The Wall Street Journal discusses Church Planting!

I thought this was a great article. It helps explain the bigger concept of why Church Planting is so important!

OPINION: HOUSES OF WORSHIP MARCH 19, 2009, 11:13 P.M. ET
When the Pastor Says It's 'A Time to Sow'
By FRED BARNES

In 2007, my wife Barbara and I left The Falls Church, which we had happily attended from the time we became Christians a quarter-century ago. It's a 277-year-old church in northern Virginia well-known for its popular preacher, the Rev. John Yates, its adherence to tradi

tional biblical teachings and its withdrawal in 2005 from the national Episcopal church. Our three grown daughters and their families stayed behind at The Falls Church.

We didn't leave in anger. We didn't have political or theological anxieties. Rather, we left for a new church because our old church wanted us to. The Falls Church has become entrepreneurial as well as evangelical. It's in the church-planting business. And we were encouraged by Mr. Yates to join Christ the King, the church "planted" near our home in Alexandria. We were a bit ambivalent about the move, but when Christ the King opened its doors in September 2007, we were there.

Well, not quite its doors. The church began with a monthly service in a 600-seat school auditorium. About 30 people showed up, mostly members of the seed group dispatched from The Falls Church. Soon Christ the King, which was launched with a grant of $100,000 from The Falls Church, rented an assembly hall, seating about 100, in a private school and started regular worship every Sunday. Now, with 130 adults and 40 kids, we meet Sunday mornings in another church, whose own service is held in the evening.

But we don't just meet one day a week. One of the problems for a new church is that most of the parishioners don't know one another. They're not yet a community. Barbara and I knew fewer than a dozen of the original members of Christ the King. So David Glade, the 35-year-old pastor, organized everyone into dinner groups that gather monthly. Indeed, they had better gather: When our group skipped a month, Mr. Glade wanted to know why.

Three men's Bible studies have popped up along with a women's group. There is a prayer ministry, a vestry, and a choir led by a volunteer music director. A church retreat is set for August. Newcomers tend to be singles or young couples, and six baptisms are scheduled for the Sunday after next. Barbara and I are the old folks.

"It's a pretty amazing start," Mr. Yates told me. But it's not unusual. Church planting is a burgeoning movement among evangelicals who are conservative in doctrine (but not fundamentalist) and inclusive in their outreach to nonbelievers and lapsed Christians. It's a growing missionary field.

There's a theory behind church planting. It rejects the idea of trying to fill up existing churches before building new ones. Old churches are often "closed clubs" that don't attract new residents or young people or "the lost," says the Rev. Johnny Kurcina, an assistant pastor of The Falls Church. Besides, population increase far exceeds church growth in America. This is especially true in cities.

As an Episcopal Church rector, Mr. Yates began thinking about planting churches 20 years ago. But the bishop of Virginia "wouldn't allow us to discuss it," he says, fearing that new Episcopal churches would lure people from older ones. In 2001, he was allowed to plant a church, but only a county away in a distant exurb.

Mr. Yates was strongly influenced by the Rev. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan. Mr. Keller has led in creating new churches -- Redeemer has planted more than 100 churches in New York and other cities around the world. Innovative new churches, he has written, are "the research and development department" for Christianity, attract "venturesome people" as fresh leaders, and have the spillover effect of challenging existing churches to revitalize their ministry.

Leaving the Episcopal denomination (while remaining in the Anglican Communion) has given Mr. Yates the freedom to plant churches in urban areas amid many Episcopal churches. (One is next door to Christ the King.) His goal is to plant 20 churches in northern Virginia before retiring. Christ the King was the third, and a fourth was recently planted in Arlington. Mr. Kurcina, 33, who is my son-in-law, is preparing to plant a fifth in Fairfax County.

For a growing number of young preachers like Christ the King's Mr. Glade, planting and then leading a new church is an ideal option. As orthodox Anglicans, they didn't feel welcome in the Episcopal church. And they felt a strong calling to lead their own parish. Mr. Glade grew up as an Episcopalian in Jacksonville, Fla. After graduation from Florida State, he came to The Falls Church as an intern and spent four years as a youth leader before attending Trinity Seminary outside Pittsburgh. He returned to The Falls Church eager to lead a theologically conservative Anglican congregation. "In order to do that, you had to go out and do it yourself," he told me.

