The Global Advocate - January/February 2022

January/February 2022

Vol. 187, No. 1

ADVOCATE The

G L O B A L

a publication of the Churches of God, General Conference

Reimagine I N

T H I S

I S S U E

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What does it Mean to Reimagine the Church?

by Lance Finley

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Navigating Times of Grief & Loss by Judy Reist

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Reimagining What We Already Have by Travis Bodden

14 Church Planting in the Future by Lance Finley

Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3b).

THE GLOBAL ADVOCATE (ISSN 0009-630X) is published bi-monthly by the Churches of God, General Conference.

Vol. 187, No. 1 Established June 5, 1835 as THE GOSPEL PUBLISHER, re-established on May 1, 1846 as THE CHURCH ADVOCATE, and re-established on October 1, 2019 as THE GLOBAL ADVOCATE.

What does it Mean to

Reimagine the Church?

by Lance Finley, CGGC Executive Director

Rachel Foreman, Managing Editor The Global Advocate, official publication of the Churches of God, General Conference, exists to encourage members of the CGGC to maximize their collective potential for Kingdom impact.

Correspondence: Address correspondence to The Editor, The Global Advocate, Churches of God Publications, PO Box 926, Findlay, OH 45839, or email to RachelF@cggc.org.

Periodical rate paid at Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Postmaster: Send address changes to THE GLOBAL ADVOCATE, PO Box 926, Findlay, OH 45839. © 2022, Churches of God, General Conference 2 January/February 2022

What comes to mind when you hear the words “reimagine” and “church” used together? What images are formed? What emotions are stirred? Do you see possibilities and potentials, or dangers and threats?

R

eimagining can be exhilarating, and it can be exhausting. Rethinking something as important and central as the church can be a daunting task. In one sense, when we speak of rethinking or reimagining the church, we’re really talking about rediscovering our true calling or core mission. Jesus commissioned us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Our core mission as the body of Christ is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Are people moving from unbelief to belief in Jesus because of the ministry of your local church? Are disciples of Jesus being made who naturally make disciples in response to their devotion to Christ? Is there evidence that your local congregation is being effective in making disciples? If we’re not meeting our core objective, what needs to be done differently?

Why do we need to rethink the church?

The church used to have a privileged place in North American society. Anyone remember blue laws on Sunday? Remember when the larger community scheduled life around the importance of the activities of the church?

Our context today is very different. We don’t enjoy those advantages as we once did and that requires some rethinking as to how we carry out our mission.

How do you reach people who don’t necessarily want what you’re offering and may not trust or respect you? How do you engage a culture when the people of the culture may strongly suspect that you’re a big part of the problem rather than the solution to the problem? How do you build bridges to others when they may prefer you stay away? Jazzing up your worship service or redoubling your current efforts

probably won’t be sufficient to overcome those kinds of obstacles.

If we’re serious about seeing men, women, boys and girls become disciples of Jesus Christ, we’re going to have to rethink some of our approaches and efforts. “People don’t come to our church events,” is a common refrain I hear fairly often today. In a world where people are less likely to come to us, how do we reimagine our connection to our neighbors and communities?

How can we deploy the people of God? How do we send the church into the community? What would it look like for your local congregation to send “the church” to the neighborhood or to the local community?

“We don’t know anyone who isn’t already a Christian,” is another common concern I hear often when working with congregations. There’s a genuine desire to reach people for Christ, but there’s not much opportunity due to a lack of relationships with folks who don’t follow Christ.

How can we reimagine our ministry efforts in order to begin building connections to people who aren’t like us? Rather than draw people to our church, how do we send our church to the people of our neighborhoods and communities?

Take a moment and envision what your town, community or neighborhood might look like in five years if the kingdom of God were to become more visible through the ministry of your local congregation. How would people’s lives be different? What would be transformed?

What relationships would be reconciled? What wrongs would be set right? If your town looked more like the kingdom of God in five years, how would you know? What would look different?

