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CONVERGE POINT MAGAZINE // SPECIAL EDITION 2016 special edition 2016
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president from the
point Converge
VOLUME 8 n NUMBER 4 EDITOR
Bob Putman
DESIGNER, PRODUCTION MANAGER Pam Nelsen
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Fran Anderson Alllison Hurtado 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. Nonprofit Standard postage paid at Arlington Heights, Ill., and at additional mailing offices. © 2016 Baptist General Conference.
In Converge we talk often about being “Better Together.” Throughout our history we have seen generations of churches, leaders and missionaries join forces through God’s power to accomplish the impossible. The command of Christ to go and make disciples resonates in our hearts and resounds from our pulpits. It is evidenced in the ministries of our congregations and of our mission fields. I am so proud to be a part of the Converge movement. What brings us together for all this activity is much greater than our compelling mission. What brings us together is the cross. The completed work of Christ on the cross resulted in the removal of guilt and in the forgiveness of sin. On the cross, Christ accomplished our redemption and reconciliation and restored our right relationship with God. The cross is a reminder of the good news that Christ has risen and that Satan, sin and the grave have been defeated. As a result, you and I have been given the overwhelming privilege of telling the world about the love and power of God. In this issue we unveil a new logo designed to remind us why we come together, why we “converge.” We come together because of the love of Christ — to know him and make him known. We minister out of gratefulness for his finished work on the cross. This issue of Point focuses on our 10-year vision. Our prayer is you will join us in God’s journey for us — something we can accomplish only if we work together in his strength and for his glory. Enjoy!
ERIC JOHNSON
What makes us better together
Better Together,
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Point, 2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4193.
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.
Scott Ridout President, Converge
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‘ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is —1 CORINTHIANS 1:18 the power of God.’
OUR NEXT
YEARS BY SCOTT RIDOUT
At the conclusion of a long season of ministry,
Jesus walks with his disciples near Caesarea Philippi. Over the past couple of years these disciples, personally chosen by Jesus to be with him and trained by him, had witnessed many remarkable things. The lame walked. The deaf heard. The blind saw. Lepers were cleansed. Demons cast out. Food multiplied. Storms calmed. Gravity defied. Even the dead were raised. I wish I could have been there to witness these great miracles performed by the carpenter-turned-preacher. Now, as Jesus and his disciples make their way along the dusty road, he turns to them and asks, “Who do the people say the Son of Man is?” Without missing a beat, the disciples give their answers: “Some say John the Baptist.” “Others say Elijah.” “Still others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Everyone had an opinion about Jesus in his day. Good man. Con artist. Prophet. Religious leaders wanted to kill him, the crowds were enamored with him, tax collectors and sinners loved him and his disciples gave up their livelihoods to follow him. “But what about you?” he asks. “Who do you say I am?” This is the most important question in the world. In the grand scheme it doesn’t matter what others think about Jesus. What matters is what you believe. What we believe about Jesus will impact our eternity. Simon Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
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‘Foundational to the task’ Fair or unfair, through the years I have grown to see Peter as an emotional, impulsive leader who often suffered from foot-in-mouth disease. (After all, how many of us would feel comfortable rebuking Jesus by saying, “No, Jesus, this will never be!”) Although we may laugh at Peter’s seemingly constant stumbling over words, in this moment God gives him clarity. Peter knows who Jesus is: Savior, Son of God. Each of us must acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord as well. Jesus hears Peter give a good answer. Jesus stops, turns to Peter and the other disciples. He replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:17-18). Peter must have been so proud in that moment. Yet Jesus doesn’t let him dwell on his lucidity. As in every other conversation in the Gospels, Jesus has an agenda; he’s preparing his followers for his absence. He’s prepping them for their part in his work in the future, after he has ascended. “Pete, you didn’t come up with that yourself. God gave you the answer!” Jesus replies. “But you’re right. I am the Son of God. Grasping this is foundational to the task I will invite you to be a part of. You see, I am building something, and I am inviting you to be a part of the work” (paraphrased). Jesus goes on to paint a picture of the community of faith we now call the church.
