55.5 Square Miles

Within an area of 55.5 square miles, not very far from where I write these words, is a community home to fortune 500

companies, seats of commerce, houses of industry and institutions of innovation and education. Within those 55.5 square miles, hundreds of thousands work, live, and build relationships. Millions more live just outside the area.

The community found within that tract of land is known for an uncanny ability to reinvent itself; so resilient are these people that the recent G-20 Summit was hosted there to showcase one city’s ability to not only weather but grow stronger through economic crises and global storms.

Within those 55.5 square miles, you will find incredible fusions of old and new, stayed and untried. You will also find 455 bridges, 712 public stairways, 8 tunnels, 90 distinctive neighborhoods, and 140 separately identifiable ethnic groups.

But you won’t find a single Wesleyan Church.

In fact, you won’t find a Wesleyan church within what is considered ‘reasonable driving distance’ of those 55.5 square miles.

I’m sharing about the city of Pittsburgh, where “95 percent of the local population has no recognizable, identifiable relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Sarah and I, partnering with the Cox family (Rick, Eunice, and Trevor), and, hopefully, partnering with you, are working to change at lease one of those statistics. The Coxes and Gomezes have joyfully accepted the call to church planting in the Pittsburgh region and are growing in passion for what we sense as God's desire in the area.

Our heart’s passion is to see a multiethnic, multicultural church right in the ‘Burgh. We sense God’s leadership in developing a relevant, engaging hub of ministry to people from a variety of cultural, economic, and spiritual backgrounds--where once steel was forged, now lives are fused with the Spirit of God, strengthened and engaged as members of His Body. What we can see is a multiplication center working within the heart of the city where countless individuals are sent out as missionaries to the communities of Pittsburgh, the surrounding areas, throughout the region and around the world. In fact, God is already drawing people to be part of this great work and we believe His dreams are far bigger than ours.

Does any of this stir your heart with excitement and passion? If so, remain on the lookout because in a few days, we’ll be sending you more information on how you can be involved in this Great Pittsburgh Adventure.

A Christmas Message from the DS

The mission of Christmas was defined by the divine angelic announcement. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”(Luke 2:11) During these days of reflection upon and celebration of Christmas, it is my desire that a sincere understanding of the mission of Christmas will result in an increased urgency of partnering in the missional multiplication movement among the pastors and laity of the Western Pennsylvania District.

God and He alone is to be praised for the tremendous momentum that this movement has experienced in 2009. Revs. Karen & Doug Rhone are aggressively pursuing the planting of “The Well” in Philipsburg as Hyde Wesleyan prepares to give birth to this daughter church. Rev. Rick & Eunice Cox, along with Rev. Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez are passionately pursing the planting of a Wesleyan Church in Pittsburgh. GOD IS DOING AN AMAZING WORK IN WPA…I TRUST YOU ARE CATCHING THE VISION! O’ by the way pastor, if you have not yet been in contact with Karen, Rick, and Jeremiah about coming to your church to present their need for prayer and financial partners in this evangelistic mission of reaching the lost for Jesus, please extend that invitation soon!

Walking through the threshold of 2010 is only a few days away; with that in mind, be sure to keep the Missional Multiplication Movement’s “5 P’s” a priority for your personal ministry and the local congregation you shepherd. Our district goal has been that by this coming New Year, 100% of the District Churches would be committed to:PROMOTION, PUBLIC AFFIRMATION and PRAYER. In addition, 20 of our District Churches would be committed to: PROVISION and PERMISSION. Join with me in praying that literally thousands of lost people will come to know Christ and be effectively discipled in His Lordship, in Western PA. http://www.theydidwewill.org/blogspot.com

Merry Christmas to you and your family! May the Spirit of the mission of Christmas be evident in 2010 in WPA as together we fulfill the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment by multiplying believer, leaders, and churches.

EXPERIENCE AND ENJOY THE MISSION OF CHRISTMAS BECAUSE…

“THEY DID…WE WILL” in 2010

Harvesters together,

Randy A. Swink

District Superintendent

Spring Event

LOCATION CHANGE: This event will be held at the Hoss's Restaurant in DuBois, PA.

[Click Picture to see a larger version]

"Becoming a prevailing church" with Chris Conrad on March 23rd.

To register contact Jeremiah Gomez at jxgomez@gmail.com.

Update on “The Well”

Here is an update from Karen that was sent yesterday:

Just wanted to give you our update. As you know we finished our time line. We have a few tweaks to it as we do our budget. We hope to have our budget done by Jan. 4th. We are meeting the borough manager and his wife of Philipsburg for supper tonight. We are hoping that we are building a friendship with them. I've contacted the school about rental, talked with the movie theater and started registration of the plant with the General Secretary. So much to do and it can be very overwhelming. I went to my oncologist on Friday and my blood work was good and the mammogram was clear. Praise God!! I see my surgeon tomorrow - then the doctor visits will be over for a while. :O)

Prayer requests:

- Pray that God gives us peace as we walk this road and not become overwhelmed with all the things we have to do.

