The Nature of Movements

Marc van der Woude, another Dutchman, is a blog I have been reading lately. He is giving leadership in Europe to church planting movements and writes frequently on movements, revival and prayer. He sends out a weekly e-zine called Joel News.

He recently posted an update on some of his travels and talked about a conference he is attending in Eurochurch conference in Prague. One of the articles that is the basis for the conversations at the conference is the Nature of Movements.

I read it this morning and found it a good read to describe much of what we're doing in the states and praying for in Mexico City. I encourage you to scan it, read it, and evaluate where you're at in the Kingdom Building process of what God is doing around you.
Categories: MexicoCity, Movements, SimpleChurch

What in the world are we doing in Mexico City

Today I spent some time praying and reviewing our plans and prayers for our ministry in Mexico City. I am so excited I can taste it. As we have shared and communicated our vision and mission many have asked, "what in the world will you be doing on a regular basis?" What a great question.

From our Strategic Plan Mexico City is our vision statements. They encourage me, inspire me and I really do believe God is calling us to this.

• The mission is to fulfill the Great Commandment, Great Commission in this generation through catalyzing and cultivating church planting movements on every campus in the world.
• The vision is reach university students and those they are connected to through building thousands of missional community groups in every faculty in every university in Mexico City who are focused on winning , building, and sending so that every student knows an missional believer---the gospel truly is within arms-reach of 1 Million students on the 300+ university campuses in Mexico City.
• Our desire is to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in this generation by providing leadership and training to Church planting movements on every campus and to every nook and cranny of Mexico City. We are trusting God to provide a framework and a network of relationships among pastors, students, ministry leaders, businessmen and laymen all around the city so that they every Mexican can experience God in every day life, where they live, work and connect naturally with others.

You can read the whole thing (above link) thanks to Craig Johring, my co-team leader. He is geniusus when it comes to planting movements and I am very encouraged to learn and run along side him.

Categories: MexicoCity

Partner with us / Giving

We would like to invite you to join us in our ministry.

There are a variety of ways you can partner with us:

• Commit to praying for us daily. You can visit Van Diest Prayers for current prayer needs.
• Giving a special needs gift. See below.
• Joining our monthly financial support team.

You can support us financially in the following manners:

1. Send a check by mail and payable to:
   Global Service Associates
   4360 W. 23rd Street Drive
   Greeley, CO 80634
   Please include in the memo: Steve & Christine Van Diest
   
   
2. Give via the web using your credit card / One Time Special Needs Gift:
   
   
3. Give via the web using your credit card / Monthly or Annual reccurring gifts
   
   Select your contribution amount: Select your frequency: MonthlyAnnual
4. Give via monthly bank transfer (EFT)
   Each month your gift will be transferred directly from your bank account to my Global Service Associates account. A record of each gift will appear on your bank statement.
   To set up a EFT download this form and mail to along with your first check to:

Global Service Office
P.O. Box 62038
Colorado Springs, CO 80962.

_____

If you are needing to cancel your Campus Crusade for Christ EFT or Credit Card donations, please call 1-888-CRUSADE or email eGift@ccci.org and explain you are cancelling your gift toward Steve & Christine Van Diest, Account #0441525.

Thank you for your generosity and laboring with us.

Categories: SupportNeeds, Family, Prayer

One Thing

A couple of days ago I realized I had too many books I was taking down to Mexico City. At a $1 / lb I needed to once more go through them. So I just started reading some. After I made it 50 pages on two books and tossed them aside I came across One Thing by Dwayne Roberts. It has grabbed my heart and challenged me on the many things I am pursuing. From Ps 27:4 and chapter 2:

"One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple. "

The whole book is about drawing us back to our one thing, God.

