converge point - fall 2014

fall 2014 | point n 1

2 n point | fall 2014

Who wouldn’t want to be part of a church that is rocking its community for Christ? That is how Luke described the Spirit-filled Jerusa- lem church in the days following Pentecost: “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.... And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42, 47). Yesterday I spoke at The Rock Church in Denver, Colo. In many ways The Rock em- bodies what we mean when we talk about starting and strengthening transformational churches. Pastor Bruce Fosdick and the people of The Rock are fearlessly committed to impacting their region and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. More than 1100 wor- shipers jam into their four Sunday services in an environment that lives up to their catchphrase, “Real church for real people.” The Sunday experience is not the whole story. This congregation consistently exercises faith and generosity to expand God’s kingdom. While sustaining an ag-gressive global missions effort, they have released hundreds of people and dozens of leaders to plant several daughter churches in the Denver area. If you had joined us at The Rock yesterday, you would have guessed it was a church plant. But you would have been wrong. This spiritually vibrant, growing church was reborn out of an older, established congregation. When pastor Fosdick was called to serve Southwest Baptist Church, it was a declining congregation primarily made up of senior adults. But this small core group joined in faith with their new pastor to make the changes needed to reach younger families moving into the area. I remember preaching there just two years into the rebirthing process. What fun to come back and see what God is doing today. Over the past 14 years I probably have preached in more than 500 churches across our movement. Each church has its own strengths and struggles, yet all share one truth: Congrega- tions do not exist for themselves but to fulfill Christ’s mission in the world for the glory of God. So, our Converge churches partner together all over the world to impact lives and commu-nities, starting new and strengthening existing churches for a new day of spiritual influence.

Jerry Sheveland President Converge

from the

president

EDITOR Bob Putman

DESIGNER, PRODUCTION MANAGER

Pam Nelsen

CONTRIBUTING EDITORFran Anderson

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VOLUME 6 n NUMBER 5

MAT

T S

TEP

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A trip to The Rock


inside features

4 Planting churches Living in Paganistan BY ALLISON HURTADO

Detroit: Bringing light to the blight BY NORM BYERS

A man called Daniel BY THE EDITOR

Living by faith BY RYAN McSPARRAN

Igniting the Latino movement BY THE EDITOR

12 Strengthening churches Small and on the grow BY ALLISON HURTADO

In for the long haul BY DOUG FAGERSTROM

Rethinking Bethel Baptist BY BOB PUTMAN

extras 20 Connection n Bethel student in Miss America pageant

n Masbate celebrates 50 years

n NIV editor Youngblood passes

n Converge staff headed to missions

22 Dashboard: Annual report

6

10

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starting churches

Living in PaganistanMany church starts focus on a target audience: a specific demographic group. They shape their purpose, ministries, language and me-dia around connect-ing these people to the gospel. But what if your neigh-borhood is com-prised of Wiccans, neo-pagans and moralists?BY ALLISON HURTADO

HHiawatha Church is located in the Twin Cities, nestled among the beautiful waterfalls and modern buildings of Minneapolis. The cities have their share of barbecues among neighbors. But there’s a twist: some of these parties are held by Wiccans and neo-pagans to wor-ship the earth. In fact, Minneapolis has 127 witch groups/covens — 54 percent of all witch groups in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including suburbs. In 2005 the individual number of witches in the Twin Cities area numbered around 20,000.* Hiawatha pastor Christopher Wachter and his congregation took notice. They planted Hiawatha knowing these groups would be part of the community’s population and that adapting the gospel presentation to reach them would be ingrained in the church. “We see neo-pagan or Wiccan activity in the Twin Cities area because it’s an urban area with a lot of lakes and rivers,” Wachter says. “Because these people worship the earth, the landscape here is a huge draw for them.” He adds, “They confuse the gift with the Gift Giver.” Those groups Wachter wants to reach most are functional Wiccans, people who wouldn’t nec-essarily identify with Wiccans but value the earth more than anything else in their lives. Wiccans invite people to backyard solstice parties and try to persuade them to embrace the Wiccan worldview. In Minneapolis many Wiccans gather at Minnehaha Park around a big waterfall and river. There they celebrate the equinox and the solstice by burning trees. Wiccans also believe humans are divine because we are part of creation and are inherently good. To them, Mother Earth is the end-all of spiritual reality.


‘ The Twin Cities has one of the highest witch concentrations in the United States and is now known by them as “Paganistan.”’

John Mayer, Cityview Report 15th edition, p. 36.