What would be different then from what you see today? How does your church need to think differently about its ministry to the community in order to help see the kingdom of God become more visible?

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Does your congregation have a building? Does it sit empty or unused for a large portion of the week? How could you reimagine the use of your building? Who could be blessed through your building? What kind of ways could you utilize your present space to build connections to the people of your neighborhood or community? The opportunities are endless: meeting space for community groups, a coffee shop or gathering place, after school tutoring center, or a community art center. How could you rethink the use of your building in a way that would bless others and reflect the values of the kingdom of God? Does your congregation have people? Do those people have talents, abilities and passions? How could you reimagine the gifts and talents of your people? How might you leverage the talents, abilities and passions of your people to carry Good News to the people of your community or neighborhood? Do you have some mothers and grandmothers in your congregation? What are some creative ways in which you leverage their talents and gifts in the lives of single moms across your community? Do you have some fathers or grandfathers in your congregation? How could you put their skills to work in the lives of young men in your local area?

How could you rethink how you leverage the talents and abilities of your people for the sake of the Gospel?

This coming year is going to give us lots of opportunities to reimagine and rethink a lot of our practices and approaches to effective, Gospel-centered ministry. What do you need to reimagine or rethink? How can you take what the Lord has given you and leverage it for Kingdompurposes in a new or different way?

We’re standing at a very important crossroads in the life of the church. While some will be prone to pine for the “way things used to be” and hold out hope that those times will return, to do so misses the opportunity that the Lord has placed before us. Rather than yearning for a return to yesteryear, I believe the Lord Jesus is calling His people to embrace the opportunity that is before us right now! This will require different thinking and different behavior. How is God inviting you to reimagine your church right now? How is the Lord calling you to rethink some of your practices of ministry so that you can bear fruit for His kingdom? What does your congregation need to reimagine and rethink in order to become more effective at making disciples for Jesus Christ?

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How can you take what the Lord has given you and leverage it for Kingdompurposes in a new or different way?

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N

T G L

avigating rief

imes of & oss

by Judy Reist

T

hese past two years have been a time of disbelief, despair, and courage. As COVID-19 prevails and the political vitriol heightens, our country finds itself dealing with losses of great magnitude. As our culture does not address grief and loss well, many of us feel ill-equipped for the struggle ahead. Families have lost loved ones and many churches have experience diminished attendance and finances. It is easy to feel discouragement and despair.

Our family was not immune as we sheltered in place following the sudden death of our one-year-old granddaughter. We felt isolated from family members who needed support and we were also unable to access that for ourselves.

Over the next year we would also lose several dear friends, my mother with whom I could not visit in the nursing home, and our sweet golden retriever, Sage. I felt depleted of coping skills and unable to respond to the needs of others. A very wise woman who knew loss intimately advised that finding our way out of deep grief is a choice.

I turned to my journal where I process my thoughts and, as I read past entries, I began to sense the goodness of God and His mercy and I renewed my trust in Him. Throughout our country anxiety and depression rates have increased as well as suicides and substance abuse.

Many report feelings of isolation and a longing for the days when life was “normal.” How do we respond to this “new normal”? What does resilience look like in the midst of despair? How do we cope?

All change brings some type of loss. We do not like change and often try to avoid the inevitable. Change often produces anxiety which goes hand in hand with depression.

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We grieve the loss of the familiar and the comforting.

This can manifest itself in several ways: we may worry about the future. We may become bitter, cynical, or angry. We may blame others, even God, as we look for a scapegoat for our anger. Suffering, then, leads to myriad emotions that deplete both our physical and emotional energy, drain our time, and keep us from moving forward. Anger may cloud our judgment, grow like a cancer, and destroy relationships. Anxiety and depression may immobilize us so that we lose all motivation and the ability to embrace hope. It is all too easy to stay in that emotional turmoil.

Perhaps it is time for self-examination. Do you need a new attitude or a new perspective? Are you isolating yourself, or choosing to self-medicate with food, alcohol, social media, or even shopping?