- Pray that He would continue to help us find the keys to unlock the community.

- Pray for the lost and broken that we will be able to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

- Pray God would work in hearts to be a part of the launch team.

Have a great week. Christmas is coming! Merry Christmas!

Karen

The Well Website

Doug & Karen continue to make great progress as they work with the Hyde Wesleyan Church and move toward the launch of "The Well."

They have launched a new website that you may want to check out. [http://thewellphilipsburg.org/]

Keep praying!

Prayer this week

Please pray for all three of our church planting couples this week as they each spend time with Chris Conrad and complete very specific training and planning related to their individual church plants.

Chris will be working with the Philipsburg Plant [The Well] Monday to Wednesday lunch, and we will be working with the Pittsburgh Plant Wednesday afternoon into Friday.

Thanks for your continued intercession.

Pittsburgh Plant Update

Things continue to progress for the Pittsburgh church plant. Here an update from Rick and some specific ways to pray:

Recent Happenings

Our proposal for a multi-church plant endeavor was accepted and approved by the district CMTF on Nov. 10th!

We took an exploratory trip to Pittsburgh with the Gomez's, and together we came away with such a strong feeling of confirmation that we are where God wants us to be.

Our coaching contract has been signed. It is official. Dr. Blair Ritchey is our coach.

Upcoming

We will be developing a strategic action plan for Pittsburgh with Chris Conrad on December 2-4.

Prayer

- Pray for our support letter that has been sent to our donor base.

- Pray for us as we schedule services within the district where we will be sharing our vision for Pittsburgh.

- Pray for us as we look for the "right place" to live. The selection of our home is very strategic. We need a home that will be central to our ministry, that will have space large enough for entertaining/ministry, as well as a home that is in a "safe" community.

Small Actions, Lasting Impact

The following is taken from the 11/25/09 Edition of the Expanding Wave, which is written by Rev. Phil Stevenson and distributed by the Department of Evangelism & Church Growth. Enjoy!

November 3 marked the 291st birthday of an individual who is honored daily. He is remembered on playgrounds, in lunch rooms, by sidewalk vendors, and by moms and dads. In fact, one company honors him in 22,000 locations with $10 billion (yes, with a ‘B’) in annual sales. Who is this honoree? It is none other than John Montagu the fourth, Earl of Sandwich.

According to legend, this British aristocrat “ordered a piece of meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Others soon requested ‘the same as Sandwich’….” (Fast Company, Nov. 09) And lunches have never quite been the same. It is interesting to note that a small action made in a seemingly obscure location could make such a lasting impact on so many. Haven’t we all, albeit unknowingly, honored the Earl through the digesting of a sandwich?

What action is your church taking to make a lasting impact? I don’t ask how many attend your church. I don’t ask how significant your location is. I simply suggest you consider-- what action(s) you might take that will make a significant impact?

You don’t have to be large to make a lasting impact. You don’t have to be in significant locations to make an impact that will be felt around the word. What you do today might not even be noticed, but your actions could leave their mark, much like John Montagu.

There is much opportunity for smaller works. Leadership Network reports that over half of all Protestant churches average less than 100 in worship. These smaller congregations can make some significant things happen if they so choose. What might a smaller church do to make a lasting impact?

Be a generous church. Generosity is not an amount, but an attitude. Think in terms of the widow’s few coins. She simply gave out of her available resources. Too often smaller congregations focus on what they don’t have instead of what they do have. God expects generosity from what is at our disposal, not that which we have no access. God asked Moses what was in his hand (Ex.4:2). It was what Moses had, and was willing to release to God, that made a lasting impact.

Share the gospel. You can be the gospel presence in your community. Sharing the gospel does not necessitate big programs, lots of people, nor large buildings. Sharing the gospel needs only a people broken-hearted for those disconnected from God.

Pray missionally. This is praying not just for yourself, but those outside your walls. It is easy for any church to get so ingrown that they never ask God to work outside their walls. They limit God to inside the walls stuff. This can be exaggerated in smaller churches. Smaller churches have many needs. Resist the pull to mainly pray internally. Discipline yourself to pray externally.

Get involved in meeting needs. Every community has needs. Take time to identify some of those needs. Mobilize to meet them. It might be simply partnering with a community organization working with them to meet the needs of those they serve.

Partner with God. Ask God to show you what you need to see. Step out in faith on endeavors that will stretch your local congregation’s faith.

Small congregations need to view themselves as mustard seed communities. The mustard seed was the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants (Mk.4:31-32). You may be small, but the work you do can be mighty. It can have eternal impact. Grow where God has planted you.

Update on “The Well”

Things continue to progress for the Philipsburg church plant [The Well]. Here an update from Karen and some specific ways to pray:

We are praying that God would raise up people to be on the launch team. Also, we are meeting with town officials next Friday(Nov. 20th) pray that God would help us to see the community through His eyes and heart. We have a facebook page called The Well Philipsburg. Doug is working on a web page. Prayer cards and business cards are being printed as I type this e-mail. Things are moving a long. We will be doing our first community outreach on Dec. 5th at the Philipsburg Christmas parade. We will be giving out hats/gloves/mittens. I think this is about all the "news" we have for now.

