THRIVE - On the Greening Edge of Change

April 2009 - Farwest Harvest Report

2009-04-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

We bring you this edition of the Farwest Harvest with the hope that Jesus is alive and real to you today, especially during this Easter season. In this issue you’ll find fresh stories proclaiming the Good News that our Savior transforms lives. From across the Region we’ve heard stories of conversions and Baptisms celebrated just last Sunday. May you be inspired to follow Jesus all the more as you reflect on the power of the Gospel.

Pdf Link = http://images.rca.org/docs/multiply/harvestgospel.pdf

2009-01-29T10:20:00.001-08:00

Korean Church Plant Helps Families in Transition

Pastor Young Yoo moved from Rocky Mountain Classis to Cascades with the idea of starting a new church in the greater Seattle area. He started, however, without a core group or place to meet. He simply started to serve and bless people in the name of Jesus.

He funded his ministry initially from the severance he received from his former church and then later through his family and friends who believed in his vision to start a cell based church. Strategically he developed a ministry to serve Korean families caught in the throes of cultural transitions and emotional issues. He uses his expertise in Pastoral Counseling to teach people in groups and then funnels them into cell groups led by a growing number of trained leaders.

As a condition for the Classis Cascades to support the new plant, Pastor Yoo was asked to challenge his Core Group agree to a covenant of commitment to the new mission. On December 7^th, twelve adults signed the follow set of agreement:

We will..

Gathering faithfully (joining the weekly communion of the church and meeting with their small group)

Giving regularly (Investing in the new church and their pastor)

Serving joyfully (Using their spiritual gifts to edify the body and represent Christ in the city)

Proclaiming Christ winsomely (Especially in ways that reach their friends and family through the ministry of Sungwha)

AND Support our pastor.

Since that time the church has continued to meet on Sundays and in three other locations during the week. Pastor Yoo has trained three cell group leaders who gather the people together for prayer and encouragement. The main function of these cell groups is outreach and spiritual encouragement. Teaching happens at their mid-week Bible Study led currently by Pastor Yoo and on the weekends. Sungwha Reformed Church currently has two cell leaders, but expects to multiply that number to 10 by the end of the year.

The Classis Cascades spans four states in the Northwestern United States. The western edge of the Classis has seen a large influx of Asian immigrants primarily from Korea and the Philippines. People with a passion to reach out to these immigrants and form churches in this region are encouraged to contact Neil Tibbott who spear heads the Church Multiplication advancement for the Classis.

Organic Church.what if it works?

2008-02-25T14:40:00.001-08:00

February 13th, 2008 ·

This last week, I led a workshop at a national organic church conference. Most of the leaders had been, or were committed to house church forms. The increasing disinterest away from traditional or contemporary ways of church has given thousands of US leaders enough curiosity to look for alternative ways to worship, do church, and engage the world. As Missio has been focusing on incarnational ways of church, we’ve seen an increasing number of people ask us, “what do you think about this trend toward house church or simple church?”

To be honest, we’ve reserved the right to make any judgments at this point. We hold our tongue for several reasons. One, if there’s ever a time to experiment, deconstruct, and reconstruct, it’s NOW! When you know your cruise liner is taking on water, it doesn’t make much sense to judge those who are strapping on their life preservers and hopping in the little dinghy’s! To those who blindly disregard this new direction, we would ask, “on what grounds does the attractional church have to judge any other form of church at this point in our history?” When we’re losing approximately 2% of our present churched population every year, and we’re not reclaiming much new conversion growth, I believe the responsibility to prove or defend certain methods of ministry fall not on the experimenters or research and developers, but on the present forms to prove “why they should get to keep doing the same thing, if it’s not working.”

Yet, to those who blindly accept new forms as the next great thing…BEWARE. It’s not as easy or “simple” as they say, and it is causing as much tension in the lives of these leaders as we see in the lives of existing church pastors.

A New Kind of Church Planting Checklist

2008-01-21T13:58:00.001-08:00

Hugh Halter, Author The Tangible Kingdom

In the past, the Christendom report cards measured numbers in attendance, number of salvations, number of small groups, number of new churches, or budget numbers. Essentially “numbers.” Even though we all felt as though this can’t be God’s measurements, we found it hard to break free and find other thing to look at to see if we were being good leaders for God.

Without getting into too much detail, let me throw out a few ways we evaluate our faithfulness to God’s call. Because most of us are dysfunctional westerns who can’t count movement, I’ll guise it in the idea of numbers. These will be in no particular order of importance.

1) Number of new relationships formed where I know their names and they know mine.
2) Number of people who have been uniquely blessed by me and my community.
3) Number of people who invite me to be with their friends who don’t follow Christ.
4) Number of ways, my street, neighborhood, or community are more livable because of my influence.
5) Number of Christians that are actively confronting their consumerism and making adjustments at the life level.
6) Number of Christians that I ask or persuade NOT to go on mission with us.
7) Number of incarnational communities that commit to form around benevolent action instead of just a bible study.
8) How long people remain at our weekly gathering after the formalities are over.
9) Number of community-based initiatives our people are supporting with their time or money.
10) Number of young leaders we’re intentionally developing.
11) Number of people baptized: Still is a great guide to judge a persons commitment to follow Christ with the community.
12) Number of Bibles purchased because someone asked for one.

