, but they do not excite me. They scare me! Twenty eight years ago I finished my Master s Degree at Grace Seminary and awaited a pastoral ministry at a local church of God s choosing. While a time of excitement and anticipation, I must confess, it was also a time of fear. Like most seminary students, we spoke in those days of church ministry. However, those conversations often involved horrific stories of first time pastorates. Those horror stories told the tale of foolish young pastors making terrible mistakes as well as sinister congregations and church leaders waiting to terrify first time pastors. Those stories always ended in disaster. So there I was, twenty six years old with less than one year of marriage under my belt, awaiting news of my first pastorate. I was excited to serve but afraid of the potential horror story that might unfold before my eyes. A Proper Approach In December of 1985, the call came for me to begin my first (and only, I am happy to say) full-time local church pastorate. My wife and I moved to Paris, Illinois to shepherd the flock known as Community Bible Church. This was a church plant with the former Indiana Bible Church Mission (now Midwest Church Extension). Though there have been challenges, scary moments, and obstacles to overcome, it has been a genuinely delightful experience. God has grown the ministry over the years with respect to attendance, finances, facilities, and ministries. Why no first time pastoral horror story? I believe the leadership of IFCA International has pinpointed the proper (and biblical) approach to ministry. This approach, if applied consistently and patiently over time by both pastor and congregation, is a great strategy to avoid horror stories. This approach to ministry is clearly set forth in our purpose statement. The purpose statement adopted by IFCA International ought to be the purpose statement of each pastor, each leadership team, and each congregation. That purpose is to enhance the strength of the Church by equipping for and encouraging toward ministry partnerships to accomplish great commission objectives. Could any person in our churches ever see that purpose as illegitimate? I can t imagine so. I believe everyone would wholeheartedly support the first part of the purpose clause without reservation, namely, to enhance the strength of the church. Even those attendees whom we identify as fringe people would acknowledge and probably gladly confess this desire despite the fact that they may not be contributing all that much to enhance the strength. I also believe that the majority of people in the pew have a fairly good idea of the third part of the purpose, namely, Great Commission objectives: winning the lost, knitting them into the fellowship by the public profession of baptism, and teaching the complete revelation of Scripture with a challenge to obedience. Once again, I cannot imagine very many who attend our services would object to any of these things. Why no first time pastoral horror story? I believe the leadership of IFCA International has pinpointed the proper (and biblical) approach to ministry. The Potential for Horror The real potential for trouble comes in the second part of the purpose statement: to equip people for ministry and encourage them to engage in ministry, and then to do so with a mindset of partnership with everybody else in the congregation. This aspect of our purpose is where horror stories are conceived, birthed, and

19 brought to full maturity within the body of Christ. Why is this so? Because this is where the rubber meets the road. Let s briefly examine the threefold necessity of equipping, encouraging, and partnering and the potential danger that lurks in each one. The Work of Equipping Equipping requires an equipper as well as one who is willing to be equipped. Paul understood this concept as he instructed Timothy to commit these things to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim. 2:2) In order for training to take place there must be a great deal of mutual respect and humility on the part of both parties. Unfortunately, too often both virtues are lacking. The equipper must earn the right to equip, not merely by right of position, but by example as well as virtue. As Paul sought to instruct Timothy on how to equip his congregation, he often mentioned the need to be a virtuous example, the most direct coming in 1 Timothy 4:12, Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. The equipper must always remember that it is a humbling thing for a person to acknowledge they need training and they need to seek it from the hand of another. Therefore, the equipper must evidence these virtues consistently and often over a long period of time in order to gain trust. But not every believer wants to be equipped. It is wise to accept that and allow God to do His work in His child, to bring them to the place of desiring ministry rather than trying to force people or heap guilt upon people, coercing them to do things for which they have no heart. The Work of Encouraging Encouraging is not the easiest of tasks either. The word means to have courage within. Some people just don t have courage to take on challenges. There are those who have never spoken in front of people. There are those who never graduated high school. There are those who have never traveled out of the state in which they were born. Those who desire to do something for God and are willing to receive training often can t bring themselves to take a step out of their comfort zone. They need to be encouraged. On occasion, this can take as long to build as the equipping process took. For the equipper who desires quick results, this can be most frustrating and frustration that is expressed easily leads to friction The Work of Partnering Finally, once a person has received equipping and they have built the confidence they need to engage in a ministry, they will next be introduced to a world of other Christian servants with whom they need to work. Paul told the Church at Philippi, fulfill my joy by being likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. We all know that working with others can be a wonderful experience or can be like a visit to the dentist s office. (My apologies to all dentists reading the article). The word partnership was wisely chosen for the IFCA purpose statement because the work we are to engage in with one another is not so much a friendship task (hanging out with friends) but a work task given to us from the hand of God. This reality hits us like a stone in the forehead as we take time to examine the men Jesus chose to be his closest disciples. They were not all kindred spirits. As we keep our focus on the fact that our service is to accomplish the work of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, rather than satisfy our social needs as individuals, we are able to partner in ministry. So as we reflect upon the purpose of enhancing the strength of the Church by equipping for and encouraging toward ministry partnerships to accomplish Great Commission objectives let s leave the horror stories to the entertainment industry and keep them out of the local church. November December