Great things are happening as the M3 advances across the district. Please continue to pray!

The best is yet to come.

Message from the DS

On this Veteran’s Day, we are reminded of the high price of freedom that we are so blessed to experience. Those brave men and women who are currently serving and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice remind us of the cost that has been paid for our protection and security. In light of this freedom we enjoy in our beloved America, I am thrilled and pleased to make you aware of the following information.

As you are already aware, Rev. Rick & (Eunice) Cox and Rev. Jeremiah & (Sarah) Gomez were approved by the CMTF (Church Multiplication Task Force) and the DBA to serve as Church Planters in the Western PA District. On, Tuesday, November 10, 2009, the CMTF granted their approval for Rick and Jeremiah to plant a church in the Pittsburgh region. Rick will be serving as the Lead Pastor and Jeremiah will be serving as the Assistant Pastor. It will be in the DNA of this new church plant that, in 3-5 years, they will daughter a church with the potential of Jeremiah serving as the Church Planting Pastor.

When contacted by Rick or Jeremiah, (or you may contact them at: Rick – 724.427.4454; Jeremiah – 717.609.7504), I trust you will invite them to share with your congregation the missional multiplication movement as it relates to the Pittsburgh Church Plant. As you pray about your Church’s involvement in this district movement, I would encourage your church to be participating in at least 3 to 5 of the “P’s” that we have set as district goals to be accomplished by 2010. Those five “P’s” being: PRAYER, PROMOTION, PUBLIC AFFIRMATION, PROVISION and PERMISSION. Pastor, don’t miss this opportunity for your church to be a blessing and be blessed!

In addition to praying for the Coxes and Gomezs, continue to be praying for Revs. Karen and Doug Rhone. The Rhones are aggressively pursing planting “The Well” in Philipsburg as a daughter church of Hyde Wesleyan.

Join with me in praying that literally thousands of lost people will find Christ and be effectively discipled in His Lordship through the missional multiplication movement of the Western PA District. We must fulfill the Great Commission in the Spirit of the Great Commandment.

Pastor’s, I firmly believe that this missional multiplication movement is a “GOD MOMENT” and a “GOD THING’ in the life of our district. To God and Him alone be all the glory and praise!

REMEMBER…BECAUSE….”THEY DID….WE WILL!”

Harvesters together,

Randy A. Swink

District Superintendent

Church Planter Updates [November]

In an attempt to provide regular updates and specific ways to pray for the Church Planters in the WPA District, we will post information in this blog. Thanks for interceding on behalf of these brothers and sisters.

Rick & Eunice Cox

Rick & Eunice Cox are in the process of confirming the location and key partnerships for their church plant. Here are a few updates and ways to pray for Rick & Eunice. If you would like more information or want to be a part of this new church, you can e-mail Rick at rickandeunice@gmail.com.

What has happened recently:

- We recently completed assessment and received a green light.

- We have identified a coach to assist us as we journey through this process.

What’s happening next:

- We will be meeting with the CMTF on November 10^th in order to pursue a final resolution on a plant location and potential plant partners.

- We will be meeting with Chris Conrad in December for training.

- We continue to communicate with previous potential partners.

Ways to Pray:

- Pray that God will confirm the community & people we are to reach through this church plant in our hearts and the hearts of those involved.

- Pray that God will help us to develop a plan to effectively reconcile thousands of people to God through Jesus by this plant and future plants that will be daughtered out of it.

Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez

Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez are in the process of pursuing God’s vision for their church plant. That involves a people and a place. Here are a few updates and ways to pray for Jeremiah & Sarah. If you would like more information or want to be a part of this new church, you can e-mail Jeremiah at jeremiah@jxgomez.com.

What has happened recently:

- We recently completed the Church planter Assessment Center and received a green light to proceed. [Note: You can learn more about that process through some posts at www.jxgomez.com.]

- We have continued to prayerfully pursue and assess opportunities for employment and service.

What’s happening next:

- Jeremiah will be meeting as part of the CMTF on November 10^th to assist in advancing the M3 across the district and to discuss specific next steps for our plant.

- We are communicating with friends, family and other potential prayer partners to intercede for us.

- We continue to pursue God and his plan and steps as we formulate our specific course. [ref. Proverbs 16:9]

Ways to Pray:

- Pray seal upon our hearts the people and the place where we are to serve and reach with the Good News of Jesus.

- Pray that God will help us formulate the specific plan to reach that community and then increasingly multiply believers, leaders and churches.

Karen & Doug Rhone

Doug & Karen are in the process of daughtering a church out of the Hyde Wesleyan church. The church will be called “The Well.” Here are a few updates and ways to pray for Doug & Karen. If you would like more information or want to be a part of this new church, you can e-mail Karen at karenrhone@atlanticbb.net.

What has happened recently:

-It was an exciting service when the name The Well was announced. We have a buzz about the church plant at Hyde and excitement is building.

- We have been making connections with people in the community from store clerks to restaurant workers. We are excited to see the doors God opens.