There are twelve quickies that work well for us. You’ll notice we don’t count “professions of faith,” church attendance, church budget, or number of churches started. We don’t think they historically measure anything real or transformative.

Toy Store Outreach

2007-12-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

Roosevelt Community Church wanted to reach out we held our second ever RCC Toy Store. This is a very innovative and successful model of felt-need ministry with an accountability component to the charity. RCC collected new toys for an entire month and on the day of the toy store, we sold the toys to “families in need” for 70% off the sticker price. This allows parents to choose the toys their kids get while maintaining the honor, pride, and dignity of providing for their kids, versus getting for free what church’s and small groups go out and buy for them. Last year the toy store made $300 and served about 10 families. This year we brought in over $800 and served over 35 families. There were 10 different ways people found out about the toy store—one of which was an advert the Bellingham Herald did. There were 4 different churches involved, besides RCC, in an official capacity of doing toy drives or shopping for toys for the store. The money raised goes in equal parts to The Whatcom Dream, Rebound of Whatcom Co., and Brigid Collins. To bring in $800 dollars means that almost $3,000 in new toys were donated!

To Live is Christ - To Die is Gain

2007-12-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

Church Planting is a risky business. My friends Bill and Jeanie Clem took the risk, stepped out in faith to plant a church. Just as they took the first steps to form a new congregation they also recieved the word that Jeanie had cancer. Not knowing what would be involved with treatments and believing that God had called them to plant a church, they stepped out in faith to start Doxa in Seattle.

That was seven years ago. Here's the current story on video. Be prepared to take a bigger step of faith as you make plans to plant a church with Lord's help.

To Live is Christ - To Die is Gain.

Church Planting Movements - Garrison

2007-11-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

In the book Garrison identifies ten common elements found in every CPM taking place around the world.

1-Extraordinary Prayer (we are talking about a lot of serious praying going on)

2-Abundant Evangelism (the idea of sow abundantly=reap abundantly; sow sparsely=reap sparsely)

3-Intentional Church Planting (not just evangelism, but planting new churches with the new converts, not trying to get them into existing churches)

4-Authority of God's Word (not only in doctrine, but in church practice)

5-Local Leadership (locals "call the shots" not so much the foreign missionaries)

6-Lay Leadership (not seminary trained professional pastors, but everyday lay people in leadership positions)

7-House Churches (no church buildings, instead many small home-based churches averaging 10-20 per house)

8-Churches Planting Churches (the idea of multiplying new groups rather than adding numbers to existing groups)

9-Rapid Reproduction (they multiply very quickly and in short time)

10-Healthy Churches (rapid reproduction in no way means lower quality, deficent teaching, or unhealthy church life)

Dowload the booklet for free.

Servant Evangelism - Impressions

2007-11-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

This testimony comes from Servant Church in Lynnwood, Washington... They do a quarterly serve event at a local Women's Shelter and provide tangible help in between. The church came together to buy them a new vacuum cleaner. Here's what one of the servants heard from two women about their impression of Servant Church.

"(The women at the shelter) mentioned that they really enjoyed the events we have done there. What an awesome thing to have Servant Church be associated with good gifts and positive interaction! I also talked to one of the residents and she said that she liked us because while we aren't shy about saying we are part of a church we also don't push our beliefs. Our actions are making a big impression on the people there."

Church Multiplication Feels Good

2007-10-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Pastor Rob Link from the River in Kalamazoo stopped by to inspire the crowd at Thrive. He stated unequivocably, "Church Multiplication feels good." His rationale was impecable. You had to be there. Here are his other points:

Seven Things I learned about reproduction...

1. It's Messy

2. It's Expensive

3. It's not an Option

4. It's Opposed

5. It's Impactful

6. It Blesses the Reproducer

7. It Feels Awesome

Three Cheers to OPPOSITION...

YEA GOD... for the blessing!

Who else agrees that multiplying churches feels good?

THRIVE - Grand Rapids 2007 - Welcome!

2007-10-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tim Vink, National Coordinator for Church Multiplication indicated that church attendance has declined in America at the same time that the population has increased by more than 50 Million people since 1990.

Vink said, "In other parts of the world Church Multiplication movements are growing at 7x the population growth rate. The only hope for the American church to keep up with the increase in population is to begin Multiplying churches."

What do you think?

Are there other options?

