Entries in Church Planting (3)
How Big Should a Church Get?
Michael Brown
in Church Planting, Ecclessiology
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6 Comments
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1 Reference
On most Sunday mornings, those who worship at Christ URC are faced with two challenges: finding a place to park and finding a good place to sit! Members and visitors alike can be seen most Lord's Days squeezing their cars into a seemingly shrinking parking lot, and then getting cozy in a building that is filled to capacity. Of course, as the saying goes, this is a good problem to have. What a joy it is to see disciples being made through the means of grace! I rejoice every Sunday when I enter the pulpit and see all the pews and chairs occupied by saints hungry to receive God's good gifts in Word and Sacrament.
Of course, this raises the question, "What are we going to do about the parking and seating?" It is true that outgrowing a building is a good problem to have, but let's be honest, it's still a little bit of a problem. Our building just wasn't designed to hold 200 people on Sunday. Thankfully, our Council is working on some solutions (both temporary and permanent), and our congregation has been very patient.
But here is another question that is interesting to consider: How big should a church get?
New URC church-plant in Canada, eh?
Michael Brown
in Church Planting
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I received news today from Casey Vander Ploeg, a member of Bethel URC in Calgary, Alberta, that the council of his church has formally approved a church plant in the nearby city of Airdrie, budget and all. It now goes to the congregation for ratification. This is wonderful news to hear that another URC church plant is soon to be launched. Planting churches is what the the Great Commission is all about. If we want to see how the apostles put Matthew 28 into practice, we should look at Acts 2, culminating in v.42: "and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers." Throughout the Book of Acts, we see churches being planted in which the Kingdom of God spread and disciples were made through the means of Word and Sacrament in church overseen by officers.
May God cause another local manifestation of his Church come into being in the land of the Canadian Rockies, Calgary Flames, and sub-zero temps in the winter. Please keep Casey, the core group at Airdrie, and the overseeing Consistory as well as the congregation of the Calgary URC in prayer. Pray that the Lord supplies them with a good pastor soon. If you know anyone who lives near the Calgary/Airdrie area, be sure to direct them to this new work. You should be able to find out more information about the plant by contacting Bethel URC at http://orginal.bethelurc.org/index.asp
MGB
The Reformation of Kauai
This past week Janie, Iain and I had the incredible opportunity to travel to the beautiful island of Kauai. The trip was amazing for two reasons. First, the beauty of the island is simply breathtaking. If you have been to Kauai before, you know what I am talking about: lush, green mountains with waterfalls, ubiquitous bright flowers, white sand beaches with 80-degree water, and surf...plenty of surf!
Secondly, I had the privilege of preaching and leading worship at the new URC church-plant in Lihue. The work is overseen by the consistories of the Oceanside URC and the Torrance URC. The core group is made up of some wonderful Christians who are passionate about the Reformed faith and excited about the prospect of a solid church being planted on their island. Please pray for this work. While the idea of planting a URC in paradise seems...well...fun, for lack of a better word, it is an endeavor with many challenges. Planting a Reformed church anywhere is never easy. On an island in the middle of the Pacific, some 2,500 miles from the mainland, it is even more difficult. And yet, Kauai is the home of about 60,000 people. There is no Reformed church to be found on the island at all. There are some Baptist churches, some Calvary Chapels, some liberal mainline churches, Roman Catholic churches, Lutheran, a Buddhist temple, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and at least two Mormon "churches". But no Reformed church. People are starving for the gospel. 
Please pray for the work in Kauai. Pray that the core group will remain passionate and perseverant while they wait for a pastor. Pray that the Lord would send the right man to that group. And pray that a true church would be established so that sinners will be converted, disciples will be made, and the gospel will go out on Kauai for many generations to come.
MGB