20 Building Up the Body 32 VOICE Gary Gilley Gary Gilley is Senior Pastor of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Illinois. He has served in various ways as a member of IFCA International for many years. His study paper Think On These Things is available at One of the most insightful of recent books concerning the church is actually written by an unbeliever. Alan Wolfe, a social scientist, has been observing the changing American religious scene for years. A few years ago he shared his research in The Transformation of American Religion. The message of his book is that religion in the United States is being transformed in radically new directions. 1 Wolfe claims, Talk of Hell, damnation, and even sin has been replaced by a nonjudgmental language of understanding and empathy. Gone are the arguments over doctrine and theology More Americans than ever proclaim themselves born again in Christ, but the Lord to whom they turn rarely gets angry and frequently strengthens selfesteem. [As a result] the faithful in the United States are remarkably like everyone else. 2 If Wolfe s assessments are on target, what would be the catalyst for this transformation (or better, degeneration)? Wolfe s thesis is that in an effort to win over American culture, Evangelicalism has stooped so low that it can no longer be distinguished from that culture. Take doctrine for example. Small-group Bible studies avoid theology like the plague, lest it prove divisive. Sermons are no better. Generally speaking, preaching in Evangelically oriented growth churches, however dynamic in delivery, has remarkably little actual content. Scripture is invariably cited but only as a launching pad to reinforce the message of salvation that Jesus can offer. 3 And what kind of salvation is Jesus offering? Why, Jesus will save your soul and your marriage, make you happy, heal your body, and even make you rich. Who wouldn t look twice at that offer? 4 Nor is this a message found only in the Prosperity Gospel fringe. The wildly popular book The Prayer of Jabez, written not too many years ago and endorsed, not to mention read, by mainstream Evangelicals, is a concept of religion so narcissistic that it makes prosperity theology look demanding by contrast. 5 As a matter of fact the rapid growth of Evangelicalism, as Wolfe sees it, is not due to their unique message but to their capitulation to the culture s message: Evangelicalism s popularity is due as much to its populistic and democratic urges its determination to find out exactly what believers want and offer it to them as it is to certainties of the faith. 6 One megachurch pastor in Cincinnati describes his church growth philosophy with an almost biblical quote, Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is fun! 7 And another pastor in Houston frankly admits, I take what is worldly, and baptize it. 8 These approaches are resulting in popularity. But popularity means bowing to, rather than resisting, popular culture, and since American popular culture is one that puts more emphasis on feeling good than thinking right, these movements tend to be especially hostile to potentially divisive doctrinal controversy. 9 I find myself agreeing with this self-avowed unsaved man who concludes his book with this statement: This adherence to growth can have its frustrations; watching sermons reduced to PowerPoint presentations or listening to one easily forgettable praise song after another makes one long for an Evangelical willing to stand up, Luther-like, and proclaim his opposition to the latest survey of Evangelical taste. 10 Alan Wolfe has skillfully exposed the mortal disease of the new paradigm church, but what is the remedy? But enough of Mr. Wolfe s penetrating analysis of Evangelicalism. Alan Wolfe has skillfully exposed the mortal disease of the new paradigm church, but what is the remedy? For that we turn, not to Mr. Wolfe, but to the New Testament. And I can think of no better passage for our purposes than Ephesians 4:11-16.

21 God s Design for the Church What is God s design for the church? How should it function? What is its mission? The inspired Apostle Paul, in a few short verses, sets the agenda. God s plan begins with gifted men whom He has given to the church (Ephesians 4:11). These include apostles and prophets, who were foundational to the church, passing from the scene when that foundation had been laid (Ephesians 2:20). They were followed by evangelists and pastor-teachers who build the superstructure upon the apostolic base. These gifted men are given to the church for a specific task: the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ (v. 12). This building up of the body is for the purpose of achieving four things: unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, maturity and Christlikeness (v. 13). In turn the attaining of these objectives results in: no longer being easily deceived spiritual children, speaking the truth in love, growing up into Christ (vv ). When such lives predominate in a local church, and when the individuals of that body are living out their God-given roles, then that body of believers will be one that is both growing spiritually and being built up in love (v. 16). That s the big picture, let s now examine the details. Gifted men are given to the local church in order to equip the saints for the work of service. The word equip was a term used in the first century for the setting of bones. When an arm is broken, for example, the arm is out of alignment and functionally useless. The gifted men were to be instruments of God to bring proper alignment to the body in order that there might be the building up of the body of Christ. In order for the body of Christ to be built up the gifted men would need to bring about an adjustment in the local church, which would enable believers to carry out the work of service. How would they do this? How were they to equip the saints, what was their method? I think we can safely say that this was not to be accomplished through conducting seminars on the latest business techniques or providing psychological profiles. The instrument used for equipping was, and is, the Word of God. This is not a logical deduction but rather clear revelation. Paul wrote to Timothy, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). The word for equipped in both Ephesians 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:17 comes from the same root word artios, which carries the idea of equipping for a delegated task. Paul is clear in his instructions to Timothy: it is the Scriptures that equip us for every good work. So we are not surprised to find that the immediate charge to Timothy is to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1, 2). If Timothy is to equip the church he must be a preacher of the Word. And if he is to properly preach the Word, he must first be one who is handling accurately the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). That is, Timothy must be a careful student of the Word so that when he preached, he would be preaching the message that God intended. That is how God proposes His church be built up through the careful, accurate, clear preaching and teaching of His Word. Nothing else will accomplish the task. Organizations are built under the umbrella of minimal beliefs but at the cost of great compromise, which leads to the doctrinal impurity of the church. We can tell inspiring stories, sing beautiful or peppy music, fill our calendars full of social events, professionalize our program and provide small groups for every conceivable interest, but if the Scripture is not diligently, systematically and correctly taught, Christ s people will not be equipped and the body will not be built up, period! There are no exceptions to this mandate. The church must be proclaimers of the word of truth, it must be the utmost priority. Congregations which focus on techniques, programs and entertainment, at the expense of the centrality of the Word, may very well build large followings but they will not build the church of God. Programs, drama and entertainment may amuse, soothe inspire and stir the emotions, but they will not build Christians. Only the Word of God can do that. Four Marks of Maturing Churches Churches that take this instruction of the Lord seriously will be the ones marching in the direction of maturity (Ephesians 4:13). Those who do not, will find themselves drowning in a sea of immaturity (4:14). These are the two options Paul lays before his readers. The first option finds the local church being equipped by the teaching of the Word and in turn building up the body of Christ. Such churches will be marked by four things. First, unity: Until we all attain to the unity of the faith. Throughout the epistles the term the faith does not refer to subjective faith (e.g. I believe; I have faith in God ) but to objective truth. The faith is a phrase synonymous with sound doctrine, or the body of truth as taught in the Bible. True unity is grounded in correct theology. A certain pastor, in writing a critique of my ministry, said that he leaned toward unity but you lean toward purity. That may be a true evaluation, but I do not believe there is unity without purity. An attempt at unity without doctrinal purity is merely uniformity. Many today are willing to lay down their conviction of Scriptural truth in order to get along. Organizations are built under the umbrella of minimal beliefs but at the cost of great compromise, which leads to the doctrinal impurity of the church. While not all doctrinal beliefs are essential to the faith, and some are not hills worth dying on, I am amazed at what many are willing to jettison in order to embrace some form of outward unity. Paul, however, calls for a unity that is wrapped around the cardinal truths of the faith. The second mark of the equipped church is the knowledge of the Son of God. Virtually nothing is more important than our knowledge of Christ. Peter would go so far as to write, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3). If every- November December

