contents
30 NAMB is an SBC entity supported by the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.® The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union.® Postmaster: Send address changes to: On Mission, North American Mission Board, P.O. Box 292, Williamsport, PA 17703-0292. Because of your valued support of the Cooperative Program, we are able to offer you a free copy of On Mission. To subscribe, call toll free 800-431-7571 or visit namb.net/ OnMission. On Mission grants permission for any original article to be photocopied for educational or church use. Include the following credit: “Used by permission of On Mission, North American Mission Board, ©2018.” For special requests, email us at help@ namb.net, or call 800-634-2462.
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On Mission highlights missionaries, chaplains and churches working to reach North America and the world for Christ. On Mission is a publication of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
NAMB President Kevin Ezell
fall 2 018
2 President’s Letter 4 The Pulse 8 Because You Give 10 The Five 12 Q&A 14 People Groups 16 Neighborhood Portrait
24 18 A Generation 24 30
40
40
48 48
disappearing Not my dream, but God’s Baltimore: Rebuilding mode Snapshots of covocational pastors Restoration through the Great Requirement
52 Recommended 56 My Turn 57 Now What?
Your gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® give missionaries the resources they need to spread the gospel across North America. Give online at AnnieArmstrong.com/Give. volume 2 1 | number 3
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presi dent’s letter
Community restoration By Kevin Ezell, NAMB president (@kevezell)
W
e look at the world around us and see so much brokenness. From the time Adam and Eve first rebelled against God, we have been living in a fractured version of the world He created.
That’s why Jesus’ message resonates so strongly. He speaks of renewal and restoration. Jesus’ sacrifice provides a path to harmony with God and brings things back to the way He originally intended them to be. As believers, this is what we ultimately want for people—a relationship with Jesus. True restoration can only come from Him. At the North American Mission Board, we see the need to look at our cities with a restorative lens—one that empowers and equips local churches with the vision and resources needed to holistically make disciples. Spiritual needs will always be our top priority, but there are also emotional needs pastors and churches should be prepared to address. Economic resources, such as job creation and employment training, can impact communities and open doors to the hope of the gospel. In addition, there are various social issues the church and believers must help a community navigate to bring restoration. Needs cross economic and racial lines. Every community in North America needs restoration because every community suffers from the effects of brokenness. As we help local churches bring the hope of the gospel to their communities, we want to increasingly equip them for this kind of ministry. What a great opportunity for churches and believers to be part of the larger restoration process Jesus is accomplishing. 2
As you look around your community, where can your church be more involved? What areas are in need of the kind of restoration only gospel transformation can bring? Pray God will direct you, and then step out in faith to see what He will do.
Learn how you can impact your community at namb.net and SendRelief.org.
PACK IN A BACKPACK With Send Relief backpacks, you can lead your church to serve: › › › ›
Impoverished children Refugees Kids in foster care Victims of human trafficking
And with our two-for-one program, you can buy one and give one.
Check it out at SendRelief.org/Backpacks
3
the pulse
How evangelicals see America 45% of American evangelicals feel newcomers in the U.S. threaten American values compared to only 34% of all Americans. 73% of American evangelicals feel comfortable with a female president compared to 85% of all Americans. 18% of American evangelicals describe themselves as environmentalists compared to 37% of all Americans.
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Restoration
Sources: PRRI.org, 2015; Barna.com, 2017
Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. (1 Cor. 1:10, CSB)
Division in America MTV and PRRI recently partnered together to ask 15- to 24-year-olds in America what they felt was causing divide in the country. Only 38% felt religion was causing division, putting it at the bottom of the list. The biggest cause of division was believed to be politics (77%) followed by wealth and income (57%) and race (48%). Source: Facts & Trends, Summer 2018
A troubling rise
S
ince 1999, there has been a 28% rise in suicides in America. A total of 44,965 Americans died of
suicide in 2016. From 2010 to 2016, there was a 70% increase in suicides among females alone. Source: TIME, June 18, 2018
Who’s reading the Bible? Barna recently released their 2018 State of the Bible survey and found that city dwellers (53%) and small town or rural residents (49%) are more likely to read the Bible than those in the suburbs (42%). The South ranked highest in Bible readers (55%) followed by the Midwest (49%). Source: Barna.com, June 10, 2018
Church plant diversity
M
ore than half of all churches started by Southern Baptists each year identify as
ethnic or multiethnic.
Source: NAMB Research, 2017
Heard Restoration is a great topic and title, but ultimately, it's about who we're restored to. Jesus didn't come just to create a beautiful word or the idea of restoration. He came to restore us to Himself.” Kempton Turner, Send Network Values e-book
The greatest need in every community is unique to the area. You can’t just go in and provide what you think they need before you’ve taken the time to understand the city.” Ashley Austin, Send Network Values e-book Source: NAMB
5
the pulse
Porn on the brain Access to porn has seen an uptick in the past five years due
Measured
to mobile devices. A recent study from Covenant Eyes found that viewing porn not only led to disconnection in personal relationships but also lowered people’s view of women and desensitized people to cruelty. Source: Covenant Eyes “Your Brain on Porn” e-book, 2018
Perception on tithing LifeWay Research recently polled American Protestants who regularly attend church. Here were their thoughts on tithing:
48%
Can go to other Christian ministries
47%
Can only go to the church
6
34%
Can go to an individual in need
18%
Can go to a secular charity Source: Christianity Today, July/August 2018
Dropping birth rate
B
irths in the U.S. are at an all-time low. A 2018 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services showed 2018 had the lowest number of births since 1987. This is the third year in a row that births have declined. Source: Vital Statistics Rapid Release, May 2018
Noted The urban-suburban-rural divide
T
he majority of Americans in urban (65%), suburban (52%) and rural (70%) environments feel that people who live in different
communities do not understand the problems they face.
Source: PewSocialTrends.com, May 22, 2018
Theology matters LifeWay Research recently released a new study revealing churchgoers care about the doctrine of their faith communities. According to this study, participants had a much higher tolerance for music style over doctrine.
