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president from the
Volume 6 n Number 2 Editor Bob Putman
Designer, Production Manager Pam Nelsen
Contributing Editor Fran Anderson Point (issn/1546-3257) is published quarterly (with a special edition in December) by the Baptist General Conference, 2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Printed in U.S.A. Periodical postage paid at Arlington Heights, Ill., and at additional mailing offices. © Baptist General Conference 2014.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Point, 2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4193.
In Mexico City this past November, Dee and I spoke at a conference for pastors and wives. Eric and Janet Johnson, veteran Converge missionaries to Mexico, led workshops and also arranged for us to participate in this gathering. It was gratifying to see how they are loved and appreciated by so many. We had a wonderful time interacting with more than 300 spiritual leaders from across Mexico. It was the fifth annual such conference sponsored by Horeb Baptist Church, an amazing congregation in Mexico City that has grown from 300 to 3500 attendees over the past 10 years. Pastor Gilberto Gutierrez and his wife Yanina had developed the vision to minister to pastoral couples and led their congregation to generously host the annual conference. The church provided lodging, meals, ministry resources and this three-day conference at no cost to attendees. We witnessed the many ways these precious pastoral couples experienced spiritual encouragement and instruction. So many arrived disheartened, then three days later returned to their ministry assignments with fresh joy, courage, vision and hope. The following Sunday I preached at three of Horeb church’s worship services. Each was packed with people eager to experience the Lord’s presence together. We felt the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit and saw many men, women and young adults respond to put their faith in Christ. I preached from Acts 8 on the topic “Bringing Joy to the City.” It was the right message for the right time and place. Today God is doing through the influence of pastor Gilberto and the Horeb Baptist Church in Mexico what he did through Philip in a first-century city in Samaria. What happens on Sunday is only the visible tip of all Horeb members do to minister to needs, spread the gospel, train workers, plant daughter churches, send missionaries and strengthen other pastors and congregations for the cause of Christ. Dee and I are so grateful to serve the churches and missional efforts of Converge Worldwide. We believe in the power of Christ-centered churches to bring joy to lives and communities all over the world. In this issue of Point you will read how we are exercising faith together to bend the curve of spiritual influence so that God might be glorified and lives transformed.
Scripture references: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
REPRINT PERMISSION: Permission is granted to photocopy articles in small quantities for personal, church or school use. Please protect our copyright by writing or typing before copying: “Reproduced from Point by permission.” This permission does not extend to articles reprinted from other publications, reports for another publication or large quantity reproductions. For such purposes, written permission must be obtained from Point or from the original source.
2 n point | winter 2014
Jerry and Dee Sheveland President Converge Worldwide (bgc)
sears portrait studio
‘Joy in the city’
inside features
4 Transformed lives. Period. 10 Bending the curve NA: 16 DWhy Sweden is vital to Converge
By ryan McSparran Photos by ryan powell
4
BY Jerry sheveland
by jim jarman
10
extras
12 By the numbers
14 ‘It’s good to be 60.’ Really?
22 Connection
n Nebel takes on new role n Freeburg, Spickelmier with the Lord n World record pie fight n Welling reelected to another term n New books from Converge authors n Who leads Converge Rocky Mountain?
16
on the cover The facts are in. Converge churches experienced remarkable growth over the past decade, according to a national survey. Whether in Littleton, Colo., or Stockholm, Sweden, we are seeing God turn our eyes and hearts outward toward the lost.
How to reach us n To add/remove your name from our mailing list, call 800.323.4215, M-F, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST n E mail us at point@convergeww.org @convergeww Converge Worldwide convergeworldwide.org
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Period. By Ryan McSparran Photos by Ryan Powell
After Mission Hills Church
Above: “When we got serious about reaching lost people, God began to bring them to us.” — Senior pastor Mike Romberger
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(Littleton, Colo.) relocated to a new building in 2010, they experienced growth of nearly 40 percent over the next year. Some in the local Christian community began asking pastor Mike Romberger, “How did you do it?” “We didn’t do it,” he would respond. “It’s the amazing work of God.” “Of course,” they would say. “But seriously, how did you do it?” “It is the presence of the Holy Spirit,” he would insist. “You can’t manufacture that. When we got serious about reaching lost people, God began to bring them to us.” Mission Hills was a church with a legacy when Romberger arrived in October 2001 as the new senior pastor. It had been on the same corner nearly 60 years. But after almost two years without a senior pastor, many young families had left an aging church.
‘ Mission Hills firmly believes the undiluted Word of God has the power to transform lives, and pastor Romberger maintains his expository preaching style.’