Taking our cue from Jesus Converge exists to start and strengthen churches together worldwide. What we think about church matters. What we believe about Jesus will impact our eternity. What we believe about the church will impact the eternity of others. According to Jesus: The church is built on/by/for Christ. The foundation of the church is Jesus Christ — who he is and what he has done. A church built on anything else has a faulty foundation. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). The greatest privilege anyone has in this world is to be used by Jesus to impact the eternity of others by joining him in what he is building. And Jesus has invited us into the work. The church is built to advance. Jesus describes an aggressive, proactive church, a group fully aware of the spiritual battle at hand and fully engaged in the task. Jesus’ church is a group set on storming the gates of hell, breaking through enemy lines, overcoming obstacles, taking back lost territory and rescuing the prisoners of war. The church is built to prevail. The church advances courageously and fearlessly with the full knowledge of how the story ends. They do not “grow weary or lose heart” (Gal. 6:9, nrsv). They are “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58, nkjv). They stay focused “like a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3) until people from every tongue, tribe, people group and nation (Rev. 7:9) have heard and responded to the gospel message.
By God’s grace we will… Open the front door
Close the back door
EMPOWER leaders in evangelistic ministries to see more people meet Jesus, be baptized and start the discipleship journey.
DEVELOP stronger churches through spiritual formation, biblical envisioning, strategic planning, mentoring and supportive networks.
START more church plants and multisites and see more independent churches join us than in any other 10-year season of our ministry. We pray we will have churches in all 50 states by 2025.
STRUCTURE personal growth so that: n Every leader will have a coach. n Every pastor will join a regional team. n Every regional team will implement a strategy of expanded impact (through church planting, missions or community-reaching strategies).
RENEW our churches’ involvement in the “worldwide” aspect of our ministry, resulting in the doubling of our missionary force to 300 missionaries on the field and engaging with 500 new unreached people groups around the world.
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Our Converge vision Over the past 18 months our national and district leadership teams, in partnership with Bethel University, have been working to establish a 10-year plan for our movement. This new vision has four major parts: Open the front door We pray God will allow the Converge movement to expand through church planting, multisiting and unaffiliated churches joining. We pray our missionary force will double, with special focus on the unengaged, unreached peoples of the world. We pray the increased attendance in our churches will result in conversions and baptisms. Close the back door We pray God will allow us to develop many more healthy, growing churches by focusing on developing healthy growing leaders. Developing the health of our pastors and missionaries through improved assessment, coaching, training, collaboration and care will result in our congregants and churches growing toward maturity and investing in mission. Tear down the walls We pray God will help us become a movement strengthened by and known for our cultural diversity. For the advancement of the gospel, we will address potential spiritual, cultural and racial barriers. And we will challenge our congregations to courageously expand gospel living by extending hands of understanding, honor, friendship and partnership across these divides. Build the house We pray God will provide the resources needed to support our vision. This includes such things as branding, data, communication and funding initiatives and plans. Already our team has moved toward developing one database, one brand and a unified communication strategy. We have also begun to develop a $10 million church plant funding strategy. We believe this emphasis will result in more followers of Jesus being more focused on the mission of Jesus. We appreciate your prayer, support and encouragement in this new season of ministry. We ask that we each humbly seek God’s will and leading for our personal involvement in this next season. Will you join us? God has blessed us. He designed us to live for something bigger than ourselves. We are better together. The best is yet to come. n Scott Ridout is president of Converge.
Tear down the walls
Build the house
RAISE our racial/cultural sensitivity, reconcile our differences and restructure our movement to reflect our value of cultural diversity. We pursue this in order to reach more people and increase the number of effective leaders for this next generation.
CREATE a compelling collaborative plan for effective marketing, communication and increased resources to start and strengthen churches together worldwide.
