Оглавление
Rosario Picardo. Embrace
Embrace
Foreword
The Journey of a First-Time Church Planter
Cultural Data & Outreach Theories
Spies in the Land
Nuts & Bolts
3, 2, 1, Lift Off, or Not
Okay, Let’s Try This Again
Growing Pains
The Rest of the Story
Bibliography
Отрывок из книги
by Dr. Charles Gutenson
So, you want to be a church planter, eh? Are you sure? As with so many things, church planting looks glamorous when observed from the outside looking in….at a successful church plant. But, from the inside looking out, not always so much. I recall a sermon delivered by then Dean of the Chapel, Jerry Mercer, at Asbury Theological Seminary. The text for the day was Ecclesiasticus (yes, otherwise known as the Wisdom of Sirach, one of the Apocryphal books), which reads:
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During our first year of marriage, she had an affair, which ended our marriage. Subsequently, she left the church and her role on the staff. I was devastated. The years that followed involved me pursuing wholeness and healing via prayer, Scripture, an accountability group, counseling, and mentoring. I had great friends—a married couple that let me live with them for an entire summer. They looked out for me, and made sure I was taking care of myself and making sound decisions. I learned a lot about community from them and the role a community can play in the healing process. My confidence took a blow and I continually asked myself the question, “Do I take a break from doing this whole ministry and church-planting thing before I ever get a chance to start it?” After all, it was spring of 2007, and I was in my last semester of seminary. I was working two part-time jobs, volunteering at the church, and taking five classes. God confirmed to me that his calling on my life didn’t change because of the circumstances I faced. I left the marriage a broken man, but my heart for ministry was still intact.
When I graduated, I went from being the church custodian to being the associate pastor of the church, preaching regularly and stepping up in leadership. The people in the congregation didn’t know I had these types of gifts and graces for ministry. Yet, fortunately a new senior pastor took a risk on me.
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