What kind of people will be needed for a Multiplication Movement?

obsessed with disciple-making

2007-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

August 29th, 2007 - Alan Hirsh

It is interesting that when we really look at the dangerous stories of the phenomenal movements, at the most uncomplicated level, they appear to the observer simply as disciple-making systems. But the rather funny thing is that they never appear to get beyond this—they never move beyond mere disciple-making. This is because it is at once the starting point, the abiding strategic practice, as well as the key to all lasting missional impact in and through movements. Whether one looks at the Wesleyan, Franciscan, or the Chinese phenomenon, at core they are essentially comprised of, and led by, disciples, and they are absolutely clear on the disciple making mandate. Take for instance the Methodist movement which was founded in eighteenth century Britain by John Wesley: Following a life-changing encounter with God, Wesley began to travel throughout Great Britain with a vision for the conversion and discipling of a nation and the renewal of a fallen Church. He “sought no less than the recovery of the truth, life and power of earliest Christianity and the expansion of that kind of Christianity.” Within a generation, one in thirty people in Britain had become Methodists and the movement was becoming a worldwide phenomenon. In the opinion of Stephen Addison, a missiologist who has spent much of his professional life studying Christian movements, the key to Methodism’s success was the high level of commitment to the Methodist cause that was expected of participants. This cause declined to the degree that the movement had moved away from its original missional ethos or evangelism and disciple-making and degenerated into mere religious legalism maintained by institution, rule books, and professional clergy.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Gospel According to the Simpsons

2007-07-30T08:09:00.001-07:00

Mark Pinsky is the religion writer for the Orlando Sentinel and author of the bestselling book, The Gospel According to The Simpsons. The new Simpsons Movie builds on the franchise that he says broke ground in dealing with issues of faith on a primetime TV show.

Interview by Kim Lawton – Religious and News Weekly
Mr. PINSKY: Except for those, of course, that are built around a religious premise, like Seventh Heaven or Touched by an Angel or Highway to Heaven, for The Simpsons it's just a part of their lives. But in that way it's in marked contrast to most commercial television where religion is almost wholly absent.

LAWTON: In the 18 years it's been on the air, The Simpsons has become a true cultural phenomenon. It's the longest running television sitcom in history, and it is broadcast in more than 70 nations, reaching an estimated audience of 60 million people every week. Pinsky is one of many adult viewers who got drawn into The Simpsons through his children.

Mr. PINSKY: When it comes to popular culture, I'm kind of tough on commercial TV, and I said, "Well, here's the deal. We'll sit together, I'll have the remote, and we'll watch. If it's okay, we'll keep watching." The first thing that I noticed was that it was okay for my kids. The second thing I noticed was there was all this religion in it.

More of the Interview on the web…

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1048/feature.html?campaign=pbshomefeatures_3_religionandethicsnewsweeklybrreligionandemthesimpsonsem_2007-07-30

YOUTUBE - Cultural Tension and Spirituality

2007-07-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

What's a Christian? What's a Christ Follower? Is this just a play on words or something more? How does your spirituality intersect with the you live 24/7?

I found this You Tube link. What values does it poke fun at?

I'm a Christ Follower (Mac vs. PC Parody) Part 02

Leadership Selection

2007-07-20T14:36:00.001-07:00

How To Spot A Potential Leader

By Vic Downing

© Vic Downing, July 2007

Personality tests and assessment centers don't hold a candle to your own two eyes when it comes to spotting someone in your organization who will succeed in a leadership role. The reason is simple: leader is as leader does. The person who can perform well in a leadership position someday is the person who is leading today… even though he or she is not in a leadership role today.

Five Tests of Leadership Potential

Leader is as leader does.

The truth is, potential leaders are easy to spot… the sad truth is that there aren't many of them. Since there aren't a lot of potential leaders in any organization, you need to be constantly on the look-out for five very reliable indicators:

Contents:

The Numbers

Initiative

Relationships

Problem Solving Teams

Performance Under Adverse Conditions

1. The Numbers

Leaders get results (and work hard and care). Would-be leaders try hard and care a lot.

Leaders are people who achieve the objective, solve the problem, find a way: "make their numbers." Any person in your organization who has any chance of leading a team or an organization has got to be "making the numbers" today.

Make a list of the people in your organization. Divide the list into two categories: those who achieve or exceed their performance objectives and those who don't. You are wasting company money if you put people from the second category in leadership positions.

2. Initiative

Leadership means going first, taking a risk, taking action before others take action. No initiative equals no leadership.

No initiative equals no leadership.

Pay attention to how your people perform in meetings: Who is the first to show up? Who is the first to ask an intelligent question? Who is the first to help a colleague untangle a botched presentation? Who is first to take on the assignment the others are trying to avoid? They are your leaders.

Which people make appointments with you to discuss their performance for the quarter? Who stops by to talk with you about business trends that impact your team? Who is first to spot a problem on the horizon… and to suggest a few solutions? They are your leaders.

People who take action today without being asked to do so are the people who will lead tomorrow… those who don't, won't.

3. Relationships

If there is no team, there is no leader.

Look for people who bring other people together and for people who volunteer for a team… even if they are not the person in-charge. Look for the group-to-group bridge builder, the culture-to-culture "translator," the peace-maker, the one who remembers names, the one who "pours oil on the water," the one who steps out of his or her "comfort zone" to know people from different professional disciplines or from dramatically different cultures and life experiences. Look for people who always seem to know someone who can answer the nagging question, get the job done, or "fill the bill." The loner, the "final word" person, the hide-in-my-cubicle person are not your leaders. "People-people" are the people you are looking for.