Living in Paganistan

H As a congregation, Hiawatha Church values earth care as a way to reach neighbors and others who worship the earth as god. “We have conversations with our leaders so that they can find a balance between affirming nature and the value of God,” says Wachter. “It’s like bridge building. Wiccans love the earth, and their love is not entirely misplaced. But we know our love actually surpasses because we look to God, who made the earth.” Hiawatha Church has worked alongside Wiccan covens to clean up the Mississippi Gorge that runs through the city. Developing relationships and showing hospitality is part of preaching the gospel. Church services intentionally focus on God being the creator and owner of the earth. Moralists are another group Wachter is trying to serve. They see God as a Boss and try to self-justify instead of receiving the grace promised by Scripture. Wachter says spiritual Christians and moralists are juxtapositioned, both equally unsaved. “We have people come to church who are very religious and know about Jesus and the Bible but have never fully received grace. We believe when the gospel is fully preached it reaches all people,” Wachter says. Hiawatha members continue to hold their neighbors’ hands and walk with them. But Wachter explains, “Our church is not perfect. We aren’t claiming to be rock stars on this. We need prayer. God works through broken people like us.” n

Allison Hurtado is content development specialist for Converge.

* Cityview Report 15th edition, by John A. Mayer, p. 41.


DetroitBringing light to the blight

starting churches

You are professionals — Cornelius a social worker and Marisa a new-employee orien- tation coordinator — and have opportunities outside Detroit. Why not move away from the blight?This is our city, and we are not leaving it. Jesus Christ wants to save Detroit!

Why are you planting in Detroit?We were born and raised in Detroit and remember riding bikes and running up and down streets then secured by caring neighbors. We attended school and church in Detroit and built many relationships. Detroit was vibrant. Now there are streets of decayed and abandoned homes. But we believe there is still hope for Detroit. Neighbors want to see change in the community. Revitalization in down-town Detroit, the culture of museums, the entertainment of sports arenas and the beauty of RiverWalk are taking place. Through Heart and Soul Community Church we are reach-ing individuals for Christ, and God is reviving the community and restoring hope.

What is your vision?God laid on our hearts to take one square mile of our city and minister to those within it. And we are doing that by meeting physical needs, offering ministry groups and Bible studies and, at this time, a once-a-month worship gathering.

What challenges are you facing?We can do nothing apart from Christ, and it is a joy to witness his hand at work. He has provided many answers to prayer. Currently, we are extremely busy with the dif-ficulties of working full-time jobs, ministering in our neighborhood and inviting others outside our area to be partners in this ministry. Strength and wisdom are needed. n

Norm Byers is pastor of Genesis Church, Petoskey, Michigan, and Michigan regional church planting director of Converge MidAmerica.

Returning from spring break, my family and I decided to visit good friends Cornelius and Marisa Roberson and check out the new church they are starting in the heart of Detroit, Michigan. It was April 6, and Heart and Soul Community Church was launching its first preview service after months of Bible studies and service initiatives. As we headed towards Burns Elementary School, where hscc meets, we took in vivid images of the desper-ate situation in Detroit. It’s no secret that Detroit, once a thriving in-dustrial city, now is one of our country’s most blighted cities. Political corruption, economic collapse and the breakdown of the family are just a few issues that made Detroit one of the poorest, most-devastated and most-dangerous cities in America. As a result, people have been leaving Detroit in droves for years. The popula-tion has shrunk to below 800,000, from a high of 1.8 million residents. On our drive to visit our friends, we saw boarded-up or burned-out houses; in one area nearly every other house was in shambles. One estimate says a third of the city of Detroit is vacant. We drove by Cooley High School — a Detroit icon built in 1928 and designed in Mediterranean Revival-style — and found it boarded up, with several For Sale signs on the 17-acre campus. When I attended high school in western Michigan in the late 1980s, Cooley High was respected and feared as an elite school for athleticism, a point of pride for Detroit. Now Cooley High represents the disappointments and hopelessness for the future of a city in disaster. Sitting down with the Robersons, I quizzed them about their situation.

BY NORM BYERS


He’s 37, recently engaged, pastor of Vietnamese bgc Church, Fairfax, Virginia, and di-rector of Vietnamese church planting in the Washington, D.C., region for Converge MidAtlan-tic district. His name is Nhan Phan, but most people call him Daniel.

Amid tragedy, a call to ministry Few would suspect that the gang-related murder of a close friend led to Daniel’s call to ministry. Daniel grew up in Vietnam, son of a Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor and wife. While he was attending university there, during the 1995-1996 school year a close friend — “a Christian, but not very committed” — continued to hang out with gang members. One day, in a struggle within the group, one of the man’s friends shot and killed him. “Through my friend’s funeral, God called me to do something for college students,” Dan-iel, then 17, says. “They needed to know Christ and his salvation.” He dreamt of studying at a Bible college, not an option in Vietnam. Through his uncle, Daniel got connected to a Vietnamese Bible school in Southern California. In 1997 he im-migrated and, granted a scholarship, enrolled there, graduating three years later. Several churches invited Daniel to serve as their pastor, but he refused, “Because I was so young,” and had minimal exposure to Vietnamese churches in the U.S. He prayed, and God opened the door to the University of Oklahoma, where again he received a scholarship, majoring in computer engineering. He stayed in Oklahoma City seven years, serving on the worship band and directing Sunday school in two Southern Baptist congregations.