A stress shot Scientists are currently working on a possible stress immunization. If replicated in clinical studies, this shot could protect against PTS, anxiety and treatment-based depression. Source: ScienceDaily.com, June 6, 2018
Source: ChristianityToday.com, July 6, 2018
Money and the millennial A recent survey by the group Nuveen found that 92% of millennials agreed with the statement “I care more about having a positive impact on society than doing well financially.”
Violence in schools
A
majority of Americans believe school violence stems from
Among non-millennials, only 52% agreed with this statement. Source: Relevant, July/August 2018
it is from undiagnosed or untreated mental illness. Other reasons
Be our guest
include easy access to guns (27%), violence on television (22%) and
A recent LifeWay Research survey of Protestant
violence in music (14%).
pastors asked how churches welcome first-time
Source: Barna.com, September 12, 2017
guests. Ninety-six percent said they have an
difficult family situations (51%). Forty-three percent believe
opportunity to meet the pastor after the service, and 95% have greeters at the entrances.
Hashtag activism
Other methods churches have include cards for
2018 marks the fifth anniversary of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.
for new people (65%) and gifts for first time
A recent analysis by Pew Research on the hashtag discovered it
guests (44%).
has been used nearly 30 million times on Twitter—an average of 17,002 times a day. They also discovered 69% of Americans feel these platforms are important for accomplishing a range of political goals. Source: PewInternet.org, July 11, 2018
guests to fill out (83%), an information session
Source: Facts & Trends, Summer 2018
Inner-city poverty There are 328 cities in the U.S. with inner cities. Nearly a quarter of America’s poverty is found in the inner city. Source: ICIC.org, 2018
7
the pulse
Because you give… Puerto Rico Hurricane Recovery
Nearly 500,000 of 3,351,827 residents fled Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Here’s how your generosity has restored and rebuilt Puerto Rico since the tragedy.
800,000 Send Relief meals distributed 44,000+ church indigenous people involved in the island’s SBC congregations
1,100 Send Relief water filters distributed 150+ professions of faith pastor packs with generators, fuel tanks, propane 125 stoves, cookware, chain saws, lights and extension
cords provided
8
Send Relief large containers of water, hygiene 7 products, first aid kits, diapers and dry food packs
transported
2 airplane loads of emergency supplies delivered
Contribute to the response effort, or serve with Send Relief at SendRelief.org/Puerto-Rico. Pray for Puerto Rico, and stay in the loop on the restoration at SendRelief.org/News.
YOUR CHURCH AND RACIAL RECONCILIATION
J.D. GREEAR & DHATI LEWIS
5-week video series and discussion guide
IF THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN ALL AGREE ON, IT’S THAT OUR NATION IS DIVIDED. We’re divided along party lines, poverty lines and, especially, racial lines. That division has crept into our churches as well.
YOUR CHURCH & RACIAL RECONCILIATION
J.D. GREEAR & DHATI LEWIS
But that’s not how God designed the Church. We are meant to be an undivided example in a divided world. This 5-week video series and discussion guide will help you move your church toward genuine gospel community.
For more information and resources related to racial reconciliation, visit
undivided.net
the five
5 Effects of illiteracy By Claudean Boatman
Illiteracy colors every area of the non-reader’s life with dark hues. I witnessed consequences of not reading well when I was a child, but I didn’t understand what I was seeing. Now, I look back and understand that illiteracy was a powerful, negative force in my family.
1
People who can’t read at a functional level become dependent on coping mechanisms.
10
2
Non-readers often live in isolation.
They avoid going to new parts of town because they can’t read signs or directions. They miss intimate moments with children and grandchildren because they can’t read with them. They ignore what they can’t read—everything from manhole covers to notes from their children’s teachers. They don’t work with others if there is risk their illiteracy will be discovered. They don’t go where they may be asked to read aloud, including Bible study.
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Illiteracy leaves one vulnerable to deception.
Many trust few people with their secret, including family members. Much of our lives takes place
I once overheard my family members talking about
in writing. Even family members could take
how they had copied labels from food packages
advantage of one who does not know how
to match in the store, but most of the packages
to read. Non-readers are often deceived
had changed, so they didn’t know for sure if they
financially by unethical advisors. When they
got what they wanted. Some strategies effectively
live on a cash basis, they are at the mercy
conceal illiteracy while others barely mask it. Non-
of those who cash their checks. Spiritual
readers develop listening skills and a superior
charlatans find the illiterate easy prey
memory to survive each day.
because they can’t verify for themselves what they are taught.
Personal experience gives Claudean insight and compassion as she teaches reading skills and trains through literacy ministry.
4
A non-reading life creates fear.
There’s a fear of discovery, failure and new experiences. “What’s the correct dose of medicine to give a child? How will I know which bus to take? What’s in that letter from the government? Who can I trust?” Fear is the binding agent in a non-reader’s life that keeps him or her paralyzed.
5
Low self-esteem plagues the illiterate.
In their own eyes, not reading makes them not good enough. They feel unworthy of love and respect. Even low-functioning readers question their ability to contribute to their homes, communities and churches. The ability to read re-colors their world with shades of hope. 11
Claudean Boatman is coordinator of the National Literacy Missions Partnership that trains churches to help adult low-level readers, struggling students and internationals to speak English.
Learn how to start an adult-literacy ministry at your church at SendRelief.org.
How do we begin a support group for foster and adoptive families in our church? What kind of resources or specific support should we offer? — Grace, Roswell, Georgia
12
Tera Melber
S
tart small. Host a fellowship with the foster and adoptive families in your
church. Listen to their stories and needs.
Jim Daly
S
uccessful foster and adoptive families are often surrounded and sus-
tained by the local church. This outreach
Jason Johnson
W
e want families to come in to support groups and feel safe.