Do you need to make amends with someone or restore a relationship? Are you angry with God and convinced God is punishing you? As you are honest before God ask the most challenging question: Are you reflecting Christ?

This is not to diminish loss and the need for mourning. Take time to grieve those you love.

Experience the pain and depth of the loss; wrestle with the reality that your life will be forever changed. Grief will likely continue to come in “bursts” when it is least expected.

Each person experiences grief differently; there is no one “right” way to grieve. Family members may respond differently depending on their individual relationship with the deceased. And there is no time limit on grief. We may grieve the death of a loved one the rest of our lives. We do not “get over it,” we learn to live with the loss.

So how, then, do we manage this mixture of despair and uncertainty? In the darkest times of our lives, it may feel like God is silent. Be patient and wait. God loves us and while He allows things to happen, He would never harm us. In his book, God On Mute, Pete Greig (p. 191) declares that God cannot be absent. When life is difficult, we cry out to God to be airlifted out of the painful circumstances. But, more often than not, God parachutes down to join us in the chaos and turmoil of our situation. * 6 January/February 2022

Choose to rejoice in the assurance of God’s protection and provision; be brave and courageous (Psalm 27:13-14). In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples were terrified when they believed their boat was sinking. Yet Jesus calmed the storm, demonstrating He is Lord even over the chaos.

Our devotional lives may seem different now as we wrestle with our feelings. Gone is that personal fable we carry from adolescence that bad things won’t happen to us or anyone we love. Yet in the midst of our pain, we feel His goodness surrounding us, calming us as we rest in His perfect love. Jeremiah offered hope to a dispersed people living in exile, grieving their past, and forced to face an uncertain future. “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).

Expect God to act and allow Him to change you.

He may show up in unexpected places and in unexpected ways: a helping hand from a stranger, a call from a friend, or an amazing sunset. “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is” (Romans 12: 2, NLT).

Give thanks for all that you are learning about Him. Make the decision to relinquish control.

Take care of your physical body with exercise, good nutrition and observing Sabbath rest. This will not only renew your energy, but reduce anxiety and sadness so you can be equipped to use your gifts to serve. Have a support person(s) to provide care; seek professional help if needed.

“Even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength.” –Frederick Buechner He comforts us, heals us, and then equips us. May we embrace all that He wants to do in our lives.

May we see His goodness, feel His tender care, and experience His peace. *Pete Greig, God on Mute, Zondervan Reflective, Grand Rapids, MI, 2020.

Reimagining What We Already Have

by Pastor Travis Bodden Midwest Region Director

P

astor Travis Bodden, Director of the Midwest Region, recently commended churches in his region for generously sharing their church buildings. His encouraging words apply to many churches across the CGGC who are finding creative ways to Reimagine what they already have for the Kingdom.

“I have been greatly encouraged by the number of our congregations that have allowed other organizations to have access to their facilities and assets. Some examples are: Scouts, autism groups, vaccine clinics, blood donations, wellness clinics, preschools and afterschool care, etc. We also have several congregations that share their facilities with other congregations who often connect with different cultures. May God Bless your generosity. We celebrate your kingdom thinking and the vision and willingness to use all that God has entrusted you to connect cross-culturally and impact your communities. I want to encourage you to use the facilities and assets that our Father has entrusted you. May your communities be thankful you are there and may our Father say, ‘Well done.’”

—Pastor Travis Bodden

The Parable of the Talents—Revisited Matthew 25: 14-28

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his congregations and entrusted his facilities to them. To one he gave 5,000 ft² (square feet) to another 2,000 ft² and to another 1,000 ft². Then he went on his journey. The congregation who had received 5,000 ft² went at once and put their facility to good use in the community, inviting others to collaborate with them and use what the Lord had entrusted them. From their efforts many people came to a better understanding of who Jesus is and the Mission of God in their community.

