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What would happen if every church that was planted in the last 20 years gathered together to seek God for a new multiplication dream? It could be explosive!
We are issuing a call to each of the 500 churches that was planted in the last 20 years to gather in Phoenix, AZ, March 24-26 for the IGNITE 2010 National Church Planting Conference.
Mark your calendars NOW and prepare your hearts to be inspire by some of the best multiplication leaders in Converge Worldwide.
Ed Stetzer wrote great post after speaking at the Converge MidAmerica Bi-ennial Gathering Indianapolis host by Heartland Church
Yes, there are a lot of different kinds of Baptists. Not really 32,235, but a bunch.
So, using my week as a guide, I have been talking about three groups. First, I spoke to two Southern Baptist state conventions. Second, I "almost" spoke to a fine group of Independent Baptists. And, finally, I just returned from a meeting the Baptist General Conference (BGC) in Indianapolis.
The folks in Indianapolis had such an amazing screen for data presentation, I had to share it with you: 
Why can't I get that screen whenever I am on the road?
Anyway, as I mentioned, I spoke earlier today in Indianapolis at the biennial meeting of Converge MidAmerica. They asked me to speak three times on three subjects: church planting, church revitalization, and then on reaching the younger unchurched from my new co-authored book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and Churches that Reach Them.
So, who are these folks?
Well, first, they are not really the Baptist General Conference. But, it lined up so well: SBC, IFB, BGC. The denomination changed its name recently to Converge Worldwide-- dropping "Baptist," "General," and "Conference" from their official name. Wow. And, this is not the first time they changed their name. The denomination was originally the Swedish Baptists.
Here is some history from Wikipedia:
The Baptist General Conference (BGC) is a national evangelical Baptist body with roots in Pietism in Sweden and inroads among evangelical Scandinavian-Americans, particularly in the American Upper Midwest. From its beginning among Scandinavian immigrants, the BGC has grown to a nationwide association of autonomous churches with at least 17 ethnic groups and missions in 19 nations. The current president of the BGC is Dr. Jerry Sheveland. In 2008 the Baptist General Conference adopted the new movement name of Converge Worldwide.
So, they are no longer the BGC, but many people still make that mistake (like I did, on purpose, just so it would fit with the others!).
But, they have been making other changes, recently reorganizing the denomination, moving the national headquarters to Orlando, and retooling the way their foreign / home boards relate. (I was privileged to work with them on that move to "one mission" as a consultant to their leadership.)
But, what I find uniquely interesting is that Converge Worldwide was originally a regional Swedish denomination that has remade itself though a strong focus on church planting and missions. Here's some more history from Wikipedia:
The Baptist General Conference grew out of the great revival of the 19th century, but its roots can be traced back to Swedish Pietism. In 1852, Gustaf Palmquist emigrated from Sweden to the United States. Forty-seven days after his arrival, he and three others organized a Swedish Baptist church in Rock Island, Illinois. Frederick Nilsson, who was instrumental in leading Palmquist to Baptist views, arrived in America the next year with 21 immigrants. Some of these united with the Rock Island church, while others organized a church at Houston, Minnesota. Nilsson traveled widely, founding and strengthening churches. Anders Wiberg was another pioneer among these churches from 1852 until 1855, when he returned to Sweden as a missionary.
Christian experience was a major emphasis among these Swedish Baptists, and they prospered from the awakenings in the 19th century. Immigration, aggressive evangelism and conversion through revivals brought rapid growth to the denomination. John Alexis Edgren founded the Swedish Baptist Seminary in Chicago, Illinois in 1871.In 1879, when the Swedish churches had grown to 65 in number, they formed a General Conference. The members of these churches assimilated into American society and gradually lost their separate ethnic identity. By 1940, most churches were English-speaking. In 1945, the Swedish Baptist General Conference dropped "Swedish" from its name and became the Baptist General Conference of America. Swedish Baptists had maintained an alliance with the American Baptist Publication Society, American Baptist home and foreign missions, etc., and later the Northern Baptist Convention. Some Swedish Baptists expected to merge with that body, but the groups moved toward different developments of theological emphasis. The conservative Swedish Baptists pulled back from growing liberalism of the Northern Baptists, and in 1944 formed their own Board of Foreign Missions. This moved them toward independent existence, which they have maintained to the present.