A second shift in direction Applying his computer skills, Daniel created a personal website and a site for the church where he ministered. His personal site became nationally popular within the Vietnamese Christian community and drew the attention of Tri Truong, then Converge Vietnamese Initia-tive international director. In 2007 Truong asked Daniel to assume the pastorate of the Con-verge Vietnamese church in Fairfax, and connected him with Converge MidAtlantic execu-tive minister Dan Peterson. Since Daniel began his pastorate in Fairfax in 2008, the church has grown from 13 to about 45 attendees and reaches the community through classes for kids: Vietnamese language, guitar and piano lessons. Observing there were only seven churches for the 50,000+ Vietnamese in Fairfax County, Daniel sensed a second calling from God, this time to church planting. Beginning in January 2013 he began working with a group of seven people in Lorton, Virginia, helping them in the English and Vietnamese languages to develop and define their strategy, vision and mission. At present 15 adults and 12 kids attend the nova plant, which works to reach international students at Nova Community College and James Madison and George Mason universities. “We lead the music, eat together and teach Bible doctrine and life principles to help the students,” he says.

Every two months Daniel travels to Philadelphia to assist a group of five Vietnamese families starting a church there. He leads Bible studies and communion and is helping

them prepare to launch, perhaps next year. Ten adults and eight children participate.

Strong, supportive partnerships A few years ago Peterson invited Phu Pham, pastor of Vietnamese Faith Com-

munity Church, Chicago, and of Vietnamese American New Life Church, Daven-port, Iowa, to coach Daniel in church planting. Pham and Daniel communicate by phone, praying together, discussing ministry situations and learning from one another. Pham flies to D.C. a few times a year to meet with four Converge Viet churches. Daniel directs the region’s Vietnamese lead team for pastors. “I really admire Dan Peterson and the leadership team in the Washington, D.C., area,” Daniel says. “They support us financially, hold us accountable, pray for us and provide counsel. They care for us very much. I thank MidAtlantic for all their efforts to help Vietnamese church planting.” n

Bob Putman is editor of Point magazine.

starting churches

A man called DanielBY THE EDITOR

8 n point | fall 2014SIgniting a Latino movementCan Converge ignite a movement of church planting among Latinos? These people in Converge MidAmerica may have discovered a key.

BY THE EDITOR

starting churches

Six years ago, Illinois pastors Carlos Herrera and Jessy Padilla had successfully planted Converge Latino churches and were given a new charge from their district. They were asked to find other Latino pastors to start churches for second- and third-genera-tion Latinos. They soon learned many denominations and church planting groups were looking for the same people. They wouldn’t find them in Chicago, New York City or even Miami. Herrera and Padilla would have to search elsewhere.


Rather than hunt for Latino church planting candidates, they decided to create a program to produce them: an environment from which they would naturally emerge. ignite is an 18-month course based on five retreats, assigned reading, discussions with the authors and other experts, training in essential spiritual disciplines, leader-ship tools and personal coaching. Launched in 2008 by Herrera and Padilla, ignite is now in its third cohort. The second cohort began in fall 2009, and the current cohort, begun in 2013, concludes next summer. Does Ignite work? Padilla says Javier and Judy Maldonado are proof that it does.

Meet the Maldonados The Maldonados describe themselves as “Indo Rican.” Judy, 35, a lawyer who works in real estate, estate planning and family law, is Indian. Javier, 37, and a phar-maceutical sales manager, is Puerto Rican. Both were born in the U.S. When they moved from Chicago to Gurnee, Illinois, the Maldonados began attending Immanuel Church, a Converge congregation pastored by Joe Boerman. They participated in the evangelistic Alpha Course and that, according to Judy, was when “we both really gave our lives to Christ.” The Maldonados were so energetic, winsome and intelligent that they were soon asked to lead the church’s Alpha Course, which they did for seven years. Javier now facilitates a discipleship group called VantagePoint3. Judy leads the “journey through adolescence” group for young girls and serves as a mentor for Immanuel women. When Herrera and Padilla contacted pastor Boerman to ask if he knew of any church couples who might benefit from ignite leadership training, he recommended the Maldona-dos. They plugged into the first course and loved it. “Ignite was wonderful. It was a great opportu-nity to meet couples from other churches and to develop ourselves as leaders,” says Judy. Later, Herrera asked Judy to serve as a coach to participants during the second cohort. Then tragedy struck. In 2010 the Maldonado’s one-day-old Mateo son died of a pseudomonas infection. Many who had participated in the first two ignite cohorts attended the funeral. In walking through their grief, the Maldonados felt God calling them to a deeper level of faith and ministry.

Where God is leading next In January 2013 Herrera asked the Maldonados to step in as program directors. They prayed and said yes. Soon they were tweaking the format and asking pastors to recommend potential candidates for the current cohort. “It’s been wonderful,” Judy says. “We love to meet other cou-ples. We have a heart for developing strong Christian marriages and developing individuals in their spiritual disciplines and spiritual life.” Eight couples are enrolled in the current cohort; 28 total over six years. Padilla describes Javier and Judy as professional, responsible, very intentional spiritual leaders. “They carry out this responsibility not based on their abilities but on trusting and depending on God,” he says. Both continue in their day jobs. And what of ignite’s results under their leadership? Abram and Cristina Delgado, who par-ticipated in the second cohort, are currently completing paperwork to plant a Converge church in MidAmerica district. And the Maldonados are sensing a call from God to become church planters and will be participating in Converge’s Church Planters Assessment Center. Converge MidAmerica wanted to ignite a church planting movement among Latinos in their district. It may not be a movement yet, but they have struck a spark with ignite. n


The Maldonados pose for their Christmas photo. Javier, Judy, Anjali, 11, and Aliya, 9.