22 thing we need for life and godliness is found in the knowledge of Christ, why should the church dabble around with anything else? And while some, even within Evangelical circles, guide us to finding Christ within ourselves, imagining Him or experiencing Him in some mystical fashion, the fact is that the true knowledge of Christ can only be obtained through the Word. Apart from what the Scriptures say about Christ, we know nothing of absolute certainty about Him. The third and fourth marks appear to be mutually defining. We are to attain to a mature man, mature meaning complete, not perfect. This maturity is identified as the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Our standard of maturity is nothing less than Christlikeness. If we love Him we will want to be like Him. Two Marks of Immature Churches Those not marching toward maturity, as they are being equipped by the teaching of the Word, are left hopelessly entangled in a web of immaturity (4:14). Unfortunately, the description given of the immature believer hits very close to home in our Evangelical environment today. As Paul portrays the immature believer (or church), the one not equipped by the teaching of the Word, he uses the illustration of a child. The proof of a child s immaturity is found in two characteristics found in all children. They are unstable: We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves. Children are notoriously fickle and changeable. They lack selfcontrol; they are creatures of extremes and are ruled by their emotions. So too, immature Christians are on emotional, spiritual and doctrinal roller coasters. The day after a church retreat they are ready to follow the Lord anywhere; by Wednesday all enthusiasm is gone. While attending a Christian musical concert they are overflowing with feelings of love and warmth for the Lord and others. The next morning they don t feel like reading the Scriptures or praying and so they don t. When convicted of sin, they make strong pledges of future obedience. But a few days later they buckle under the same old temptations. They have mastered the art of 34 VOICE selective obedience to Christ. Their faith, while possibly genuine, is superficial, lacking substance and power. They are truly tossed here and there by waves at the mercy of so many influences, fads, powerful personalities and temptations that float into their lives. They are easily deceived: And carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. Baby Christians remain such because they are constantly being deceived. Rather than being equipped by the Word (or better, because they have not been so equipped) these immature believers are taken in by false doctrines, con-artists, slick programs and campaigns. Place in front of them a great communicator and they lack the discernment to filter his message. Baby Christians are always chasing after the latest book or message promising them instant spirituality. What is the remedy to this endless merry-go-round of childishness? Speaking the truth in love (v.15). We need to keep the context in mind. Paul is not calling for open and honest communication, although that is a biblical teaching and supported in verse 25. At this point he is giving us the antidote to spiritual immaturity and that antidote is found in equipping the saints for the work of service (v. 12). Conclusion Udo Middelmann admonishes that the church has lost the wider audience because it gave up much of what it should know and in the past was good at: the light shed on human reality from the Word of God in love, encouragement, moral clarity, and compassion When the church abandons her singular calling, she is usually not even very good in the attempt to compete with the street and market. 11 The church must concentrate on its mandate to equip the saints and not be sidetracked by other things. As the body is built up through the careful teaching of the Word of God by the gifted men and the application of that truth by the local church, the body grow[s] up in all aspects into Him, who is the Head, even Christ. The loving communication of God s truth is what matures lives and develops godly churches. Verse 16 tells us that it is the power of Christ working through the members of the body functioning as God designs, which ultimately causes the growth of the body. We ignore God s plan as outlined in Ephesians 4:11-16 for the growth of the body of Christ at great peril. If we want churches that please people, then our priority is to listen to the strategy of people. But if we desire churches that please God, surely we will want to know and implement God s methodology. Whom we listen to reveals whom we want to please. END NOTES 1. Alan Wolfe, The Transformation of American Religion (New York: Free Press, 2003), p Ibid. 3. Ibid., p Ibid., p Ibid., p Ibid., p Ibid., p Ibid., p Ibid., p Ibid., p Udo W. Middelmann, The Market Driven Church (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004). P. 201

23 If You Build It They Will Come Dennis Kreiss Dennis Kreiss is pastor of Pine Grove Community Church, Roseburg, OR. This article is an excerpt from his coming book Rock Solid; Finding Solid Ground in a World of Shifting Values, set to come out early in He is a member of IFCA International. Your church is not growing. People come but they do not stay. While the church is growing at a record rate in Africa and Asia, churches are stagnating in the United States. I ve heard the question asked a hundred times. I ve asked myself (and God) that question multiplied times! Why isn t our church growing, even though we re a good Bible-teaching church? And I ve heard dozens of answers! We don t like the music. It s too far to drive. There aren t enough young people. I don t feel at home. You are not friendly enough. You are TOO friendly! You don t have the programs we are looking for. We don t like the way you do business. I m not being fed. The sermons are too long. The sermons lack practical application. Someone offended me and I left. There must be sin in the camp. The church is dead everybody has their own ideas about why the church isn t growing. The Consumer Church Church visitors may check you out, but they are picky. When families are church shopping, before they settle, they want to know what they are going to get. If we don t have the latest, greatest programs, music, sermons and personalities on our shelf, they often vote with their feet. This consumer mindset is a sad reality. Now I must admit with a tinge of pain that there s a little bit of truth in the complaints I listed above. It does pain me to know that I don t preach as well as Chuck Swindoll or John MacArthur. Who does? I know that we can t offer the dizzying variety of programs that a mega-church can. The average size church in America is about seventy five or less in attendance on any given Sunday. Most churches can t compete with the big churches. That may be because many church visitors are consumers who are looking for a church that will serve them and the needs of their family. And that is why transfer growth is so tenuous. To some degree, it s all about consumerism. They come as long as you are meeting their needs and leave as soon as they think their needs are not being met. Consumerism. It reminds me of Jesus said. Once when the disciples were arguing about how the kingdom would benefit them, Jesus stopped them with this stunning statement: you are looking at it all wrong. I came not to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The disciples, like so many church attenders today, were looking out for themselves, but Jesus blindsided them with a radical new concept. He said that we are put on this earth to serve God, not to serve ourselves. We are meant to live a life of mission not consumerism. If you want a good time with friends, try a club. But if you want to reach the world, that is something altogether different. At a consumer church, the church is seen as a dispenser of goods and services. People come to church to be fed, to have their needs met through quality programs, and to have the professionals teach them about God. These people go to church. At a missional church, they see themselves as a body of people sent on a mission who gather for worship, encouragement and teaching from the Word. In addition to that they are self-feeding throughout the week. They realize that we are the church. The Missional Church If you want to be pampered I d suggest a vacation to the Caribbean. If you want a good time with friends, try a club. But if you want to reach the world, that is something altogether different. Jesus calls you to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). These words speak of hardship, long hours, exhausting labor and thankless service. Don t run from suffering. Don t go for the easy life, the comfortable pew or March April