4. Problem Solving Teams

Successful leaders solve problems… and most problems are so complex that teams of people—not stand-alone experts— are required to solve most problems.

Which of your teams are consistently successful? Who are the people who are common to those teams? Those are probably your next generation of leaders… even if they were not in-charge of the teams. Who on those teams listens more than speaks, and when speaking says something that the others stop and consider? That's your next leader. Who on those teams finds the common ground between members who see things differently, who volunteers to do "the grunt work," who shows up on time, and consistently talks in terms of "us," "our team," and "we" instead of "me," "my team," and "I"? That is your leader.

5. Performance Under Adverse Conditions

Anybody can "lead" when there are plenty of resources, people like each other, the weather is pleasant, and nothing breaks. True leaders lead and succeed when the wheels are coming off the wagon.

Leaders get the job done… even when the wheels are coming off the wagon.

Watch what happens to your people when things go badly. Who is the person who is calm when others are frantic? Who is the person who sees the glass as half full when others think it is half empty? When others talk about what's wrong, who is talking about what can be done? Who is the one who is more skilled at getting the work done on time than fashioning excuses for late work? When there are angry discussions and confusion reigns in team meetings, who is the one who finds the root cause and guides the others to find a solution? When budgets are cut and deadlines shrink, who is the one whose first response is to find a new way of getting the job done instead of pushing back the deadline or trimming-down the deliverables?

A Word to Those Who Aspire to Leadership

Since leader is as leader does, act like a leader today… even though you don't have a leadership position. Here's how to do that:

Make your numbers… results, not charm, are your ticket in.

Take initiative, go first, risk… leaders do the right thing first.

Build relationships, not just networks… be the bridge, be the translator.

Volunteer to serve on teams that take on problems that must be solved.

Expect adverse conditions. Put yourself under pressure. Focus on finding causes and solutions. Abandon the illusion that a well run organization means things go the way you've planned.

More Articles by Vic Downing… http://www.globaladvantage.com/

Beyond Serving – Civic Engagement

2007-07-20T12:02:00.001-07:00

What is Civic Engagement?

"If you want to change the world - or the culture - all you have to do is change the conversation. In the beginning was the word -- that was how the Bible started. Asking the question of what is true wealth invites people to have a conversation they may never have had before. That itself is a measure a wealth! The value of our coming together can be measured by whether or not we are able to have a conversation we have not had before. A conversation is an action."

-- Peter Block

More about how Civic Engagement is fleshed out in Cincinnati go to www.asmallgroup.net

2007-07-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Two Upcoming Events for Equipping Planters

Find your place in urban church planting! Want to rediscover the birthplace of the RCA on Manhattan in New York City? Scholarships of $250 are available to send potential planters and parenting church leaders to the September 21-23, 2007, church planting track in New York City. Find yourself immersed in a celebration of the Fulton Street revival that brought thousands to Christ in 1857. (An RCA church leader was instrumental in sparking the revival.) Keynote speakers are Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York and Mark Batterson of Washington, D.C. Contact Tim Vink (tvink@rca.org) or Susan Ketcham (sketcham@rca.org) right away to participate as a group!

Calling all church planters! RCA Church Multiplication is offering training for church planters, their spouses, coaches, and even church planting teams! The last training event in Orlando, Florida, was hugely successful with over twice the number of church planters and church plants than the previous one in 2006. This has led us to provide a strategic training event every six months so that we can keep up with the growing number of church plants being started all over the country. If you are in the early stages of your church plant (six weeks to 12 months) and "on the field" of your mission, we want you to plan to attend our next Thrive! church planter training in Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 29–November 2, 2007. Six highly-motivated and experienced trainers will equip you through practical steps in church planting so that you won't need to go out and "reinvent the wheel," but instead you can build on the foundations laid by others. This training also includes a focused time for all those who will work with the Hispanic community, a rapidly growing area of the RCA family. Check out our Thrive! brochure. For more information, please contact Susan Ketcham at sketcham@rca.org or (800) 968-3943, ext. 274.

2007-07-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Servant Church Update - Near SEATTLE, WA

Servant Evangelism Activities:

June 3rd: Soda Pop give-a-way

Cold Drink give-a-ways are a mainstay as far as SE projects go, people just love a cold drink on a hot day. About 14 of us dawned the orange vests to cool down the people of Lynnwood through carbonated yummi-ness! Check out what Chris and Todd are up to this month at www.servantchurch.com.

Chris Hanks will be equipping Thrive leaders again at our next gathering In October 2007. Hope to see you there.

For more about Servant Evangelism ideas and stories visit www.servantevangelism.org . Steve Sjogren brings together ministry collaborators from just about everywhere.