‘Better at going across the world than across the street’ “When I arrived, the church was — and had always been — very good at teaching the Bible and equipping believers,” Romberger remembers. “But the church was better at going across the world than across the street. That pretty much fit who I was as a pastor. It was easier to send money and missions teams across the world than to mobilize in our own community.” At that time, according to executive pastor Byron Johns, “Evangelism was important, but it didn’t drive us. The church wasn’t motivated by saving lost people. The shift really began with pastor Mike.” No single moment sparked the change. No passionate speeches were delivered to the elders or staff about a greater need for evangelism. But God began placing on Romberger’s heart a greater concern for lost people, and that concern began to seep into the church’s ministries. The staff and elders were influenced by his increasing desire to see lost people come to Christ. Romberger remains an expository preacher, teaching verse-by-verse through books of the Bible. But as God worked, Mike’s sermons began to include more evangelistic messages — and morefrequent invitations to accept Christ.
Small things lead to big questions “It started with small things,” Johns said. “When referencing Scripture from the pulpit, Mike began announcing page numbers of the pew Bibles. He asked visitors to take that Bible if they didn’t have one at home.” Mission Hills improved its ministries to welcome guests and help people connect. “At that time, I don’t think Mission Hills was ready for seekers or believers new in their faith,” said connections pastor Rick Derbyshire. “But the Lord led us to be more intentional about putting things in place to welcome [people]. When we saw how God used those things, it inspired us to create more of these environments.” winter 2014
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Above: Before Rick Derbyshire officially became connections pastor of Mission Hills, his wife Sue volunteered to revamp the existing Guest Services ministry. Her first order of business was to move the welcome desk from a dimly lit hallway to the center of the lobby.
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Mission Hills began a program specifically for nonbelievers and new believers, using the Starting Point curriculum developed by North Point Ministries, Atlanta. The 10-week conversational class creates a safe environment to ask questions about faith, the Bible and participants’ own place in God’s story. Misti Sporer attended a Starting Point class three years ago. “When I first arrived at Mission Hills, I wasn’t completely sure of what I believed,” she said. “Starting Point helped me bridge that gap and answer some of those big questions.” She now teaches the course.
No plan, just following God’s leading Other areas underwent significant changes. “We had mission and vision statements with a combined 45 words even I couldn’t remember,” said Romberger. “Eventually, we landed on the simple ‘Transformed Lives.’ That became our filter: for lives to be transformed by the gospel. It has become a nonnegotiable part of who we are. It’s simple, and everybody gets it.” Mission Hills had been burdened for years with an aging building and cramped facilities. According to the elders, their board never had a grand vision for growth. There wasn’t a plan to double in size or follow any man-made scheme. “Rather, we stayed sensitive to God’s leading,” said one elder. “We moved forward as long as God kept opening doors. Some were scary and required leaps of faith. In the end, God led us to do something much bigger than any of us could have dreamed.” After several fundraising efforts, cooperation with the city of Littleton and events showing God clearly leading, Mission Hills found a buyer for the old building and built a new campus in an ideal location. There, in September 2010, the church held its first service. In the following months, attendance
rose from about 1300 to nearly 2000. Now Mission Hills welcomes well over 4000 each weekend. More than 200 new believers were baptized during the first three quarters of 2013.
Authentic and raw The Mission Hills community is experiencing an authenticity and a rawness they had never seen before. “In the past, people hid their sin and their struggles,” Romberger explained. “Six years ago, if you walked in the doors and were living with somebody out of marriage, or if you had a bunch of tattoos, you may not have stayed more than a week. But the new Mission Hills is not that way. It’s much more raw. People don’t know they’re supposed to hide their stuff.” “I love people who don’t know where Genesis is [in the Bible] sitting next to seminary-educated people,” continued Romberger. “We deal with marital issues, homosexuality and all sorts of people God never brought to us before. We receive prayer requests like, ‘I’m moving in with my girlfriend this week, so please pray for God’s blessing on us.’ They just don’t know what God’s Word says. So we’re glad to welcome them and to share his Word and his truth with them.” Sporer spoke about her first experience at Mission Hills with her then boyfriend, and now husband, Jason: “The first time we showed up, we arrived in the middle of a service. While we waited for the next service, a volunteer showed us around the building and made us feel right at home. In addition to having a great experience with the worship and teaching, it immediately felt homey to us, not like a big church.” “We heard this all the time for three years,” said Romberger. “Believers tend to say, ‘We felt the presence of God,’ and nonbelievers just say, “We felt at home and we felt welcome.’” Without crediting any programming or facilities, each Mission Hills staff and elder emphasizes the
Above: The children’s ministries and the worship ministry were both revamped and updated. The church knew these two areas would be foundational for reaching the community.