So also, the one with 2,000 ft² invited other groups and organizations to use their facilities to bring hope to their communities, caring more for others than for themselves. But the congregation who received 1,000 ft² became possessive of their facilities, not sharing it with others and believing it was given for the primary purpose of caring for its own.

After a long time the master returned and settled accounts with them.

See Matthew 25:14-28 for the rest of the story.

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Serve in 2022 with

ACTS Teams

ACTS Teams are inter-generational, short-term mission trips designed to increase one’s awareness of God and how He is at work in the world.

Participants find their faith stretched as they step outside their comfort zone.

By serving in a different cultural context, team members grow closer to God, see missions as part of everyday life, and discover how God calls them to make a difference in their own community and the world!

Registration Deadline: March 15 For more information AND TO Register visit:

https://cggc.org/ministry-areas/ global-reach/missionary-detail/acts-teams/

or

Contact Hannah Crider: (724)-317-4943 hannahcrider@gmail.com

8 January/February 2022

2022 ACTS Teams Opportunities Argentina

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10 January/February 2022

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Register Now for the

Flourish Conference Sponsored by Churches of God Women’s Ministries March 4-6, 2022 The University of Findlay – Findlay, OH

Flourish is an annual weekend that is set aside for women to gather together and explore the identity of God our Father and what that means for us as his followers.

Come away with us and rest awhile. Be replenished by His truths and promises found in the Scriptures. Discover the power of God Almighty and the Holy Spirit’s never-ending pursuit of us. Meet new friends and treasure old relationships. You are welcome here!

12 January/February 2022

KEYNOTE SPEAKER—Dr. Karen McGibbon Dr. Karen McGibbon is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling at the Winebrenner Theological Seminary.

She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Life Coach, practicing for over 10 years in a wide variety of settings. She has served in various ministry leadership positions for over 20 years.

WORSHIP LEADERS—Emmaus Road Emmaus Road is a Christian worship group from Southwestern Pennsylvania, playing songs currently heard on Christian radio as well as some old classics with a contemporary twist.

For more information go to: Website: www.theflourishconference.org Facebook: theflourishconference-CGWM Website for Women’s Ministries: CGGCwomen.org

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Church Planting in the Future

by Lance Finley, CGGC Executive Director

My

first memory of “church planting” occurred sometime in the mid 1980s. The Illinois Conference of the Churches of God purchased a church building that had become available due to the closing of a congregation from another denomination in a small town in central Illinois. The Conference put out word that a new work would be started. A pastor was appointed to the church and the new work began. I was just a teenager at the time and have no insight as to what went on behind the scenes related to assessments, training or other matters critical to the new congregation, I just remember that it never achieved viability and eventually closed. My first impression of church planting was simple: Find an existing church building that had been closed, and work to establish a new congregation in that same location.

Over the years my understanding of church planting certainly grew and changed significantly. Later on, in my college and seminary years, I got to witness other models of starting new works. Those models typically didn’t start with an existing building, but often utilized rented spaces like schools, dance halls, fire halls or YMCA gymnasiums.

I also became more familiar with the efforts behind the scenes related to assessment of church planters, training and funding. Several of the CGGC’s church planting efforts during the 1990s utilized a phone campaign that consisted of a team of people making thousands of phone calls in a given time period to inform potential church attenders of the new congregation being established. While such efforts would be considered culturally offensive or ineffective in our present time, they were effective for that day and age and helped identify a potential pool of people open to the ministry of a new congregation.

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The establishment of new congregations has always been a part of the DNA of the Church of God. In John Winebrenner’s era, new congregations would often grow out of revival meetings being held for weeks at a time in a particular location. The revival or evangelistic meeting would give birth to a new congregation in that community. In recent times, church planting efforts have utilized a wide variety of approaches to attract enough people to form a new congregation in a particular location. These efforts ranged from different styles and approaches to worship to diverse community ministry efforts designed to connect with new people who weren’t presently connected to a local congregation.

