Mobilizing Your Congregation to Fish for Men

Written By: Dr. Alan Avera

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17 (ESV)

As Jesus called his disciples, he trained them and mobilized them as a group to become fishers of men.  How can we mobilize our congregations to be actively involved in fishing expeditions?   I have loosely adapted the four phases below from an approach presented by Dr. Bruce Finn to the Carolinas New Church Community of the ARP Church. Bruce is church planting coordinator for the Metro Philadelphia Church Planting Partnership

1.             Theological Preparation Phase.  Reflect deeply on the gospel and on the work of the Holy Spirit in bring people to Christ.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8 (ESV)

o   Make sure that people in the church understand and are grounded in the gospel.

o   Teach on the work of the Holy Spirit in leading people to Christ.

o   Equip people in your church to listen, to learn, and to look for the work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives.

2.             Prayer Foundation Phase.  Have people individually use a focused prayer list, and then gather corporately for prayer summits.

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word John 17:20 (ESV)

o   Give each person a copy of the Ten Most Wanted list and explain how and why to use it.  Ask each person to pray regularly for people on their list.

o   Have people circle or highlight the name of the person on the list that they would most want to see believe and receive Christ.  Ask for a commitment to pray diligently for this person.

o   Have one or more prayer summits where each person brings their prayer lists.  Pray together and specifically by name for the people on these lists, and pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in your community as a whole.

3.             Team Orchestration Phase.  Find ways for many people to be involved in a coordinated effort. 

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.  And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.  And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. Mark 1:16-20 (ESV)

o   Fishing in the New Testament was not an individual pursuit.  Whole families gathered together in fishing partnerships, or fishing teams.  There was a place for everyone on the team, whether the support crew back on shore, or the boat crew casting nets.

o   Boat crews would go out on fishing expeditions repeatedly.

o   In calling men with a background in these kinds of family fishing partnerships, Jesus conceived of fishing for men as a family or community partnership through which men are reached for Christ.

o   Orchestrate your outreach and evangelistic efforts so that there is a way for all kinds of people to be involved, no matter what their personality or spiritual gifting.  Think of different ways people can be involved, and then prepare them, organize them, and get them involved.

o   Plan fishing expeditions (outreach and evangelism strategies) repeatedly throughout the year.

4.             Individual Conversation Phase.  Prepare everyone for the individual conversations they will have in the course of this fishing endeavor.

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience 1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)

o   Prepare a list of four or five topics that ought to be included in any gospel conversation or series of conversations.

o   Give people examples of gospel conversations.  Model it as leaders.

Repeat these phases several times throughout the year in coordination with planned fishing expeditions (outreach and evangelism strategies).

The Grace of Giving

Written by: Dr. Alan Avera

The Apostle Paul, perhaps the greatest church planter of all time, urges the Corinthian Church to excel in the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8 & 9). Giving is important to the healthy growth of a church.

Many of us find that counterintuitive. We are afraid that asking people to give might drive some people away. But that’s not what Ed Stetzer found in a 2007 study of church plant survivability. He found that having a proactive stewardship development plan increases the likelihood of a church plant surviving by over 178 percent.

Before you discount that as being only about having the money to keep on going, consider two other things Stetzer found in that same study.

·      Being intentional about financial stewardship is one of the ten factors correlated with higher church plant attendance. In other words, while a proactive stewardship development plan risks potentially driving someone away, the positive impact is greater than the potential risk.

·      A proactive stewardship development plan is also correlated with more baptisms. Stetzer argues that this is a basic aspect of the Christian life that needs to be nurtured rather than neglected. When it is nurtured, it tends to produce a higher expectation church that sees more professions of faith.

Given that having a proactive stewardship development plan is important both Biblically and practically, what is the best way to teach stewardship?   Ruben Swint, ministry partner of The Columbia Partnership (http://www.thecolumbiapartnership.org/) suggests that younger generations respond better when you emphasize the concept of generosity, “generosity is a companion word to stewardship.”

Swint writes, “If you are planting a new congregation or your congregation is less that 20 years old, then begin to emphasize generosity. Generosity is a term that you do not need to hide from your visitors either. They are used to the term from popular culture. In fact, your church may be more appealing if it is seen as being a generous group of believers.”

Swint notes what II Corinthians 8:7 – 9:15 tells us about generosity:

• Generosity is excelling in the grace of giving.
• Generosity is not an obligation, command or duty.
• Generosity measures the sincerity of a person’s love.
• Christ was rich, yet He became poor for our sakes.
• Christ is the example of God’s generosity to us.
• Be generous with an attitude of enthusiasm, not reluctance.
• Generosity is good for us.