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Since moving into the new building: n Attendance has grown from 1300 to well over 4000.
n The church hosts five services, two on Saturday night and three on Sunday.
n More than 200 people were baptized during the first three quarters of 2013.
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same thing: This has been an unbelievable movement of God’s hand that cannot be manufactured. Pastor Romberger did not become a superstar preacher overnight, and the Mission Hills staff did not suddenly become rock-star evangelists. The movement began with God molding the heart of a church to care about what he cares about. “He was just waiting for us to get serious about him and about reaching lost people,” Romberger said. “And then he opened the doors. We were ready for them. We wanted them. We created environments for them, like Starting Point and a great children’s ministry. They feel accepted and wanted, and they want to come back.”
Undiluted expository preaching — and prayer Alongside its renewed focus on evangelism, Mission Hills has worked hard to continue its strength in discipleship and equipping believers. The leadership firmly believes the undiluted Word of God has the power to transform lives, and pastor Romberger maintains his expository preaching style. “Earlier this year I spoke on divorce and remarriage from Luke 16,” explained Romberger. “I had a ton of responses, not all of them positive. But the biggest response was, ‘We didn’t know this is what God thinks. Now what do we do?’ The Word of God has that amazing ability to reach new people and also to equip and challenge believers at the same time.” Mission Hills continues to develop its men’s, women’s and core discipleship ministries, hiring fulltime adult ministries/discipleship pastor Josh Weidmann in 2012. And it maintains its legacy in global missions, supporting efforts and sending teams worldwide. Equally important, the Mission Hills community places a priority on prayer and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. This was evident in their hiring pastor and author Daniel Henderson as prayer pastor just over a year ago.
“We are encountering the enemy like we never have before,” said Romberger. “That takes prayer. We knew we needed a greater emphasis and dependence on prayer. We didn’t know how to create that kind of culture, but God provided what we needed. Daniel Henderson fell into our lap.” Henderson helps Mission Hills organize corporate prayer services and teaches prayer throughout the church. In addition, Mission Hills slowly adds other staff positions as needed.
Celebration accompanied by pain Both Weidmann and Henderson joined the preaching team, helping to reduce the burden on Romberger. But with such rapid growth, keeping up with budget constraints, staffing and volunteer power has been difficult. When the church moved into its new building, it offered two Sunday services. Now the church hosts three services on Sunday and recently added its second Saturday evening service. “A price comes with all this,” Romberger said. “The constant change is often mind-boggling. And we receive much more criticism now. We hear others in the Christian community saying that because we’re large, we must be shallow. The celebration has been accompanied by some pain.” Yet there is no sign of diminished motivation. The elders, staff and congregation seem energized to continue their mission to see lives transformed by the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. There isn’t an attitude of having arrived. There’s an active vitality, driven by the fact there are still people to reach. n Ryan McSparran is a writer with Colorado-based Peak Outfitter Communications. He and his wife Kelly, administrative assistant to Converge Rocky Mountain executive minister Paul Mitton, are members of Mission Hills Church. Ryan Powell is the technical and communications director of Mission Hills Church, Littleton, Colo.
‘ It has been an unbelievable movement of God’s hand that cannot be manufactured... molding the heart of a church to care about what he cares about.’
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I recently preached
As we look to a vision for God-sized impact, we can gain wisdom from Nehemiah’s experience with God. By Jerry Sheveland
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at a church plant in Colorado. After the service, the sound technician told me his story and said, “I don’t know how I would have come to faith in Christ if Converge had not started this church.” Once again I felt deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve a family of churches gripped by an urgent sense of mission. For the past 11 years I have served as Converge Worldwide president. Since the 1950s we have experienced consistent growth in the number of churches and in worship service attendance. In the 2000s we could have become content with our numerical growth when many other denominations in North America were in decline. Many of us, however, struggled with the reality that church attendance in our nation is not keeping pace with population growth, and the spiritual influence of Christianity on our society is ebbing in dramatic ways. So we raised a question: How can Converge bend the curve of spiritual influence in our country as well as in communities around the world? I praise God he is already bending that curve upward in our movement of churches. Last year we gathered the 2012 statistics from Converge churches in America. We were surprised by a significant change in our growth trajectory. Over the past 10 years we grew by more than 300 congregations and nearly 100,000 in worship attendance. That was not surprising. The big change came in conversions and baptisms. Conversions grew from fewer than 6000 in 2002 to more than 19,000 in 2012. Somewhere in the past decade a tipping point occurred that led to increased conversion growth. Ten years ago it took an average of 38 church attendees to experience one person saved and baptized. Last year the ratio was only 15 to 1. Praise God! But now we need his wisdom, power and favor to see lives and communities transformed through multiplied numbers of gospel-centered churches.
