More INFO on Good News! Fellowships
in West Central Baptist Association
"it's not rocket science!"
The Good News! Fellowship strategy for sowing the Gospel and discovering, discipling, and deploying new believers in local context is
patterned after the "Home Fires of Hope" developed throught the SCBO and Lyle Seltman and "Indigenous Church Planting Methods"
employed by former SBC Missionary Charles Brock in the Phillipines and now used around the world. Start-up materials for this work
have been developed, field tested, and proven by the Brock group CGI-- Church Growth International. The materials are very inexpensive,
simple, and sound. They are currently being used in many small group contexts in North America and around the world.
check out the Charles Brock / Church Growth International web site >>>
Specifically in the West Central Association it will work like this:
The Area Missonary enlists and trains area WCBA Churches, Pastors, and individuals interested in partnering in this effort.
Locations are prayerfully selected. GNF Prayer Teams and Bible Study Facilitator/Missionaries (local area WCBA church members) are
enlisted and trained.
NOTE: Partner churches and volunteers DO NOT absent themselves from regular church activities, services and commitments in their local church.
They do not leave their current places of service to take up this ministry. They do not divert their giving to this ministry.
Area Missionary and interested volunteers "scout" out the proposed area(s). Several visits to the selected area are made. They prayerfully walk
and engage people in the neighborhoods and businesses. Informal surveys are conducted. People from a cross section of the target area are cultivated
in a variety of contexts and times for relationship building, conversation and meeting of needs through prayer. If partnering volunteers have friend
or family contacts in the area, they become a good starting place. If a specific "people group" (i.e. Hispanic or "Bikers" etc.) is targeted, the "scouting"
and relationship building efforts will be customized accordingly.
This 1st phase might be called --"Cultivation". >>Cultivating contacts and relationships.
During this phase, which may take up to several months, the desire is for our Sovereign God to bring us a "Lydia" or two.
This is the pattern we see throughout the book of Acts. This phase may take weeks or months-- as the Lord may lead. It is wholly dependent upon
where God is at work, and joining Him where He is at work, not merely according to demographics or artificial program-driven approaches.
Once some initial relationships are established-- the 2nd phase "Discipling" shifts in.
A start-up group interested in home Bible study is enlisted and established. This becomes the Good News! Fellowship of "TownName". This group
must be a minimum of 8-10, with up to 16. Time and place are designated for weeky 90 minute meetings that last 6 to 8 weeks. Trained WCBA
facilitators guide each fellowship each session. The meeting times are set suitable to the schedules of the group -- therefore could be morning, afternoon,
or evening. This stage will continue for a period of weeks/months as the Lord may lead. The desire is to reach and develop Believers for Christ within
the context in which they live. From this context, if several are brought to Christ, they then make-up a new core group that may either birth a new
congregation over time or be assimilated into a nearby church fellowship(s).
The 3rd phase is "Congregation". >> forming a new covenant fellowship/mission/church.
From this point some typical and familiar church planting strategies are placed into motion regarding sponsorship, leadership, stewardship,
discipleship, congregational identity, and focus. A primary focus, however will be to train and deploy local leadership --often bi-vocational--or self funded---
often from amongst the new group, instead of bringing leaders from outside. This will also require rapid pastoral training in the local context without sending
leaders away to formal seminary training. Seminary Extention continues as an option as well.
This kind of strategy is embraced by NAMB and is now being employed under various names elsewhere in Ohio, Iowa, Canada, and many places across
North America.
What this strategy seeks to do:
1. Reach the unreached in their context. Disciple them to either emerge as a "new congregation", or join an existing area Church(s).
2. Deploy local church Believers as missionaries in their local context. This is absolutely essential if we are to ever see a movement of new births, baptisms,
and congregations across North America.
3. Raise up, disciple, and deploy new Believers as church leaders and church starters in their context, which is the missionary practice of Paul and
the pattern of the early church which multiplied and equiped its own as it expanded.
3. There is virtually no start-up cost in this approach to take the Gospel to the pockets of lost all around us.
4. We will attempt to join God where He is at work with the gifts and abilities He has given us.
5. We focus on reaching the unreached, not transfer membership or troubled church members.
6. We initially focus on people, relationships, discipleship, and ministry, rather than buildings, land, and full support packages for planters or pastors.