What’s happening next:

- We will be meeting with Chris Conrad on Nov. 30th for training.

- We are speaking at Hyde and several other churches in the district in the next few months. We are so thankful for these pastors and congregations that have invited us to come and share the vision for The Well.

-We are hoping to have an outreach in Philipsburg the end of November or the first part of December.

- Richard Cox has scheduled a prayer drive for Hyde on the 22nd. We are excited about this too. Many things are happening and God is moving!

Ways to Pray:

- Pray that God would show us the "keys" to the community.

- Pray that God will help us to see this community through His eyes and understand His plans for the people.

Good Resource

Here is as a great survey by Dr. Harold Longenecker for churches in small towns and rural communities to assess congregational health:

ASSESSING THE HEALTH OF CHURCHES IN LOW-DENSITY POPULATION AREAS

Keep pressing on!

Proper Perspective on “Location”

I regularly receive the “Expanding Wave”. It is an electronic resource that Phil Stevenson sends out regularly. He consistently provides great insight and helpful information. If you do not receive it, I encourage you to subscribe by clicking here.

They are always good, but I think this week’s is especially relevant for those of us in the WPA district. Here is the “wave” in its entirety. Enjoy!

Last month I was in West Virginia with my partner in ministry Jim Dunn. We were presenting a seminar entitled The Intentional Missional Church. The host of this event shared with us we would be holding the training at Three Mile Wesleyan Church. “This church,” he explained, “is located in a holler.”

Honestly, I was both intrigued and concerned about this prospect. I had never been in a holler. I wasn’t even sure what a holler was. And any connotation I had of a holler was not overly positive. Images of feuds and folk not welcoming of outsiders played themselves out in my vivid imagination. Riding with our host on roads that crawled deeper into the wooded hills did nothing to abate my mental picture. What I discovered, however, was anything but what I had created in my imagination.

A holler is a small valley that has only one way in and one way out. The Three Mile Church was located at the ‘head’ of the holler. The head is about as far back as you can get in a holler. It is located on a very small piece of property. To call it postage stamp size would be much too generous. It is here Pastor Billy Burdette has been ministering for over ten years. It is here I discovered a missional church. It is here God taught me lessons of faith, vision and effectiveness.

1. It’s not your location that limits you, it’s the limits you put on your location. I could think of all kinds of reasons a church should not be effective in such an obscure location. There is not much drive-by traffic in a holler. Fortunately, Pastor Billy and his people couldn’t think of a one. They average sixty people in worship. Last year they were instrumental in 23 people finding faith in Christ. They baptized 18. Just prior to writing this I heard they recently had over 100 in Sunday worship. 14 people had “crossed over the line of faith” through a week long revival.

2. Needs are everywhere, if you notice them you can meet them. Three Mile had just completed the construction of a gym/family life center. It has a fully furnished kitchen, with an impressive eating area. Why did they build such a facility at the Head of the Holler? Pastor Billy shared that there was no place for people to gather. No place for folks to have anniversary parties, wedding receptions, family reunions, etc. It was meeting needs. It was a community center.

3. Quality is in the little things. What I saw they did with quality. They had motion activated hand towel dispensers. They had flat screens in each Sunday School Room upstairs. The equipment in the Kitchen was excellent. The even built a “prophet’s chambers.” This is a hotel quality room with private bath for guests.

4. Clarity of mission brings focus to ministry. Pastor Billy knows that young people need to be reached. They have chosen to focus on teens and younger. This is reflected in their new gym/family life center. It is reflected in their programming. They run a midweek kid’s ministry that has, at times, connected with over 100 kids. They feed dozens. Their youth program runs over 30 people.

5. A leader who has a heart for God and a passion for people will be effective. Pastor Billy is bi-vocational. This could be an excuse for not doing what is necessary to reach his community. He doesn’t allow that. He wants to make his God known. He loves people. This causes him to do whatever it takes to connect the two.

6. Missional matters. Being missional is simply looking outside of ourselves to see the community that surrounds us. Three Mile Church is missional because it is driven by the community needs, not congregational wants.

The next time you find yourself bemoaning your location; the next time your discover yourself thinking there are no more people to reach; the next time you believe missional is too postmodern for you; the next time you believe you are too small to do things with quality; I want you to take a moment and consider the church at the head of the holler.

Let them be a reminder, “With God all things are possible.”

[Written by Rev. Phil Stevenson and distributed in the "Expanding Wave" on October 28, 2009.]

The Well!

It is with great joy that we share the following update on our Church Planters, Doug & Karen Rhone, and the Hyde Wesleyan Church.

For the past few months, the Rhone’s and the Hyde church have been prayerfully and intentionally pursuing a partnership to daughter a church in the Philipsburg, PA area; and this past Sunday they announced the name of that new church plant. It will be called: The Well.

Check out Karen’s description of what transpired on Sunday. It is pretty cool!