Learning from Nehemiah Our Converge story has parallels with Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. In Nehemiah 2, we see him examining the ruins and then challenging the priests, nobles, officials and residents of Jerusalem to do the work of rebuilding. That leadership moment is recorded in verses 17 and 18: “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the King had said to me. They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work.” This dramatic decision was made 90 years after a remnant of Jewish exiles had returned to Jerusalem. The temple had been rebuilt under Ezra’s direction, but for nine decades the residents were encircled by the rubble of broken walls and burned gates. It may not have seemed like a disgrace to them. It may even have felt normal. It took fresh eyes and anointed leadership to move them from passivity to action. This story raises a crucial question for us: How do our churches gain a renewed sense of urgency about fulfilling Christ’s mission in the brokenness of their communities and the world?
Seeing what God sees the way he sees it First, before Nehemiah could align the Judeans around a common mission, he needed to align his life with the purposes and power of God. Chapter 1 records how Nehemiah’s brokenness over Jerusalem’s brokenness led him to pray, fast, repent and appeal to God’s covenant promises. In chapter 2 we witness God responding with unmistakable evidence of his direction and favor. Converge church leaders need the spiritual dynamics of Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2 before we can experience the miracle of unity around mission described in Nehemiah chapter 3. As Converge president, my first priority is to keep our movement leaders aligned together around our Lord’s purposes and power. Second, for spiritual leaders like Nehemiah, vision means seeing what God sees the way God sees it. Many things needed attention and energy in order to restore the glory of God to the people of God in the City of God. The broken walls were the most obvious and visible symbol of the city’s disgraced state. It was where God’s people needed to start working together — standing in the rubble and ashes and seeing it as God’s starting place to restore his glory to Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s wall-building vision was tangible. Stone-by-stone and gate-by-gate you could watch the walls going up. Vision isn’t vision if you can’t measure what matters. Most important, it was God’s vision. It would require everyone’s faith, sacrifice and courage. Restoring this city, with all its messianic promises, was a powerful way to exalt God’s reign amid the ruins of rebellion. God’s people once again were acting as a priestly nation among the nations of the world. Christ’s global vision for the nations always sets the standard for the vision he gives our local congregations.
“ ” We were not called
by God to settle for
half-built walls.
The hour is too late and too much is
at stake.
Our trust will be tested by opposition Nehemiah expected his mission to be tested by sustained opposition. He answered the opponents with these words: “The God of Heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it” (Neh. 2:20b). Missional urgency draws a line in the sand. Will you join those who trust God for success, or miss the chance to share in a legacy of faith? Chapters 3-6 tell the story of God’s people persevering in their missional partnership in the face of external threats and internal differences. Only trust in God and the persistence of leaders to solve problems, resolve conflicts and sustain courage saved the day. In the end, Nehemiah reported, “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (Neh. 6:16).
Don’t settle for half-built walls As I think about the future of your congregation and others I am privileged to serve, I know advancing the cause of Christ is becoming more difficult, not less. Our nation’s financial, societal, political and spiritual forces pressure us to compromise both our message and our mission. Let’s resolve the issue in our hearts. We were not called by God to settle for half-built walls. The hour is too late and too much is at stake. The fire of opposition will either consume us as leaders and people of God, or it will refine our passion for Christ and our urgency for his mission. By the wisdom and grace of God, let’s be Nehemiah leaders. Let’s seek God’s face until we are broken over the brokenness that breaks his heart. Let’s energize passive congregations with a vision of what God might do if our urgency for his glory were renewed. Let’s solve problems, not avoid them. Let’s resolve the differences that threaten to divide us, not run from them. And by all means, let’s inspire Christ-like courage and perseverance, not cower before the mocking Sanballats, Tobiahs and Geshems. They will never share in the legacy of those who put their hands to the good work and trust the Lord for success. n Jerry Sheveland is president of Converge Worldwide. winter 2014
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By the numbers In early 2013, Converge district and national office staff collaborated to conduct a study of 2012 Converge church attendance and baptism statistics. They wanted to establish a baseline by which to measure whether their efforts result in multiplication. A full 79 percent of 1179 churches responded. Key findings follow.
290,698 attendees
50.5%
growth in past decade
Extrapolated estimate, including churches not reporting. Actual reporting:
Average Converge church attendance:
288
Non-Converge average: fewer than
100
Ratio of church members per baptism This remarkable shift indicates the heart of Converge churches is focused on transformation.
