Finding Organic Church

Book Review

Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities

Author:  Frank Viola  /  David C. Cook Publishers / 2009

This is by far one of the most important books on church planting out today.  Frank Viola takes the New Testament seriously when it comes to the methodology and theology of church planting.  While you may, or may not, agree with his definition of church, and you may or may not accept his conclusion about the state of the traditional church today, you cannot argue with the Biblical principles of church planting he uncovers in his study of the book of Acts. . . .

” . . . a “must read” for church planters.  It will make you re-think everything you’ve ever learned about church and church planting.  It will challenge you to examine God’s Word and the history of the church planting movement recorded in the New Testament.”

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Leadership Team

I’ve been so encouraged by the faithfulness of the new Leadership Team (Board of Directors) of the association! These folks meet every month to help us strategize and carry out the work of the PBA. In addition, the officers meet once a month to help Tom and I with the day-to-day things that have to be done.

FYI: The Team is made up of Dan Alderman (pastor – The Grove), Josh Parrish (church planter – Awestruck), Patrick Fuller (pastor – Southside), Sherlock Bynum (pastor – Good News), Jeff Webster (youth pastor – Pleasant Garden), Chad Queen (associate minister – South Elm Street), Beau Cooksey (pastor – Northeast), Deryl “Doc” Holliday (pastor – Sedgefield), Nelda Locamy (lay person – Lawndale).

I can’t say enough about how thankful I am for these men and women! They are the best!!!!

 

Honduras

June 21 through the 29th I was in Honduras on a Deep Impact Mission trip with 89 other people, mostly high school and college kids. It was one of the most incredible mission experiences I’ve had in a long time. We saw things happen on this trip that I’ve never seen before. This includes the ousting of the President of Honduras while we were there. It was a little scary, but the Lord kept us safe and provided a way for us to leave the country in time.

A lot of things we thought went wrong, but as we look back on them, they were “right” in the sense that God was totally in charge. And, it was exactly what He wanted to happen! Lives were impacted for eternity – children and adults to whom we ministered that week, as well as our own lives. Just ask anyone of the people on the team. One of my “take-aways” from this experience was a reminder from God that He is all I need. Everything else is “optional.”

Many of you were praying for us. Thank you! God answered your prayers!

I received an email yesterday from one of our good friends in Honduras. In his email, he asked us to pray for his country and suggested a website that would give us the true picture of what is going on in Honduras. www.laverdadenhonduras.com

 

Deep Impact Honduras

If you read Tom’s blog about Deep Impact Greensboro, you’ll agree, God is up to something really awesome in our city. I can’t wait to see the impact 400 plus young people will have on Greensboro and the surrounding area.
But there’s more. Next week, I have the privilege of going with NC Baptist Men on a Deep Impact Mission trip to Honduras. We are taking 80 teenagers (high school and college kids) to the city of Tegucigalpa to do mission projects in communities and churches throughout the city. I can’t wait! I’m like a little kid waiting to open a Christmas present, because I know God is going to use this trip to impact their lives for eternity! Keep us in your prayers – we leave this Sunday, June 21st.

 

Talent Profile

For staff meeting today, we each had a “strengths profile” if you will, made up of some descriptions of our top 5 talent themes.  Gallup has created customized cards that have one line descriptions of how each of our talents generally come out in us.  The report we looked at today put all of our descriptive phrases for all of our top 5 talents on the same page, which was really insightful to see them stacked up against each other.  I wanted to share with you some of my report and have listed it out below.  If you have taken the strengthsfinder assessment and are interested in seeing what your report would look like, let me know.  Here it is beginning with my top 5 talent themes:

1. Focus    2. Futuristic    3.  Analytical    4. Connectedness    5. Discipline

I am:

• intensely and intentionally single-minded
• fascinated with tomorrow
• logical and objective in approach
• incredibly aware of the borderless and timeless human family
• an efficient manager of limited resources

I will:

• persevere until the goal is met
• anticipate and imagine what could or should be
• find simplicity in the midst of complexity
• integrate parts into wholes
• plan in advance and then follow the plan

I bring:

• clarity through concentration and direction
• previews, predictions, forecasts
• dispassionate thinking to emotional issues
• an appreciation of the mystery and wonder of life and all creation
• precision and detail orientation

I need:

• a goal to establish priorities
• opportunities to talk about the foreseen future
• time to think
• to be part of something bigger than myself:  a family, a team, an organization, a global community
• a structured and organized environment

I love:

• to begin with the end in mind
• the inspiration that comes from dreaming
• dates and facts
• circles and threads of continuity
• things that are organized and orderly

I hate:

• going off on misdirected tangents
• contentment with the status quo
• things that are not or cannot be proven
• an “us vs. them” mentality
• chaos and confusion, flying by the seat of one’s pants

- Tom Howe

 

Deep Impact

As many of you know, Greensboro will be the site of “Deep Impact” this summer.  In case you are unfamiliar with this, here is what Deep Impact Greensboro is all about (in their words):

“Deep Impact Missions Weeks are pre-packaged week long mission experiences of NC Baptist Men that provides Middle and High School students with the opportunity to: “Share God’s love with hurting people through word and deed.”  Youth will participate in a variety of mission opportunities including construction, VBS, sports evangelism, servant evangelism, prayer walks, and others.  Evening worship each night will help students reflect on their lives and commit themselves to serving others in Christ’s name.”