We want them to feel like this is a place
Chances are, if you are feeling compelled
may look different based on the size and
where they can share exactly what’s
to begin a ministry, the Lord is already
gifts of a congregation, but the scriptural
going on and be understood. At the
moving in the lives of the families there.
call is clear. Because the needs are many,
same time, we want them to walk out of
As you pray, determine if you want to
the ways to help are, too. Churches may
the group encouraged, having a renewed
host couples, moms or dads. Consider
start a support group to encourage and
perspective and feeling empowered to
hosting during mid-week services since
pray with, and for, these families. People
continue. It’s important to have directed
childcare is typically in place.
who have walked the foster and adoptive
resources to guide conversation.
road can reach out to new ones. Those
Reframing Foster Care has an element
Support groups can provide prayer and
who enjoy children may babysit and
throughout of group discussion questions
encouragement, equipping through
allow parents time for a meal. We can
that can be used for that purpose.
book studies or simple fellowship with
all lend an ear by listening to challenges
like-minded families. All of these are
and celebrating wins. Most importantly,
There are four key elements to support:
necessary and needed. While meeting,
foster and adoptive families need to be
practical, relational, educational, and
pray through challenges and celebrate
reminded they’re not alone. The Lord is
spiritual. All are necessary for families.
victories with your families. By sharing
by their side every step of the way.
these experiences together, foster and
Jason Johnson, foster parent and
adoptive families are strengthened to
Jim Daly, foster parent and President
Director of Church Ministry Initiatives
walk their journeys with confidence.
of Focus on the Family.
with Christian Alliance for Orphans.
Find a list of recommended resources
Find practical advice from Jason Johnson
Tera Melber, adoptive parent and host of
on foster care from Focus on the Family
on how to support foster families at
the Adopting & Fostering Home podcast.
at SendRelief.org/fotf.
SendRelief.org/JasonJohnson.
Learn more about how your church can minister to foster and adoptive families at SendRelief.org.
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Collegiates 14
Collegiate church plants aim to reach college campuses and the community surrounding the campus itself.
people gr ou ps
O
nly 1% of the world’s population is on college campuses, but it has the potential to be the most powerful percent on the planet. “While the campus may not fit tightly into the sociological or missiological people group definition, the university campus and especially the students gathered there create a unique and extremely strategic block population,” says Brian Frye, collegiate evangelism strategist for the North American Mission Board. “With tremendous similarity in terms of beliefs, values, backgrounds and trajectories, they are one of the most important groups of people to reach. To reach the cultures of tomorrow, it is paramount to reach the campus today.”
PHOTO BY DANIEL MCCULLOUGH
“This small sliver of humanity is, and will be, the leader of every facet of society,” says Steve Shadrach, author of The Fuel and the Flame: A Handbook for Campus Ministry. “Every state and every country send their best and brightest to universities for education and training. Almost 1/4th of the world’s college students reside in North America, and they represent the most reachable, recruit-able, trainable and send-able category of people on the planet.”
In 2017, 20.4 million students attended an American college or university, which was an increase of about 5.1 million since the year 2000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Though many college students were brought up in different cultures and beliefs, college is where God brings diversity together. Students eat in dining halls together. They go to events and take classes together. They study, travel and work together. “As a group, there is a growing openness among college students toward the gospel,” Steve says. “My observation is students are more open to new ideas and technologies, to philosophies and to beliefs that are different from their ancestors. Who and what will fill that gap? Will it be other world religions, cults, secularism, or will what fills the gap be the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ?” “Eight of their 10 most important life decisions often happen before collegiates reach 30,” Brian says. “NAMB is working hard to make sure the gospel impacts those decisions. What people learn and live becomes their way of life but Bill Bright with Campus Crusade for Christ once said, ‘If we win the campus, we win the world.’”
Learn more about church planting in collegiate communities at namb.net/Collegiate.
Are you a college student looking for an opportunity to live on mission? Discover your next step at SendRelief.org/GenSend.
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Kesavan Balasingham, church planter In Rouge Park, Kesavan Balasingham has daily opportunities to share his difficult and emotional story of adjusting to life in a new country. Hear his story at namb.net/RougePark.
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Rouge Park
n e igh bor h ood portrai t
K
esavan Balasingham doesn’t have to get on an airplane to see the world. He just has to step outside his front door. Kesavan is a church planter in Toronto’s Rouge Park neighborhood.
Who Is My Neighbor?
Kesavan and his church have discovered creative ways to build witnessing relationships with their neighbors. Find out what those are at namb.net/ RougePark.
Rouge Park is one of the most multicultural neighborhoods in one of the most multicultural cities on earth. Of the 6.5 million people who live in Toronto, 2.3 million are immigrants. And in Rouge Park, almost half the residents speak a language other than English. In 2015, a congregation in a neighboring community sent Kesavan and his family to plant Fellowship Church Rouge Park. Like thousands of other people there, Kesavan and his wife, Viji, are immigrants from Sri Lanka, so meeting people from other countries came naturally. Kesavan says, “Our church started as we began to just walk the streets, pray and talk to people.”
The World is my Neighbor
More than half the people here were born in another country. Find out what Kesavan’s church has learned about sharing the gospel with internationals at namb.net/RougePark.
PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GRIME
A Church of Neighbors
Many people have come to Kesavan’s church after hearing his testimony. Hear one dramatic story of life-change from Kesavan’s church at namb.net/ RougePark.
Sidewalk conversations were not the only way Kesavan connected with neighbors. As a teenager, Kesavan was a highly-ranked soccer player. “My dream was to play soccer for the Canadian National Team,” he remembers. “I loved playing soccer!” Kesavan channeled that lifelong passion and, along with volunteers from his church, organized a kids’ sports camp. Those camps, now a yearly neighborhood tradition, opened doors for gospel conversations. As a result, people from 14 countries now attend Fellowship Church Rouge Park, and Kesavan is convinced he and his neighborhood were made for each other. “This is the harvest where God wants us to work, to pray and to see people who don’t know Jesus becoming worshippers of Christ.”
Visit namb.net/RougePark to learn more about how you can help missionaries like Kesavan plant churches and share the gospel with people in neighborhoods like Rouge Park.
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A GENERA DISAP 18
ATION PEARING ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID REINBOLD
I
nitially, it’s a choice, but drug use soon becomes a disease. It can affect anyone— family members, coworkers, neighbors and friends—and lead down a dark path. They don’t want to live on the streets, panhandle and shoplift. They don’t want to feel less-than or live off their families and friends. They don’t want to struggle.