To learn more about our 10-year vision and how you can participate, go to
converge.org/next-10-years
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3 great reasons to
START NEW CHURCHES Why start churches when so many existing congregations need help or are declining? BY LEE STEPHENSON
I remember the sentence
that changed everything for me — like it was yesterday: “The most effective way to reach people for Jesus is to start new churches.” That was all I needed to hear to launch me into the exciting and scary world of church planting. In those early days, I underestimated the difficulty and pushback we would receive from other Christians and even from Christian leaders. They would look at me puzzled as I shared our vision for a new church. Then, without provocation, they would ask, “Why start a new church when so many of our existing churches have a need and are declining in impact?” They were referring to the idea that it would be better to reach people by using resources and churches that already exist. That is a completely understandable point of view and something to think about when a new church planter comes asking for help. However, the pushback usually comes from seeing the world through a simple economic model of supply and demand. When there is a seemingly limited demand for churches, why supply the community or region with more? As easy as the economic model is to understand, it is the wrong one for church planting. Using the model of supply and demand fails to recognize some important underlying reasons for church planting. These concern the kingdom of God, community engagement and the call of discipleship.
What’s at stake?
Let’s talk for a moment about why these three areas are important to understand in the context of church planting and our reasons for doing it.
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The kingdom of God
The very first command in the Bible is “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:22, kjv). From the beginning, God commanded all living things to reproduce “according to its kind.” For lions that meant “to reproduce lions.” For plants that meant “to reproduce plants.” For Adam and Eve that meant “to have lots of children.” Throughout the New Testament the church is described as alive
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and a living body. Just as everything alive will grow, mature and reproduce, the same is true of the church. A church reproduces itself by starting another church. This is all a part of God’s kingdom work. God is passionate about his kingdom and desires that it encompass every community and every tribe — and reach every person. Fred Herron adds to this thought in his book Expanding God’s Kingdom Through Church Planting1: “God intends the church to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom so that his kingdom will spread to every people group on the earth. The passion in God’s heart for the expansion of his kingdom is a desire for all nations to glorify God the eternal King. He has given the church a kingly commission to go into the entire world and make disciples who are loyal worshipers of the King. The heart of God for kingdom expansion is the foundation for planting new churches.”1 With this in mind, church planting becomes more than a novel idea. It becomes urgent. It is through planting new churches that God’s kingdom and God’s reign are extended into communities around the world that are under the reign of darkness. We fulfill both the first command of Scripture and the Great Commission by multiplying churches. By planting churches, we take Jesus into the lives of needy people, we become partners with God’s mission and we actively expand God’s kingdom. God’s heart beats for church planting and so should ours. That’s why one of our 10-year goals is “each one [church] start one.”
[2] Community engagement
Planting churches is about reaching for Jesus people who seemingly are unreachable. The stark reality is that most “lost” people are best reached in a community similar to theirs and somewhat comfortable to them. This is true of groups separated by language, geography and even core identity. With this in mind, we start churches driven by the biblical conviction of reaching those far from God. We start churches because it’s a God thing.
[3] The call of discipleship
The journey of discipleship is a journey to go. The more we pursue Jesus, the more we become like the one who came to “seek and save the lost.” This is a mission that requires us as Christians to go. We go to our neighbors. We go to our friends. We go to our families. We go to our coworkers. We go with the intention of carrying Jesus, the Light, into our communities, cities and world. To follow Jesus is to embrace his commission, and his commission is an expression of love. Disciples are those who have been captured by the love of Christ. When we begin to understand what this really means, then
[
we too must go. Starting new churches is an extension of that call to go, an extension of following Jesus. My hope and prayer is that as the future unfolds, Converge will become known as a family of churches that start new churches in your community and around the world, no matter what the cost. The hope of the world is Jesus, and he chose the church to exist as his vehicle for achieving God’s redemptive plan. n Lee Stephenson is executive director of Converge Church Planting.
GET INVOLVED
Many opportunities are available to get involved in the church planting scene. Read 10 ways at cvrg.us/summer2016. For more information or if you have questions about church planting, please contact our Converge Church Planting office: churchplanting@converge.org. 1
Herron, Fred, Expanding God’s Kingdom Through Church Planting (Lincoln, Neb., iUniverse, Inc., 2003), p. 19.
