Baptists Committed to World Evangelism » Church Planting Methods

10 days left to register

Jason Holt — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:00:39 +0000

There are only 10 days left to register for the Latin Bridge Retreat ’12! Make your plans today to be a part of this event.

The sessions will focus on cross-cultural evangelism, the role of discipleship in leader training, and strategic church planting principles for the Latin American context. All classes will be taught by experienced church planters.

We are so glad God has given us the opportunity to have two of the best keynote speakers you could imagine. Be sure to register today!

Visit bcwe.org to learn more about Latin American missions

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10 days left to register

Get Training to Plant a Church

austin gardner — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:25:44 +0000

We believe in the ministry of the local church. Fact is that the term local church is redundant. It is our goal to see like minded churches started all over the world. Currently our 14 missionaries (all members of Vision Baptist Church) are aggressively being used to do that in several countries and around the world.

The most effective and the biblical way to reach an area is by planting a church. That is how we will reach more people with the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

We have noticed that newer churches reach new people much more effectively.

All churches should grow and reproduce. We have taught for years that for a church to truly be indigenous it must reproduce. If we teach that for our missionaries and churches overseas we must do so here.

We want to invite you to an internship that will prepare you to start a church. We will help equip you biblically, as well as in leadership and hands on experience with others that are actively involved in church planting.

Vision Baptist Church and Missions as well as BCWE use a “life on life” model to prepare men and women to do the work God has called them to do!

You can listen to a recent Church Planting Conference to learn more about church planting.

We are asking God to allow us to plant reproducing churches all over Fulton County, Georgia as well as other parts of the USA. We are also at the same time planting churches in many parts of the world.

We are a local church based ministry. We are very strong on discipleship, team work, Expository Preaching, and World Evangelism.

If you are interested in helping us plant churches we ask you to learn all about us that you can. You can do that via this blog, austingardner.net, visionbaptist.com, and bcwe.org. Listen to the preaching, the music, see the passion, understand the Vision, know our missionaries both staff and strategic partners. Visit our services. Talk to someone on the team but learn all you can.

Pray about coming to Vision. Get involved in a church that is going to plant churches and really wants to help you make a difference with your life

To plant churches with us you must embrace our philosophy, values, goals, and truly have a Vision heart! We want you to have time to get to know us and become a real integral part of the church and team!

We use discipleship and personal accountability in our work. Each of us has to be humble enough to serve and not feel threatened if another teaches and directs us as we learn.

The Our Generation Training Center will become the place that each intern learns the heart, the philosophy and the Biblical methods that are used.

If you are interested you can contact us with your questions. If you feel that God would have you be part of something like this please know that you will be asked to fill out an application and then move to the area and find a job. Then you will get involved in every ministry possible as you prepare to become a church planter!

Check out bcwe.org

The most effective and the biblical way to reach an area is by planting a church. That is how we will reach more people with the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

We have noticed that newer churches reach new people much more effectively.

Vision Baptist Church and Missions as well as BCWE use a “life on life” model to prepare men and women to do the work God has called them to do!

You can listen to a recent Church Planting Conference to learn more about church planting.

We are a local church based ministry. We are very strong on discipleship, team work, Expository Preaching, and World Evangelism.

Pray about coming to Vision. Get involved in a church that is going to plant churches and really wants to help you make a difference with your life

Check out bcwe.org

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Get Training to Plant a Church

Missionaries, Please listen

austin gardner — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:48:09 +0000

I want to challenge every missionary to listen to this sermon by Missionary to Kenya Randy Stirewalt speaking on how to do mission work. I am very impressed with him and the ministry. He is preaching on the Biblical Method for church planting.

This man will be speaking at the Latin Bridge retreat January 6-7, 2012.

Make plans to be with us. Register today!

Check out bcwe.org

This man will be speaking at the Latin Bridge retreat January 6-7, 2012.

Make plans to be with us. Register today!

Check out bcwe.org

http://sermons.decaturbaptist.org/20061015PM.mp3

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Missionaries, Please listen

Church Planting Seminar – Atlanta, GA (3-4 November)

Travis Snode — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:59:04 +0000

Our home church is hosting a church planting seminar absolutely free of charge on November 3-4! If you are a church planter, pastor, missionary, in full time-ministry, considering church planting, or just want to be learn more about and b involved in church planting, I want to encourage you to attend this event. Dr. Earl Jessup and Baptist Church Planting have been involved in helping both my brothers with their church plants. My pastor, Austin Gardner, has planted many churches. I guarantee you that you will learn a wealth of information from this seminar that will challenge and help you. You can find out more details below or on the website where you can also register to attend.