How did God first call you to begin a Filipino church plant in Westminster, Colorado?This is God’s vision, not ours. We came to the U.S. with our two children last November to give an update to Highland Baptist Church. After a miscommunication with the travel agency, our return tickets to the Philippines were mistakenly cancelled. Not sure what to do next, we gave it up to God. The next day, a friend introduced me to Ric Doguiles, a Filipino and senior pastor of CrossWind Community Church, Denver. I learned that CrossWind had a vision to plant a Filipino church in North Denver. They had been praying for a Filipino pastor for two years. Pastor Doguiles contacted Converge Rocky Mountain. Before we knew it, we were sent to Ari-zona for a pastoral assessment. We passed the assessment, and now here we are, planting a Fili-pino church in Westminster. (Author’s note: The youth pastor now leads their Philippines church.)

What is the need you see for starting a Filipino church in North Denver?In Westminster, the Filipino community is scattered, with little opportunity to grow spiritually. Many Filipinos here have Catholic backgrounds, but their faith is inactive or held as a family tradition. — without spiritual support.

What are the biggest challenges you’re facing? The Filipino community is very disconnected. Until now it has been difficult to reach people. There had been no place for fellowship or pastoring. With our new church, we hope services in their lan-guage will draw them in. Those who come to our church in North Denver are very excited to hear God’s Word in their own language. At our first meeting, 18 adults accepted Christ. Progress has been difficult, but we praise God for these encouraging signs.

Who is sponsoring this North Denver church plant, and how are they helping you?Converge Rocky Mountain and Highland Baptist Church have given great support. When our short-term visit turned into a long-term mission, we found ourselves here with nothing. The High-land Baptist community has met our needs, including offering a place to live. CrossWind Com-munity Church provided our vision.

What is the North Denver church’s current status, and how can we pray for you?We would love to meet more area Filipinos but need help reaching the community. Also, please pray for spiritual growth in those reached. We need maturing Christians who can be leaders. Finally, please pray for our immigration status in the U.S. We are going through the process and waiting for answers. Without official approvals, our ministry here could come to an end. We know God brought us here for a reason, and we pray our work will be able to continue.

Ryan McSparran is a writer with Colorado-based Peak Outfitter Communications.

starting churches

Living by faithA Filipino pastor follows God’s call to North Denver

BY RYAN MCSPARRAN

Michael and Loreta Olarte came to the U.S. in November 2013 to give their supporting church, Highland Baptist, Westminster, Colo., an update on their ministry in the Philippines. What was supposed to be a brief visit to the Denver area became a long-term church planting mission.


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Faith Baptist Church, Southington, Connecticut

Stepping into the shoes of a pastor who led the same church for 26 years is not easy. But Robert Smith accepted the task of taking the reins as pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Southington, Conn. The previous pastor had laid a stable foundation and still attends the church. Smith himself has been a member of the congregation for 18 years. He transitioned from his regular job into the pastor role. When Smith became pastor the church had been averaging about 40 in attendance. He began by reaching out to people in the congrega-tion who were looking for answers in their lives. He narrowed his focus to relationships and discipleship and began ministering in a personal way. He also gained the support of several people who are guided by their compassion. “We are growing, but it’s a slow process, and the people we are reaching are un-churched and seeking,” Smith says. Most churches take on relationships in group settings, but Smith sees it differently. “It’s been a good thing that’s been happening, and it’s a process,” he says. “We’ve been able to bring people to Christ and to disciple them in one-on-one situations or group settings.” Smith also incorporates a sharing time into each Sunday morning service. “We have people share what God did in their lives in the recent week. Or if they need prayer for health concerns or difficult times, we pray right then and there,” he says. “We also have

a prayer-and-crisis phone line.” The focus on relationships has proved fruitful, with the congregation nearly doubling to about 65 to 80 in weekly attendance and with Faith Baptist having a record crowd of 110 on Easter. “It’s all encouragement to us. We’ve struggled for al-most 20 years, and it’s sometimes discouraging because you don’t see the growth,” Smith says. “But in the past couple of years we’ve welcomed people who have never been to church or opened the Bible. When you share the gospel, it ministers to them; people are hungry for God.”

small

and on the growChurches don’t need to be mega to be effective. These three smaller churches are

growing in unique, God-directed places and ways.