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38 to 1
in 2002
15.25 to 1 in 2012
271,738
Diversity
79%
Anglo & African-American
21% Ethnic
2434
3870
4963
5159
6006
5109
19,068
1952
1962
1972
1982
1992
2002
2012
Baptisms by year The number of baptisms (extrapolated) is a strong indication of church health.
273%
increase since 2002
Filipino Haitian Vietnamese Latino Multicultural Japanese Native American Chinese Brazilian Cruzian Bahamian Mien/Laotian Jewish Russian Ethiopian
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It’s good to be Really? A recent newspaper article claimed that “72 is the new This 60-year-old is
60.” My question was, Really? The reporter made his statement in strong, energetic and reaction to the fact that our population in the United States is getting older. Baby boomers are retiring at a rapid pace. Currently we a powerful force for kingdom expansion. have more 72-year-olds than at any time in the past. The first baby boomers turned 65 in 2011, and people aged 65 By Steve Schultz and older are projected to represent 20 percent of the total U.S. population in 2030, compared with 12 percent in 2003. You can see more at: http://www.nia.nih .gov/newsroom/2006/03/. Converge Cornerstone Fund is turning 60 in 2014. By the time we are 72 in 2026, we hope to be on our way to being a $1 billion fund. Right now we have almost reached the $200 million milestone. Now that we are turning 60, it’s good to review some of our core values. We believe in church planting. Converge is experiencing more baptisms (representing more conversions) because new churches reach new people and more people. Converge president Jerry Sheveland is confident about our future as a movement of churches. We are increasing our commitment to seeing people transformed by the gospel. Cornerstone is excited about our enduring partnership with Converge Worldwide, and we back this partnership with an annual gift to Converge Worldwide. We believe in God’s blessing. God wants to pour out abundant blessings. Our ministry is growing with investors and churches. More blessing means more opportunity to reach out with the gospel message. We believe in empowerment. The resources made available to our churches through loans are being invested in multiplication. Leaders, new churches and disciples are being multiplied for the glory of God. We believe in being faithful and fruitful. We stand on the shoulders of others who responded to the call of God. The Building and Revolving Fund was authorized in 1946 to help start new churches. In 1954 the Revolving Building Trust (later renamed the Cornerstone Fund) was established to continue the dream of seeing funds invested for the expansion of the kingdom of God. Our leaders were faithful, and God added the increase. To God be the glory, great things he has done. At Converge Cornerstone Fund we are glad we are turning 60. We are not just getting older. We believe we also are getting better. We are reaching more churches. In our 60-year history we have helped almost 800 ministries accomplish thousands of projects through church loans. Currently, through our Booster Church program, we are partnered with and cast vision for Converge Worldwide with more than 300 churches. We are building a strong foundation. As the Fund grows, part of our income is set aside to grow our net assets. At just under $30 million, our net assets provide a security blanket for our investors and church partners. This enables us to fund more projects and support more of our movement. We are giving more to the kingdom. As the Fund’s ability to lend increases, and the funds made available via our investors grow, we are able to give even more to Converge Worldwide ministries and initiatives. In 2013 we gifted $1.4 million to plant churches, train leaders and send missionaries to the field. We believe the next 60 years will be better than the last. As Converge Worldwide continues to plant new churches and build new partnerships, the Cornerstone Fund will have a front-row seat and insider access to the activity of God’s kingdom in the U.S. As we continue to faithfully steward our resources and help our partners to do the same, we believe our best and most-productive ministry years are still to come. No matter how young or old you are in your relationship with the Cornerstone Fund, we invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone in our ministry — 60 years young and growing! n Stephen Schultz is president of the Converge Cornerstone Fund and chief financial officer of Converge Worldwide.
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Investment Options Fixed-Rate Certificates Minimum Term Rate investment
6-month 1.125% $100 1.250% $100,000 1.375% $250,000 1-year 1.250% $100 1.375% $100,000 1.500% $250,000 2-year 1.500% $100 1.625% $100,000 1.750% $250,000 3-year 1.625% $100 1.750% $100,000 1.875% $250,000 4-year 1.750% $100 1.875% $100,000 2.000% $250,000 5-year 2.000% $100 2.125% $30,000 2.250% $100,000 2.375% $250,000
Demand Certificates Minimum Rate investment
1.000% $100
Church Savings Certificates Minimum Rate investment
1.125% $5,000
IRAs Minimum Rate investment
2.500% $10 2.625% $100,000+
Rates subject to change without notice.