The announcement went great! Excitement is building. We asked everyone to bring a shoe box in. Bob had them play a video about a woman at the well. We asked people to bring their shoe boxes up to Doug and Zach and as they did their boxes were built into a well. We had a box marked Western PA District, which Randy brought up - one with The Wesleyan Church - which the GS brought up - one with Hyde Wesleyan-Bob brought up. We had an extra large one at the bottom in the front of the well with a cross and 3 rings signifying God. After the well was made we asked people to guess the name. One lady shouted out The Well. I said you're correct. I then explained that the plant was going to take more than just Doug and I. The district has already been helping and the general church and Hyde but it was going to take individuals -all shapes, sizes and colors - each unique - all different kind of gifts and abilities. People love the name.

Please join un in continuing to pray for Doug and Karen, Bob Croft, the Hyde Wesleyan Church and “The Well”.

God is doing really cool stuff! Check back later for more information on “The Well” and our other church planters. [Rick & Eunice Cox, Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez]

M3PN

Today, approximately 10 leaders from around our district will travel to the Wesleyan World Headquarters in order to participate in an M3 Parent Church Network Seminar on October 6th.

The E&CG Department is hosting this event to equip churches to effectively daughter new churches.

Please pray for these leaders as they meet from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM tomorrow.

An update from our DS

A message from District Superintendent, Rev. Randy Swink:

GREAT NEWS! The Missional Multiplication Movement (M3) is continuing to make tremendous progress in our district. Thank you for being a part of the district's missional multiplication movement. Our district goal is to have 100% of our local churches participating in 3 of the 5 "P's" by next year, 2010. Those first 3 "P's" being: PROMOTION, PUBLIC AFFIRMATION, and PRAYER. Another district goal is to have 20 of our local churches participating in all 5 "P's" by 2010 year. The additional "P's" are PROVISION and PERMISSION.

What a personal privilege it is for me to announce that Hyde Wesleyan will be daughtering a church in the Philipsburg area and have selected, Revs. Karen & Doug Rhone to serve as their church planters. PRAISE GOD! Congratulations to Sr. Pastor Bob Croft, the Rhones, the LBA, and the congregation for being obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading and exercising their faith. In the near future, Karen & Doug Rhone may be contacting you about visiting your Church to share their vision and passion for reaching lost people in the Philipsburg area for Jesus. I would encourage you to confirm a date with the Rhones to come and share their need for prayer and financial support with your congregation. This will be an opportunity for you and those you serve to be further informed and involved with the missional multiplication movement of our district.

MORE GREAT NEWS!

This past August, Rev. Rick & Eunice Cox and Rev. Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez attended our denominational Church Planters Assessment Center. After completing their assessment, the Coxes and Gomez’s were acknowledged has having the gifts and graces to be church planters and they were given the "green light" to proceed as church planters. In September, the District Board of Administration unanimously approved Rick and Jeremiah to serve as church planters in our district. PRAISE GOD! Please join the Coxes, the Gomezs, and district leadership in praying that the Holy Spirit will give clear direction for the WPA location that God desires them to plant. Pray that gives our planters a "heart felt passion" for the lost people in the designated harvest field to which God calls them.

If you desire additional information, you may contact our District Director of Evangelism & Church Growth, Rev. Shawn Cossin, who serves as the chairman of the District's Church Multiplication Task Force. Shawn can be reached at: 724.376.2233 or e-mail scossin@slwchurch.org. Also, contact me at the district office if I can be of assistance to you.

Partnering together in this evangelistic ministry of church multiplication will enable us to be obedient to the words of Christ communicated, to us, in the Great Commission and will set in motion our missional multiplication movement tag line, which states because, "THEY DID.....WE WILL!"

Harvesters & Partners Together,

Randy A. Swink

WPA District Superintendent

M3

Last week, I attended the Evangelism & Church Growth Director Summit. It was a 3-day event at Wesleyan World Headquarters with roughly 30 pastors & church leaders from across the country. We met to advance the Missional Multiplication Movement [M3], which seeks to fulfill the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment by multiplying believers, leaders and churches. I was with an incredible group of devoted Christ-followers who understand the importance and effectiveness of Church Planting as a means of reaching people with the good news of Jesus.

Over the next few weeks, I will seek to share a few of the key take-a-ways. Here’s some thoughts shared by Phil Stevenson about living on the EDGE:

E- Engage the future. Never be complacent in the present. We need to look toward what is to come and embrace the challenges.

D – Determine to believe God for the audacious: our dreams cost us nothing…the fulfillment of those dreams can cost us everything. Let’s catch the stuff of God. Let us step into the arenas where we will have to be desperately dependent on God.

G – Gather resources: We need to be willing to release what we have in partnership with God.

E – Enjoy the journey: The edge is both exhilarating and excruciating. It is full of exhilaration because it is such a rush. It is excruciating because of the fear of the first step.

Living on the “edge” with God is powerful, activating and life-altering. If we will simply believe God…hold on!