2007-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

In most human leadership systems it is acknowledged

that there may be one or more of the following

leadership styles:

• The entrepreneur, innovator, and ground breaker who initiates a new

product, or service, or type of organization

• The questioner or inquirer who probes awareness and fosters questioning

of current programming leading to organizational learning (

agent

provocateur)

• The communicator and recruiter to the organizational cause who markets

the idea or product and gains loyalty and allegiance to a brand

• The humanizer or people-oriented motivator who fosters a healthy relational

system through the management of meaning

• The systematizer and philosopher who is able to clearly articulate the

organizational purpose and goals in such a way as to advance corporate

understanding.

The Forgotten Ways:Reactivating theMissional Church

By Alan Hirsch

2007-07-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

The Vision for Multiplication

The vision for church multiplication is growing! Within the RCA, new church start pastors are banding together and sharing a common dream: to see churches multiply, to reach the "fields...ripe for harvesting" (John 4:35) with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The pastors' vision includes a four-part strategy for multiplying churches and leaders in order to incite a movement:

1. Evaluate

People
Church planters have unique gifts, abilities, and skills. Assessing potential church planters through the RCA's Gallup Survey and the follow-up Ridley Assessment helps determine these people's giftedness and maximize their ministries.
The evaluation process has proven itself valuable in making sure church planters and planting opportunities are linked. It helps in discovering God's hand in the life of a planter and the needs of a particular ministry area or culture.
If you are interested in starting a new church or becoming part of a church planting team, take the Starter Survey. Send an email request to sketcham@rca.org and we'll send you this tool to help you evaluate your part in church multiplication.
Places
We'll help you discern and evaluate sites, using prayer, experience, observation, and demographic information. We will join our efforts to yours to determine God's leading in locating potential new church start opportunities and new mission fields.

2. Equip

Every church planter needs proper training to be effective in ministry. Through partnership with the Church Multiplication Training Center, future new church start pastors attend Church Planter's Boot Camp--a week of intensive training that significantly and positively impacts the church planting process. It provides a church planter with biblical principles and action plans that can be strategically applied in the community where a project is focused.

3. Empower

The apostle Paul and young John Mark had Barnabas to coach them in the initial steps of their ministries. A commitment to empower each church planter with a coach is part of the RCA church multiplication strategy, too. These coaches have been through the planting process themselves and are equipped to provide the support and guidance a planter requires in the early years of a church's development.

In addition, an annual leadership training event demonstrates how a network with other planters can provide support and encouragement. The event is designed to allow church planters to interact and to equip them for future new church development.

4. Expand

No longer will we rely on church additions to keep up with the growing demands of reaching the unchurched. The strategic vision for church multiplication in the RCA includes developing "parent church" networks of existing churches that will plant new congregations in the future. Healthy churches reproduce and multiply.

Ours is a vision not only to plant new RCA churches but to plant new churches that commit to plant new churches themselves, and so on, ever expanding the kingdom of God.

2007-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Thrive!" Event Equips Church Planting Teams

When church planting pastors and leaders signed up for "Thrive!," an RCA planter "boot camp" in Orlando, Florida, February 26–March 2, they didn't know they'd spend a morning scrubbing toilets.

As part of a session on evangelism, the event's 75 participants divided up into four groups and headed into the community.

"Some went to start conversations with people they didn't know in the shopping mall," says Randy Weener, who organized "Thrive!" and serves as pastor of Spring Valley Community Church in Allendale, Michigan. "The second group went to a local apartment complex and handed out little cards reminding them that the time change was coming. The third group went to the local university and handed out rolls of Mentos to students. A fourth group went to local businesses, retail stores, and offices and cleaned toilets for them."

Weener says the group made 500 "touch points" with the gospel during the morning, from brief encounters to 15-minute conversations. The point was to meet legitimate needs, start conversations, and see where those conversations went.

The morning was an exercise in needs-oriented evangelism, one of Natural Church Development's eight characteristics of healthy, growing churches. NCD is a church health tool used across the denomination, and "Thrive!" was organized around its eight characteristics. "The goal is to have a strong, balanced foundation for ministry," says Tim Vink, coordinator of multiplication for the RCA.

"Thrive!" is a week of intense training. Church planters met with mentors and coaches throughout the week, participated in workshops, and worked on ministry action plans (MAPs) for their congregation. "The teams get a big poster board and mini sticky notes to plan the next six to 18 months of ministry," Vink says. "They fold up the MAP and take it home, and then go into action mode. We try to get them on a mountaintop with vision and wisdom, and they go back home to the valley and live it out."

Weener says the event also developed "networks of camaraderie" and featured plenty of opportunity for swapping ideas.

2007-07-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

THE DNA OF CHRIST’S BODY

By Neil Cole

http://www.cmaresources.org/articles/thedna_ofchrist.asp

Accessed – December 20, 2006

In the organic world, whether crickets or churches, DNA is the internal code that maintains the integrity of each multiplied cell. In every organism, DNA is what encodes each cell with its proper process and place in the body. In the expansion of the kingdom of God, DNA maintains the strength, vitality, and reproductivity of every cell in Christ’s body.
Just as the DNA is exactly the same in almost every cell of a body, the DNA is the same throughout the body of Christ, for all its members and in every cell. The DNA is the pattern of kingdom life, from the smallest unit (the disciple in relationship to Jesus and others) to the largest unit (a family or movement of churches). The pattern is the same, and its expression remains constant.