You must understand that I’m a big proponent of church planting! I believe in church planting. Every month I give to support the efforts to establish new churches so that more people can come to trust and follow Jesus. For a period of time in my 20s, I was a part of a church planting team that explored establishing a new work, which unfortunately, never made it to launch. I believe we need more churches in more places working to demonstrate and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to people who are lost and desperately need the hope found only in Jesus. I’m a big believer in the importance of establishing new churches to help carry the Gospel to every man, woman and child to whom we are sent.

But, I also believe that the way we’re going to plant churches in the years to come is going to look remarkably different than the way we did it in the past. Most of my experience and knowledge in church planting was based upon the assumption that establishing new works consisted of attracting a large enough crowd of people who were open to, familiar with, or interested in Christian faith to create a sustainable congregation. There was a lot of emphasis placed upon launching worship services which would draw enough of a crowd to make the new work financially viable. The launch was incredibly important: a church plant that launched with 200 people in attendance had a much better chance of making it than a church plant that only launched with 50 people.

The landscape in North America is changing dramatically. Most of our efforts to establish new works were very effective at reaching folks who might have been “de-churched” or marginally “churched.” You could launch a new worship service with contemporary music and relevant preaching and draw in those who had become disconnected from a local church. The young family, where mom and dad had grown up in church but became disconnected through their college years, were prime targets to connect with the ministry of a new congregation. The person who had grown up in the church but never really had it “stick” might finally find meaning and connection in a new church that helped make faith relevant to his or her life. How do we help those who have less, much less, experience and memory of congregational life explore faith in Christ in ways that are helpful and effective?

How will church planting look different in the years to come?

I think our planting efforts will start with more focus on the specific people we’re called to reach rather than the style of worship or model of church.

Who doesn’t know or follow Jesus? What will it take to connect with them in a way that leads them to trust Christ and follow Him? Do you want to reach service industry folks? Better think about a time to gather other than Sunday morning. What’s required to reach survivors of sex trafficking? What about single parents living below the poverty line?

What about America’s growing population of senior adults? What about children growing up without one parent in their lives? Who are the immigrants in our midst who need to hear and experience the Good News? We’re going to have to start at a different place with people than just an invitation to “come and worship with us.” How well do you know the people you’re called to reach and how does that shape the approach you take? What kind of church will it take to reach the people you’re called to reach?

I believe our planting efforts will grow out of disciple-making efforts: as disciples are made, new The Global Advocate 15

works will emerge. We’ve been planting churches with the aim of making disciples. I think we’re in a time where we’ll have to make disciples in order to see new churches born. This is a very different approach than that which most of us are accustomed. Rather than build an experience and invite folks in, this approach requires that we start with the people to whom we are sent. This necessitates inviting people into our homes and lives long before we ever invite them to a church gathering. Who is God calling you to disciple? With whom can you walk alongside in order to help them move from unbelief to belief in Christ?

I’m firmly convinced that planting in the future will rely upon churches planting new churches and works. In the past, church planting mostly relied upon the skills and efforts of an individual, the church planter, to make the successful plant happen. Too often, established churches even viewed church plants as threats or competition. The world that is unfolding before us is going to require existing congregations to send out teams of men and women to make disciples and establish new works. Churches will plant churches by equipping and sending teams of Christ followers to the people to whom they are sent: neighborhoods, specific people groups and immigrant populations just to name a few.

When is the last time your local congregation prayed about giving birth to a new work to reach people in your community who aren’t presently being reached?

Church planting in the future is an embrace of our original commission

by Jesus to go and make disciples! There will be different models and shapes and sizes: house churches, neighborhood missional communities, immigrant congregations, and business ventures with a missional focus of restoring what God intended for His creation and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Some of these expressions will feel familiar to our own church expressions while others will not, but they’ll all join in the common mission to seek God’s Kingdom first and to see men and women become disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples of Jesus. The future isn’t really a choice between existing or new, planting or revitalization or some of the other ways in which we’ve divided ourselves in the past.