"Every new church has an awkward phase, figuring out who they are and getting to know each other," Mr. Glade says. That phase is over. Christ the King has also become financially self-sufficient. It aims to be a "healthy church," like its parent. "A healthy church reproduces itself," Mr. Glade says. Christ the King may soon do just that. Its assistant rector wants to plant his own church.

Mr. Barnes is the executive editor of the Weekly Standard and a Fox News commentator.

How do preachers get PRESS?

It seems that if you had an affair - there is a tremendous amount of press time devoted to preachers. And sometimes, there is press time given long afterwards. I read today a sad notice that I have copied below where a former pastor is highlighting his virtues on TV after losing his ministry and credibility. It doesn't make sense to me. Why? Is there such a passion to be known? Is this to highlight God's forgiveness? I am not sure.

Ted Haggard, former evangelical pastor, and his wife Gayle, taped an interview for "Divorce Court," to be broadcast nationally April 1. Lynn Toler, the show's presiding judge, interviewed the couple about how their marriage survived after a national sex scandal involving Ted and a male prostitute. Gayle said she was helped through her darkest hours by the biblical principles of forgiveness, compassion and steadfastness, along with her husband's genuine repentance. "This is part of Ted's journey. It's made him a better man. I see what has happened as a divine rescue," she said. [ChristianPost.com]

1909 to 2009

An old friend sent this to me today - I know this is one of those e-mail forward things - but I found it interesting. I wonder what an e-mail - if we have e-mail - like this one will say in 2059.

This is much like the booklets you see in Cracker Barrel that have you year of birth and you see the headlines of that year.

THE YEAR 1909

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1909.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
************ ********* ********* ******

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'


( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !

How to Stop a Church Gossip

This is an old story - thought you would like it!

Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several members did not approve of her extra-curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence. She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. She emphatically told George (and several others) that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing. George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny.... He said nothing. Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house...walked home...and left it there all night!!!

Preached the Gospel to myself and others today

If you would like to listen to or watch (how scary is that) the sermon I preached today at Harbor Church in Mooresville -  here is the link.

Bill Heard is the pastor of this dear church. He is a 

good friend and has done a great job as the church planter/pastor. If you live in the area you need to worship with these dear people! 

Abortion laws - a step in the right direction

Read this today - thought it appropriate for the "Show-Me State!" 

Picture is from the new 3D/4D ultrasound machines

Missouri House Passes Stricter Abortion Bill
Last week, the Missouri House passed a bill 115-43 which bans coercing pregnant women — by a husband, boyfriend or employer — into getting abortions. The bill enhances the state's informed-consent laws by providing women with information about the pain their baby may feel during an abortion and allowing women to view their ultrasound images prior to an abortion.

Interesting Survey about Tithing & a Rap!

What if You Required Members to Tithe?

Studies show that pastors struggle with tithing and giving issues with their congregation more often than just about any other subject. Some pastors won't even preach on money or tithing, because it causes too much commotion or they just feel that ministry shouldn't focus on the topic. Most pastors do not require their church membership to tithe in order to remain a member in good standing. However, most pastors would agree (and current statistics prove) that too few of their church members tithe. But it wouldn't be surprising if a moderate percentage of pastors had at least considered requiring the tithe as a provision of membership, particularly in today's economic climate, and even if they are just dreaming.

But it seems that the idea of requiring a tithe might backfire on today's churches. In a recent survey, active American Christian church members were asked, "Suppose your church made a new requirement for church membership: members must give ten percent of their after-tax income to the church or other good causes. Those giving less than ten percent could still attend church, but would not be considered members in good standing. How would you most likely respond to this requirement?" The results showed that 51% of American Christians would either drop out of church or move to a different church if required to tithe. Only 7% said they would just start giving ten percent. 16% said they already give ten percent of their income. 25% would continue to attend, but they would give less than ten percent. 35% said they would move to a church that doesn't have this requirement, and 16% said they would drop out of church life altogether.

From Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don't Give Away More Money by Smith, Emerson & Snell, Oxford Univ. Press, 2008.

Also on the same subject but so much funnier - a "rap" about Tithing!