The Converge Cornerstone Fund is celebrating 60 years of ministry in 2014. Since its inception in 1954, the Fund has grown to nearly $200 million in total assets and financed almost 800 churches. Today it serves nearly 3000 investors. We offer: n Term Investments n Demand Investment
n Traditional IRAs n Roth IRAs
n Capital Campaign Services n Loans
To learn more about the Cornerstone Fund
visit: cornerstonetoday.org email: csfund@convergeww.org call : 877.228.8810 The offer and sale of certificates is limited to persons who are, prior to receipt of the Offering Circular, members of, contributors to, participants in or affiliates of Converge Worldwide (BGC) including any program, activity or organization which constitutes a part of Converge Worldwide (BGC), its district conferences, or its member churches or other persons who are beneficiaries or successors in interest to such persons (“Investors”). n This shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such an offer, solicitation or sale is not authorized. The offering is made solely by the OFFERING CIRCULAR. The offering involves certain risks, which are more fully disclosed in the Offering Circular under the heading “Risk Factors.” These investments are not FDIC or SIPC insured. n In the event the Fund exercises its right to redeem a Certificate prior to maturity and upon 60 days notice to the holder thereof, payment of the outstanding principal and interest will be made to the holder to the date of redemption, rather than to the Certificate’s maturity date. winter 2014 point n
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DNA Why Sweden is vital to Converge By Jim Jarman
There’s something special
about Sweden. Without it, Converge would not be Converge. In 1852, Gustaf Palmquist immigrated from Smaland, Sweden, to the Rock Island area of Illinois. Palmquist — a schoolteacher and lay preacher — was a man of deep conviction and devout belief. Thirty-seven days after his arrival, he stood in the Mississippi River and baptized one woman and two men, praying over them with great emotion. Five days later, on August 13, 1852, two others joined the four of them, and together they started the first church in a movement that would one day be called Converge. That same year, Fredrick Nilsson, a Swedish seaman turned preacher, arrived in Illinois and helped Palmquist start a church in Burlington, Iowa. Eventually Nilsson settled in Minnesota, where he planted churches in Houston and Minneapolis. He had left Sweden under conviction of heresy, having organized the first church to dissent from the state Lutheran church. Wherever men such as Palmquist and Nilsson went, they started church after church. By the time the Swedish Baptists of America held their first annual meeting 27 years later, more than 63 churches had been established, west from Maine to the Dakotas and south to Missouri and Kansas. Today, Converge stands as a global leader in transformational church planting because this is the very dna of our lifeblood. We are dedicated to church planting because it’s the genetic trait that has been built into our movement from the beginning. And this is exactly why Sweden’s cry for help must not fall on deaf ears.
How you can partner
Converge Worldwide’s Nordic Baltic Regional Partners, Bill and Arlie Ankerberg, directors: http:// www.nbrp.com/ Jim and Lynn Jarman, CWW international intercultural church planters (appointees), team leaders for church plants and ethnic groups, New Life Church, Stockholm, Sweden: http:// www.convergeworldwide.org/ give/195714
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I’m all in.
I have retired as the senior pastor of Whittier Area Community Church in the Los Angeles area so that I can give the rest of my life to helping lead a church planting movement in the Nordic-Baltic region. My wife Arlie and I have been working more than four years to help lead Converge into Sweden, and it has been an uphill climb. So we are making changes to personally get even more involved in what Converge is doing in the land of our roots. Over the past four years we have forged strong relationships with InterAct, the only church group in Sweden that is seeing growth. We are coaching and helping New Life Church (Stockholm) and InterAct plant 25 new churches throughout Sweden. We also are creating greater cooperation between Orebro Seminary and Bethel University, evidenced by a September 2013 meeting of the deans on Bethel’s St. Paul, Minn., campus. Last summer Kelli Dahlin of Bethel University went to Sweden as a short-term missionary. Twenty-two percent of the people in Sweden live in Stockholm (population 2 million). We have congregations there ready to begin services when Jim and Lynn Jarman arrive to lead a church planting movement. Stockholm is the largest atheistic city in the world today — 99.4 percent of the people don’t go to any church — and it needs a fresh wind of the gospel. Our church is sending Grant and Lindsay Morgan to work at New Life Church to help build the movement. Grant will oversee all aspects of their worship services and help train a new generation of worship leaders for Swedish churches. Lindsay is a graphic designer who will help create the materials we need to get the word out, while working to rescue women from sex trafficking. How about you, my friend? Are you in? We would love to send more people to serve Christ in Sweden. If you want to get involved, Arlie and I would love to help you. Contact me: billa@converge ww.org. Bill and Arlie Ankerberg are Nordic-Baltic Region directors for Converge.