24 go to a church where you can disappear into the crowd. Welcome to real church, where you pour your life out in ministry and mission. It s not going to be easy, but it s going to be worth it! We are on a mission from God. In 1810, twenty two year old Adoniram Judson wrote a letter to the parents of twenty one year old Ann Hasseltine, asking for her hand in marriage. It was an unconventional proposal. In the letter, he told her mom and dad that if they consented to give their daughter s hand in marriage, they would see her no more in this world. He would take her away to the other side of the world for life! He candidly admitted that she would be exposed to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life. There would be dangers of the ocean crossing and the deadly influence of the climate of Burma. She could expect every kind of want, distress; degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. All this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls. 1 Surprisingly they consented! Even more surprising, she consented! They understood mission. And the rest is history. When Adoniram died, he left a translation of the Bible, one hundred churches, and over eight thousand believers due to his influence! 2 He was evangelistically minded. The point is, if you want to see your church grow, mission must be your life s passion. The Evangelism Scale I saw one interesting study entitled Is Evangelistic Activity Related to Church Growth? Check out the results of this study: Question: Does your church have a regular program for evangelism training. Answer: Among growing churches, 58% responded with a yes, among plateaued churches the percentages of yes responses was 34.9%; and finally, only 25.6% of declining churches responded positively. Question: Does your church have a weekly visitation program? Answer: over 75% of growing churches had weekly (or more frequent) visitation programs; only 50.8% of plateaued churches and 43.7% of declining churches did so VOICE The evangelism scale, weighing how important evangelism is to your church, is the most important predictor of church growth. In other words, if a church wants to grow, evangelism is the most important thing that church leaders can do. To steal a line from the movie Field of Dreams, if we build it they will come maybe, maybe not. I know that we cannot save souls; only God can change hearts and redeem souls. But I believe it s not enough to build a nice church building; perhaps the real reason why your church is not growing is because you aren t evangelizing the lost. Truthfully, many in our churches don t even talk to the lost. Some of us don t even know the lost. Most likely, the church that is reaching out to the unchurched will be the church that is growing. If you evangelize, they will come. If we want to change the church in America we must change from consumers to missionaries. If we want to save America s churches from decline and death, we must make the Great Commission the great priority instead of the great omission. For church growth, nothing can take the place of simple evangelism. Not different music, not more children s programs, not shorter sermons or more relevant sermons, not even better sermons about evangelism. Most likely, the church that is reaching out to the unchurched will be the church that is growing. If you evangelize, they will come. The Changing Culture of Outreach Is marketing and promoting the same as evangelizing? No. Many churches have ways of promoting their ministry in their community and giving out information about themselves to others (some may call this marketing), but they simply have not found an effective means to reach their community with the Gospel message. One church did an assessment of their ministry. Over the course of the year, one thousand visitors had marched through the church doors, and yet their average attendance had stagnated at about one hundred. 4 Visitors came and went, but they didn t stay. By my observation, many churches began to decline when they abandoned traditional outreach programs yet did not replace them with anything else. If your church does not have some ongoing approach to reach those outside the walls of the congregation, it is likely to be in decline. 5 Those churches may still have classes, Bible Studies, teachers and worship services, but fewer and fewer attend. The church is still there, but it is simply not attracting nor keeping the students, seekers and visitors. There is a dearth of evangelism in many churches. One pastor tried to change the culture of his church with little success: At my church, which is a declining church that could shut its doors in a few years, I tried to start up the outreach ministry by going door to door. But I ran into problems not with the homes we visited, but with the church members. Many didn t want to go out, even though they said we need an outreach ministry. And those who did go only wanted to give out church information instead of trying to get to know the people so they could share the Gospel with them. 6 Who Is At the Front Door? Some say visitation is not effective in the modern church culture. Try explaining that to the cult members who are growing by proselytizing 70 to 80 percent of their membership out of our churches. 7 Mormonism is the fastest growing religious group in America. It has an aggressive missionary effort. Last year the church sent out almost 60,000 missionaries to 120 countries, where they won 306,000 converts. 8 The boys on bicycles in white shirts and black ties are tenacious and successful in their efforts to recruit new church members. A stellar example is Los Angeles County where Mormons grew 55% in the last decade! 9 And Jehovah Witnesses, another cult that utilizes door to door visits as their method of outreach are also growing; they are up 4.4% in Pentecostal denominations are also growing. They were up by 150,000 in They often engage in aggres-