I have written before that I believe that Converge Worldwide is the leading mid-size church planting denomination in America today. Just a few months ago, I was in California training their church planters. Today, it seemed like most of the attendees at the meeting had planted the churches they pastored. They ooze church planting-- and it has changed their denomination for the better.
In denominational life, as in so many areas of life, what you celebrate, you become. Meetings in some denominations are "celebrating" everything BUT church planting. But, by celebrating church planting, the folks at Converge Worldwide have created a momentum that has transformed their movement. (HT)
Hello my name is Gary Rohrmayer, Associate Director of Converge Church Planting Here is my Converge story: I was 27 years old just graduated bible college armed with nothing but a passion for evangelism and loads of inexperienced. I searched for a church planting network that I could connect with both relationally and theologically. This search led me to a group of leaders that today is know as Converge Worldwide. They opened their arms to me, they believed in me and helped me see my church planting dream become a reality. Converge offered a perfect balance of resourcing, encouragement and opportunity. That was twenty years ago and over 80 churches later that I have help start at some level. I would never be where I am today if it wasn't for Converge. I would not have had the opportunities or the friendships if I had just went on my own to plant the church God called me to start.
Do you have a dream to start a church?
Converge Church Planting is a proven church planting force reaching people from every segment of society. We are a network of likleminded organizations who have worked together to start over 500 new churches in the last twenty years.
Are you interested? Do you want to take the next step? Learn how to become a church planter with Converge Church Planting
Vision casting in a new church is critical! Casting a compelling vision with clarity and conviction will help you with fundraising, launch team recruitment, motivating, focusing your team and even evangelism!
Vision casting from a biblical perspective is capturing God’s heart for your community. It involves communicating it is a way that connects with people hearts and moves them towards enthusiastic commitment. In fundraising you want people to invest generously. In recruiting your launch team you want people to be sold out to this idea, committing their time, talents and their treasures. In keeping your team motivated and focused you must discover ways to drive the vision deeper into the hearts of your people. Finally, if you are going to seriously see the gospel spread into the hearts of people far from God, you will need to creatively communicate God’s desire for their lives and the part they will play in His great redemptive mission.
I found these five tips online at www.castyourvision.net; they are great tips on creating a compelling vision.
Tip #1 - Think through your vision very well before you begin to share it. If you can't think through your vision yourself, others won't be able to think through it with you!
Tip #2 - A vision is like an iceberg...there is much more to it than what is seen on the surface. You've got to discipline yourself to share just enough - and yet not too much! Show your viewers the 'tip' of the iceberg- and when they are ready, they'll begin asking you about all the details! Just when you think it is short enough - look at it again and see if you can shave it down some more. If you've really thought through it - you'll be able to communicate it in a concise way.
Tip #3 - Remember - you might be the only person excited about your vision at this point. It's hard to believe, but it is true. As you communicate your vision, focus on those points which are the MOST exciting to you and leave the rest out...for now! People generally have to 'warm up' to a vision, which takes time. Be careful not to bore viewers with the details.
Tip #4 - Gradually release your vision to select viewers. Find 3-5 of your closest friends or mentors and ask them to preview your Vision Site. Give them permission to provide you with constructive criticism. They may identify some areas that need more (or less) information. Their input will be invaluable to you. Sometimes visionaries 'release' their vision prematurely, which can often be detrimental to the vision in the long run. Be patient, and wait for some quality feedback from your closest advisors - they'll be far more forgiving than others!