We are certainly blessed to have them come and serve in Greensboro this year.  That, however, is not the purpose of this blog.  Mike Sowers works with Baptist Men and oversees this Deep Impact project along with many other duties.  He wrote Larry and I an e-mail update last week and it’s what he said at the beginning of the e-mail that caught my attention and why I’m writing this.  Here’s how his e-mail begins:

Larry and Tom,

To start this email off I can say nothing but GOD is at work in North Carolina and in Greensboro. 

Mike goes on to talk about how the “floodgates have opened” and all the different churches and students who will be participating in this project.  He talks about how he has been blown away by the response.  Now, rather than going on and on about how much I have seen this to be true as I talk with people and hear all the stories of awesome ministry taking place, let me just close with a few questions. 

Do you believe what he wrote?  Do you believe that God is up to something incredible here in this area?  Do you believe the floodgates are beginning to open?  Do you believe that this place can, and will be, radically transformed by Christ?  I know I’m crazy, but I just believe something incredible is beginning to take place here…and the consequences of thinking otherwise are eternal.

-Tom Howe

 

 

  

 

Congratulations Dr. Joe

Sunday evening, June 7, 2009, Pastor Joe Giaritelli celebrated 10 years of service as senior pastor of Lawndale Baptist.  The celebration service was an inspiring time of worship and praise to the Lord Jesus.  The final hymn said it all, “To God be the glory!”  Testimonies from the staff and members revealed the tremendous impact Joe and his wife P.J. have had in the life of this congregation and in the city of Greensboro.  On behalf of the PBA staff and Leadership Team let me say, “Congratulations Dr. Joe!”

 

New Churches Starting New Churches

Sunday morning (June 7th) a new church, less than two years old, helped give birth to another congregation!  The Journey Church of the Triad meets in the old Moose Lodge in High Point.   Pastor Alan Cox and the congregation are helping a new Hispanic church get started.  Rev. Guillermo Mora and a group of Spanish-speaking believers have been meeting for several weeks in the pastor’s home in High Point.  Today, at the invitation of the staff of the Journey Church, they participated in a bi-lingual worship service with the members of The Journey Church.  Five people made professions of faith!  Heaven came down, and we had one of the most inspiring worship services I’ve experienced in a long time!  It is obvious,  God is up to something truly awesome!  Way to go Journey Church!

 

An Afternoon with Some Really Great People

Yesterday, the church planters in our area got together to hang out at a Hoppers game in Greensboro. They graciously invited me to join them. Because of other commitments I had to leave about the fifth inning, but the time I spent with these guys was really awesome. They are so genuine and real!  Each one is different, but they honestly appreciate and value those differences. How refreshing it was for me to be with them. Thanks guys for allowing the old man to get in on your fun!

 

Back to Blogging!

As you can see, it’s been a while since Tom or I have blogged!  Sorry about that.  With this blog, I hope to be back to blogging!

Here’s summary of some of the blessings God has given me over the past three weeks.

On May 2nd I was  invited to share in a training session for Cambodian churches from around the area.  I was blown away by the dedication and commitment of the Cambodian believers who meet every week at Gate City Baptist Church.  Between 30 and 40 Cambodian-speaking Christ followers gather on Sunday afternoons to share their testimonies and encourage each other in their faith.  Pastor Sam Doung preaches at a church in Charlotte every Sunday morning and then drives to Greensboro to lead the Cambodian church here.  He is also in Greesnboro during the week to visit members in the hospital and make evangelistic contacts.  Plus, he holds down a full-time, secular job.  Amazing dedication!

The following week, May 10^th, the Asian American Outreach Church invited me to bring a message at their first baptismal service.  It was an honor to be a part of this service and witness 11 people, mostly under the age of 25, make a public statement of their decision to follow Christ through baptism.  Wow!  It is amazing to see how these young people worship God with all their hearts.  Their praise band is as good as I’ve heard anywhere!  Simon Troupong is the pastor of this new church (musician and praise band leader too).  His father, K’them, is the pastor of the Montgnard Baptist Church of Greensboro.

Becky and I spent this past weekend with our Son, Steve, and his family in Atlanta.  This granddad really enjoys his grandchildren, and he can’t wait to get back to Atlanta.  There is nothing like it!  If I had known how incredible it is, I would have skipped kids and gone straight to grandkids!!!

Larry