Pastor Gardner and the staff of the Our Generation Training Center is very excited to host the Church Planting Conference for Our Generation. Dr. Earl Jessup will be our keynote speaker for this practical, motivating conference. The modules are designed to help instruct the students in the Our Generation Training Center and over thirty missionaries on the field that work alongside out training ministry.

We are opening this this Seminar up to the public free of charge. You will be able to join us at Vision Baptist Church from November 3rd & 4th. We will start at 10 am on Thursday and Friday. We will conclude at 1 pm on Friday. There will be a service on Thursday night. At the conference you will be able to spend time with church planters, fellowship, and be benefit from “Questions and Answer Sessions”. We will also be making the workshop available online.

Many subjects will be covered during our seminar. The following list is not exhaustive but will give you an idea of some the topics that will be covered.

The responsibilities of a Church Planter

What jobs to delegate and how

What to do before and after the service

How to organize your launch

How to make noise for the 1st service

How to motivate your church to plant more churches

How and when to start another work

If you plan to join us we would like to know. We are able to provide a list of local hotels and restaurants. Also, there are a very limited amount of lodging options provided by people in the church.

Read more information at bcwe.org.

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Church Planting Seminar – Atlanta, GA (3-4 November)

The Fickle Crowd vs The Faithful Church

Travis Snode — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:12:08 +0000

Acts 14:18-23 “And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”

The ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra was one of two extremes. Paul, with God’s power, healed a lame man. When the people saw this, they began to make preparations to worship them. Paul and Barnabas ran among them and begged them not to worship them. They said, “We also are men of like passions with you…”

After they had restrained the people from doing sacrifice to them, these same people were persuaded by the angry Jews from Antioch and Iconium to stone Paul. They picked up stones and threw them at Paul. After he was about dead, they took him outside the city and left him for dead. The crowd was very fickle. They went from adoring them to hating them. This is the nature of crowds. The same thing happened with Jesus. One minute they loved him, the next they hated him.

The fickleness of crowds can be very frustrating, but we must focus our attention on the faithful church. When Paul and Barnabas came back through Lystra, they confirmed the souls of the disciples, encouraged them to continue in the faith, taught them that tribulation would come, set up elders (pastors) in every church, prayed with fasting, and then commended them to the Lord.

The crowds came and went, but there were faithful believers who made up local churches. They were the crown and rejoicing of Paul. His heart was so encouraged to see the faithful people who were not fickle, who were willing to endure suffering for the cause of Christ, and who were committed to the Lord.

When it comes to church-planting, there will be days that the crowd is with you and days the crowd is against you. Our focus should not be on pleasing and keeping the crowd; it should be on finding some faithful men that we can train and who can teach others also. What are you trying to build? A crowd or a church? A crowd will eventually turn on you and the Lord, but a church will remain faithful.

Read more helpful material at bcwe.org.

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The Fickle Crowd vs The Faithful Church

We need men

austin gardner — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:49:55 +0000

Check out bcwe.org

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We need men

We need men

austin gardner — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:49:55 +0000

Check out bcwe.org

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We need men

12 Takeaways From the story of Farmer Fred:

austin gardner — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:00:49 +0000

The summation from Missionary Stephen Benefield in Cambodia!

1. If you want to plant a church, first plant yourself.

2. If you want the cream of the crop, you must first plant a crop.

3. If you are reticent to take a risk and invest time, labor, and resources in an uncertain crop, you will never see the cream of the crop.

4. Missionary work is long, hard, repetitious, and tedious.

5. Sometimes the people who take the longest to reach make the most solid Christians and leaders.

6. It does not make sense to say, “God has burdened me for a certain country, but if there are no missionaries there yet, I can’t go.” Maybe the fact that no one is there is the reason God burdened you.

7. You must work with many people who will eventually wash-out in order to find the ones who won’t.

8. If everybody quit their “small” works to be missionaries-at-large, the missionaries-at-large would be out of business. The larger boats float on the “drops-in-the-bucket”.

9. There are no shortcuts in missions.

10. Fast results are a blessing when they are genuine and “of God”, but more often than not, fast results are empty.

11. You will fail many times, but failure is not the end unless you let it be.

12. Just like in farming, there is no true success in missions without investing your life, dirtying your hands, dealing with disappointment, and remaining 100% committed to the cause.