BY ALLISON HURTADO

strengthening churches


Calvary Baptist Church, Cambridge, Nebraska

Just over two years ago, Nathan Witt became pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Cambridge, Neb. And he knew he needed to bring solid direction to a congregation that was missing the most im-portant generation: children. When Witt and his wife Sarah first moved to the town of just over 1000, they began asking: What is lacking community-wide? What is nobody else doing? The answer dated back to 1935. “Calvary Baptist started then from a children’s Bible study led by a woman in her home. Her class developed into the church,” Pastor Witt says. “We wondered, if God had moved that way in the past, would he move that way again?” Sarah believes looking backward was the way to move forward. After doing research on different children’s ministry curricula, the Witts settled on the Good News Club and simply sent home information packets through the local elementary school. At the first meeting two years ago, they expected 16 kids and 25 showed up. The numbers have continued to climb so that today’s attendance averages 60 children weekly. “This has been so exciting, and it also really put our church in the community eye, not just as a separate little church some people attended or left. It’s, ‘Wow, you guys are doing a lot for the com-munity,’” Sarah says. “We even outgrew our church’s basement and need to use a room across the street in the community building.” Sarah attributes the club’s high numbers to the snacks church


members provide. Handmade cupcakes and layered brownies keep the kids excited and coming back each week. “Even if the snacks are what keeps them coming, they hear the gospel and learn about Jesus,” Sarah says. “Ultimately the goal is to reach the kids for the Lord.” Not only has Calvary Baptist reached a missing group in the community, the congregation has been strengthened, growing from 45 to 60 adults. Pastor Witt says the church as a whole didn’t have enough biblical knowledge, which hindered growth. Adds Sarah, “Our congregation is hungry for the truth of the Word, not just an opinion or what someone thinks, but preaching that is intentionally crafted.” Despite all the positive changes, pastor Witt says hard decisions must be made. In a small church, making changes can make waves. “I’m in the thick of it right now,” he says. “I recently have had to ask leadership to step down. My advice to others is that sometimes to go forward you need to go back-ward. And you have to do really difficult things for the sake of the health of the body.”

Ignite Community Church, Sacramento, California

Helping a church to grow can be as simple as changing its location. For pastor Ernie Cabrera of Ignite Community Church, Sacramento, Calif., moving was just part of the equation. Cabrera be-came interim pastor of Ignite Community in July 2011. And about a year and a half later, he became the permanent pastor and introduced a plan to reenergize the church. “I started by organizing and polishing the format. We changed the worship service and its style,” Cabrera says. “We also changed our identity and our name and location.” The reorganization of icc was more than superficial. Cabrera noticed a change in the congrega-tion. “One of the first things I needed to do was to help grow the congregation spiritually in a sense of the mission of our church,” he says. ‘Our statement is: ‘To ignite our passion for God and to reach up and out.’ All this is tied to growing our church and getting our people out of the building and into the community.” Teachings on practical discipleship are what Cabrera says started changing how his congrega-tion thought about church. Each week he challenged them to share their testimony with five dif-ferent people and invite them to church. He’s seen the fruit of the hard work his congregation has done. Each week new visitors attend the service. Cabrera’s ultimate goal is to launch missional communities in the Greater Sacramento area. Currently, icc is busy expanding from one site, which is under construction, and adding two more sites. The congregation has grown from a high school location to a three-site church. “We went from 80 to about 250 people at our grand reopening at our new location,” Cabrera says. “We prayed to get pregnant, and now it’s like we are having triplets. It’s a little hectic and crazy, but it’s God who has opened these doors.” Building up new leaders is another of Cabrera’s priorities, and he says it’s key to growing a church in a healthy way. “My goal is to train up new leaders; I have five I’m training right now,” he says. “The only way you grow churches is to train young leaders and help them plant other sites.” n

Allison Hurtado is Converge content development specialist.

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HHow did these four Converge pastors, each ministering at their church for more than 20 years, maintain such success and longevity? Converge Point magazine asked this of them, and their answers provided a glimpse of four godly men, humble pastors called to serve Jesus.

What has been the number-one contributor to your longevity in your ministry?

Dave: Grace Baptist has given me the opportunity to try things, to change things and to initiate things. That’s a really important part of how I’m wired. I’ve got a lot of vision and drive, and I’ve been blessed with a board that has been open to ongoing change. So while I’m a person who needs change, Grace has provided me with a setting that allows me to dream and then go after it. A big example of that has been Grace’s willing-ness to start 20 new churches.

Jay: The main contributor to my longevity has been the intentional discipleship of mul-tiple mentors, including my parents, who laid a sound foundation about finishing what you start. I wasn’t allowed to quit things like piano lessons when I grew tired of them. Pastor David and Daisy Hepburn discipled Liz and me, and we learned ministry is the place you can use all your gifts — intellect, humor, creativity, relational skills, love of fun. From Ross Foley we discovered how relational ministry is critically important. But if you haven’t spent time mining the treasures of the Word of God, you won’t have much in terms of value to bring to those relationships. At Valley multiple men of God mentored me in the art of spiritual longevity. Former pastor Jim Rehnberg demonstrated a commitment to long-term ministry in one place. Pastor Paul Evan mentored me in the remarkable benefits of longevity through caring ministries, how to pastor people.

continued

INTERVIEWS BY DOUG FAGERSTROM

Dave Reno, his wife Joy and three chil-dren started Grace Fellowship Church in 1987 in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. With a total of 39 years of ministry experi-ence, Dave continues his 27 years as the founding senior pastor at Grace. His hobbies include ironman competitions and running ultramarathons.