]
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Reflections at the edge of the ‘promised land’ I stood with members of Ignite Community Church, Elk Grove,
California, at our April 3 groundbreaking ceremony for our first building (Ignite is a restart, in a new location, of a formerly declining church). With excitement, members shared their experiences along this journey. Our oldest member talked about how the church started as a small group in his house. Another member reminisced about his hopes and dreams when he helped plant the church. He talked about the sacrifices, but expressed gratitude for God’s faithfulness. He urged us to keep the gospel central. Others remembered leaders who had struggled to get us here. The members appreciated the hard work and love the leaders had poured into the lives of our people. They also said it had been worth it all because we are growing, discipling new leaders and starting multisites and daughter churches. We are now on the edge of the “promised land.” One woman commented that I, their pastor, was like Joshua leading the church finally to victory. I was humbled and reflected on my experiences in turning this church around and on all the other churches I had helped plant. It’s been a long, hard road, but I feel grateful God could use an ordinary guy like me to make a difference. The journey is not over; it’s just the beginning. And I’m ready to keep fighting the battles that need to be won. When I was 23, I went to Portland, Oregon, for a Church Growth Clinic. Of everything I learned, one main thought stuck out and changed my life. A leader talked about the world population of 5-6 billion. It was growing at the speed of a jet plane, but the church was like a tricycle, trying to keep up. The leader said, “The church is sick, and we need to help it get well again.” I was determined to give my life to see that vision fulfilled. A year later I planted my first church. The important things I’ve learned about church planting span almost three decades. The church is the people, and changed lives are what it is all about. Being a church planter is hard work, but rewarding. You touch thousands of lives over your lifetime, and you help change lives. Like childbirth, there is pain. But it is the price that needs to be paid to see lost souls saved. I know God was using all the good and especially challenging experiences to transform me to be more like Jesus. I believe the church is the instrument Christ Jesus uses to bring hope to the world. So our strategy has to be to multiply more churches by intentionally discipling new leaders to be movement makers. Remember, new churches grow faster than existing churches, so we should plant more churches. After a lifetime of planting churches, I’m just starting to understand how to truly multiply churches. The church in America is still doing addition. World population is now 7.4 billion and growing faster than the church. We need to move from addition to multiplication in church planting, so that our tricycle can transform into a jet plane. For the sake of the gospel, we need to go to the ends of the earth, as Jesus asked us to. Love God. Love people. Make disciples. n Ernie Cabrera is pastor of Ignite Community Church, Elk Grove, California.
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George Bailey would have loved us Two powerful Converge ministries are earning financial rewards for you and for our future while helping build God’s kingdom. BY NATE KRUEGER
In director Frank Capra’s movie
are strong. Our Fund is subject to a complete audit every year by “It’s a Wonderful a third-party firm and is registered with the appropriate state secuLife,” George Bailey, the protagonist played by Jimmy Stewart, and rities administrators where applicable. We use a reputable national his family run a small building and loan operation. The Bailey Brothcommercial bank to facilitate our transactions and corporate banking ers’ Building & Loan offered savings and lending services to residents needs. Also, we are governed by a board of independent directors of the fictional town Bedford Falls. Many community members enappointed by the Converge board of overseers. Furthermore, contrusted the Building & Loan with their life savings, even though the servative underwriting standards keep delinquency rates low, which town had a bank. When time came for residents to get out of the slums is perhaps the most prominent indicator of loan quality. To sum it all and build their own modest homes, they turned to the Building & up, we have multiple layers of accountability, put a lot of care and Loan because they couldn’t get a fair deal from the bank. concern into our loan underwriting and Like Bedford Falls, Converge has are conservative in how we deploy our its own “building and loan” institution, resources. which is functionally similar to banks In 2015 the Cornerstone Fund fiand credit unions but completely difnanced 550,000 square feet of new ferent in intent and purpose. The ministry space. That’s nearly 10 footCornerstone Fund is a Converge naball fields of worship space, fellowship tional ministry. Our role is to “start and halls, classrooms, offices