The future is about seeing disciples made, it’s about seeing men and women being developed and deployed to make disciples in their homes, neighborhoods and workplaces – to every man, woman and child to whom they are sent. The future isn’t about whether it’s better to be established or new, but rather about seeing the people God’s placed before us and committing to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in culturally appropriate ways. We live in one of the most exciting moments in the history of the church. Every church and every believer have the opportunity to be a part of doing something new that will result in disciples being made, lives being transformed by Christ and new communities of faith being established to continue the work. The future is here and it’s full of possibilities!

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“

Church planting in the future is an embrace of our original commission by Jesus to go and make disciples!

”

CGGC 2022 Triennial Conference Sessions July 25-27 University of Findlay Campus, Findlay, OH Winebrenner Theological Seminary Building

Theme: Reimagine Speaker: Brad Briscoe Registration is $95 per person SAVE THE DATE and watch for more information on www.CGGC.org and in the next issue of The Global Advocate, or email DaveG@cggc.org.

All persons in the CGGC have an open invitation to attend the 2022 Triennial Conference Sessions

July 25-27, 2022. The theme for the event is Reimagine and the keynote speaker for the event will be Brad Briscoe. Brad Briscoe is Director of Bivocational Church Planting for the North American Mission Board and is with Send Institute. He has authored a book entitled Rethink which describes 9 Paradigm Shifts for Activating the Church: Rethinking the Nature of the Church, the Mission, the Missio Dei, the Culture, Vocation, APEST, Leadership, Discipleship and Evangelism and Scorecards. Brad will use these topics to stimulate discussion around the idea of how we “do church” in the days ahead of us. How can we understand and reach our culture?

How do we prepare to live as disciples? How do we “rethink” what we understand to be the ministry and work of the church? How do we affirm our beliefs and “reimagine” the best way to communicate this to others? While business sessions will consume a small portion of our time together, most of the time will be open to all persons who desire to learn how our churches can be more effective and relevant to those in our communities. Come and “Reimagine” the future of your church. Bring someone along!!

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Global Reach Updates P

lease praise God as you read through these updates and skim the pictures of ministry occurring in various parts of the globe through our brothers and sisters in the Global Reach fields.

Haiti

The country of Haiti continues to have major problems.

Mike and Dawn VanDervort returned to the USA in early November 2021, and we are grateful they were safe during their last weeks spent in Haiti.

At this point in time, we are no longer able to send any missionaries or teams to Haiti until the security situation improves. With kidnappers targeting both westerners and Haitian employees of US-based organizations, we don’t want to put our Haitian friends at risk more than they already are. Please pray for liaison Denis Droicin (pictured at right with the VanDervorts) who is the “face” of PHH in Mike’s absence.

India

Many of you have been praying for Charusheela, the wife of our India Field leader Samir Singha. She has been going through chemotherapy treatments in South India for cancer in her cervix. The chemo is destroying the cells. By the time this is published, Charusheela will have completed a total of six treatments. The doctor will then decide of further treatment by early January. The Singhas want to express their sincere appreciation of your prayers and support during this time of crisis.

They are trusting God to bring good from this and bring healing.

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Bangladesh

As activity slowly begins to increase in Bangladesh, there is still a lot of caution. Schools have reopened, but not all parents are allowing children to return yet.

Dr. John and numerous Mission leaders continue to visit and encourage the people in the remote villages of our Mission. Pictured at right is a community where our Mission was recently able to provide a simple worship structure and water well to benefit the entire village. This is one of those areas where they have never had a church building to meet in and serve as a hub of activity and ministry for the community.

Dr. John has also been serving at the Bogra Christian Hospital on Saturdays. He shared an urgent need of a new operating room microscope for the Eye Department. The current one is old, worn out and not very safe. We are praying that God would be provide for this need.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support in reaching the lost across the globe. It is making a difference for eternity.

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