The Key Elements for Healthy DNA
The DNA of the church can be simplified to three things, namely, divine truth, nurturing relationships, and apostolic mission. They are needed in every part of the church, from its smallest unit to its largest.
• Divine Truth. Truth comes from God. It is the revelation of God to humankind. This comes from the Son, the Spirit, and the Scriptures. The Son (Jesus) is both God and human and came to reveal to us in his person what God is like and what God requires. The Scriptures were authored by God and reveal God’s unfolding plan for humanity. The Spirit of God is also Divine Truth, since he brings revelation and direction to believers.
• Nurturing Relationships. Humans were never created to be alone. We are social creatures and have an intrinsic need for relationships. Our relational orientation is a reflection of the image of God in us. God Himself is relational and exists in a community—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is love because God is relational. To the Christian, God is love because he has always existed in relationship. Is love possible without someone to love? This should be the defining characteristic of our faith. All men should know that we are Christ’s disciples by the love that we have for one another.
• Apostolic Mission. Apostolic means that someone is sent as a representative with a message. We are here for a purpose. We have been given a prime directive to fulfill—to make disciples of all the nations. This part of us also comes from the nature of God. Jesus is an Apostle. He is the Chief Cornerstone of the apostolic foundation. Before he left this planet, he sent his disciples into the world with a mission.

Dangers of Genetic Engineering
We live in a day of radical advancement of science and technology spiraling out of control. We now have the ability to clone life, and even genetically engineer it. With these advancements comes great responsibility. Medical ethics has taken on a whole new level of significance. When we identify and map the DNA of Christ’s body, we also face dangers. Here are some crucial warnings.

Do Not Unravel the DNA
DNA is only potent when it is together. Once the component parts of the DNA are unraveled, they have little or no significance. It is the same in the church. Most churches will gladly exclaim that they have all three portions of the DNA, but they have unraveled it into separate components and so lost its power. “We have excellent preaching on Sundays, which is where we have the divine truth,” one will say. “And we have small groups during the week, which are our nurturing relationships; and a strong missions committee, which is our apostolic mission.” The key is not in having a separate ministry committee or program to handle each area. DNA must be whole, intact, and in every cell. In other words, every meeting, every ministry, every disciple must have all three components at the same time. To break down the DNA into separate components and put them in different places and times is to unravel the DNA. Then life and all that comes with it is lost. Mission without love is dead and can actually undermine the cause of Christ. Relationships without truth are dysfunctional and toxic. Truth without application in relationships and mission is delusional. To separate each part is to destroy the whole thing.

Neil Cole(2005), Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens, Jossey-Bass, pp. 109-121

Do Not Subtract from the DNA
Whole DNA is crucial to the health and function of the body. It is complete in its simplicity and complexity. To subtract even a portion from it has devastating results. Many churches are given to specialization, thinking they will find a unique niche that makes them special. But if we concentrate on one part of DNA and eliminate any other part we will lose the whole of it—death and mutation are the result. For example, many traditional churches focus on teaching, and if they add anything else, it is an attempt to build stronger relationships. One reason traditional churches are not multiplying is the absence of the outreach chromosome. Many churches need a good dose of apostolic mission. In the human body, to be missing even a single chromosome results in severe retardation, and even death.

Do Not Add to the DNA
One extra chromosome in the human gene can result in Down's syndrome and mental retardation. A person with Down's syndrome is a person who can love and be loved, but this syndrome is not the expression of the body and life that God intended for us. It is a corrupted form that prevents the person from maturing and functioning in full capacity. Many traditional churches are unhealthy precisely in proportion to their mutation of DNA. They have added to what God intended, and it has slowed the church and halted all reproduction. It is quite tempting to add "good" stuff to the DNA. Unfortunately, whatever we add to the three basic components of divine truth, nurturing relationships, and apostolic mission results in bad side-effects—it dilutes the three components, and it elevates the additives to the same stature. It is better to let the DNA remain in its simplicity. All good things can be found within them, so do not dilute the importance of the three or elevate anything else to their level of importance.

1 Cor 13:1–3
James 1:21–25

2007-07-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

JosephGMattera.com

Applying the Christian Worldview to the church, leadership and contemporary culture.

NEW: Understanding Fivefold Ministry Gift Churches

July 2007
To download this seminar, click here.

According to Ephesians 4:11 God calls people with unique ministry gifts to lead His church. The following thoughts regard understanding the strengths of your local church by understanding your particular ministry gift function in the body of Christ. Because of the nature of this seminar, I am limiting the definitions of “ministry gifts” to the ecclesiastic realm of the kingdom of God.

The following points are general statements that may or may not be true with each ministry gift/ministry gift church, depending on the unique gift mix of each individual and their maturity in the grace of God.