Jay Abramson, with his wife Liz, serves Valley Community Baptist Church, Avon, Connecticut. They have three adult sons. Jay has served in full-time minis-try for 40 years, the past 25 as vcbc se-nior pastor. Jay enjoys building things, from furniture to a cabin in Maine.

Robin Holland and his wife Nita Faye have three adult children. During his 30 years of ministry, Robin has served for 22 years as senior pastor and founder of Living Hope Baptist Church, Aurora, Colorado. He was a first responder at the Aurora theater shooting in July 2012. His main hobby is golf.

Mullery (Willie) Jean-Pierre and his wife Cacheta have six children. Willie has served Beraca Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, for 36 years, the past 13 as senior pastor. Willie loves photography, having shot nearly 10,000 images in three years.

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Robin: Contributing to my longevity is keeping my church life separate from my home life and treating my home as a fortress of solitude, making exceptions for only dire situations. My wife and I don’t discuss the church at home, and I am happy being husband, dad and papa. Training lay lead-ers, delegating authority to accomplish assigned tasks, watching these leaders grow, celebrating their successes and helping them through their struggles reduces stress while ministry keeps growing.

Willie: Two things have contributed to the longevity of my ministry: my marriage and fresh ideas. My wife Cacheta has been a tremendous support, encourager, sounding board and observer of my blind spots. Second, I like to try innovative things, whether small or large, changes that challenge and stretch me and the congregation. They reinvigorate the old members and create space for others with newer skills and talents to join and serve in ministry. Often our journey as a church is placed on another trajectory to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), which contributes to the longevity of our ministry. What do you do to maintain growing intimacy with God?

Dave: Nothing profound. Mostly it’s just doing the things every pastor tells his congregation to do: daily spend 20-60 minutes in Bible reading and prayer. As time has gone by, I’ve had to get up earlier in the morning to make that happen — presently between 4 and 5 a.m. Prayer has been a particular challenge. While being faithful, I don’t find prayer easy. I’ll often use as a template the Lord’s Prayer, or A.C.T.S. (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication). I have increasingly been faithful in praying for my kids and wife on a daily basis. In the past 30 years some times when praying — mostly about family issues — have been really difficult. In those seasons I’ve been forced to hold on tight to God. But mostly my spiritual disciplines are “disciplines” — a lot like physical exercise — not spontaneous or easy at the moment, but ultimately shaping who I am.

Jay: Things that help me maintain intimacy with God are: Reading/listening — I use the McCheyne Bible Reading Plan (four chapters of Scripture per day). Prayer: I follow my reading/listening time with prayer daily. I’ve used different strategies through the years such as keeping a journal, praying for different topics or people on different days, maintaining a Focus on Five card (praying for five not-yet-Christians), etc. Spiritual Retreat — Twice a year I spend a week (five days) alone praying, reading, sometimes fasting and studying. Fasting: Several times a year I fast for one to three days for different reasons, using the teaching of Elmer Towns in his book Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough.

Robin: I have out-of-office study times designated on Tuesdays. This allows me to spend the whole day with the Lord in prayer and study. I have turned over the weekly Bible study to my executive pas-tor and senior associates to allow me even more time to spend with God and to read the books of my contemporaries and peers. I have daily alone time with God. I get up at 4 a.m. each day (left over from my military days), and I am guaranteed two solid hours of no one stirring — just my Lord and me.

Willie: My prayer life and God’s Word keep me growing intimately with God. I try to pray con-stantly, during conversations or during counseling sessions, and when I’m alone planning my day or a sermon series. Prayer has helped me make decisions that would have been catastrophic if I hadn’t prayed.

‘ I like to try innovative things, whether small or large, changes that challenge and stretch me and the congregation. They reinvigorate the old members and create space for others with newer skills and talents to join and serve in ministry.’

Willie Jean-Pierre


I remember when our elder board and I made a decision that we thought was sound, given the circumstances. The following morning, after a moment of silence and solitude, I began to pray, and the first thing the Lord pressed upon my heart was that the decision we made was wrong and must be changed. I returned to the board and shared what the Lord revealed to me. They agreed, and we reversed the decision, soon learning we had avoided a catastrophe. I often use an electronic or audio Bible. When I listen to it with my eyes closed, it’s like watching a movie on the screen of my mind. Some electronic Bibles are interactive, with thousands of refer-ences and opportunities for me to make notations. It’s impossible to grow in an intimate relation-ship with God without reading, listening, meditating and practicing the Word of God.

Do you currently have a mentor, coach or spiritual director, and what impact does that person have upon your personal life?