“If generosity is a word or action that has value for the Christian life, how can one grow generosity in their congregation?” Swint gives the following suggestions:

• Engage in a Bible study on generosity.
• Receive an offering and give it all away.
• Preach on God’s generosity and that we are made in God’s image.
• Train and empower a generosity team or task force.
• Plan an act or event of generosity for your community.
• Make generosity the guiding principle of budget planning.
• Remind, remind, and remind members of what they still have.

How does generosity relate to a proactive stewardship development plan?  What do you think, or what has been your experience?

Is Your Website Effective?

Written by: Tessa Taylor

Joel Gardner (Office and Finance Manager for ONA) and his wife recently moved to Greenville after graduating from college. They used the web in deciding what churches to visit. They landed at a church plant that they decided to visit because of its website. Joel represents many people his age. The first contact they will have with your church is through your website.

Below are some helpful guidelines in critiquing and building your website:

Content

    1.       Understand that the average visitor spends only 90 seconds on a church website. How does   that impact your layout?

    2.       Think about topics from a visitor’s point of view- not yours!

    3.       Make information potential visitors need easy to find. If information is too hard to find on the site, it will drive people away!

a.       Add a “I’m new here section” consisting of:

                                                              i.      Location and service time

                                                             ii.      Directions

                                                            iii.      Vision statement, brief summary of beliefs,  and denomination affiliation

b.      Add pictures, graphic designs, and videos instead of lots of words upfront. 

Design

   1.       Using website templates can make building a website much easier

   2.       Make the page elements obvious, using patterns and alignments- be consistent!

   3.       Use space effectively

a.       Break text into small chunks. 8-10 words per line makes reading easy.

b.      Use lots of headings

c.       Don’t center text- instead left justify

   4.       Text and Colors

a.       Don’t write in all caps. All caps is computer language for yelling and is harder to read. Use bold or colored text for emphasis instead of capitalization.

b.      Don’t underline anything but links. Use italics sparingly.

c.       Provide good contrast between text and background. (Some people are color blind, so contrast is essential.) Dark text on a light background is easier to read that light text on a dark background.

d.      Think about all your site visitors when you choose colors. Colors evoke emotions. Warm colors include red, orange, and yellow and can evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and aggression. Cool colors include blue, purple, and green and are often described as calm, but can also be melancholy. You also don’t want to use too many dark colors that cause your website to appear dark.

Drew Goodmanson is also a great resource for church websites and technology. He offers tips on his website as well as articles for other publications.

http://www.goodmanson.com/resources/articles/

Highligts From some Mission Congregations

Outreach North America

King’s Parish (Dallas, TX)- David Winburne

o    The Lord has answered our prayers for a new location that is cost effective and close to our evangelistic activities

§  On the first Sunday at the new location there were 11 visitors!

Renew Church (Ft. Myers, FL)-Steve Reynolds

o    We are seeing God open doors with our friends and deepening the connection we have with them…We are also seeing clarity about the shape of the church we are planting.

Good News Presbyterian Church (Gilbert, AZ)-Clyde Reed

o    A woman in her 30’s who works with someone in our congregations has accepted the Lord.

SonLife Church (Jacksonville, FL)-Bob Hovey

o    Had first official leadership meeting with 8 in attendance for a Friday night and Saturday morning meeting.

o    Started a few new events: Monthly bowling, Outdoor/Walk-In movies, & Couples Cook-Outs.

Clemson Korean ARP Church (Clemson, SC)-Jae Park

o    Sunday June 17^th we recognized and congratulated the participants that completed the first Discipline Training program (a three year long discipleship program!)

Global Vision ARP Church (Flushing, NY)-Peter Lee

o    We baptized an adult one week and baptized an infant the next Lord’s Day worship.

Tapestry ARP Church (Charlotte, NC)-Jarvis Ross

o    Tapestry has developed an internship with New Life Theological Seminary.

Compass Church (North Port, FL)-Tom Schneider

o    Four months ago I began two Life Groups at the same time; one in North Port and one in Osprey. During that time we grew from a total of 12 people to a total of 38. Those who started with me four months ago are now asking questions how they can be more involved and give to the work.

ChristCommunity Church (Apollo Beach, FL)-Charlie Lewis

o    “We started a 12 week discipleship training bible study at the end of May. Three men and four women are studying discipleship with the hope that this fall we will begin to disciple others at Christ Community Church.”

GracePresbyterian Church (Columbia, SC)- Brandon Barrett

o    One recent development is a men’s book study we’re doing during the summer. This is providing a good place to connect as men in the church.

CityChurch of Asheville (Asheville, NC)-Duff James

o    The launch team more and more grasps the importance of evangelism and discipleship making. We’re continuing to model evangelism and hospitality to our launch team members. They’re beginning to exhibit some of the same behavior we’ve modeled.

o    A couple will arrive in July that are in their 50’s with grown children. This is an answer to prayer since we’ve been looking for older people to join us to give us balance and insight.