Something to "chew" on

11 Essential Steps for Planting a Church:

1. Cultivate and maintain church planter health.

2. Birth vision out of prayer.

3. Mobilize an initial launch team.

4. Understand your target group.

5. Create plans for start-up.

6. Serve and reach unbelievers.

7. Train and multiply disciples.

8. Establish reproducing communities.

9. Gather for inspiring worship.

10. Lead and manage as you grow.

11. Embrace a kingdom focus.

Wayne Schmidt Roundtable

Please pray for the Solo/Senior Pastors who will spend the day with Wayne Schmidt tomorrow.

It is going to be a great time of "iron sharpening iron."

New Steps for the Rhone's

“In his heart a man plans his course,

but the LORD determines his steps.”

Proverbs 16:9

That is one of my favorite Proverbs. It reminds me that although you and I may make plans, it is ultimately the Lord who decides where we go. He directs our steps. I share that with you not only because it is one of my favorites, but also because it is true of the journey Doug and Karen Rhone have been on.

Doug and Karen have been in a process of waiting on the Lord to determine their steps, and it is my pleasure to let you know that they have partnered with the Hyde Wesleyan Church [HWC] and are currently in the process of preparing to plant in Philipsburg, PA.

We are excited about this Parent-Daughter relationship, and we look forward to seeing what God is going to do in and through the Rhone’s and the HWC.

Please pray for the HWC and the Rhone’s as they continue to follow these next God-directed steps. Here are a couple specifics ways to pray:

- Pray that God will show them the keys to reaching the community of Philipsburg.

- Pray for the people God will raise up to go with them to the plant.

Thanks for your partnership in the Missional Multiplication Movement [M3].

E&CG Transition

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Rev. Phil Stevenson indicating he had submitted his resignation from the position of General Director of Evangelism & Church Growth for the Wesleyan Church effective December 31, 2009.

He cited two key reasons for the transition. One is a desire to be with his family, and the other relates to his passion to be involved in advancing the missional multiplication movement [M3] from the grass roots level. As a result, he will be assuming a position as the Director of Multiplication and Leadership Development in the Pacific Southwest District starting January 1, 2010.

Although it is always momentous to transition leadership, it is exceptionally significant to lose a man of his caliber, vision and passion from leadership at the General Church level. I am grateful for the significant work he provided during his years of service; and I am excited for him to be back "home" with family and once again in the ranks of district leadership.

Phil - You will be missed; and on behalf of the WPA District, I say, "Thank you." We praise God for your investment in facilitating the M3 in western Pennsylvania. You made a significant difference here. May God continue to bless you as continue to fulfill the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment.

Size & Theology Connection

Author, Speaker and Missiologist, Ed Stetzer posted some interesting results from a recent Barna Group study, which showed the size of congregation is related to the beliefs, behavior and demographics of that congregation. Stetzer said, “Specifically the study showed ‘statistically significant differences between churches of 100 or fewer adult attenders and churches of 1000 or more adult attenders.’ In fact, the only issue covered where no real difference existed was whether the person had prayed during the previous week.”

It’s interesting stuff.

You can read more by clicking here.

Leadership Training

Here is a great resource & opportunity!

This is a free leadership conference that will be held online. And yes...I said FREE.

If you click here, you can check it out. If you are interested, all you have to do is register.

Special thanks to Stevan Sheets for passing on the information and Bob Croft for the assist. :-)

This is the actual address: http://thenines.leadnet.org/

CPAC, Day Three

I know this is ‘the day after day 3,’ but to keep with the pattern of my previous posts, this will focus on what happened our last day at the Assessment Center. I’ll write an entry or two on overall reflections soon.

Our final day began with the presentation of our group project. As we had been preparing the project for presentation to the assessors, they were meeting in order to draft our written assessments following their reviews/scores (and subsequent votes) on what kind of ‘light’ each couple had received. The project opened up the opportunity for the potential planters to interact with each other and get a little bit of insight into the process of understanding a community and a small part of the detail of planting a church. That process was one of the significant ‘takeaways’ for me from the week’s events and helped instill an even greater excitement about the potential of being a planter myself.

Following the project presentation, there was varied interaction with the assessors about the project and some of their insights. Then came the moment we had been waiting for: when we would meet with our individual assessors (the person who had done all of our one-on-one interviews) to receive our results and gain insight into how the assessors had reached their conclusions. I’m happy to report that all three of the couples were ‘green-lighted’ to pursue with church planting!

Everyone then regrouped to have a Q&A—this time with the planting couples asking questions of the assessment team. There was discussion about ‘next steps’ (especially the need for training) and some practical helps which included a number of resources being given out. The ‘official’ day ended with lunch, but the folks from WPA stayed longer to debrief and continue building relationship.

Each of the three couples who completed the assessment now have the joy of praying through what will happen next in their journey. But, as it stands today, there are three planters preparing to partner with God’s Spirit in touching communities with the most effective tool we have for reaching those who don’t know Christ—planting new churches. And, if you ask me, it doesn’t get much more exciting than that!

Newly Approved

Please join us in celebrating the completion of the Church Planter Assessment Center and the approval of our newest Church Planters:

Rick & Eunice Cox

Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez.

The CMTF is please to have them join the Rhone's as officially and successfully assessed W PA Church Planters.