Dave: For the past 20 years Rob Boyd, associate staff at the Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference, has been something of a spiritual mentor to me. He is 20 years my senior and a good friend. We meet monthly for breakfast. This evolved out of one of those difficult times in life when everything was coming apart. Rob was there for me then and in several difficult times since. Rob also holds me spiritually accountable. When we get together, he asks me the hard questions about the personal things that too many men, including pastors, aren’t honest about with anyone. A number of years ago I met monthly with Leith Anderson, whose wisdom I deeply respect. The opportunity to spend one-on-one time with him was a tremendous asset during the formative years of my ministry.

Willie: For the first couple of years after becoming a pastor, I asked several seasoned pastors, men of God, to take me under their wings. All said yes, but unfortunately that never materialized. Then one day a friend who used to preach for us asked if I would be interested in a peer-to-peer mentoring relation-ship. It was the first time I had heard that term. I was looking for a Paul/Timothy relationship, but I found a David/Jonathan friendship (Prov. 27:17). Through retreats, Bible studies, family outings and early breakfast devotions we have enjoyed a spiritual journey that has sharpened us for the past six years.

Learn more about the pastors’ secrets to ministry longevity at cvrg.us/fall2014. You’ll find Jay’s and Robin’s answers to the question above, along with answers to the following:

n What do you do to reduce the daily and major stressors in life?

n How do you maintain your physical and emotional health?

n What have you done to protect and provide for the needs of your family?

n What do you do to develop close relationships outside your immediate family? What are some results of those relationships?

n How do you maintain your personal passion for ministry and keep your vision fresh?

Finishing strong doesn’t happen by itself. It takes hard work, determined discipline and godly character. Our four Converge pastors openly and honestly share their stories of real ministry and humble experiences. They are like all of us. They become our mentors in living a ministry legacy. We can all learn from them to finish strong, by God’s goodness and grace along with biblical guidelines, faith and perseverance. n

Doug Fagerstrom is senior vice president of Converge.

‘ Mostly my spiritual disciplines are “disciplines” — a lot like physical exercise — not spontaneous or easy at the moment, but ultimately shaping who I am.’

Dave Reno


PPastor Joey Mimbs returned from his three-month sabbatical last September con-vinced Bethel Baptist Church might not exist in 15 years if it didn’t reach outside its walls and become attractive to younger people. He came to his conviction through concentrated prayer, conversations with his wife Carol and dialog and dreaming with new associate pastor Kevin Clark and youth director David Voight. Bethel, founded in Bradenton, Fla., in 1958, needed to jumpstart its evangelism. But Mimbs, senior pastor, understood nothing would progress unless he took the lead. So he, Clark and Voight laid out their vision before the church board, who agreed, “This is of God.” At a subsequent deacons retreat, all read the same literature and prayed, growing in unity of heart and mind. Mimbs was already preaching a series about the church to help the congregation catch the vision.

The first step outside the box Every year Bethel held a food drive for the community food bank. Mimbs asked, “What if we give the food to Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School instead?” The pre-K-grade 5 public school serves special needs children, 98 percent on the free-lunch program. Last October, Mimbs met with principal Maribeth Mason and assistant principal Ruby Zickafoose. He laid out a plan to pro-vide reusable bags (with Bethel’s website address) containing everything a family would need for a day’s breakfast, lunch and dinner. The administrators loved the idea and said they would select a dozen families. Mimbs said the church was planning for more. He then asked a question that began a remarkable church/school partnership: “What do you need?” Zickafoose answered, “We need adults who will come here and read to our children. And we need sports equipment. We don’t have the money to buy it.” Mimbs returned to Bethel and described the needs. Starting last November, teams of 12 to 20 Bethel adults went to the school weekly to read with the children. A Bethel Sunday school class bought 25 basketballs for the school. Someone suggested asking whether the children needed socks and underwear. Again the church delivered. As Bethel learned about needs, they followed through with Band-Aids, belts, meals for the teachers and thousands of dollars in kids winter jackets. Meanwhile, Mimbs worked with the missions team to coordinate the food drive. This January 27 they delivered 116 bags for school families. Mason and Zickafoose were overwhelmed by the generosity. Both principals participated in Bethel’s worship service July 6. They stood and said, “Thank you. Thank you. We need you.” Today they often call the church to place requests on the prayer chain.

2:22, prayer and the Day of Hope Bethel continued to engage with the community. In late January about 50 members canvassed more than 250 neighborhood homes, offering to do home and yard work on February 22. Clark and Voight coordinated the volunteers, who performed landscaping, cleanup, carpentry and lawn care. Rather than join the traditional National Day of Prayer gathering at the Manatee County Court-house, Bethel sent teams to14th Street, a very rough location, to pray for neighboring businesses. They prayed in restaurants, hotels, the 4 Play Spa, the Gator Lounge, gas stations, a liquor store, car

Rethinking Bethel Baptist


A pastor’s sabbatical results in the transformation of his church.BY BOB PUTMAN PHOTOS BY ERIC VAN ZYTVELD