25 sive outreach with their own type of message. One Pentecostal described his church outreach: there are no tricks, secrets, or special techniques; it s simply being workers in the field of harvest. As outreach director I organize two outreaches per week, one midweek and one on the weekend, and we never cancel it and never miss it. It is a priority with everyone from seasoned saints, leadership, and new converts participating. On a weekly basis we cover our community with fliers, bless the community with food and water and hospital ministry. The biggest thing that we do is that everywhere we go we compel people to repent of their sins and be baptized. 12 Compare that to what your church is doing. Only 3 out of 10 Protestant churches have an organized visitation program. 13 For a church that claims to have Go in to all the world and make disciples of all nations as its Great Commission, we have lost our way! Jesus set the example by having the Apostles go out two by two to preach the Gospel (Mark 6:7). Later He sent the seventy to do the same thing (Luke 10:1). Paul had teams with Barnabas (Acts 13:13-15:36), Silas (Acts 15:40 on), Timothy (Acts 16:1-3 on), Luke (Acts 16:11-40), Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18), Titus (2 Corinthians 2:12, 13; 7:5-7) and Erasmus (Acts 19:22). There are at least three levels of authority for what most churches practice: 1) the commands of the New Testament, 2) practices of the New Testament that were not commanded, and 3) church traditions that were neither commanded nor practiced in the NT. 14 The practice of going two by two is on the second level. It is one of those best practices that is worth imitating. Effective Outreach The visiting church guest is one of the best opportunities we have. One expert suggests that we should make contact with church guests within 36 hours after their visit to the church if possible. This is because 60% of first time visitors will return if the contact is made within 36 hours, while 15% will return if you wait until the end of the week. 15 The most influential component of your church growth mix is the friendship factor. The effectiveness of visitation is cut in half when a paid staff member does the visiting, because the perception is that the staff is being paid to make visits. When ordinary members of the church make those visits, it is perceived to be a sincere act, attempting to make friends. 16 One pastor tells how this has been successful in his church: In my 21 years as pastor we have had an active door to door visitation outreach every other Wednesday night with a meal and a minute visit before our worship service. We have recently added phone visits for those outside our perimeter too far to drive. We have several who call on prospects. This is highly effective. Overall we ve averaged around sixty visits every other Wednesday. 17 The church that has no system of follow up will likely decline because many people still want to be enthusiastically welcomed. While we may still want to host concerts, Christmas programs, Easter specials and other special outreach events, we need to get back to the simple, effective method practiced by almost every missionary: pound the pavement. Go out where the people are and urge them to come in. We need to restore the priority of visitation, outreach and evangelism to the church. If you want to rescue your church, I suggest you develop a passionate prayer life and then set aside at least one time a week for structured missionary outreach for your church. Tenacious Follow Up Outreach is essential, but we must not stop there. Many churches don t follow up, and if they do follow up, they don t follow up well. The comment I regularly hear from people is that they have been to almost every church in town, and no one ever called them or made a follow up visit In fact one of our most faithful leaders told me when I first visited him, We decided that the church we go to will be the one where we get a visit from the pastor! That was over fifteen years ago, and he s still coming. He visited churches for five years before someone returned his visit. The first-timer who visits a church and fills out a visitor card, has a right to expect some kind of follow-up from a leader of that church. There are some people who want their privacy, and some after discovering you re not their kind of church don t want you to contact them. But most people expect that if they fill out a visitor card at your church you will do your job. They know they are going to get at least a phone call. But when it doesn t happen? A visitor may very likely come and go. The church had one opportunity to reach out to him or her and they lost it. The church that has no system of follow up will likely decline because many people still want to be enthusiastically welcomed. A church that is successful in reaching people for Christ will use redundancy. They will have multiple methods for engaging newcomers, everything from greeters in the parking lot to friendly ushers to attractive bulletins, after-service receptions and newcomer classes. They will make phone calls, send letters, mail personal cards and visit. Once people come, they make sure the visitors want to come back. One church I know of personally delivers fresh baked bread to visitors that very afternoon. Another church in Michigan gives fresh pineapples to visitors. In their book Comeback Churches, Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson suggest an ambitious process for follow up. Sunday afternoon: phone call from a layperson. Tuesday: letter from the pastor. Thursday: letter from a small group leader. Saturday: call from the pastor inviting them to return. 18 I d add to that, a midweek visit from your outreach team. I d also add that if the visitor knows someone in the church, a personal note or phone call from their friends inviting them back is far more effective than anything else that you do, and is especially powerful when compounded with other personal contacts! There are no shortcuts to productive ministry. Churches that truly reach and build people are established on well-thought out growth principles. Smaller churches cannot sacrifice such things as systematic outreach, using friendship networks, creating new groups, and developing an outward focus, if November December

26 they expect to grow. These things are not tricks or gimmicks or innovative strategies of large churches with unlimited resources; they are fundamental principles of love for strangers (New Testament meaning of hospitality ) that will help every church. Follow Up Is Hard Work Every church needs an energetic assimilation system in place. But assimilation is hard work. It takes systematic, week in, week out effort. It must be a main focus of ministry for everyone in the church. Remember the African saying it takes a village to raise a child? As it applies to follow up, It takes a church to reach a visitor. Effective follow up is everybody s ministry. Everyone must be vibrant phase one inviters. Some will be winsome phase two greeters. Others will be enthusiastic at phase three follow up: some will call, others will visit, and still others will send cards. And some will be persistent in phase four assimilation, insuring that friendships are built, new believers are trained and regularity is established. It takes the whole church. Follow up is not a lone ranger sport. It requires that the whole church buys in to an attitude of outreach and growth. If your church is going to grow, you are going to have to do it together. Every member must have an outward focus, a welcoming attitude and be active in reaching out and assimilating new folks in to the life of the Church. And we must always remember the words of Paul, Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10). A lot of blood, sweat and teamwork is essential if we are going to reach the world, beginning in our own church s neighborhood. ENDNOTES /03/13/finding-life-through-denying-self/ Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson, Comeback Church, How 300 Churches Turned Around And Yours Can Too (B & H Publishing Group, 2007) churches-that-have-culturally-relevant-outreach-ministries/ 6. nine-things-that-have-replaced-traditionaloutreach-in-churches/ 7. blog/2011/10/making-visitation-work/ 8. churchandministry/evangelism/mormons_ are_fastest_grow-ing_religion.aspx 9. religion/story/ /religion-censusmromon/ /1 10. ABC news watch?v=tnvgjeq2ttc 11. Ibid nine-things-that-have-replaced-traditionaloutreach-in-churches/ blog/2011/10/making-visitation-work/ blog/2011/10/making-visitation-work/ 16. Ibid nine-things-that-have-replaced-traditionaloutreach-in-churches/ 18. Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson, Comeback Churches, p VOICE