and outstrengthen churches” by mobilizing reach centers made possible by the kingdom resources to equip Converge Converge constituents who choose to churches and church planters. invest with us. Pastors tell us time and Tracing our origins to the Baptist again that our ministry has enabled General Conference Home Missions them to plant roots at just the right Department, since the 1950s we’ve time in the communities where they proudly offered our Converge constituminister. On any given Sunday, thouency a unique investment opportunity sands of people gather to worship and with a tangible ministry impact. Today hear the gospel in Converge churches our 3100 investors provide missionbuilt with help from the Cornerstone critical funding in the form of mortgage Fund. The staff here considers it an loans to Converge churches. These honor to serve Converge with our fipurchase land or existing facilities, Heritage Church, Sterling Heights, Michigan, received a nancial acumen, and we have never refinance existing mortgages or build Cornerstone Fund loan to expand its facilities. Last year 331 been more excited than we are now from the ground up. Our ministry goes people were baptized at Heritage. about what the Lord is doing. beyond brick and mortar as well. The You can get involved with the Cornerstone ministry by contacting Cornerstone Fund contributes a large portion of its net income each the team for an information packet. year to Converge’s national ministry. Our $1.6 million gift to Converge The Bailey Brothers made a huge difference to the people of Bedeach year provides about 10 percent of Converge’s national budget. ford Falls. Through Cornerstone investors and donors, God is using Additionally, we directly support district and regional events and misConverge financial ministries to make an eternal impact on people’s sions programs. lives now and for years to come. n Coming from an investment banking background, I can confiNate Krueger is Cornerstone Fund associate director of church lending. dently say Cornerstone’s financials and risk management controls
Connecting with Converge INVEST: Interested in investing in Cornerstone? Our team can get you a digital investment packet or have one mailed to your work or residence. Contact us at csfund@converge.org. BORROW: Churches interested in financing a project with Converge can contact Nate Krueger at nate@converge.org.
Another powerful financial tool
The Converge Foundation, the entity that manages Converge’s endowment fund, is a powerful financial tool. Founded in 1973, it can accept cash, securities or in-kind gifts directed to specific ministries such as church planting or missions. Learn more at converge.org/give. You also can support the future of Converge ministries by naming the Converge Foundation in your estate-planning process. For more information on how to leave a legacy with the Converge Foundation, contact Steve Schultz at steve.schultz@converge.org.
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E V E R Y
L E A D E R
N E E D S
A
COACH Life coaches are common these days. Why not coaches for pastors? BY DR. MICHAEL HENDERSON
Converge president Scott Ridout has challenged
Converge leadership to fulfill our 10-year vison to “open the front door, close the back door, tear down the walls and build the house.” This vision refers to the church’s strength and impact in the community and the world. Closing the back door entails making sure every church has been strengthened and is healthy and whole. One major component of closing the back door is ensuring every pastor has a coach. Strong churches are led by strong leaders. The significance of coaching runs consistently throughout the Bible. From the beginning of Creation, God designed us to be in relationship. Coaching flows out of relationships. Good coaches pull out the best behaviors and characteristics that motivate and inspire their team. A coach’s role is to equip, encourage and transform.
Is it scriptural?
We see the example of a coaching relationship between Jethro and Moses in Exodus 18:1–24. Jethro wisely drew out what God was doing in Moses’ life and poured this into Moses at the right moment to help him develop a plan for leading God’s people in healthy ways. Jethro did this by: n Meeting with Moses and taking time to find out how he was doing personally (v. 7). n Listening to him about the ups and downs of his journey (v. 8). n Celebrating with him (v. 9). n Worshiping and eating with him (v. 12). n Watching him work (v. 14). n Asking probing questions (v. 15). n Challenging unproductive behavior (v. 17). n Giving wise counsel (v. 18–23). In Proverbs 27:17 we see a metaphor that defines the importance of coaching: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” The apostle Paul issued a coaching mandate in Ephesians 4:1112: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (nkjv). Above all coaches, Jesus stands supreme. His relationships with others, especially his disciples, draws attention to many attitudes and activities we can assimilate into coaching our church leaders. Jesus’ life is an inexhaustible supply of wisdom and insight about how to coach.