19
We are drowning in this as a country; everywhere I go, small towns are being eaten up with this stuff. I’m not afraid to speak against the opioid crisis from the pulpit and call out the epidemic sweeping our community.” D onnie Griggs, pastor of One Harbor Church Morehead City, North Carolina
By Josie Bingham
B
“When you’re told all your life that you’re unworthy and dumb, you start believing it,” Jerry says. “I got
ut addiction leads people to places they never dreamed of going. In 2015, drug overdoses claimed
more lives than car accidents and gun
violence. It’s time churches started talking about addiction. It’s time for churches to educate their congregations and communities and become part of the solution.
saved, and it changed me. God has changed me.”
Human Trafficking Eloise, 28
E
loise is a nickname. She wants to remain anonymous because she sells herself for
heroin.
Poverty Jerry, 55
I 20
For women addicted to opioids, selling themselves for drugs can be dangerous. Eloise knows firsthand; she’s been attacked many times. She wants
n a small town, appearances matter. Jerry grew
to go home, but the addiction traps her.
up poor with a dad who hit him. Unable to hide
from the abuse, he ran. Jerry never finished school.
“I want to quit real bad, but it’s really hard,” Eloise
Instead, he broke his body with heavy labor. One
says. “You feel trapped.”
day, the prescribed pills made everything better, and he started taking them to not only work but to
Churches can help by partnering with local shelters
feel alive again.
and safe houses and by building partnerships with hospitals and recovery treatment facilities in their
He hated who he had become—a man who sold
communities. The North American Mission Board
everything he owned, except the shirt and shorts
partners with the Baptist Friendship House in New
he was wearing, to buy pills on the streets. Hope
Orleans to provide safe places and to minister
seemed laughable until Jerry gave his life to Jesus.
to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of
Which drugs are opioids? • Painkillers such as codeine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, meperidine, morphine, methadone, buprenorphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone and naloxone are opioids. Heroin is also an opioid but is illegal. • Opioids are sold under brand names Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora, Hysingla, ER, Zohydro, ER, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Exalgo, Dolophine, Methadose, Astramorph, Avinza, Kadian, MS Contin, OraMorph SR, OxyContin, Percocet, Palladone, Vicodin, Percodan, Tylox and Demerol.
Foster Care and Adoption Krystal, Joziah’s mom
K
rystal started using heroin when Joziah was a toddler.
“I was not a nice mom when I was using actively,” Krystal says. “It wasn’t that the drugs left me no time to parent him properly. It’s that the drugs made me not want to. I wanted to do what I had to do. It’s a full-time job being a drug addict.” Sometimes she didn’t make dinner because she was either too high or was looking for her next fix. Krystal has been sober for several years now and has a healthy relationship with Joziah. Many states hit hardest by the opioid crisis experienced significant increase in children entering the foster care system between 2014 and 2018. In Ohio, the number of children in state custody has grown by 28%. Foster populations are up over 30% in Alabama, Alaska, California, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota and New Hampshire. In West Virginia, home of the highest overdose rates in the nation, the foster population has increased by 42%.
What can we do? “Nobody did this on purpose, but we’ve created
women surviving human trafficking.
the perfect storm,” says Joel Rainey, pastor of Covenant Church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
If you need help, call the Human Trafficking hotline
“What was pain management is now abuse. Shame
1 (888) 373-7888. Or text “HELP” or “INFO” to
and isolation are side effects. What opioids do to
233733.
a person’s prefrontal cortex from first use really makes opioid addiction one of the most deadly
21
22
There should be a difference in the community because the church exists.” E d Stetzer, director of the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton, Illinois
diseases. It’s got a different set of recovery issues because of how these drugs affect the brain. “As believers, we’ve got to understand this type of addiction and engage in loving them and ‘scaring
Common physical and behavior signs
straight’ those who have been spared the addic-
• Anxiety
tion. There’s an education component and many
• Irritability
other elements we need to address in order to
• Hyperactivity
battle this disease differently. Addiction is killing
• Lethargy
everybody. We need to develop friendships and engage in an inter-agency forum where we stand together against opioid addiction. We don’t change what we believe as Christians;
• U npredictable mood swings • Tremors • Shakiness
we simply learn how to love each other despite
• Red eyes
our differences and host community forums to get
• Runny nose
to know each other, so we can maintain education
• P roblems with coordination
and create action plans that have a bigger impact
• A constant need for money • P oor work or school performance • U nexplained confusion • U nusual weight gain or loss • P hysical withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug • C hanges in attitude or with friends for no reason
on the opioid crisis.” Josie Bingham is the assistant editor of On Mission.
23
For information on drug treatment programs for addiction and substance abuse by state, visit DrugTreatmentProgram.net/Tag/Southern-Baptist-Convention.
To help someone with substance abuse or mental health issues, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline at (800) 622-4357, or visit online at samhsa.gov/Find-Help/National-Helpline.
Learn how your church can identify and meet needs in your community at SendRelief.org.
Matt and James were friends before they were brothers in Christ. The consistency of that friendship displayed the hope of the gospel to James.
24
Not my dream, but God’s How one small Toronto church plant grew by giving people away. Opening his Bible, he flipped to the gospels.
By Tobin Perry
A
The more Matt read, the easier it was to see Jesus’
s Toronto church planter Matt Hess read a church planting book by an expert he respected, he came to a sentence that shook him…
pattern of multiplication. He noticed how Jesus developed The Twelve, then the inner circle of Peter, James and John and then specifically focused on discipling Peter.
You shouldn’t plant a church until you have a core
Matt realized God wasn’t calling him to start a
group of 50.
mega-church in his new adopted city—but multiple churches spread throughout the Greater Toronto
“I have five—and we all have the same last name,”
Area.
Matt thought.
Undercover discipling Discouraged, he went down to his basement and cried out to God. The Hess family had recently
First, God gave Matt a vision for multiplication.
arrived in the fourth-largest city in North America with the overwhelming conviction God had called
25
Then God gave him James Greaves.
them to start a church—Fellowship Pickering. Weeks after that ministry-altering encounter with Matt didn’t have a clear vision of what God wanted
God, Matt went door-to-door in his neighborhood.
PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GRIME
to do in the new church, but he did have a call. James’ door was one Matt knocked on that day. “I know You told us to come here, and I know You
James grew up in a family that rarely talked about
want to do something special here, but I don’t
spiritual matters, but he listened to Matt politely.
know what it is,” Matt told God.
When Matt invited James to be a part of the
Between all Fellowship churches, more than 150 people have been baptized in the past four years with more people coming to Christ on a regular basis.
church’s core group and to attend their first infor-
Fellowship Pickering needed a church planting
mational meeting, James decided to give it a shot.
pipeline, a way to grow leaders for the compelling mission in front of the church. The more God
“I spent time around them afterward,” James says.
cultivated His vision within Matt, the more Matt
“They were some of the sweetest people I’d ever
understood that the future leaders and church
met. It was there that some of my preconceived
planters were in the harvest.
notions of church and God started to break down. But I still had a long road ahead of me.”
Finding a church planter in the harvest
Matt invited James into his life on a regular basis.
26
When Matt ran errands, James tagged along.
Matt still had no idea one of those future church
Whatever Matt, his wife, Arrica, and their kids
planters would be James. He hadn’t even commit-
were doing on Saturday, they invited James to join
ted his life to Christ. But Matt kept faithfully sharing
them.
the gospel with James through words and actions.
“I got a chance to see how Matt’s family and the
During the preview service, Matt began a series
people who were around in those early stages
entitled “Googling God,” where he answered
of the church treated others,” James says. “I saw
some of the most common questions about Chris-
things they would do for people. Our relationship
tianity. James carefully listened to the series and
was just undercover-discipling me.”
began to reflect upon spiritual matters.
Developing a church planting pipeline
Around the same time, James’ grandfather died. “In desperation, I began asking God tough ques-
At the same time, Matt continued working out the
tions I had never asked before,” James says.
vision God gave him to start 12 new churches in 10 years. To do that, he had to find more church plant-
When James was asked to speak at his grand-
ers. The most obvious limitation wasn’t resources,
father’s funeral, he turned to Matt for help. Matt
and it certainly wasn’t finding places in greater
turned to the gospel. At his grandfather’s funeral,
Toronto area that needed new churches.
James shared the gospel for the first time—before he was even a Christian.
The limitation was leaders.
Discipling relationships are an intentional part of all Fellowship church plants.
Because of Matt’s faithful witness, James became a
One day while he was traveling for work, James
follower of Jesus.
called Matt.
A new church in Bowmanville—and beyond
“Hey man, I need to talk to you about something,”
Matt developed a process that allowed him to
Matt braced for what came next.
James told Matt.
spend consistent time with the potential church planters in his congregation. His wife, Arrica, also
“I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going
invests heavily in future church planters’ wives,
to say it,” James says. “I really think I’m called
mentoring and providing discipleship.
to ministry. I think I’m called to preach and plant churches. I don’t want to do anything else with my
“The biggest thing for us is to nail down the call-
life.”
ing,” Matt says. “If we can nail down the calling, everything else falls into place we’ve discovered.”
That was five years ago. Since then, Fellowship
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Pickering has started three other churches, and
As Matt looks back on the six years since the first
Matt continues to disciple James. At times, Matt
Fellowship Pickering service, he can easily see
and James have had to press pause on church-
God’s faithfulness. Fellowship Bowmanville will be
planting plans as James worked through different
the church’s fourth church plant. Thanks to their
challenges in his life, but they have persevered.
church planting pipeline, the church plans to start three more in the next two years. Between all
This fall James will launch Fellowship Bowmanville.
Fellowship churches, more than 150 people have
Though the church will share a name, it will be
been baptized in the past four years with more
completely autonomous from Fellowship Pickering.
people coming to Christ on a regular basis.
And, in keeping with Fellowship’s conviction to build multiplication into the DNA of each new plant,
It hasn’t been easy. With every new church plant,
James is developing leaders who can help start
they’ve sent out some of their best leaders—both
new churches in the city even as he makes plans to
the church planters and the teams they’ve taken
get Fellowship Bowmanville up and running.
with them. They’ve given away a seasoned missionary and his family, an elder candidate, committed
One of the future leaders James is developing is
children’s ministry leaders and more to help start
Harley McLeod, who he meets with weekly. Just as
new churches.
Matt did with him, James helps Harley apply the
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Bible to personal and ministry issues in his life.
But God is faithful.
“Right now we’re working through developing an
“This isn’t my dream; it’s God’s,” Matt says. “When
‘oikos map,’ where we put ourselves in the center
you live with open hands, He does really incredible
of the map and then draw lines to people we’re
things with your life.”
most in contact with,” Harley says. “It’s a great way to visualize how we can multiply as we share the
Tobin Perry is a freelance writer.
gospel.”
Learn how you can start a church planting pipline at your church by visiting namb.net/Pipeline.
Looking for laborers in the harvest is a sustainable and biblical model for raising up church planters and other missionaries.
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Baltimore: Rebuilding mode PHOTO ESSAY BY DAE JEONG
30
Produced by Tony Hudson
I
f you ask residents of West Baltimore about their neighborhood, they
won’t always want to talk about poverty and crime. Instead, they’ll tell you stories about football, and how a kids’ sports league is opening doors for local churches to heal hurts and restore broken places.
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Guys like being part of something. We all yearn for community. That’s not just an urban thing. That’s a human thing.” Jeff Thompson
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“Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people in the cities of our God. May God do what is right in His sight” (2 Sam. 10:12). That’s where 10:12 Sports gets its name.
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“If you look at our city on the news, you would think it’s very violent. But there’s a level of beauty in West Baltimore that, unless you’ve lived here, you wouldn’t realize it.” Sean Goodrich
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There’s an epidemic of fatherlessness in this city. There’s a lack of masculinity. Having men of God in the league as coaches, who are mentoring kids, is just one step in the right direction.” Sean Goodrich
“We want to see a strong, Christ-centered shift in the community because young men are being discipled. � Jeff Thompson
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“This is more than football. It’s about helping the kids to see and walking with them as they see the plans God has for their lives.” Jeff Thompson
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Watch how God is using 10:12 Sports to bring healing and restoration to Baltimore at namb.net/1012.