I. Fivefold Ministry Gifts According to Ephesians 4:11
1. Apostle: This is a person who walks in and out of all the ministry gift functions according to need. Generally these are God’s generals in the body of Christ who function as leaders over other ministry gift leaders in both the local and regional church. Some of the characteristics of an apostle are:
A. Plants churches.
B. Oversees a very strong apostolic church that reproduces and sends out other ministry gifts. (See the Jerusalem and Antioch church in the book of Acts.)
C. Oversees a network of other pastors and churches with influence in their region.
D. Oversees a very strong local church with holistic ministries that influence their region.
E. Functions in all the other ministry gifts as the need arises.
F. Has faith for miracles in the areas of finances and kingdom expansion.
G. Has great wisdom from God based on knowing His ways intimately (1 Corinthians 9:1).
H. Regularly moves in the gifts of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12 with a redemptive gift of leadership found in Romans 12.
I. Has thick skin and walks in unconditional love with much patience in affliction (2 Corinthians 11).
J. Often are either great administrators or great managers who are able to oversee large organizations with numerous employees and big budgets.
K. Are great visionary leaders on the cutting edge of what God wants to do to reach their sphere of influence.
L. Because “apostle” doesn’t describe a specific mode of ministry delivery like the other ministry gifts, an apostle usually functions strongly in one or two of the other four ministry gifts depending on which ministry gift they functioned in prior to becoming an apostle. (In my particular case I started off in the ministry as an evangelist/prophet. Those two gifts are the strongest anointing that flow out of me to this day, especially the prophetic.)

2. Prophet:
A. With the apostle, serves as a foundation gift for all other ministry gifts and for the body of Christ (Ephesians 2).
B. Is usually endowed with the gift of exhortation. Thus, is usually a great preacher who is also a revelator.
C. What an apostle speaks from principle a prophet prophesies from the heart of God.
D. Is usually a great visionary leader with much insight and foresight.
E. Can see what God is doing in the future regarding the church and culture.
F. Has great insight regarding the true condition of the body of Christ in their region.
G. Regularly moves in the revelatory gifts of prophecy, discerning of spirits, and interpretation of tongues.
H. A true, seasoned New Testament prophet can be a senior pastor, oversee an apostolic network, or serve as an elder in a local church. Thus, it is very hard to tell the difference between a New Testament apostle and prophet.
I. Has a strong sense of right and wrong and often tends to see the world in black and white instead of gray.
J. Often is an introvert who spends a lot of time alone with God, has a deep prayer life, often lives a solitary life without a broad and active social life; would rather be with God than men.

3. Evangelist:
A. New Testament evangelists regularly move in signs wonders to confirm the Gospel to unbelievers.
B. Is usually a compelling communicator who is able to break down the Gospel into simple stories that produce great faith for salvation, deliverance, healing, and commitment to fulfill the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20.
C. Has a great burden for the lost and for outreach.
D. Has a gathering anointing with great power to influence masses of people.

4. Pastor:
A. Has a nurturing anointing to care for the sheep.
B. Is more concerned with in-reach than outreach.
C. Is more concerned with relational activities than evangelistic activities.
D. Is more concerned with quality than quantity.
E. Loves being with people.
F. Motivated by love more than numbers.
G. Has a burden to counsel, console, and comfort.

5. Teacher:
A. Has a didactic, systematic mind and approach to everything.
B. Often is a details person who is good with administration.
C. Often is an introvert.
D. Has a deep yearning to study the word of God.
E. Usually teaches series of messages on Sundays instead of disconnected motivational messages.
F. Sunday messages are usually very practical and informational.
G. Can teach with great authority and anointing without having to yell.
H. Has a great desire to disciple members in the church, often with some sort of formal approach to teaching such as setting up a Bible school or classes.
I. Is motivated to have a church rooted and grounded in the word and doctrine.

II. The Principle of Impartation and Reproduction
1. The Scriptures teach that we reproduce after our own kind.
A. Genesis 1.
B. 2 Kings 2:9-15.

2. The Scriptures teach that the one send is never greater than the one who sent him.
A. John 13:16.

3. The fivefold minister imparts gifts according to their ministry gift.
A. Matthew 10:41: The prophet’s reward is the prophetic deposit in the prophet that comes to those that receive his ministry.

4. The local church will take upon itself the anointing and characteristics of the senior leader.
A. Numbers 11:25.
B. If the senior leader is an apostle, the church will be an apostolic church. If the senior leader is a pastor, the church will become a pastoral church, etc.

III. The Characteristics, Strengths, and Needs of Each Fivefold Ministry Church
1. Apostolic church characteristics:
A. The church will usually have strong administration with many good systems flowing.
B. The church will usually operate with strong principles and protocol for leadership.
C. The church will reproduce numerous strong leaders who will be sent out and function either as apostles or one of the other fivefold ministry gifts. (An apostolic leader produces any of the fivefold ministry gifts.)
D. The church will have strong regional influence either because of its size or because of its ministry or organizations it develops.