Grace Church Leith (Leith, Scotland)-Athole Rennie

o    About 80-90% of those committed to the church are involved in regular ongoing one-on-one discipleship relationships. This has been a great encouragement. Our membership classes and interviews have gone well and we recently welcomed our first members into the church.

Grace HillChurch (Hillsborough, NC)-Ross Durham

o    Our outreach to lower social economic families is developing well. We are still in the pilot phase but we are starting to move toward incorporating a bible study for some elementary and middle school girls.

RiversidePresbyterian Church (Prattville, AL)-Greg Duke

o     Encouraged as I see new faces at Riverside. God has also recently brought an encouraging older couple into our membership.

HillCity Church (Rock Hill, SC)-Andy Stager

o    The Hill City Prayer Corps Bi-Weekly Guide debuted on May 15. We have a team of folks committing to pray for a different item every day in a guide we send out every two weeks. People pray for the mission developer and his family, staff, our worship services, specific petitions of concern, individuals within our church, mission opportunities, etc. Also, we have hosted a breakfast and prayer gathering on Sunday mornings with several people in the church.

Track Your Expenses

Posted by: Joel Gardner

                This week I’d like to talk about some practices that should be used to keep track of your church expenses.  Why is this important you ask?  It is important because the money you spend is really God’s money.  And the way this money is dealt with is not only a reflection on your church, but also on God and his name.  I hear of horror stories all the time of instances when there is no check and balance system in place and it leads to thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars being “lost”.  So here are 5 practices to help prevent “lost” money:

1)      Make all out going payments by check or draft.

Whether it is larger expenses like paying monthly utilities, to smaller ones like reimbursing a church member for purchasing the hotdogs for your summer cookout, making all of these payments by check or draft is the best method.  You will have a paper trail for all of your expenses and will make your treasurer’s job a lot easier.  In addition, this protects you from theft because there is no loose petty cash in your office. 

2)      Give reimbursements only when there is approved documentation for the purchases

Approved documentation, such as a signed expense request form, can be vital to controlling your operating expenses.  Before money is spent on events for the church, a designated person should approve this expenditure.  Receipts showing the exact amount spent should accompany this documentation.  This not only will help your staff stay on budget, but will also set a precedent of planning events and resources needed ahead of time, as opposed to making spontaneous purchases.

3)      Mark supporting documents “paid”

Going along with practice #2, once you receive the documentation requesting reimbursement and have written the check, then mark this expense as paid and list the date and check number, preventing any double disbursements.

4)      Secure all blank checks on hand

It is important that there are no blank checks laying around, they should all be in a secure location, preferably a locked security box.

5)      Have someone other than the individual issuing checks reconcile the bank account to the check register

Reconciliation of the bank account to the check register should be done on a regular basis.  This may be challenging for a smaller church that does not have someone other than the treasurer, but it is important to have this check and balance set up for accountability purposes.  Reconciliation is not just to check the treasurer but also to check the bank.  Banks make mistakes too, so it is good at least monthly to make sure your records and the bank’s match up.  Your church should use the register to keep track of all transactions made during the month.  It can be paper or electronic and should have the date purchased, amount spent and purpose for each transaction.

These are principles that will help your churches be the best possible stewards of God’s money.  These principles also help assure your church body that their tithes and offerings are being used carefully.  Contact me, Joel Gardner, with any questions by email at jgardner@arpsynod.org or (864) 232-8297.

Church Planters' Wives Breakfast @ Synod

Posted by: Stephanie Smith

ARP Women’s Ministries Invites the Church Plant Wives to Attend...

Blooming Where You Are Planted: 

Abiding, Bearing Fruit, and Weeding the Garden

Speaker: Lynn Robinson

When:    Thursday, June 7, 2012
               9:30 – 11:00am
               Synodical Hall

Brunch is Provided by: ARP Women’s Ministries Mission and Outreach Committee


Lynn Robinson will take us through a journey through God’s garden as we consider the words from John 15. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Only by abiding in Him can we bear fruit.  Lynn will share her personal experience how prayer has been a vital part of the fruit God has produced in her life.  But in a world of sin and chaos weeds crop up.  Join fellow sisters-in-Christ and explore steps that can be taken to protect the garden from weeds and consider the tools God has provided to us to keep the weeds out of His garden.

Tim and Lynn will celebrate 40 years of marriage this year.  The Robinson’s have four grown children:  John, David, Stephen, and Kristen. Lynn is currently serving as President of First Presbyterial Women's Ministry.