Tip #5 - A vision is something you see in your mind's eye - it's something you 'see' which doesn't yet exist. The paradox of this is that when you communicate a vision, other's aren't looking through the same lenses you are. You MUST visually present your vision to others to be most effective. You must transfer thoughts from your mind's eye to pictures in your listener's eyes. As you build your Vision Site, spend time looking for images that really depict what you are trying to say. They'll be worth a thousand words!
Here are five reflective questions to consider in creating a vision statement:
Solomon wrote, "Where there is no vision, the people perish...." Proverbs 29:18 (HT)
Last night I didn't start well, nor did I finish well, and I didn't get any help from my teammates!
Click here to see Gary's PowerPoint Presentation: Finishing Well.
I want to talk a little about the reality of finishing well, and the perspective in our world of helping people finish well. The reality is that many start well, but few finish well. The danger years are from 35-55.
2 Timothy 4:1-8 Paul calls to finish well, in a serious tone. This game is bigger than you and I. He coaches them through. Paul also modeled it well to Timothy. Last, he reminds Timothy of the rewards.
How do we help leaders finish well? By doing the same thing that Paul did.
Finishing well has more to do with being than doing. As young leaders, we're concerned with competence and growth. But as we move along, it has to be more about character than competency. When we achieve a certain level of success, you get to where you coast.
Here's a tool that we do at the end of every first step. The first stage is romance - falling in love with the idea of planting a church. The second phase is reality. You embrace the reality of the situation. It's not easy work! When you sit in reality, you will become somewhat resentful of the situation. But it's how you deal with it that counts. You can either rebel or handle your situations with resolve. Rebellion always leads to ruin. Resolve leads to rebuilding.
This is why we meet with Jesus every day: to get perspective, to rebuild love for Him, our calling, the Gospel, the lost. It's only going through that constant grind that we will experience the rewards of the Father's approval of standing before God and hearing "Well done, good and faithful servant." There is also the joy of seeing what you have birthed.
We have to help our young leaders experience that.
Let's look at this video clip about a young lady that finished well, and help another to do the same.
| FirstSteps Webinar Series - Part 2 | |
Join us for part 2 of the FirstSteps webinar series with Gary Rohrmayer as he provides a deeper look at the first and most critical step of planting a missional church: Relating with God and Others. We will be providing insights on:
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3pm Eastern/12pm Pacific Click here to register for this FREE webinar Learn more about the FirstSteps network Read Gary's blog Did you miss part 1? You can view it here | |
Jim & Jodi Clayton launched Journey Church in Franklin, IN on September 27th with Converge MidAmerica
Here are some of the comments they recieved from first time attenders:
"I loved how real and non-preachy the service was. I have only been to church a few times in my life and was always put off b/c I felt I was being talked at instead of talked to and didn't really understand the message. My entire family got something positive from the service and have had a discussion around it everyday since! Every single one of us enjoyed, understood and thought the whole experience was positive. Thank You"
"I would just like to start by saying Thank You! I left church
"I have been trying to get my husband to attend church for a while and you were the first church to spark his attention with all your postcards and newspaper ads. I liked that you could wear what you like and the laid back atmosphere and the ease of understanding the sermon. You got my husband to go to church and he's ready to come back next week!"
"I just want to start by saying what a wonderful experience it was coming to church yesterday morning!! The message was easy for me to understand, and very informative. The music was unbelievable. I will be 35 years old next month and have never been a member of a church. My parents did not go to church, so neither did we. They never stopped us from going, but didn't encourage us either. I went to several different churches as a child with neighbors and friends, but never truly understood anything that was being preached ... Yesterday, listening to the band was very moving. I had chills, tears and or a smile the whole time they were performing. What a great experience!! When I watched them, I could hear and see that they "got it". It was a beautiful experience. Your message was clearly given and easy for me to understand. I cannot wait to come back next week to learn more!! I just want to say again that the experience that I had was wonderful. I've wanted to be a part of something like this my whole life. We will definitely be back next Sunday."
Send us your Grand Opening highlights! Pictures. Videos. Testimonies. Send them to mary@convergemidamerica.org and share the blessing!