Bill & Arlie Ankerberg
Jim & Lynn Jarman
#1 atheistic nation In spite of a rich heritage of Christian faith and missionary movements — in spite of revival and pietistic awakenings — Sweden stands today as the #1 atheistic nation in the world. One church closes its doors every week, and a new one is planted only every five weeks. Without a gracious intervention by the mercies of God, evangelicalism will cease to exist in the land in just 40 years. As the recipients of Swedish church planting heritage, this fact alone should make each of us stand to our feet and shout, “Not on our watch!” Sweden is the “ancestry dot com” mother lode for Converge. Churches there are praying diligently for help from the United States. And biblically those who answer the call are promised a special blessing. In Ephesians 6, Paul instructs families in this way: “Honor your father and mother” — which is the first commandment with a promise — “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Eph. 6:2-3). God tells us there is a special blessing in honoring our earthly parents. If this principle is true of our earthly relations, is it also applicable to our spiritual ancestry? I believe so. Paul used similar terms to describe spiritual relationships to the church at Corinth: “Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Sweden is our spiritual heritage — our mother and father, our sister and brother.
Help reverse the trend Today, a strategic church multiplication movement is under way at New Life Church (Stockholm), a Converge partner in Sweden. By God’s grace, we will help to reverse the trend of secular atheism and save a nation. You can be a part of this outreach — and the blessing of honoring our heritage — by partnering with Converge in this endeavor. After all, Swedish pietism and evangelism are the genetic foundation of our movement’s dna. n Jim Jarman and his wife Lynn are Converge Worldwide international intercultural church planters in Stockholm, Sweden.
18 n point | winter 2014
At Bethel, excellence meAns something more. It’s about developing new skills and using our God-given talents to accomplish incredible things together— in the classroom, in our careers, and in the world.
Undergrad | Adult Undergrad | Graduate | Seminary | www.bethel.edu winter 2014
| point n 19
LOVE
Converge Worldwide and Bethel University biennial meetings OCTOBER 9 & 10 Bethel University, St. Paul, Minn.
Let love and faithfulnes never leave you, bind
them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 3:3).
CONNECT2014SPEAKERS
Mark Batterson is lead pastor of National Community Church, with six locations in Washington, D.C. He is the author of 10 New York Times best-selling books, including The Circle Maker, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase. He holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University. Jeffery Johnson Sr. is longtime pastor of Eastern Star Church, with
three locations in Indianapolis, Ind. Under his leadership ESC has grown to more then 10,000 members, 130+ employees and 40 strong ministries. He has led multiple building campaigns, published four books and served as assistant chaplain of the Indiana Pacers.
20 n point | winter 2014
Connect 2014 is a gathering of Converge church leaders, Bethel University staff, families, friends and partners to connect and partner with the movement you own. And you will enjoy autumn colors on the beautiful Bethel campus. Special feature: live webcast on Friday.
2014
www.convergeconnect.org
CONNECT2014SCHEDULE Thursday, Oct. 9 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Converge Overseers 5-6:45 p.m. S2 Dinner (Starting & Strengthening Churches) 7 p.m. Worship Jeffery Johnson Sr., speaker Bethel University Highlights Introduction: New Church Planting Director
Friday, Oct. 10 8:30-10 a.m. MIBC Annual Meeting 10-noon Converge/Bethel Business and Missionary Commissioning 12:30-1:30 p.m. Lunch on Campus (included in registration) 1:45-3:15 p.m. Special Interest Groups: 2nd Half Ministries, Chaplains, Church Planting Think Tank, Church Strenthening Educational Opportunities: Social Media, Preaching, and more 3:45-5 p.m. Prayer First One Cry Prayer Emphasis with Bob Bakke 5:30-6:45 p.m. Prayer Dinner (included in registration) 7 p.m. Worship Mark Batterson, speaker Converge Worldwide Highlights Doulos Award winter 2014
| point n 21
connection converge
numbers
210
Number of men, women and children who were baptized on Sun Valley Community Church’s three Phoenix-area campuses September 14-15. svcc baptized 614 people Reported by Mo Grimm, svcc in 2013. As of late October the Vertical Church, Yuma, Ariz., had baptized 172 people and had seen 252 people trust in Christ during its 2013 church services.