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The most effective coaches:
Get their teams to believe in themselves by inspiring them to do more than they think they can. The coaches inspire them to entertain possibilities that stretch the limits of their beliefs. Good coaches always build self-esteem. Are great life teachers. They understand what they are teaching goes far beyond the X’s & O’s of a playbook. This kind of coach not only teaches the skills, techniques and strategies within the narrow confines of a sport. He also looks for opportunities to teach more important life lessons — mastering hardship, rebounding from failures and setbacks, trusting one’s teammates, sacrificing individual needs for the group’s benefit, emotionally dealing with winning and losing, good sportsmanship, fair play, honesty, integrity, etc. Are mentally and spiritually healthy. They do not feel diminished as an individual when their teams fail, nor do they feel better about themselves when their squads succeed. Understand individual differences in their team members. They understand each team member is different in attitude, personality, response-ability, sensitivity and how he or she handles criticism and adversity. To achieve maximum coaching effectiveness, good coaches hand-tailor what they say and how they treat each person. Continually challenge themselves by modeling the attitudes and behaviors they want their team members to adopt. Modeling is a coach’s most powerful teaching tool. Have integrity. They are honest and demonstrate character and class in everything they do. Use mistakes and failures as valuable teaching opportunities. They instill in their teams that mistakes and failures are nothing more than feedback about what they did wrong. Specifically, mistakes and failures are about what they need to do differently next time. Read nine more characteristics of effective coaches at cvrg.us/ summer2016. For a church to be healthy, it must be committed to doing things as Jesus modeled them. One significant part of his ministry, and that of New Testament leaders such as the apostle Paul, was an emphasis on coaching and being coached.
Looking ahead
In the next 10 years, one of the goals of Converge is to ensure every pastor has a coach and is part of a lead Team. These will assist him in starting and strengthening churches worldwide. We have identified a group of Master Coaches from various districts and local churches who have committed themselves to an extensive and intense training. Dr. Steve Smith of Church Equippers will lead this coach training July 6-8, 2016. New Beginnings Church, Matthews, North Carolina, will host the event. Once trained, Master Coaches will coach pastors and leaders on how to establish and maintain healthy systems in their churches, ministries and personal lives, using resource tools such as Natural Church Development, the Upgrade Process and spiritual retreats. Over the past few years, Converge has developed a Church Strengthen task force, which I led. New Beginnings, my church, hosted several training sessions for potential Master Coaches. Another part of doing this is Converge Bridge Network for women in leadership. Its purpose is to equip women in ministry and strengthen their ministry health to avoid people pleasing, over-
functioning or taking on others’ issues. Bridge Network offers e-learning courses for church and Converge administrative staff, a weekly recorded prayer line (407.563.6097) and sessions at Converge gatherings for pastors wives and church staffers. We are currently developing empowerment webinars for women. To get connected with other women in ministry and view upcoming events, visit the Converge Bridge Network on Facebook: Convergewomennetwork. Email Twanna Henderson, national director, Bridge Network: bridgenetwork@converge.org. n Dr. Michael Henderson is vice president of Converge National Ministries and senior pastor of New Beginnings Community Church, Matthews, North Carolina.
