H.B. London's weekly briefing for pastors highlights multiplication

"Growing by Multiplication"

While megachurches and multi-site churches continue to grab the spotlight, another type of church is being evaluated and recognized — the multiplying church. Multiplying churches, or churches that plant other churches on an ongoing basis, believe that the mandate of Acts 1:8 requires them to focus their resources and energies not just on themselves, but on birthing new churches.

An article appearing in Outreach magazine analyzes America's top 25 multiplying churches. Based in part on a church planting study conducted by Leadership Network, the article attempts to explain the characteristics of churches that see church planting as a priority, and have also had success in actually birthing new churches. For example, the top three churches on the list — Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, Mars Hill Church in Seattle and NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas — have each planted 100 churches since their founding.

While many of the churches on the list are megachurches, there are also those that have an average weekly attendance of under 500. First Southwest Baptist Church in Alief, Texas (No. 23 on the list) has a weekly attendance of 120, but has planted 68 churches since 1978. Columbia Crossroads Church in Columbia S.C. (No. 19) — attendance 450 — has planted 17 churches in the last seven years.

Ed Stetzer, who wrote the article for Outreach, and is the director of LifeWay Research, points out that successful multiplying churches have a number of values in common:

• The belief that God has called them to reach the unchurched in their communities, their states and the world.
• The importance of establishing long-term strategies and goals that will involve both staff and church members in the planting process.
• A focus, not on becoming a larger church, but on the growth of the Kingdom around the world.
• The importance of maintaining fellowship with daughter churches as they become more independent.
• The understanding that staff, salaries and other valuable resources will need to be freely given in order for new churches to more effectively impact their communities. (The churches on the list designated between two percent and 30 percent of their overall budget for church planting.)
• The belief that lack of size or staff, or poor timing are not acceptable excuses for delay.

The list of the 25 churches can be found at http://outreachmagazine.com/docs/25innov_JA07.pdf. Outreach magazine has also published lists of the fastest growing and the most innovative churches in America.

That priest was faking it!

Fake priest arrested baptising baby (Reuters - Fri Jun 22, 2007)

A man pretending to be a priest was arrested by police as he prepared to baptise a baby in a small town in the north of Portugal.

"When the man said 'in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit' police came in and grabbed him," a member of the church was quoted by local daily Jornal de Noticias as saying.

A spokeswoman for the Portuguese police said the 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a priest and had several similar arrest warrants to his name.

"We had to interrupt the religious ceremony to identify the suspect," said spokeswoman Amelia Moutinho, adding that the public prosecutor would now investigate the case.

The baby was later baptised by a real priest, the local daily said. The man was arrested on June 16.

-------------------

I'm guessing, or at least hoping, that none of you will ever have an experience like that. On the other hand, I've been around the church for almost 50 years now and have had a few honest conversations with pastors who felt like they were just going through the motions. Call it a dry spell or a spiritual desert or a long, dark night of the soul. Even pulpit greats like Charles Spurgeon stuggled with a sense of heaviness and even depression in ministry.

But Sunday comes whether you're feeling like it or not.

In times like that, I think of the Psalmist David talking to himself (not the only pastor to ever do that) and directing his inner being to "bless the Lord at all times" (Psalm 34:1). That has to include times when I don't feel like it and my circumstances don't encourage it.

In times like that, we do have to walk a line between saying "I just feel like something good is about to happen" and saying "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it..." even if I don't feel like it. I praise the Lord because He's worthy of praise.

The dynamics of public ministry can work against just laying it all out there when I'm having a bad Sunday. One of the advantages of liturgical worship is that it's less about my "cheerleading" and more about pointing people to God's gifts in word and sacrament.

Either way... keep it real...especially if you're in Portugal..don't fake it!

Update from the Church of the Nazarene

Holiness Today is the official denominational publication for the Church of the Nazarene. Their six General Superintendents published the Annual Report which, in addition to news of incredible growth on their mission fields, included the following glimpses into their current "state of the church" in North America:

• 640,027 total members (US membership increased 0.6 percent last year)
  
• "A.M. worship" in the U.S.A. and Canada decreased 0.6 percent last year to 525,100.
  
• Offsetting newly-organized churches is the continued closing and merging of churches…The U.S.A., while organizing 39 congregations, closed 59.
• Canada closed 4 churches and did not report any newly organized congregations.

Another highlight was this word on their new HQ facility. They announced that it "is not just another building. It will be a new way of working together."

They also have a new mission statement: "…After 10 years of review by three different Boards, a decision was made in our December 2006 meeting to try to capture what is now taking place in the church...the Board unanimously adopted the following: Statement of Mission, Church of the Nazarene, "To make Christlike disciples in the nations."