A Vision for Church Planting in North America and Beyond

[Ernie]

A Vision for Church Planting in North America and Beyond - Allen Roth

It is estimated that in a few days time, 50,000 Anabaptists recently pored over the details of how one of their own lived a duplicitous life in behalf of the Kingdom of Darkness. Many more hours were spent talking about this matter and reading more subsequent articles. It was a wake up call for the conservative and old order conservative Anabaptists.

But the Kingdom of God is not defined by its detractors.
Because of this, some of us have a goal of seeing if we can encourage 50,000 Anabaptists to listen to this message in the next year. Will you help us in this initiative?

[Wade]

A Vision for Church Planting in North America and Beyond - Allen Roth

It is estimated that in a few days time, 50,000 Anabaptists recently pored over the details of how one of their own lived a duplicitous life in behalf of the Kingdom of Darkness. Many more hours were spent talking about this matter and reading more subsequent articles. It was a wake up call for the conservative and old order conservative Anabaptists.

But the Kingdom of God is not defined by its detractors.
Because of this, some of us have a goal of seeing if we can encourage 50,000 Anabaptists to listen to this message in the next year.

Will you help us in this initiative?

What do you want to be done to help?

[joshuabgood]

Yes. Also, I was there to hear this sermon the first time.

[Neto]

I have heard Alan Roth speak on various occasions, but I had not heard this message.

Some observations / comments:
inadequate seating in church houses in North America vs places where there is no Christian witness at all (I admit that my heart is for foreign missions - reaching the un- or little reached.

Reasons to plant new congregations - We have the truth

"New churches assimilate new people more quickly & easily than established ones" - very interesting observation

"God's will is God's bill" (He will see to the finances) I have heard "lack of finances (or lack of ministers) given as a reason to NOT start a new congregation.

re: "the fields are white unto harvest" - Forgive me if I've said this here before, but I grew up in wheat country, and there's something about the choice of words ("white") that interests me. I don't know if this is what Jesus meant, or even if he was thinking of wheat harvest, but wheat is yellow or "golden" when it is ready for harvest. By the time it looks white, the heads are starting to hang over, and soon the grain will began to be lost, or it will spoil. If that is what he had in mind, then the harvest is OVERDUE.

An aside (a subject he did not touch on): I hear another objection voiced: "We don't have an overseer or bishop who will take responsibility." I know that I HAVE asked this question here before, but I don't think anyone ever responded: The 'Great Commission' - who is it given to? If it is for every believer, then our insistence that a previously ordained man be the only one who can baptize new believers is wrong, and works against fulfilling Jesus' command.

[mercysfree]

I appreciated the message and the sentiment behind your goal.

A couple of things that have come up in the last few weeks that I was reminded of in this message:

"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." It is so important for me to remember who the ultimate Victor is.

Also the lyrics of a song mentioned at church a couple weeks ago, "Go Light Your World":

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world...

We don't curse the darkness, we run to it with the light, whether it is in the church or in the world.

[Hats Off]

I have heard Alan Roth speak on various occasions, but I had not heard this message.

Some observations / comments:
inadequate seating in church houses in North America vs places where there is no Christian witness at all (I admit that my heart is for foreign missions - reaching the un- or little reached.

Reasons to plant new congregations - We have the truth

"New churches assimilate new people more quickly & easily than established ones" - very interesting observation

"God's will is God's bill" (He will see to the finances) I have heard "lack of finances (or lack of ministers) given as a reason to NOT start a new congregation.

re: "the fields are white unto harvest" - Forgive me if I've said this here before, but I grew up in wheat country, and there's something about the choice of words ("white") that interests me. I don't know if this is what Jesus meant, or even if he was thinking of wheat harvest, but wheat is yellow or "golden" when it is ready for harvest. By the time it looks white, the heads are starting to hang over, and soon the grain will began to be lost, or it will spoil. If that is what he had in mind, then the harvest is OVERDUE.

An aside (a subject he did not touch on): I hear another objection voiced: "We don't have an overseer or bishop who will take responsibility." I know that I HAVE asked this question here before, but I don't think anyone ever responded: The 'Great Commission' - who is it given to? If it is for every believer, then our insistence that a previously ordained man be the only one who can baptize new believers is wrong, and works against fulfilling Jesus' command.

We all know what the standard answer is - we have our own work right here at home. But I will acknowledge that that is inadequate. For some of us, attempting to work outside of our church's established ways, will mean radical changes that need to be agreed on by more than one person.

[Ernie]

A Vision for Church Planting in North America and Beyond - Allen Roth

It is estimated that in a few days time, 50,000 Anabaptists recently pored over the details of how one of their own lived a duplicitous life in behalf of the Kingdom of Darkness. Many more hours were spent talking about this matter and reading more subsequent articles. It was a wake up call for the conservative and old order conservative Anabaptists.

But the Kingdom of God is not defined by its detractors.
Because of this, some of us have a goal of seeing if we can encourage 50,000 Anabaptists to listen to this message in the next year.

Will you help us in this initiative?

What do you want to be done to help?

Email the link to friends. Post it on your Facebook page. Talk about the sermon at church if you have the opportunity.

[Neto]

I appreciated the message and the sentiment behind your goal.

A couple of things that have come up in the last few weeks that I was reminded of in this message:

"Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." It is so important for me to remember who the ultimate Victor is.

Also the lyrics of a song mentioned at church a couple weeks ago, "Go Light Your World":

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world...

We don't curse the darkness, we run to it with the light, whether it is in the church or in the world.

I confess that I do not like the words in that song. I remember when they first started singing it in our congregation some years ago, and I was teaching SS, and commented that I'd like to change the words "run to the darkness" to "drive back the darkness". There's just enough 'running to the darkness' going on already. (I do understand their intended meaning.)

[mercysfree]

Also the lyrics of a song mentioned at church a couple weeks ago, "Go Light Your World":

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world...

We don't curse the darkness, we run to it with the light, whether it is in the church or in the world.

I confess that I do not like the words in that song. I remember when they first started singing it in our congregation some years ago, and I was teaching SS, and commented that I'd like to change the words "run to the darkness" to "drive back the darkness". There's just enough 'running to the darkness' going on already. (I do understand their intended meaning.)

I understand. That happens to me with songs a lot. Sometimes I do change it for myself or write another verse to clarify. We are no match for darkness without our Light.

[Neto]

Also the lyrics of a song mentioned at church a couple weeks ago, "Go Light Your World":

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world...

We don't curse the darkness, we run to it with the light, whether it is in the church or in the world.

I confess that I do not like the words in that song. I remember when they first started singing it in our congregation some years ago, and I was teaching SS, and commented that I'd like to change the words "run to the darkness" to "drive back the darkness". There's just enough 'running to the darkness' going on already. (I do understand their intended meaning.)

I understand. That happens to me with songs a lot. Sometimes I do change it for myself or write another verse to clarify. We are no match for darkness without our Light.

I guess I'm off on a bunny trial here, but I have also grown suspicious that 'grace' has been personified to such an extent that is forgotten whose grace we are talking about, and there is more emphasis on the grace than there is on the fact that it is GOD's graciousness we are talking about. (Like 'Sophia' - wisdom, has become a false goddess.)

So I also, like you, change words sometimes as I'm singing. The word 'cross' is another one, like in the song "Oh the wonderful cross", and to be fair, lots of old hymns as well. (I substitute 'Christ' for 'cross'.)