Visit Undivided.net to learn more about a free 5-week video series with pastors J.D. Greear and Dhati Lewis on navigating racial reconciliation as a Church.
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Snapshots of covocational pastors North America needs the gospel. In order to accomplish this, it’s important to reconsider and redefine traditional church planting. From firefighters to brokers, coffee shop owners to salesmen, God is transforming everyday vocations and using covocational pastors to advance the gospel.
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Produced by Meredith Yackel
Finding God in a coffee shop John Steger Pastor, Grace in the City Church Minneapolis, Minnesota Coffee shop and work space owner
I
built a career around a drive to make more money. With 34 years in the auto industry, I had worked my way up the ranks as a partner and general
manager of a car dealership. But when I became a believer in 2003, God began pointing me in a direction I never anticipated. In 2015, I finally surrendered to the call of church planting. I knew I wanted to be with the people of the community in an accessible and relatable way. A coffee shop seemed like the perfect platform to do community ministry seven days a week, and that’s what we’ve done. By God’s grace, He has not only grown our business but grown His Church. We’ve leased the entire first floor of our building for co-working and events and use it for our worship center,
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which enables us to see a diverse community come to faith in Christ. He is unfolding His redemptive plan for our city, and step-by-step we are trusting He will continue to do great things.
Escaping the norm David Crowe Pastor, Grace Christian Fellowship Abingdon, Virginia Escape Room owner
I
haven’t always been covocational, so I truly understand both sides to ministry. When I made the transition to Grace Christian Fellowship, I knew
I was going to have to become covocational to support my family. We had an opportunity to open an Escape Room experience, and because of their current popularity and the flexibility it provides, it has been a great experience. Many may think I went backwards in ministry when I took on covocational ministry, but I have found I better identify with my congregation than I previously had. I have truly learned the importance of training my congregation to minister throughout the week instead of relying on church-related activities to reach the community. I am just now learning to do marketplace ministry, but it has helped me better equip the church to go out and make Christ known—just as I get to do! The covocational pastor is just as important as a full-time minister, and his congregation is just as vital in the kingdom of God.
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Ministry is everywhere Derrick Miller Pastor, Makers Church San Diego, California Firefighter
I
went to a Christian college thinking I would go into traditional ministry. However, Christian colleges are expensive, so I needed a high-paying sum-
mer job to make my own way. That summer I ended up working as a Wildland Firefighter—fighting fires in the mountains and national parks—and something in me came alive. As a kid, I always thought firefighters were cool, but I never imagined I would become one. I truly loved it. I never understood how firefighting and ministry could coincide until I wrote a college paper on Paul as a tentmaker, and my whole perspective changed. We named our church “Makers Church” because we love the idea of everyone being a tent maker. Everyone on our staff is covocational—whether they are
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a web developer or an English teacher. Our whole church pursues ministry in every aspect of life, and we have seen God move in fantastic ways.
Leaning into your giftings Dave Blehm Pastor, Faith Journey Parachute, Colorado Flooring salesman
T
he town of Parachute, and the entire surrounding area, has less than 6,000 residents. Even though we are small, our community has five pot
shops and the nation’s only drive thru dispensary. Our area looks a lot different than most, so our church does too. It can be easy to get caught up in tradition, but there isn’t only one way to do things. Although covocational ministry is a different approach than we have seen in recent church history, I’m encouraged by how the early church also functioned covocationally in the New Testament. I encourage other covocational guys to use the gifts God has given them to lead within biblical boundaries. When we find our identities in Christ, He sets us free to be who He has made us to be. By leaning into who God made me to be, I can do so much more in the ministry God has entrusted to me. 45
They see me as their friend Josh George Pastor, Quinebaug River Church Griswold, Connecticut Case manager for Youth and Family Services
I
was a pilot for Delta when I felt God leading me to be a pastor. I spent my first 10 years of ministry as an associate pastor, but a few years ago God
called me to church planting. I knew I would need to be covocational, and because being a pilot isn’t necessarily a ministry-friendly job, I knew I needed to find something different. In preparation for planting River Church, God provided an opportunity to volunteer for the Parks and Rec department which led to a part-time position as a case manager for the local juvenile review board. I now work with kids who’ve had a bad day and were arrested for minor crimes in town, and I’m able to help them restore justice to their situations. God has given me a platform to be truly helpful to my community.
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Our mission as a church is to love God and people. As a parent, it means so much to me when I see others pour into my children and love them, and that’s exactly what I get to do every day. I love that I get to meet with families looking for help for their children. I also love that being covocational means I am regularly engaged in my community and can meet new people all the time. People in the community know who I am and see me as their friend.
Ministry on the front lines Doug Hollen Pastor, Berean Bible Fellowship Afton, Wyoming Stock broker
A
stock broker probably seems like an odd vocation for a covocational pastor. Honestly, if you would have told me in my 20s I would be doing
both of these things, I would not have believed you. But in my late 30s—right before my career was about to take off—that is exactly what I found myself doing. I had always felt a tug toward church planting but never had a clear calling until then. God continued to point me toward Matthew 6:19-21 where Jesus talks about storing up treasures in heaven instead of on Earth. In 2002, after a mission trip to Wyoming, I knew God was calling me to covocational ministry, so I quit my job and started my own company. I named my company Frontline Financial Services because I wanted it to remind me the business exists to underwrite the gospel of Christ on the front lines. The community I live in is small—under 4,000 people—and 90 percent of the population is Mormon. I truly serve on the frontlines. Covocational church planting is important. If we are going to reach the world for Christ, it’s going to take all hands on deck.
Are you ready to take your first step toward church planting? Learn more about covocational church planting at SendNetwork.com.
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This article was excerpted from the Send Network Values e-book.