Amount raised at a junior high girls birthday party sleepover. Prompted by an invitation that included the line “bring loose change to loosen chains,” 17 girls from Living Faith Church, Circle Pines, Minn., put aside nail polish, makeup, chick flicks and presents, raided their piggy banks and raised funds to assist ministries liberating sex trafficking victims. Reported by Jennifer Dougan
150M
$
Total assets the Converge Retirement Plan exceeded in October. The plan earned a 19.4 percent investment return in the first nine months of 2013.
22 n point | winter 2014
17
=
364.93
$
217
New church plants and multisite locations started by the 11 districts since January 2013, as reported by Converge Church Planting. Its faith goal is to plant at least 351 new churches by the end of 2015.
Number of people evaluated to determine their wiring and readiness for church planting. East Valley Church, San Jose, Calif., hosted eight couples and one individual at the Church Planters Assessment Center, October 29-31.
Danny Ostrowski
Freeburg, Spickelmier with the Lord Art Freeburg, former bgc pastor and 1979-1993 executive minister of Midwest Baptist Conference, died October 11. With his wife Patty he pastored bgc churches in Chicago; Hinsdale, Ill.; Kiron, Iowa; Denver, Colo.; and San Jose, Calif. After retirement he served in seven interim pastorates.
James Spickelmier, former bgc pastor and Bethel University campus pastor and associate vice president of seminary development, died September 25. With his wife Carole he pastored bgc churches in New York City; Kensington, Conn., and Sioux Falls, S.D. Post-retirement, he and Carole coedited three books of bgc and Bethel history.
Nebel takes on new role Tom Nebel began a new ministry role September 1. The former Converge Church Planting executive director now serves as an assistant to president Jerry Sheveland. He is working with Sheveland to provide direction and development for the U.S. Alliance for Church Multiplication, a cooperative effort to extend church planting systems and ministry to other denominations and networks. Nebel brings a wealth of experience,exceptionalnetworking skills and a breadth of relationships to his new role, having served in leadership roles as full-time Converge staff since 2006. Pastor Linn Winters, Cornerstone Church, Chandler, Ariz., chairs the search committee seeking a new executive director of Church Planting. Converge MidAmerica executive minister Gary Rohrmayer serves as parttime interim director of the Church Planting office.
Who leads Converge Rocky Mountain? Welling reelected to another term At the October 24-26 Converge Northwest annual meeting, delegates reelected Steve Welling to a second full term as executive minister. Elected to a partial term in 2006 after the departure of Corbit Magby, Welling was later elected to a five-year term.
Arizona church breaks world record for pie fight The folks at Cor nerstone Church, Chandler, Ariz., are willing to go to crazy extents for a good cause. On September 15, 815 attendees participated in a shaving-cream pie fight, breaking the previous Guinness Book record. The event, held on church grounds, raised funds to deliver food to remote villages in India through Harvest India. Channel 5 (wptz) reported the event.
more online... New books from Converge authors
Read online summaries of Discover Your Personal Mission: sion: How to Find Your Piece of the Action, by Ron Sheveland; Faith Afield: A Sportsman’s Devotional, by Steve Scott; Grounded in the Faith: An Essential Guide to Knowing What You Believe and Why, by Kenneth Erisman; NotYet-Christian: The 10 Stages of the Spiritual Journey, by Les Goertz, and The Simple Truth: The Quran and the Bible Side-by-Side, by Samya Johnson: cvrg.us/winter2014.
Paul and Jan Mitton serve the Converge Rocky Mountain district, which includes Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah. CRM covers some of the most unchurched geography in the United States. Paul’s passion is to see the spiritual landscape of the Rockies transformed through the interactive partnerships of healthy, growing Converge congregations. He says, “My personal dream is to see 100 new CRM congregations birthed over the next 10 years as God miraculously provides the necessary resources.” Jan (Janelle) manages the radiology department of the University of Colorado Hospital, caring for the physical needs of hundreds of people. “I have an active mission field, praying for and sharing the gospel with employees, co-workers and patients,” says Jan. Both Paul and Jan were raised in strong Christian homes and, as children, came to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Sharing the gospel is at the core of who they are and essential to their calling in ministry and life. For recreation the Mittons enjoy the unlimited opportunities in Colorado for hiking, biking and rafting. They love taking long walks and building campfires. They noted, “Our porch swing is the designated spot to talk, pray and snuggle.” They request prayer for “spiritual protection for all our ministry leaders battling to start and strengthen churches in CRM. Pray also for God’s provision for the necessary resources to effectively equip our leaders, engage our communities and expand our redemptive impact through new churches.” By Donna Fagerstrom, staff writer
winter 2014
| point n 23
Baptist General Conference 2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Jerry Sheveland
24 n point | winter 2014
Tony Evans
Bob Merritt
Alicia Williams Garcia