7. We follow the Lord as He opens doors only He can open.
8. We foster a mission mind-set into the DNA of the new group.
9. We establish believers who are nurtured on the authority of the Word of God, rather than religious traditions and false beliefs of the past.
10. We involve and employ established believers in a missionary mode that may not currently be a part of their present experience.
11. We think beyond traditional "church" while never compromising as to the biblical church.
12. A biblical church is a called out visible assembly of truly regenerate baptised believers who have as their core belief and mission, knowing Christ
and making Him known. They freely covenant together as a local body of Christ observing the two ordinances, growing in faith and practice under the
leadership of the Holy Spirit. They confess the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. They proclaim salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ
alone. They practice church discipline, discipleship and missions.
What we do NOT seek to do:
1. We do not proclaim the planting of a "church" until or unless a core group from the local context has been assembled and discipled.
2. We do not typically use pastors to lead the home Bible studies. The home studies are not an open discussion or topical Bible survey or Sunday
School lesson with wide ranging views and opinions expressed. They are a facilitator guided group where study book questions are answered
objectively from the text of Scripture--- by the participants---not the study facilitator. He guides the study and guards against any error or wrong
direction. Discussions are brief and limited to expanding on the text answer and examples of application, not personal opinions or off-subject questions.
3. The cost is nominal -- if any. There will not be request for major funding for any salary or other items except perhaps some occasional
transportation/fuel reimbursement for volunteers who may travel long distances.
4. If a new congregation does not eventually emerge from the effort, the effort is NOT a failure. We will hopefully have reached some for Christ
and shift our focus to another area where it seems God may be working.
5. Churches and individuals who wish to directly participate through prayer and volunteer participation will not necessarily assume sponsor status
or any long term involvement unless they are led to if/when the time comes.
6. This is not "the Association or Missionary starting churches" per se. Rather the effort will be coordinated through the Association but by led those
who wish to be involved. It will not come to fruition without direct and personal participation from area churches.
7. Paticipating churches will surely be strengthened not weakened through this method of local mission partnership.
FINALLY
Evangelization in the 21st century must begin to resemble the practices and principles of the NT Church in the 1st century as it penetrated and
transformed the culture one person at a time through evangelizing and discipling the Gentiles steeped in false religions and humanism.
The first century saw the rapid expansion of the church without "fossilized" leadership bogged down in man-centered traditionalism or a great emhasis
on buildings and personalities. They did not have evangelism programs and bi-annual "revivals". They were citizen missionary planters, cultivators, and
harvesters in season of the increase God gave them as they lived out the Gospel and preached and taught repentence and faith from house to house and
in the market place.
Obviously solid Christian education and mature leadership is to be desired, as well as adequate buildings and space. Personal and corporate evangelism
training and programs are helpful and needed as tools to equip and encourage the saints in their ministry and mission. But the quest for charismatic leaders,
popular and entertaining programs, and the drawing large but fickle crowds must not become the mission. Our Lord Jesus drew huge crowds during a brief
part of his ministry, but it is evident from his focus and results, that his mission was to make, multiply, and send forth authentic and passionate disciples into the culture.
We cannot hope to penetrate the vast lostness of our diverse communities until we become serious about biblical methods and making disciples. There are
times when a systematic and focused church plant emphasizing a certain style, fully funded with pre-designated strongly gifted leadership, with land and buildings
a major emphasis-- is appropriate-- and needed. While many such starts have been successful in contexts which are densely populated and growing, too often
they have failed in a highly visible and expensive way. We believe the approach described above is more viable in smaller population settings where funding is
scarce and the prospect of establishing a one-size-fits-all large or traditional congregation is unlikely.
Please contact us to become part of the GNF effort through being involved in the network of GNF Prayer Teams. If you would like to offer the use of your home
for a GNF Bible Study Fellowship in your area please let us know. If you would like to be trained as a GNF Facilitator please let us know.
Contact our office at 937-596-6755.
Email your feedback to WCBA Office