2. Apostolic church needs and weaknesses:
A. Apostolic churches often need to have visiting prophets and evangelists regularly come in to inspire the church and balance the emphasis on the principled approach as opposed to the motivational approach.
B. Apostolic churches need to raise up a strong pastoral care ministry to balance the tendency of apostles to overlook the relational aspects of their church because they are concentrating on the work of the Great Commission and organizational development.
C. Apostolic churches often need prophets to come and remind the apostolic church of the need to regard the needs of the whole kingdom and not just their own kingdom assignment.
D. Apostolic churches need evangelists to come as bridge builders to other churches and ministries needed to fulfill the Great Commission.

3. Prophetic church characteristics:
A. Usually has strong worship and preaching services.
B. Usually has great vision.
C. Usually has great revelation coming forth regularly.
D. Usually produces many people who can prophesy with the revelatory gifts in activation.
E. Usually has much prayer and intercession with fasting.
F. Often has a mid-sized church (300-500 people the most) because the services are long and the messages emphasize the lordship of Christ and discipleship. They are larger than pastoral and teaching churches because of the excitement of vision and abundance of revelation, but they usually don’t become megachurches because of the length of the Sunday services and inconsistency of perpetuating the same vision with simplicity.

4. Prophetic church needs:
A. They regularly need the ministry of the apostle to balance inspiration with a principled approach to ministry and organization.
B. They need the apostle to come and help the prophet be consistent in regards to perpetuating and casting the same vision to the church, because often prophets get bored and will go from one vision or revelation to the next.
C. They need the ministry of the evangelist to help the church services become more seeker-sensitive in regards to the length of the services and the simple Gospel message needed to win the lost.
D. Often they need the ministry of the teacher to help the prophetic senior leader understand the need to teach systematically on Sundays so the church can grow. (Often the prophet’s preaching is based on a “rhema” word of the Lord that can lead to sermons on different subjects every week. Thus, the people have a hard time grasping and growing in any one truth of Scripture.)
E. They need the ministry of the pastor to bring a relational balance so that the church can function socially as a community of believers instead of just being a community of people living on revelation and the illumination of the word and prayer.

5. Evangelistic church characteristics:
A. They usually gear their whole ministry approach, including Sunday morning services, for the lost.
B. They have a gathering anointing. Thus, often they have the largest churches.
C. They are strong on preaching, exhortation, soul winning, and vision to fulfill the Great Commission.

6. Evangelistic church needs:
A. They regularly need the ministry of the teacher because often their word ministry is a mile long and an inch deep.
B. They regularly need the input of a pastor so the church has a healthy balance between outreach and in-reach.
C. They regularly need the ministry of the prophet to bring the lordship of Christ and commitment to the congregation.
D. They need the input of the apostle so that the gathering anointing can be harnessed for church planting, cells, and organizational strength.

7. Pastoral church characteristics:
A. Has an emphasis on in-reach more than outreach.
B. Very strong on family related and social related events that drive the church, such as church picnics, parties, and other social gatherings meant to deepen relationships and impart a strong covenant community bond.
C. Has a strong visitation and compassion team replete with hospital visits and other onsite visitation ministries.
D. Has a strong counseling ministry with an emphasis on inner healing and emotional health.
E. Usually has a strong teaching emphasis to root and ground the saints in the essentials of the faith
F. Usually has an informal, community orientated approach to ministry that sometimes can lack strong vision and administration.

8. Pastoral church needs:
A. Need the regular ministry of the evangelist to impart to the church a burden for outreach as opposed to just in-reach.
B. Need the ministry and input of the apostle so the pastor doesn’t just attempt to nurture all the saints without a strategy for training capable saints according to 2 Timothy 2:2.
C. Need the ministry of the prophet to inspire and put fire into the congregation to surrender their lives to the lordship of Christ.
D. Need the ministry of the teacher to impart a love for the word and a formal approach to studying the Scriptures.
E. Need the ministry of the apostle/prophet to incorporate a true kingdom vision.
F. Need the ministry of the apostle/teacher to incorporate a culture of excellence in regards to protocol and administration.

9. Teaching church characteristics:
A. Has a strong emphasis on knowing the truth and doctrine.
B. Is a very detail oriented church with great administration.
C. Is very strong on in-reach.
D. Is very strong on quality in ministry.
E. Has a spirit of excellence in the Sunday services and the way they do ministry.

10. Teaching church needs:
A. They regularly need the ministry of the evangelist to give the church a burden for the lost and outreach. Teaching churches are usually “a mile deep and an inch wide” with an overemphasis on quality. The evangelist can make both their ministry and teaching approach more amenable to reaching the lost and ministering to babes in Christ.
B. They regularly need the ministry of the prophet to enlarge the vision of the house.
C. They regularly need the ministry of the prophet/evangelist to put fire in the house.
D. They need the ministry of the apostle to motivate the house to send out ministers to their destiny, instead of just building a strong, stable congregation with no exterior goals.