Check out bcwe.org

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12 Takeaways From the story of Farmer Fred:

Shortcut Sam and Farmer Fred

austin gardner — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:00:52 +0000

One day Farmer Fred heard a voice loudly hailing him from the road. He went down the lane to his main gate and met a nice man, a friendly man, who introduced himself as Shortcut Sam and then wasted no time in saying what was on his mind.

“Farmer Fred, I’ve heard a lot about your farm. You’ve been at it for a good long while. But I think I could really help to streamline your operation so you could get a lot more bang for your buck, if you know what I mean.”

Farmer Fred was a little wary of the man’s introduction, especially after Big Bob and Ralph the Reaper; nevertheless, he decided to give this new man a chance to say what he came to say. “I’m listening,” said Farmer Fred.

“Well, it’s like this. Your approach is too complicated. I’ve been watching how you do things. It seems like you put an awful lot of time into pointless labor. For example, you choose a field, then you put a bunch of time into clearing it. After it’s cleared you spend a good long while turning over the dirt with your plow. After you’ve plowed, you plant, and then the work really starts. I’ve seen you spend hours and hours out in your fields irrigating them, pulling up weeds, and chasing away crows and critters. Then after all that work, after weeks and weeks of working dawn ’til dusk, the crop fails! Don’t you see it, man? You’re spending too much time on crops that fail.”

“There is no doubt about it, I have poured a lot of time over the years into crops that failed,” replied a somber Farmer Fred.

“That’s right! You see, the way I farm, I don’t waste time on failed crops. I only want to work with the best, the strongest, the most vivacious of crops.”

“But how do you do that?” asked Farmer Fred sincerely.

“The key is, you have to be shrewd! Hey, we’re not trying to find the most difficult path to success, right? There’s always a better, smarter, more efficient, more streamlined way to do anything.”

“You mean a shortcut?”

Shortcut Sam grinned. “Now you’re getting it.”

“To be shrewd means you only work in fields that have a high probability of success. I don’t fiddle around clearing, plowing, and planting seeds that aren’t too likely to yield a good crop. You have to kind of hang back at first. Don’t rush right into anything. The field may turn out to be a loser. Don’t commit your time, your effort, or your resources until you are sure you have the best.”

By this time Farmer Fred was scratching his head. “I’m totally lost now. The way I’ve always understood farming to work, there is a process that is required. When we clear a field, plow a field, plant a field, water a field, and chase birds from a field, we have no way of knowing the outcome of that crop ahead of time. Seems to me that farming requires risk-taking. And taking a risk means investing yourself in something that might fail. After we have done all we can do, the crop may indeed fail. That’s up to the good Lord. But if we believe enough in our farming, we just try again. We’ll have a crop turn out by and by, but we just have to be patient and keep working.”

Shortcut Sam rolled his eyes. He had heard this before. “Look, Farmer Fred, you can stick with the old ways if you want to, but the farmers who are on the cutting edge will soon pass you by.”

“Cutting edge?”

“Farmer Fred, you may not know this, but there are several experts out there right now who are developing new techniques for farming. I’m talking about techniques that will revolutionize the industry. For example, there is a new method out there now that causes only good, usable wheat to grow in your wheat field, and virtually eliminates the chaff. I mean, think about it! Do you really have time to separate the wheat from the chaff? With this new technique, the unpleasantries are made unnecessary. It’s amazing! But you want to know the most groundbreaking research that’s going on right now? (Obviously you haven’t been keeping up on this stuff.) Soon there will be tools and methods in place where a farmer might obtain “the cream of the crop” without the hassle of actually growing a crop.”

But Farmer Fred had had enough. “Stop!” he cried. “Young man, I hate to tell you this, but you’ve been listening to way too many people who are long on theories but short on experience. Let me tell you something, and you can take this to the bank: There are no shortcuts in farming.”

Shortcut Sam realized that he was fighting a losing battle, so he said curtly, “Suit yourself, Farmer Fred,” and made his exit.

*****

Thirty years later, Farmer Fred sat on the front porch of his farmhouse with Mrs. Farmer Fred, looking over their farm. It was just about harvest time, and the fields were glistening with wheat and corn and vegetables. There were many more fields now than there were in those early years. They had added orchards and some vineyards too. Even though many of the crops were yet in the fields, the barn and silo were already overflowing with bounty.

“God has been good to us, dear,” said Farmer Fred.

“Indeed he has” replied his wife.

As he sat there enjoying the cool breeze and the sunset, his mind took him way back to three visitors who had once visited his farm. He was glad he hadn’t listened to Big Bob, the farmer-at-large. Gazing across the fruit of a lifetime of labor, the thought suddenly occurred to him. “This work would never have been accomplished had I not planted myself in this place and made this farm my life’s work.”