Analyzing your Church Budget

Posted by: Joel Gardner

                Aubrey Malphurs raises four questions in his article, “Is your Church ‘Money Savvy?’” that I would like to highlight for our church planters to examine: 

1)      Does our budget support a biblical mission and vision?

This would be a good question to think through at the first stages of preparing a budget.  But if you are past this stage it is still one that needs to be answered.  Is your budget lined up with God’s mission for your church?  If not, then how can you adjust your budget to be more in line with God’s vision for your church?

2)      Are there items in our budget that the church should not be funding?

Churches should analyze their budgets at least once a year.  During this analysis period it would be good to go line by line on your budget and determine if there are any areas that should not be funded by your church.   Another thing to consider during this time: Are there ministries that could be funded by other sources, rather than your general fund (special offerings, donations, etc.)?

3)      What is our average per capita annum giving (annual giving/ person)?

The average amount each member of your church is giving on an annual basis is a good indicator of the spiritual health of your congregation (Matthew 6:21).

4)      How high are our expectations of our people in terms of giving?

This question ties into the last, if your annual giving is not where it should be, why is that? Are you emphasizing the importance of storing up treasures where neither moth nor rust will destroy them? Or does your congregation have more of an earthly mindset when it comes to how they spend their finances?

I pray these questions spur you on to be wise stewards of God’s finances.  If you would like more questions to mull over pertaining to your churches budget I encourage you to read Malphurs’ full article.  And as always, please feel free to contact me, Joel Gardner @ (864) 232-8297 with any questions or ways I can serve you dealing with finances.

The Wife of a Church Planter- An Adventure!

By Sally Illman, Connections Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, AL

                What an adventure this life can be! And I think that being a church planter’s wife means that regarding the spirit of adventure, we say, “Bring it on!”, even if in reality, we have no idea what that means. In the beginning, we tell God that we understand that this is a calling - something that He has chosen us for by virtue of being the wife of a man who feels called to be a church planter. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).  We also know, by that same understanding, that our children are called to be “PKs” (preacher’s kids) with all the responsibilities and privileges that come with that calling.

                But, there are a three other things that I have found need to be recognized. One is that we need to expect the unexpected. When the demographics of the people we expect to flock to our new church don’t work out the way we carefully planned (despite the fact that our husbands are the most gifted preachers and pastors the world has ever seen), when the church still doesn’t grow, and when we struggle financially even though  we had it all figured out, we still need to remember Who is in charge. God says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

                When we are able to remember that God does have a plan for us, and it may not be the same as what we planned, we can then recognize the second thing. We need to be flexible. Flexibility is definitely a heart issue because it involves trusting God for His ways, not ours. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6); "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).

                In order to maintain flexibility, the third part comes. We need to stay in the Word. But also, there needs to be times for reflection. Amidst the busyness of life, there has to be time to get away and ponder God. For me it’s my Bible, a pen, and my journal - no phone with games and Facebook to distract, no book or Kindle to divert my attention, just God and me. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:1). While I’m pondering and pouring my heart out before the Lord – “God, I can’t do this anymore! It’s too hard, and You’re too far away! Do You have any idea what this is like?! This is NOT my idea of how I would have written my life’s script!” - I need to listen to Him as He assures me of His promises. I need to renew my understanding of His call on my life and the calling that He has given me.

                It’s a cycle. I am sure of my calling. I understand that it may not be as we planned, so I need to be willing to change my plans to fit with God’s. Therefore, I need to have some time to reflect and get back on the path that God has defined, and to do what I need to remind myself of my calling. Then I can be assured that my attitude is back, so that I can call what might be deemed by some to be an ordeal, truly an ADVENTURE!

Church Planting Breakfast Invitation

ARP Synod Moderator Andy Putnam has been clear in his 2020 challenge to plant 20 churches of 200 or more active members by the year 2020. But where will we find the resources and the expertise to plant churches of 200 or more active members when the typical ARP church is much smaller than that?  We need the help of our existing churches that are 200 or more active members.

Two of our larger churches have recently set a good example. First ARP in Gastonia planted Gaston Community Church, and more recently, First Presbyterian in Columbia planted Grace Presbyterian.

I would like to invite the pastors and elder delegates of our larger churches to join us at our church planting breakfast on Thursday of the General Synod meeting in June. The theme of our church planting breakfast this year will be:  Churches Planting Churches. Come and hear Dr. Sinclair Ferguson and Rev. Brandon Barrett speak about how First Presbyterian prepared to plant Grace, and the strong start that Grace has experienced as a result. Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 7 at 7 a.m. in Bonclarken dining room B. Call today to reserve your place – (864) 232-8297 (ext 229). Space is limited to the first 60 people that register.

Alan Avera

Executive Director
Outreach North America