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N E W
F R O N T I E R S
The Spice Islands Initiative Converge is moving into new territory with an aggressive strategy to change the face of a nation. BY IVAN VELDHUIZEN
Leaders of the massive
mosque eagerly directed us into their hour of prayer. Our shoes, so different from any others in this religious city, were carefully set aside by a gracious host for safekeeping, so they wouldn’t be swiped while we observed their rituals of worship. As we ascended the stairs, numerous people nodded in a gesture of welcome; no signs of judgment or repulsion were present. Entering the cavernous room of marble, we heard the patter of feet echoing throughout, reminding us of the emptiness of religion. Women with heads covered were relegated to the back of the room while men came in throngs, kneeling with heads to the floor near the imam front and center. Gracious Islam. We were welcomed with open arms. We were honored as desired guests. We observed the rituals, the repetition, the desire to please their god, the dedication of hundreds. We were overwhelmed with the hollow hum of praying, well-meaning disciples. Most had never heard yet. Of Jesus, that is. Still, after 2000 years, the gospel has not penetrated this region of the world. They mean well, they try hard, but they don’t know.
Let’s get strategic
We will continue to expand our impact in the 30+ countries where we’re already working, but these Spice Islands are Converge’s newest ministry field. There are more Muslims in this country than in any other nation in the world. With a priority on least-reached peoples, Converge is committed to being a key player in helping fulfill the Great Commission in our lifetime. That’s what led us to this place — it is filled with unreached (upgs) and unengaged unreached people groups (uupgs).* We are deploying a 10/10/10 strategy — 10 teams of 10 global workers in the next 10 years, with a multiplication factor: each Western worker or couple will partner with five to eight indigenous church planters who will be on the front lines of ministry. This means that by deploying our global workers in this initiative, we will help mobilize 250-400 national workers. These will become effective church planters among the upgs and uupgs in the Spice Islands. The Lord has already provided outstanding in-country church planting partners for effective collaboration. Did you know that radical extremists are tilling the soil of Muslim hearts? When the average adherent to Islam witnesses the radical violence of fellow adherents, he or she begins questioning, “Is this a religion I can continue to embrace?” “Could I learn more about what I really believe?” The latest statistics in regions close to our target areas report that 11 percent of those given a full presentation of the gospel respond by becoming disciples of Jesus. That’s also the highest response rate seen in this country. Our International Ministries team is eager to go all out in the Spice Islands. Besides partnering with nationals, we are seeking partners from the Global South — Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans and Brazilians. We are investigating various strategies to employ simultaneously in
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various regions. Among these are The Timothy Initiative (tti), which plants house churches in Asia as fast as rabbits have bunnies, and business ventures that create environments for evangelism and church planting. We also are seeking other creative ways to bring the gospel to those in this overlooked region of the world.
No longer overlooked
Jesus’ heart beats for the overlooked and forgotten. In fact, the Father has delayed Christ’s return until “this gospel of the kingdom is preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all the nations [ethné] and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). The Spice Islands are no longer overlooked. The time is now. There is an urgency to our task. God has called Converge to be a vital player in bringing these people to Jesus. It requires all of us — every pastor to prayerfully consider his role, every church to identify and send workers and every believer to seek the Lord for his or her part in this great endeavor. Someday, standing before the throne of Christ, we will worship with those “from every nation and tribe and people and language,” and know we had a part in seeing this become reality. n Ivan Veldhuizen is executive director of Converge International Ministries.
How can our church be involved in the Spice Islands? n Invest in indigenous or Converge global workers n Commit to being prayer partners n Adopt a UPG or UUPG n Send global workers from your church Find more information on any of these at converge.org/ operation-uupg
Converge prioritizes least-reached peoples — 4% or less evangelical We work in 30+ countries and primarily pursue upgs and uupgs. n upg: An unreached people group is 2 percent or less Christian of any kind. n *uupg: An unengaged, unreached people group has no known believers and no one is working among them to establish Christ’s church.