He was also glad he hadn’t listened to Ralph the Reaper. He thought, “Had I plucked up every unripe piece of grain or fruit that poked through the ground I would have never had anything to replant. This farm would have died off years ago.”

His mind wandered back to Shortcut Sam’s big ideas. “I wonder what ever became of him. I wonder if he ever realized that you can’t skip over all the long, hard work of farming and just go straight to the blessings. And I wonder if he ever decided to take a risk.”

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Shortcut Sam and Farmer Fred

Ralph the Reaper and Farmer Fred

austin gardner — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:46:36 +0000

The following is a story by Missionary Stephen Benefield in Cambodia. It is super excellent with much for me to learn and consider!

One day another guest dropped by to see Farmer Fred. He identified himself as Ralph the Reaper, a no-nonsense, results-oriented farmer. “Nice place you got here,” he said, but that was where the pleasantries ended. Immediately he began to ply Farmer Fred with questions about numbers and results and yield. “How many bushels of wheat do you produce each year? How about your fruits and vegetables? How are they doing? How many baskets of green beans did you bring in last year? How many last month? How many last week?”

“To be honest with you, sir, it’s not been a great year for harvesting, but still…”

Ralph the Reaper quickly cut off Farmer Fred and said, “If it hasn’t been a good year for harvesting, then it hasn’t been a good year at all. As farmers, our one and only concern is the harvest.”

The man seemed pretty sure of himself, so Farmer Fred decided to just let him talk.

“How long have you been farming here?” he asked.

“Twenty-five years.”

“Wow! I would think you would have more to show for it than this.”

“Well, I would love to have more to show for it, but farming is very slow work you know.”

“Not the way I do it.”

This piqued Farmer Fred’s interest. He had never heard anyone claim that farming could be done quickly. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“You should move more quickly. Sow, reap, sow, reap, sow, reap. That’s the way it is supposed to work. I noticed as I came up the lane today that you have multiple fields which should be reaped by now.”

“But they haven’t been reaped yet because they aren’t ready. I’m waiting until they are ripe, and then I will harvest them.”

But Ralph the Reaper was adamant. “I see your problem. You’ve bought into this whole concept that crops must develop over time. A lot of time is wasted by waiting. There are too many fields to plant, too many crops that need to be raised. We don’t have time to let things hang on vines and cling to stalks.”

Farmer Fred could tell right away that this man knew nothing about true farming, but out of simple curiosity he asked, “And how do you do it?”

“Well it’s not really that difficult. I plant seeds, and as soon as I see a little green poking up through the dirt, I pick it!”

“And if it’s not ripe?”

“That’s not my problem. My concern is with the harvest.”

“And how is that working out for you?”

“Well, to be honest with you, a pretty low percentage of the crops are of high quality. Most are not usable once we get them into the barn. But I just know that doesn’t mean we are harvesting too early. It’s got to be something else.”

Farmer Fred could see he was not going to get anywhere with this man, so he changed the subject and asked why the man had stopped by.

“So what can I do for you today?”

“Well, like I said…I was driving down the road alongside of your farm and I noticed the field of young corn coming up.”

“Yes, sir!” replied Farmer Fred proudly. “I’ve worked hard on that field, and I’m thrilled to see the field turning green with growth after all the work.”

Farmer Fred thought the man must have simply stopped to compliment his beautiful corn field with it’s straight rows and neat fences. But that wasn’t really what he had in mind. Ralph the Reaper said, “Yep I saw that field of young corn shooting up and I thought what a joy it would be to reap them. So, can I help you?”

“Well, I suppose if it means that much to you and you want to come back over in about 3 months when it’s time to harvest, I’d be much obliged to have your help. Sure!”

“Three months?!! I was actually wanting to do it today.”

“Well, in that case,” replied Farmer Fred, “I guess I don’t need your help after all. If you’re going to pull up crops that aren’t ripe, I would appreciate it if you would do it somewhere other than on my farm.”

As Ralph the Reaper hurried down the lane, Farmer Fred heard him muttering, “I just don’t see why some guys insist on such slow farming methods.”

*****

Time continued to march on. Farmer Fred did indeed harvest the field of corn that the man had wanted to pluck up prematurely. And because he let it get nice and ripe and mature on the stalk, it ended up making some of the best seed corn he had ever had. The next year when he planted his corn, he was so glad he had insisted on picking the corn only when it was ready to be picked or he would not have had seed corn to replant.

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Ralph the Reaper and Farmer Fred