Please continue to pray for each of our 3 couples and the future couples to come.

CPAC, Day 2

It's just about 2:30AM, and I'm getting ready to call it a night.

After a full, rich day of interviews, interviews, and more interviews (including one session with a Christian counselor), we had time for a quick seminar and some exercises, which included a pretty hefty group project. I'm just finishing with my portion of that project, and while I won't go into too much detail (because, after all, it is 2:30 in the morning), I can say the whole experience thus far has been well worth our time investment and, I believe well worth the financial investment of the district. The self-discovery and opportunity to be connected with passionate, missional-minded people which are available in this setting are not things to be taken for granted--no matter what kind of 'red-light,' yellow-light,' 'green light' evaluation we get tomorrow, Sarah and I will have counted it a great privilege to be here.

Even at this late hour, I can genuinely say that if you have ever considered that church planting may be where God will lead you in your journey, attendance at an Assessment event like this one is a must... I believe it will be a high-water mark in your life.

--
This entry is also posted at jxgomez.com/blog, Jeremiah's personal blog. Jeremiah currently serves as the Secretary of the Church Multiplication Task Force and is attending CPAC as a potential planter in Western PA.

Ways to pray...

Thank you for your continued intercession. Here a few specific ways to pray for our Church Planters & Potential Parent Churches:

1. Rhone's: Pray that the Lord will continue to go before them and their parent church leaders as they develop a plan and communicate a vision to the parent church congregation.

2. Gomez's: Pray that God will speak very clearly as they go through the Assessment process this week.

3. Cox's: Pray that God will speak very clearly as they go through the Assessment process this week.

4. Pray for the church leaders that will be attending the Parent Church Seminar at Wesleyan World Headquarters on October 6th.

CPAC, Day One

Today was a great ‘introduction’ day—the three couples here for Assessment got a chance to get to know each other, and we were given a glimpse of the process involved in CPAC before jumping in headlong. Before we go any further, though, it’s worth noting that it was communicated time and time again that this process is much more about discovering who God has created us to be and to find the best ministry fit than it is about any kind of pass-or-fail scenario. The advice given to us: have fun and enjoy the incredible gift of having three days full of people taking the time to help us understand who we are and how God may be leading us. Sounds like very wise advice to me.

We began with each potential planter delivering two messages: five minutes to a ‘room of unchurched people’ on why they should consider Jesus, and five minutes attempting to convince someone to join you in a ministry endeavor. Following their ‘talks,’ each couple had a few minutes answering questions in front of the group.

That led to our first interview time—each couple was assigned an assessor and was privately interviewed for about two and half hours (there will be more interviewing tomorrow). The ‘interview’ was a lot like filling out a verbal questionnaire about past experiences. What is likely to be is best found by what has already been; in other words, how someone will act/react/perform can be pretty well predicted by how they’ve acted/reacted/performed in the past; so the assessors use questions that help identify themes and constants throughout the life of the potential planter. The times of interview, so far at least, haven’t been overly uncomfortable or super invasive, but very conversational in tone.

After our interview sessions, everybody regrouped for supper (us ‘assessees’ all sat together to enjoy some more get-to-know-you time and conversation—it’s amazing to spend time with people who are so passionate about what God not only can do but desires to do in our world.

But now it’s time to get some rest—tomorrow will be a long, full day. All of us are excited to see how God uses this time to prepare our ‘next steps.’ But before I head to bed, I would like to make a request of those who may happen to be reading this—all of our talk today has been focused on being used by God to advance his Kingdom and the glory of his Great Name, and I’m reminded of one of Jesus’ commands in terms of what we should pray for.

Matthew 9:

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

So, my request is that you would ask the Lord of harvest to send out workers into his field. A bit of warning before you do that, though: you just might find yourself being sent into that very field… across the street or across the globe. And maybe part of that journey for you is taking part in an assessment much like this one…

--
Image credit: Clearly Ambiguous
This entry is also posted at jxgomez.com/blog, Jeremiah's personal blog. Jeremiah currently serves as the Secretary of the Church Multiplication Task Force and is attending CPAC as a potential planter in Western PA.

C.P.A.C.

Beginning Tuesday, Sarah and I will be attending the Church Planter Assessment Center as part of a potential ‘next step’ (a special thanks Western PA District of The Wesleyan Church, who is investing the cost of attending CPAC in Sarah and me); we’ll be there with two other couples, including Rick and Eunice Cox, who are also from the WPA District. If time and energy allow, I’ll be posting reflections of the day’s activities each evening (be warned, it may be nonsensical gobbeldy-gook or nothing more than a terse sentence); hopefully, if you’re thinking of being assessed, it will help answer some of the questions you may have. It will also be a good read (I'm hoping!) for those of you who are curious about the planting and pre-planting processes we use.

In the meantime, it might be helpful to know what the Assessment is all about. Here’s how the Assessment Center describes itself:

We are confident that this will be a powerful and highly worthwhile personal experience that will provide you with greater self-awareness about your ministry strengths and gifts, as well as your potential for church planting success. You and your sponsoring district or parent church will receive an objective, team-based evaluation to help you both make the wisest possible decisions about your church planting leadership.