27 How Worn Is Your Path? 40 VOICE Tom Zobrist Tom Zobrist is Senior Pastor of Liberty Bible Church of Eureka, IL. He also serves as a member of the IFCA International Board of Directors. For us in small-town or suburban America, well-worn grass is not something that we want to have. Most of us enjoy manicured lawns free from weeds and other pests. We spend millions of dollars and work countless hours to make sure that our piece of the American dream looks its absolute best. Even if we are not obsessed with green grass, we would not think highly of one whose lawn is not properly maintained; and we would never say that they are highly spiritual and close to God. Yet in another place far away, there is a different story told. In Africa, early converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time, the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, Brother, the grass grows on your path. 1 We can learn a couple of things from these faithful ones. First, all truly born-again believers in Jesus Christ inherently know that understanding and obeying God s Word and prayer are the bread and water of the Christian. And second, we need accountability to make sure we are faithful in these devotional times. Why is it that we struggle with making time to listen to and talk to God? When I entered the Air Force as a fairly new believer, I tried to read my Bible and pray every day, but was hit and miss and had no order to my attempts at this new relationship. Like many Christians, a busy life and my own flesh got in the way and I struggled to be as regular as I knew I should. I wasn t a bad person, nor was I living in gross sin, but I was not maximizing my opportunities for growth. I was fortunate though. Through family connections, I was put in touch with something that could help me. Accountability While in basic training, I was approached by two officers (scary thought). But rather than representing the Air Force, they were representing God. They were Navigators, not the ones on planes, but the ones who make disciples of Christ. What a blessing! I was able to stay involved with this group throughout my time in the military. As many of you know, the Navigators function on military installations and college campuses for the purpose of evangelism and discipleship. I am so thankful that God led me to these men where I could grow as a new believer. They taught me about quiet times, to be intentional in evangelism, and also to be accountable to one another. They taught me the importance of Scripture memory and held my feet to the fire in this endeavor. Trust me, when an officer tells you to memorize a packet of verses, you do it! If I was to serve God, I had to be reminded of His love and desires for my life and I needed to pour my heart out in prayer as well. The first year our ministry took shape, we saw several young men come to Christ in our barracks. We would look for people to sit with in the dining hall and then schedule times where we could walk them through the Gospel. After someone trusted Christ, they were closely monitored to make sure that they wore a clear path to the throne of God. As a young Christian, I was daily challenged to spend time in the Word and prayer until I was mature enough to maintain this habit on my own. If I was to serve God, I had to be reminded of His love and desires for my life and I needed to pour my heart out in prayer as well. I learned quickly that it is a battle to maintain our Spiritual lives and grow. It s not easy! Even though I knew nothing of Ephesians 6 at the time, I was experiencing the spiritual battle that we are promised. I remember one day when our

28 Nav group went into the wilderness to spend the day in prayer. We were told to prepare for this exercise by writing down every request that we could think of. I remember that Saturday morning separating from the other guys and finding a solitary place to pray. This was going to be a day of real growth, a time of communion with God that would take me to another level of spirituality. I prayed fervently! I prayed for my family, my fianceé, my future, my friends, my growth, etc. etc. I prayed long and hard. My concentration faded in and out. It was tough. I thought, This is what it must have been like for Jesus in the garden that night before His crucifixion. Finally, after great prayer, I looked at my watch and realized that I had only been praying ten minutes! This spiritual warfare thing is going to be hard! The same is true with evangelism. Even though I had made some appointments with guys and shared my faith with people I knew, I had little experience with cold call evangelism. I remember when we traveled to a base a couple hours away one weekend to help a handful of guys there start a Navigator ministry. We were going to do door to door evangelism in the barracks. As a young Christian, this was a daunting prospect. I was somewhat fearful and told my Nav leader such in the car on the way there. He said something to me that I have never forgotten. You can be a fool in the eyes of man or you can be a fool in the eyes of God. He led by example, sharing at the first door and then giving me the next door and so on. What a blessing that day was and what a time for growth. I learned so much that day and I have drawn on this experience many times when I have faced situations that raised fear of man in my heart. I also learned that a good leader leads by example. Accountability is so important in our spiritual lives. I am eternally grateful for those men who made sure that my path was well worn to the throne of grace and also made sure I was equipped for and challenged to do evangelism. Sustainability I have been fortunate and blessed to have served at Liberty Bible Church, my first pastorate, for twenty five years. Besides having a very gracious Lord and very gracious people, a big part of being able to be here so long is my membership in IFCA International. I have found in the IFCA a similar dynamic as that in the Navigators. The purpose statement of IFCA International says that we are To enhance the strength of the Church by equipping for and encouraging toward ministry partnerships to accomplish Great Commission objectives. I am thankful that I am not alone in my spiritual walk. I have IFCA friends that I frequently call on for advice, knowledge, encouragement and accountability. In our fellowship times together both on the Regional and national level, I and my church find like-minded brethren that encourage us to continue on in the task of disciple-making in our own communities. He said something to me that I have never forgotten. You can be a fool in the eyes of man or you can be a fool in the eyes of God. We can pool our resources to help others in need and launch new works that will benefit us all. I am especially thankful for the IFCA youth ministries that provide our young people with a place where they can find fellowship, knowledge, and accountability on their level. This ministry has benefitted countless families in our church over the years and today we are reaping the benefits of young adults who thirst for God and want to serve Him. To be all that God desires for us, our spiritual lives and ministry lives must be continually evaluated. I think this is especially true for those of us who have been blessed to be in full time ministry. Since we spend so much time in the Bible, there is a danger of it becoming mundane and just work. Prayers can be thrown up lazily rather than with purpose and fervency. We may be tempted to count our work (sermon) preparation as devotional time. We must be careful not to let our time alone with God be just a job. So, how am I doing today? If I fail to wear out my path to time with God, the way will become overgrown and the We Welcome these Men to our Fellowship o weeds of sin will converge in my life. So each day, I arise early to beat the sun and the phone to carve out time for God. Mornings are best for me; everyone is different as to when quiet time is best found. Do I always succeed or is this time always stimulating? Of course not. But, the more we make this a habit, the easier it becomes and the greater blessing it is. If you find your path becoming overgrown, begin today to wear a new one. Confess your failure to meet with God and He will forgive you and help you maintain fellowship. In Revelation 3:20, when the church at Laodicea had lost her focus and was falling away, Jesus said to them, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. What an opportunity! Our Savior wants close fellowship with us! RSVP with a yes daily! We all benefit when we take advantage of this invitation. END NOTE Dr. Ronald F. Beard Leavenworth, KS Mr. Richard K. Essiaw Springfield, VA Pastor Chad D. Nightingale Allegan, MI Mr. Scott Simrall San Antonio, TX 1. Today in the Word (Chicago: Moody Bible Institute), June 29, 1992 November December