2:22


dealers and a mobile home park. The park office manager said, “There’s a lady here who desper-ately needs prayer.” The team visited and prayed with her, and she has attended the church numer- ous times. Going outside its walls, Bethel is seeing people come to faith and seek baptism. Fourteen have been baptized since Mimbs returned from sabbatical. On August 2, the church hosted the Day of Hope to prepare 168 homeless and needy kids from Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary for the new school year. Each child received a $50 Bealls gift card for uniforms, a $25 Payless card for shoes and $25 in personal items and school supplies. Day of Hope became a community event, with eye exams and immunizations and services of doc- tors, nurses, hygienists, barbers, school portrait photographers, the Red Cross, the United Way. Local restaurants donated funds and food. Six-teen people prayed to receive Christ as Savior. Of course, such a shift in direction at Bethel has not gone without some resistance and pain. Mimbs seeks to communicate and respond with lots of love and grace. And what about those Orange Ridge kids? Has their situation changed through repeated, loving exposure to Bethel Baptist Church peo-ple? Zickafoose said their attitude has moved from “Nobody cares about us” to “It does matter. We matter.” There’s a whole new spirit on campus. At Orange Ridge Elementary. And at Bethel Bap- tist Church. n


Rethinking Bethel BaptistDay of Hope


Number of Vietnamese pastors, spouses and families who attended their annual Converge Vietnamese pastors Conference, June 27-29, in Portland, Ore.400

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connection

Varbergs celebrate 50 years since their first church startSons Paul and Dan Varberg joined retired missionaries Dick and Eleanor Varberg in Masbate, Philippines, May 17, to celebrate the senior Var-bergs’ first church plant there 50 years ago. Dick and Eleanor served in the Philippines 1958-1997. Paul and Dan currently serve there with their spouses, Margie and Sandy.

Staff headed to mission fieldsFormer Converge (and current Converge MidAmerica) youth director Bob Long and his wife Debbie (above) were commissioned July 13 at Moraine Valley Church, Palos Heights, Ill., to serve as Converge missionaries in the Philippines. Converge mobilization direc-tor Steve Valentine and his wife Jenny (r.), appointed missionaries to Poland, are raising support.

Bethel student in Miss America pageantBethel University student Jacky Arness, crowned Miss North Dakota June 7, will compete in the Miss America Pageant in September. This past school year the Fargo, N.D., resident served as BU student body vice president. She majors in political science and biblical/theological studies.

Reported by Suzanne McInroy

Ron Youngblood with the LordRon Youngblood, Bethel Sem-inary professor emeritus of Old Testament and Hebrew, died July 5. A renowned biblical scholar, he served on either the translation or editorial teams of the niv, its 1984 revised edition, the niv Reader’s Version, Today’s niv and the niv Study Bible. He wrote more than 20 books and was longtime editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He taught at Bethel Seminary St. Paul (1961-1978) and Bethel Semi-nary San Diego (1982-2001).

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At Bethel,excellence meAns something more.It’s about developing new skills and using our God-given talents to accomplish incredible things together—in the classroom, in our careers, and in the world.

Undergrad | Adult Undergrad | Graduate | Seminary | www.bethel.edu


149 Number of Converge missionaries in 30

countries n 22 new missionaries appointed

2013-2014: A great tripHere are some key indicators of the Converge 2013-2014 fiscal year ending April 30, 2014.

232 Number of new churches toward goal

of 351 by June 2015

352 Participants at Transform 2014

Network Gatheringsn Included 21 breakout groupsn Next year: January 19-22, Garden Grove, Calif.n New breakout groups: Latino pastors, recovery group pastors, community outreach leaders

Our Filipino, Haitian and Vietnamese Ministry Expansion Teams focus on starting and strengthening churches in the U.S. and their countries of origin. Pastors within each group provide leader-ship, vision, strategic planning and training, with ministry trips to their home countries.

2013-2014 income: $16,557,147. Expenses: $16,158,058


2013-2014: A great tripHere are some key indicators of the Converge 2013-2014 fiscal year ending April 30, 2014.

60 Number of church starts in fiscal year

n 389 participants at Ignite 2014 church planters conference

25 Number of graduates from first Converge

School of Church Leadership class

99 Number of Converge-endorsed chaplains

ministering in the military and in medical or correctional institutions


Mark Batterson is lead pastor of National Community Church, with six locations in Wash-ington, D.C. The author of New York Times best-seller The Circle Maker, Batterson has written 10 books, including In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase. He holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University.

Jeffrey Johnson Sr. is longtime pastor of Eastern Star Church, with three locations in In-dianapolis, Ind. Under his leadership esc has grown to more than 10,000 members, 130+ employees and 40 ministries. He has led multiple building campaigns, published five books — including Dialogue With My Sons — and served as assistant chaplain of the Indiana Pacers.

Connect 2014 is a gathering of Converge pastors and church leaders, Bethel University staff and friends. This year Converge, Bethel University and Minnesota Iowa district will all partner in one biennial meeting, incorporating speakers, worship, business, missionary recognition and a OneCry prayer webcast. Come connect with us on Bethel’s beautiful campus, as we share how we’ve been marked by God’s love.convergeconnect.org

Baptist General Conference2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd.Arlington Heights, IL 60005

converge point - fall 2014

Documents

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