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From an Iowa suburb to West Africa God took a painfully shy Iowa girl, showed her third-world suffering and then called her to do something about it. BY AZLYN MCCARTHY
I grew up in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa. I was incredibly, even
painfully, shy. It was hard for me to talk to people, even to my grandparents, aunts or uncles. I was bullied in elementary school and middle school, and both my parents had drinking problems. There was a time in my childhood when I had said the “sinner’s prayer.” But my relationship with God felt distant because of the struggles I was facing. In 2007 I traveled to Australia on my first missions trip. To be honest, I signed up just because I wanted to go there, not because I wanted Jesus to transform me. I encountered God on an Australian mountaintop, where the Holy Spirit took hold of me and challenged me to commit my life to Jesus. In the years since, I’ve taken three short-term missions trips and spent two months working alongside missionaries in Zambia. There I felt the tug to pursue full-time, crosscultural ministry. One of my most memorable trips was to Jamaica in 2010, where I experienced life at an infirmary. Hundreds of disabled and elderly people were sent to live there because of the burden they placed on their caregivers. The place was filthy and the people, mistreated. I will never forget the smell of the place and the sound of patients moaning in pain and misery. This was a turning point for me, the moment I realized the Lord had laid a burden on my heart. I was to bring the gospel to orphans, people with disabilities and those marginalized in society. While driving to our destination during a missions trip in the Central
African Republic, my heart was torn to pieces as young, emaciated children along the road begged me for food and water. In April 2015 I talked to John Fuller, senior pastor of multisite Prairie Lakes Church, about my call to missions and what steps I should take to pursue being a missionary. He told me about Converge and their missions work in Africa. I connected with Ivan Veldhuizen, executive director of International Ministries, and ended up joining a Converge team on a trip to the West Coast of Africa last February. As on previous trips I had taken, I saw among the people a deep hunger to grow in their faith and to reach their own people. After leaving Africa, I knew it is where the Lord wants me. My dream is never to stop learning and growing in my understanding of the world around me and to empower others to do the same. I desire deeply to create awareness in the church of the world’s vulnerable populations and our responsibility as Christ-followers to care for and speak up for them. I can’t wait to serve in Africa with Converge, where I’ll work with orphans and people with disabilities, introducing them to the love of Jesus Christ. All their lives they have been told they are worthless. I can’t wait to see the look in their eyes when they finally realize they are sons and daughters of the King, made in his image — and are loved and worth dying for. n Azlyn McCarthy is a Converge missionary appointee to West Africa.
‘ I’ll work with orphans and people with disabilities, introducing them to the love of Jesus Christ. All their lives they have been told they are worthless.’
14 n point | special edition 2016
T H E
N E X T
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Y E A R S
YOUR CHOICE “The church is not a building you sit in. It is a movement you choose to be a part of.” This truth was repeated in our church almost every weekend. When Jesus described the church in Matthew 16:18, it wasn’t with a view to weekend services, small groups and Sunday school. Instead, he talked about the church as a tool of his mandate to advance God’s kingdom in this world. And he invited you and me to join him in what he is doing. What a privilege. Whether you are a lay leader, nurse, businessman, student, pastor or missionary, you have a part to play in Converge’s 10-year vision. Over this next season we ask you to commit to pray for God’s wisdom, courage and favor so that many people around the world will meet, know and follow Jesus. Also, we ask you to prayerfully commit to the four challenges below. God willing, we will change the world one life at a time. Make the choice today to join God in this movement. Trust him to lead you and use you to impact the eternity of others. I can’t wait to see what God will do as we humbly yet courageously move forward in faith! Better Together, Scott
How will you get involved? Each one reach one.
Each one start one.
Our prayer is God will use each person to reach one person with the gospel each year for the next 10 years. We pray each of us will engage in friendships with nonChristians, who will eventually place their faith in Christ and be baptized and discipled in the church.
Our prayer is each church will be used by God to start new congregations. We pray God will grip the hearts of many to start a new work.
Each one raise one. Our prayer is each leader will raise up other leaders to expand our movement. We pray each church will create leadership pipelines through residencies, internships and intentional training and mentoring.
Each one send one. Our prayer is each congregation will enjoy the blessing of regularly sending missionaries to the work God is doing around the world.
Tell us how you would like to get involved and learn practical next steps at converge.org/next-10-years.
special edition 2016
| point n 15
Baptist General Conference 2002 S Arlington Heights Rd Arlington Heights, IL 60005
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Northeast converge.org // 800 323 4215
Starting and strengthening churches together worldwide 16 n point | special edition 2016