Restoration through the Great Requirement Have you ever heard the saying, “Save the soul, and the rest will follow”? This unfortunately characterizes the historic actions of many American evangelicals. We’ve reduced the gospel to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Yet, in all our evangelistic zeal, we have tragically missed a key component of the gospel—holistic restoration through the Great Requirement. By Dhati Lewis
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biblically, they are intricately tied together. Holistic restoration should be an expression of loving
e see the Great Requirement in
God and our neighbors and always leads toward
Micah 6:8:
making disciples.
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
I serve as the lead pastor of Blueprint Church
and what does the Lord require of you
in Atlanta, Georgia. Our central mission is to
but do justice, and to love kindness,
unleash healthy people to do ministry where life
and to walk humbly with your God?”
exists. Over the years, I have seen firsthand the importance of addressing the many facets of life
God requires us to do justice, love kindness and
to make healthy disciples and effectively engage
walk humbly with Him. The Great Requirement
our communities. We have to address aspects
does not happen separately from our commis-
of the spiritual, emotional, economic and social
sion and commandment. When each are done
dynamics of our communities. These are the four
pillars we are using at the Send Network to build
accessible counseling for their communities. I am
the framework of community restoration:
a firm believer that our emotions are gifts from
1. Spiritual Historically, the spiritual pillar is where the church spends the majority of their focus. Too often, churches have shifted the jobs of community restoration to nonprofits, ignoring the fact that
God to help us live fully in a tragic world. But the brokenness of our world can often leave us with festering, unattended wounds. We want to equip and empower local churches to play a role in walking their community members toward emotional health and healing.
and restore systemic and community brokenness.
3. Economic
Many evangelicals fear if we engage in social
As we address systemic issues in our community,
issues, we will end up losing the essence and core
one of the major factors is economic stability.
of the gospel. Our plan is to double down by
Communities thrive when individuals are given
partnering with local seminaries to help undergird
opportunities to learn, grow and succeed. Job
what local churches are doing to spiritually equip
readiness training is a great way for local churches
their members.
to partner with the community to create enriching
2. Emotional
opportunities. Sustainable restorative efforts are a
God has uniquely positioned churches to serve
We are working to establish a counseling network to allow small churches and church plants to offer
tangible way for the community to see how God can take brokenness and radically transform lives.
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4. Social The social pillar is where we begin to partner with local nonprofits and para-church ministries to address social needs in our communities. The social pillar may look a little different depending on the community. This pillar will address issues ranging from educational disparities to racial reconciliation and political issues. The gospel calls us to take action and lead the way in reconciling broken aspects of our community.
It’s not a priority until it’s your problem.
shepherd.” A shepherd is primarily responsible for being with the sheep. Jesus was distressed because there was a multitude of people without anyone to be with them. The same is true for many of the neighborhoods in our cities. If we want to truly engage with our neighbors, we cannot settle for a few hours of charity work here and there. We must be with people to engage in life-on-life disciple making and restoration. And holistic restoration happens in two ways: proximity and relationship. a) Proximity: By being present and indigenous to the area we want to minister to, we find out the needs of our community.
The gospel does not neglect restoration; it lifts it up. When we decide to stand in the gap, we
b) Relationships: When we enter into authentic
can have a systemic impact in our community.
relationships with our neighbors, their problems
At Blueprint, one of the ways we engaged our
become ours because Christ has called us to
community was through the schools in our
share each other’s burdens.
neighborhood. I firmly believe a problem is not a real problem until it’s your problem. The issues
Our compassion compels us through the Great
of our neighborhood schools became our issues
Commandment to love when crisis strikes. Yet, for
because our children and the children of other
many, crisis has been the norm for generations.
church members were experiencing it firsthand. It
Our conviction pushes us forward in the Great
wasn’t just that kids in the community were being
Commission to make disciples. Yet, we stop there,
underserved, but our kids were being under-
hoping that if we save the soul everything else will
served too. So our church family who lived in the
fall in line. In doing so, we have failed to realize
neighborhood rallied to address real needs and
that our refusal to validate our neighbors’ current
partner with teachers and school leaders to see
struggles is more offensive than the gospel itself.
powerful change take place.
But when God’s people engage holistically in the broken aspects of their community, a beautiful
How this happens 50
In Matthew 9, Jesus told His disciples that “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” In context, the harvest are people who were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
depiction of the gospel is on display for the whole community to see. Dhati Lewis is the lead pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta, Georgia and the executive director of community restoration at NAMB.
This article is an excerpt from the Send Network Values e-book. Find more resources like this at SendNetwork.com.
Connect with your local Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. For SBDR opportunities, visit namb.net/SBDR
Send help. Send hope.
Volunteer with Send Relief’s Houston Rebuild or Puerto Rico’s long-term response. To volunteer, go to sendrelief.org/Houston or sendrelief.org/PuertoRico
r ec ommended
Ministry Word-Centered Church: How Scripture Brings Life and Growth to God’s People Jonathan Leeman (Moody Publishers, 2017) We spend hours strategizing how to structure and design everything the church does from preaching to prayer, decor to discipleship, communion to community and work days to worship style. But could it be that in our fight for effectiveness we’re overlooking the ultimate key to faithfulness? Could it be church leaders have lost confidence in the ministry of the Word? That’s what Jonathan Leeman asks in his book, Word-Centered Church. Leeman focuses the reader’s attention on the firm foundation for everything the local church is and does—the Word of God. Leeman’s book helps readers understand why God’s Word is the primary instrument for growing God’s Church. Word-Centered Church discusses how Scripture brings life and growth to God’s people through three categories: the Word, the Sermon and the Church. Leeman explains what each is and what each is designed to do by God. With additional resources at the end of each chapter, Word-Centered Church is deeply theological, yet personally practical. 52
So whether you’re preparing to plant and need to think through what the local church is, you need a fresh reminder or you’re lost and need to get your church back on track, Word-Centered Church is a useful tool as you seek to lead Christ’s Church in both faithfulness and effectiveness. Noah Oldham is the lead pastor of August Gate Church in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the Send City missionary of St. Louis at the North American Mission Board. He and his wife, Heather, have four children, Allie, Chaim, Piper and Haddon.
