Entries for December 2008

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Did You Say 60 New Church Starts?!?
By Kevin Wilson @ 5:02 PM :: 426 Views :: 4 Comments ::

President Terry Cripe's letter announcing the Ohio District's intent to see 60 new churches started has raised questions. Why do we need 60 more churches? Where will these churches be planted? Are there 60 Pastors with the skills and desire to plant churches in the entire synod? How can our church participate in planting these churches?

Throughout 2009 posts in this blog will answer most if not all of the questions. In order prime the pump a little I'll close 2008 with a post concerning the single most important change necessary for this vision to become a reality: The responsibility for starting new churches must shift from the district staff to local congregations. Congregations need to start daughter churches instead of the district starting new congregations.

This change in strategy was decided before I joined the Ohio District staff. I probably would have declined the call if this change were not made. I have planted daughter churches 20 miles from home and planted a district sponsored church 1,800 miles from home. That experience taught me that the local congregation knows the needs of the community much better than the outside church planter. The local church already has members in the community being evangelized to share in the work. Prayer support is stronger when the planter has personal relationships before the new church is launched.

It was affirming to find that a majority of the respondents to the Ohio District New Church Survey 2008 agree. The following statement was in the survey: "Local congregations, not Ohio District staff, should be responsible for ensuring new churches are started." Sixty-three percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this statement while six percent disagreed or strongly disagreed. The survey also also had the opposite statement: "The Ohio District staff, not local congregations, should be responsible for ensuring new churches are started." Eighty-seven percent of those who responded marked "disagree" or "strongly disagree" to this statement. Five percent strongly agreed while no one marked "agreed."

Bottom line: If the Ohio District staff had to locate all the places for mission churches, had to raise all the funds and had to find all the church planters 60 new churches, it would be almost impossible to get the work done. However, with 175 churches starting to focus on new church starts, instead of one district, suddenly 60 new churches isn't nearly as daunting.

Check this space regularly for more answers to the questions concerning the 60 New Churches challenge.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Story of Forgiveness
By Kevin Wilson @ 7:41 AM :: 289 Views :: 0 Comments ::

Educators and Pastors, looking for a current illustration of forgiveness? Click on the image for a story about Dong Yun Moon who recently experienced ...

Monday, December 01, 2008

Notes on an old Bulletin Cover - Contemporary musings
By Terry Cripe @ 12:03 PM :: 646 Views :: 1 Comments ::

I've visited a number of congregations which use, shall we say, alternative worship styles. I pay careful attention to the words of the songs that are used. At first, quite a few of the songs seemed to have been inspired by psalms, especially those which praised God along first article lines. They spoke of the majesty of the creation, and like the psalms, employed metaphors of clapping mountains, roaring seas, etc. As I began to think about this phenomenon, something came to mind. Much of this was what the early church was like – they used the psalms for worship. But of course, something happened, didn't it? Very early on it became clear to the Christians that more clarity and specificity was needed. Christ-centered songs, such as that found in Philippians 2, were composed. For our redemption story is not that of Israel. The horse and rider thrown into the sea were, at best, metaphorical for the victory won at Calvary and sealed by the empty tomb. The earliest Christmas or Incarnation hymn we have, “Of the Father's love begotten,” is more evidence that the Church found the psalter in need of major supplementation.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Taking It to the Streets - ABLAZE #12
By Terry Cripe @ 10:01 AM :: 572 Views :: 0 Comments ::

:: Ablaze!

Ohio District ABLAZE

Rev Terry Cripe

December 1, 2008

“We have often said heretofore that the Gospel, properly speaking, is not something written in books, but an oral proclamation, which shall be heard in all the world and shall be cried out freely before all creatures, so that all would have to hear it if they had ears; that is to say, it shall be preached so publicly that to preach it more publicly would be impossible. For the Law, which was of old, and what the prophets preached, was not cried out in all the world before all creatures, but it was preached by the Jews in their synagogues. But the Gospel shall not be thus confined; it shall be preached freely unto all the world.”

- Martin Luther, Gospel Sermon, Ascension Day (Lenker Edition, Vol XII, #3)

Have you ever heard it said that the church needs to do no outreach here in the United States because all anyone needs to do to hear the Gospel is go to one of the thousands of neighborhood churches to hear it?