29 VISION WORLD How We Became a Vision World Church The purpose of IFCA VISION WORLD is to enlist IFCA related churches to pray intentionally that God would raise up international vocational missionaries from their number, resulting in identifying new international workers from those churches. The goal is to thrust out 100 new vocational international missionaries. 42 VOICE Gary McCall Dr. Gary McCall is Senior Pastor of Bible Center Church of Luling, LA (just outside of New Orleans). He also serves as Chairman of the IFCA International Ministries Committee. He may be reached at drmccall@cox.net When first presented with the IFCA initiative for Vision World my first thought as a pastor was: Why do I need this? Don t we as a church do this already? And hasn t this always been a big part of what was happening at our church? Those are two reasons why I resisted IFCA Vision World at first. It took one more thought to push me to personally commit: I could identify no one from our current membership who was going into missions. I realized Vision World could become the vehicle to refocus our church s efforts to raise up people to carry the Gospel to the world. I eventually saw that, but would the church? I decided to start with our Missions Committee Chairman. We talked it over and he agreed this was a worthwhile initiative for our church to pursue. We had already begun preparing people for missions by using Firm Foundation: Creation to Christ curriculum in our Youth and Adult Sunday School classes. Several of our missionaries were using this as a means of introducing the people they were working with to the Gospel. Our thought was that by using Firm Foundation: Creation to Christ curriculum, all of our teachers and trainees would be prepared and the members of the classes would have an initial exposure to the material. At our next Church Board meeting I mentioned the Vision World commitments to the Deacons and that the Missions Committee would be recommending that our church become a Vision World church. (We always give the Board about a month prior warning before asking them to make a decision.) The following month we officially presented the recommendation from the Missions Committee to the Board and they were enthusiastic. Each Board member seemed to realize the simple yet profound purpose of Vision World. Everyone on the Board saw the wisdom of having the entire church vote to become a Vision World church, so as to have congregational buy-in. Rather than hold a special congregational meeting, the Board decided it would be better to schedule the vote during our annual meeting in February. We started informing the congregation about the Vision World commitments through our Sunday School classes. Our goal was to get people thinking, Am I the one that should go into missions? Maybe one of my children could go? The Sunday prior to the vote, I preached on A Vision for the World. In that sermon, I used maps and statistics to show where we were in the world and where the world was in terms of people, people groups, and their need of salvation. The next Sunday, the congregation voted to approve our commitment to Vision World by agreeing that: 1. We would preach at least quarterly on the role of the church in missions, 2. We would pray intentionally for God to raise up church planters from our midst, 3. We would point out those who need to train to go, 4. We would prepare them by coaching, encouraging, and assisting them to the field. You can learn more about IFCA Vision World by contacting me at drmccall@cox.net. Or visit and on the top menu bar, go to Ministry where you ll find Vision World information on the drop-down menu. Why not join our church and you too become a Vision World church?

30 P 5 Death of His Saints Harold Ross Meads Harold Ross Meads of Big Rapids, Michigan passed away July 16, He was 85. He was born September 9, 1927 in Wingham, Ontario, Canada. He received his diploma from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he met his spouse, Marilyn. He married Marilyn McLachlan on October 27, Harold served for 35 years as a missionary in Brazil with Gospel Missionary Union (later renamed Avant Ministries), retiring to Cadillac, Michigan in 1995, then moving to Big Rapids. He was a member of Faith Bible Church of Evart, MI. He joined IFCA in He enjoyed hockey, soccer and golf. Harold is survived by his wife, Marilyn, a daughter Elizabeth Bennett, two sons, R. Ross Meads of Big Rapids, MI and David Meads of Fortaleza, Brazil. Ralph A. Nite, Jr. Ralph A. Nite, Jr. went to be with his Lord on August 27, 2013 at the age of 65. Ralph was born on November 16, 1947 in Chattanooga, TN. He spent his childhood in the Kansas City area and married his high school sweetheart, Linda, on December 16, He attended the Missouri School of Science and Technology at Rolla and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from University of Missouri at Kansas City. Ralph served his country as a U.S. Coast Guard officer during the Vietnam War. He was Captain of the Port in Charleston, S.C., where he was responsible for insuring the safety of all freighter ships in one of the busiest harbors in America. It was during Ralph s military career that he began to hear God calling him into the ministry. To that end, Ralph earned his Master of Arts in Bible degree from Calvary Bible College and his M. Div. and D.Min. from Luther Rice Seminary. For ten years, Ralph served in Amarillo, Texas as Senior Chaplain at Cal Farley s Boys Ranch, the largest boys home in America. In 1986, the family moved to Kansas City to join the ministry team at Centropolis Community Church where Ralph faithfully preached for 27 years. Ralph also taught College English and worked for the North Kansas City public school district for many years. Ralph was an avid sportsman who loved snow skiing, water skiing and scuba diving. He was also a licensed airplane pilot. Ralph loved music and was an accomplished musician. Ralph joined IFCA in November of Ralph was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Ralph Nite, Sr. Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Linda; his daughter, Jessica Noel; his mother, four brothers and one sister. Ralph is dearly loved by many people and will be deeply missed. Robert J. Clark Robert Jack Clark was born on March 11, 1926 in Ramona, KS. His early childhood was unstable as his mother died when he was 5. For a time, he was cared for by different relatives. Later, he went to live with his grandparents in southeast Kansas. P He completed his elementary education in Labette, KS, and then graduated from high school in Altamont, KS. In his early teens, he trusted Christ as his Savior during revival meetings in their small church in Labette. He was inducted into the US Air Force immediately after his high school graduation. After schooling to be a radar mechanic, he was sent to England. While there, he became acquainted with a godly chaplain who was instrumental in mentoring him in his walk with the Lord. Upon his discharge from the military, he entered Kansas City Bible College, now known as Calvary Bible College. Upon graduating from Bible College, he served one summer as a relief chaplain in a tuberculosis sanatorium. In the fall of 1949, he began his ministry of over 60 years with Rural Bible Crusade, now known as Bible Impact Ministries, a ministry which focuses on Scripture Memorization and Camping. His life-long passion was to see young people come to know the Lord, and to be trained to serve Him. In 1952, he married Lola Ruth Wuthnow. To this union, two children were born: Doug and Connie. After a series of illnesses, he went to meet his Savior on September 2, 2013 at the age of 87. November December