Gospel Not God Enough: Why Your Small God Leads to Big Problems J.D. Greear (Zondervan, 2018) When I saw the title of J.D. Greear’s new book, Not God Enough, my heart was instantly convicted because I have, at times, put God in a box. So before opening the pages, I asked myself, “Do I believe my God can do big things for me? Or do I doubt my God?” I entered into this reading adventure unsure how the book was going to change my heart and mind, but it truly did! Greear challenges his readers to really think about how big God is in their lives. Greear says, “Most Christians haven’t rejected God … they’ve just reduced Him.” Not God Enough explains the positives of letting God be the Big God He desires to be in our lives. It is designed to help you understand the majesty of God, the importance of humble surrender and having bold faith. This book is for both old and new believers alike. If readers want a book that brings them theology, Scripture and challenges, then I recommend picking up this book. I plan on sharing Not God Enough with friends. And I challenge you to not just rush through the book but to grab a journal and allow your heart to be convicted, changed and filled. 53
What are you waiting for? Experience the Big God that Greear has found through his own humble surrender and bold faith, today! Colleen Smith is a team member of Captivate Church and serves as a missionary in her neighborhood.
Leading Becoming a Welcoming Church Thom Rainer (B&H Publishing Group, 2018) If you ask most long-time church members whether their church is friendly, they will likely respond with a resounding “Yes!” However, their enthusiastic self-evaluations may not be accurate. In Becoming a Welcoming Church, Thom Rainer asks the reader to evaluate their church not by their own standards, but through the eyes of their guests. With church attendance in decline, this book is vitally important for every congregation to read with careful introspection and honesty. Rainer confronts the Church, saying, “Many churches need wake-up calls.” He points out how church members can grow “blind” to how guest-unfriendly their churches may be. Beyond what you’d expect to find in a book on being hospitable are Rainer’s real-life examples and stories from church guests who have had great and awful experiences. Becoming a Welcoming Church shares how the most important message of hope in Christ can be obscured by simple negligence on our part. This book is well worth your time. It is a great resource for your greeting team 54
and for those entrusted with meeting your guests in a welcoming way. Bob Bickford is the lead pastor of The Groves Church in St. Louis, Missouri and the associate director for Replant at the North American Mission Board. He and his wife, Barb, have three children, Alex, Emily and Olivia.
Mission The Gospel Comes with a House Key Rosaria Butterfield (Crossway, 2018) When I picked up Rosaria Butterfield’s book, knowing it centered on hospitability, I feared I would find just another surface look at how to incorporate random acts of kindness into our too-busy, consumeristic lives. What I found instead was refreshingly honest, practical and somewhat gritty. Rosaria artfully finds a balance between thought-provoking, theologically rich and often deeply convicting concepts and compelling, real-life stories that made me feel personally invested in her family, friends and neighbors. Rosaria’s definition of “radically ordinary hospitality” is simple: “Using your Christian home in a daily way to make strangers your neighbors and neighbors your family in Christ. This act brings glory to God, serves others and lives out the gospel in word and deed.” Although it sounds simple, it’s certainly not easy. Hospitality, according to her book, requires a high level of sacrifice and self-denial, but Rosaria’s personal stories reveal there are also immeasurable amounts of joy and love experienced with our neighbors and with our Father. For me, the mark of a truly good book is one that provokes me to either change my perspective or change my behavior, and The Gospel Comes with a House Key has accomplished both. I encourage any believer, whether you’ve been told you have the “gift” of hospitality or not, to pick up this book, grab a cup of coffee and prepare yourself to be challenged, to grow, to laugh and, most of all, to want to throw open your front door and invite your neighbors and strangers in for the sake of the gospel. Michele Barnett is the director of Send Network assessments at the North American Mission Board.
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my turn
Whatever door You open By Donna Armstrong
Hope Haven. That’s how we started, and it’s
S
how we’ve maintained. We wait for Him to open everal years ago, WMU emphasized human
doors, and we walk through them. We received
trafficking, and our church’s WMU group
our first resident in January 2014.
invited Kay Bennett of Baptist Friendship House to speak about their work with survivors of human
I make sure appointments are met, transportation
trafficking. She suggested we form a group to
is lined up and that there is food—just like a person
determine what the
would run their home and
needs were in our area—
family. We work strictly
and she suggested I
with volunteers. Our
should lead. Members
shelter’s manned 24/7.
of several local churches
There have been times
got together to talk
I’ve stayed in the shelter
about how we could
for days on end myself
best help.
because, if we feel called by the Lord to do this,
At the time, I traveled
then it’s a full commitment.
for my full-time job. My
We can’t half-heartedly
mother-in-law was living
take these women on.
with us and had demen-
Once we’ve accepted
tia. My plate was full. But I felt the Lord calling. In
them into the shelter, we’ve also accepted respon-
my prayers I said, “Whatever door You open, I’ll
sibility for them.
walk through, but I’m not touching the doorknob.” We have big dreams for the future. Our next step
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I started educating myself and making phone calls
is a long-term program, so our residents can stay
but waited for Him to open doors. I called the
with us for two years, complete their education,
local police department, the Attorney General’s
become self-sufficient and lead an exploitation-
office—anywhere somebody might know some-
free life. I would love to have residents bring their
thing. It was pretty amazing at how quickly those
children. There is a lot to do. We’re just looking
doors started opening.
for the right doors to open.
It was a year from the time I started researching
Donna Armstrong is the founder and executive
until the time we legally established and opened
director of Hope Haven in Summerdale, Alabama.
See Donna Armstrong talk about her ministry at SendRelief.org/HopeHaven. Learn how you and your church can get involved in ministry to human trafficking survivors at SendRelief.org/HumanTrafficking.
MORE THAN
21 million children receive free or reduced-price meals at school.
On weekends, many of them WILL NOT EAT.
NOW WHAT? 57
Learn how your church can provide food for hungry children on the weekends at SendRelief.org/Poverty.
EVERY CHURCH ON MISSION
volume 21 | number 3