In other words, the people of the Center look at the likely success of an individual or couple as the ‘lead planter(s)’ in a new church. The result of a fairly intense, multi-day process is an evaluation focused simply on the likely success of the potential planter articulated as a “Green Light,” “Yellow Light” or “Red Light.”

Red Light… is an indicator that the potential planter is not likely to find themselves effective in a planting environment right now.

Yellow Light… indicates the potential planter is more likely to find success in a planting environment if certain growth areas are given due attention.

Green Light… indicates that the evaluators feel the planter is likely to find success/effectiveness in their endeavors.

It’s important to note, again, this relates just to church planting and isn’t a judgment on people, personalities or ministry calling; it is meant to help potential church planters and the districts, churches, and individuals which invest in new churches to thrive. A ‘Red Light’ shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing, but more as an aid in discerning whether or not planting is the right ministry path for someone right now. A ‘Green Light’ doesn’t mean one person/couple is ‘better’ than another, but that they seem to have the gifts and personal traits that tend to be found in effective church planters. A ‘Green Light’ isn’t a guarantee of 'success', either.

This all helps to make sure that someone isn’t setting themselves up for failure, and that they are designed for/capable of handling the unique stresses, pressures, and situations that are involved in attempting to launch a new, Kingdom advancing church. From the outside, it looks like a great opportunity for someone with potential to be a planter to find out if planting really is the right step for them.

If YOU feel like God might be leading you into the direction of planting a church, you should connect with Shawn Cossin and surf on over to Uought2.org. And, maybe one day, we'll see YOU at assessment!

--
Image courtesy of billy verdin
This entry has also been posted at jxgomez.com/blog.

That's NOT Okay...

Last week, I posted ‘That’s okay…’ about some positive learning experiences I had with some friends during a recent trip to the mall. Now I'd like to share a few things that were ‘teachable moments’ because of what they teach us to avoid. Don’t worry, names have been changed to protect the innocent and avoid some kind of libel charge:

Understanding your environment is incredibly important:

I haven’t been able to find Bottle Caps anywhere. You know: those sweet-tart kind of candies that have a little fizz in them? We can’t get them where I live, so while we were at the mall, the four of us dropped into Childhood Obesity R Us (a candy shack). But right next to the candy shack (which, by the way, did have Bottle Caps… at an incredible premium) was Carcinogen Crossing (a tobacco shop). That may not have been a problem… except that the smell of the tobacco shop was incredibly overwhelming… it morphed with the sweets smell of the candy shack and created some kind of nasty, hanging malodorous funk that wasn’t at all pleasant. The candy shack wasn't doing very much business, and I can't help but wonder if it had something to do with its neighbor. Who are the candy people trying to reach? Tobacco smokers? Or would vying for a spot near the Lego store have been a better bet?

What does that have to do with churchy stuff? Oftentimes it’s tempting to do something that worked very well elsewhere… in some other environment. But ‘plugging’ that program/idea/method into where we live just won’t be effective because of where we’re situated. We're trying to reach lego-store kind of people next to a tobacco shop... maybe we should try to do something to meet the needs of the people around us in their own context.

A few months ago, a friend of mine posted this link--it's a good example of the need to understand your environment in a ministry setting.

Know your environment.

Simplify:

There was a certain item we were hoping to get. An item so in demand many people want one, but not so currently ‘have to have it’ that anyone should be sold out. Checking was done about which stores should have this item in stock. One didn’t. Another of the same chain didn’t. A third store did, but was unable to provide the right kind of service… so a purchase was made to get the item all the others were supposed to have and a walk commenced to one of those other stores to get the rest of the process taken care of. (I’m being purposefully ambiguous, sorry for how awkward that paragraph was).

It was a lot of work and frustration for something pretty easy—especially when you understand the money was going to be spent on this item… and it was going to bolster the sales of one store or another. If people would have just done what they said they would, a very happy customer would have been had. Instead, they were left with a customer who wasn’t so much ‘happy’ as ‘finally taken care of’.

I wonder what we do that could use some simplifying; what we do that is overly frustrating and inconvenient for a reason that made sense on paper or in theory but has no practical benefit...

Just Be Who You Are:

One of the stores we stepped into was kind of like the Apple Store’s socially awkward distant cousin. In fact, it was meant to compete with an ‘Apple Store’ kind of draw. But something happened: the culture of the parent company and the culture of this particular store didn’t match. Somehow in the push to ‘be like the other guys’ this brand, in my own uneducated opinion, was suffering. The people were only focused on selling a product, not representing company, brand, or offering experience.

There’s nothing wrong with competing. There’s not anything wrong with seeing how your competition is doing something and besting them at it. But trouble comes when we sacrifice who we are in order to compete with some other ‘growing concern.’ It’s very doubtful the ‘growing concern’ grew by laying identity on the altar of success.

So, who wants to go to the mall with me this weekend?

--
This entry was originally posted as 'Mall Fail' at jxgomez.com/blog.
Image: violator3