31 Fellowship News Mendota (IL) Bible Church recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary and seven of their former pastors were able to be there to help with the celebration and are pictured here. Current pastor is Norm Stark (left) and the founding church planting pastor is Chuck Svoboda (right). Pastor Dan Nave and Heritage Bible Church of Remington, IL are committed to training young men for ministry by means of internships. They have a tremendous ministry and are an example for all of our IFCA churches. (L to R): Dan Nave, Ben Nagel (2012 summer intern, now Assistant Pastor at Robert s Road Bible Church), Ben Stewart (2013 summer intern), Andrew Janson (2010 summer intern, now Worship Team Leader at Heritage), Chris Burch (current MCE Resident at Heritage), Chris Allen (Heritage Assistant to the pastor, MCE church planter). IFCA member Paul Thyren (Grace Bible Church of Adell, WI) and wife Marsha recently traveled to Mongolia under the auspices of ACTS International. They taught in this churchbased Bible School in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The goal of the church and ACTS International is to plant twenty churches in Mongolia by Marsha also held some seminars for women. RBM Ministries is an IFCA member mission organization that has ministered primarily to children and youth since They have missionaries who are committed to a public schooloriented Christian ministry, on school time, through Released Time Bible Classes. In addition, RBM offers a summer Vacation Bible School program. IFCA ED Les Lofquist spoke to their missionaries at their Family Conference. 44 VOICE

32 Spanish World Ministries Spanish World Ministries of Winona Lake, Indiana has been an organizational member of IFCA International since It was founded by Florent Toirac, a Cuban national. Florent served 28 years as a missionary to Cuba, Haiti, France, and Spain and was well aware of the difficulties of reaching the masses in remote areas. He became convinced that radio was one key way to reach them and he established Spanish World Gospel Broadcasting with the radio program El Camino de la Vida ( The Way of Life ). Initially it was broadcasted from Tangier, North Africa into Spain, and later taken to Latin America where the transmissions were expanded. To accomplish the discipleship process, national missionaries were then added to the ministry. These were supported through ministry partners in the USA and were periodically supplied with literature, New Testaments and Bibles to Spanish World Executive Director Daniel Sandoval often visits the Spanish World missionaries. Here Daniel is in Cuba, preaching and teaching at one of the churches served by the Cuban Spanish World national missionary. assist them in their evangelistic efforts. The ministry s name was then changed to Spanish World Gospel Mission. Florent died in 1989 and Cornelius Rivera became Executive Director in During his time as Executive Director, Cornelius expanded the radio outreach by assigning to the national missionaries the responsibility of finding the radio stations for airing the broadcasts, duplicating the programs, distributing them, and monitoring their transmission in their countries. Cornelius continues as radio teacher on their two radio programs (15 minute version and 3 minute version) for distribution by their missionaries. After serving as a pastor of a church in the northern part of Mexico, in 2002 Daniel Sandoval joined Spanish World Ministries as Ministry Coordinator. For eight years he was in charge of coordinating, training, and overseeing the work of the national missionaries. In January, 2011 he was appointed Executive Director. Daniel handles the administration, Cornelius handles the radio teaching. Their radio programs are aired on Trans World Radio as well as on 1500 other stations throughout the Spanish-speaking world (800 stations are secular, 700 stations are Christian radio stations). They are also developing the U.S. market and are on 11 stations here. IFCA churches should consider airing El Camino de la Vida ( The Way of Life ) on their local stations. For more information, call Spanish World Ministries at (574) or visit IFCA ED Les Lofquist is pictured here with Spanish World staff (L to R): Ted Lenox, Sharon Lenox, Reyna Sandoval, Daniel Sandoval. Spanish World radio teacher is Cornelius Rivera for El Camino de la Vida (The Way of Life) radio program, heard on over 1500 radio stations. November December

33 2014 IFCA International Annual Convention Crowne Plaza / Hotel Elegante Convention Center, Colorado Springs, CO, June 23-27, 2014 Inspiring sessions Informative seminars Encouraging fellowship Helpful networking Great Women s Conference $75 convention registration fee $105 per night room rate (including these complimentary services: high-speed wireless internet, self-parking, and airport shuttle from Colorado Springs airport) $99 meal ticket (4 dinners, 3 lunches) Complimentary tour of the U.S. Olympic Training Center for all Hotel Elegante registrants For more details call