"The real question for each one of us is: has the grand illusion of this culture stolen my gaze? I do not want all these things that surround me to hold such a place in my life that they may actually take away from my opportunity one day to stand and say, "Jesus, I said 'no' to everything--everything that god in the way of you. I said 'no' to everything holding me back from a heart that would be moved at the very mention of Your name." As Paul reminded us, You are not supposed to live according to any value that would come in contradiction to the value of pursuing Him." p. 65

I can encourage this read.
Categories: God, books

The Greatest Error of the Reformation

Ralph Winter of the USCWM in Pasadena, CA writes an excellent article on the Modality and Sodality of the Christian movement throughout history. This provides an exellent look on where does mission agencies, apostolic movements, church planting movements and the traditional churches all fit in the Kingdom Building efforts through out history. Here are some quotes and below you can read the whole article:

• "The harmony between the modality and the sodality achieved by the Roman Church is perhaps the most significant characteristic of this phase of the world Christian movement."
• "In failing to exploit the power of the sodality, the Protestants had no mechanism for missions for almost 300 years."
• "Among Protestants, there continues to be deep confusion about the legitimacy and proper relationship of the two structures that have manifested themselves throughout the history of the Christian movement."
• "This omission (read the whole article for what the omission is), in my evaluation, represents the greatest error of the Reformation and the
  greatest weakness of the resulting Protestant tradition."

I think this also addresses why many in the para church world sometimes feel a lesser value from the traditional church. Why does it feel like we are on the JV team and not playing on the varsity Church team.

Read the whole thing at The Two Structures of God's Redemptive Mission by Ralph Winter

Categories: Missions, Church

This is exactly what we're talking about for Mexico City

I just received this following E-zine from Marc van der Woude. As I read it quickly I found myself saying, "yes! God this is what you have called us to for Mexico City." As you read it pray that God would pour out this same fruit in Mexico City.

IN THIS EDITION:
1. Explosive growth in Brazil will make 250,000 churches a reality 2. Eight insights from the Brazilian church
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Explosive growth in Brazil will make 250,000 churches a reality
Brazilians are proud of their country. It is one of the few nations in Latin America with a sound economy, it produces some of the world's best coffee, and Brazil's soccer team has triumphed at World Cup soccer for five years in a row. "God is smiling on our nation," Brazilians often quip. "In fact, he loves us so much, God must be a Brazilian."

One remarkable statistic not much quoted in the national media is the explosive growth of the Evangelical church. In 1991, government statistics indicated that Evangelicals made up barely nine percent of the population. The 2000 census has revealed that Evangelicals in Brazil have exploded to more than 20 percent in barely 10 years!

This sudden burst of growth has bewildered many, but there is a substantive explanation for it. Looking back to the 1980s, the Evangelical church in Brazil enthusiastically launched its own missionary movement. Churches and denominations began to send missionaries to nations all over the world - many of them in the 10/40 Window. These missionaries were Brazilian nationals sent and paid for by their home churches. This movement of genuine concern for the lost around the world was something akin to the sending ethic of the South Korean church, and it clearly pleased God. It became abundantly apparent that a sending church is also a growing church.

In 1993, at the First Brazilian Congress on Missions, church leaders started thinking about strategic church planting in their own nation as well. It was here that leaders from different denominations and para-church agencies adopted a DAWN project titled 'Brazil 2010' with the goal of seeing a church within easy access of every Brazilian. Initial research showed that by the end of 1994, there were about 63,000 Evangelical churches, while 250,000 churches would need to be planted by 2010! This challenge was taken to all five of Brazil's major regions. Churches and denominations were encouraged to respond to the challenge and to plant new fellowships of believers far and wide. Church planters and strategic coordinators were trained and church planting strategies were launched.

As new churches began to appear all over the nation, a new saying was gaining in popularity: "There are three things you can easily find in any town in Brazil - a bradesco (bank) a guarana (Brazilian soda) and an Evangelical church."

Further research showed that while in and around the cities the church had been growing rapidly, in Brazil's Amazon jungle more than 30,000 villages were still completely unreached. The challenge of the unchurched jungle communities has evoked a strong response in many churches in Brazil. Teams of church planters have been dispatched from over 40 cities to the Amazon with the goal to plant riverbank churches. In Manaus, the hub in the Amazon region, some large churches have developed fleets of riverboats to take medical teams and church planters up the Rio Negro and the Amazon to the many hundreds of tributaries and smaller rivers of the region.

Recent research shows that the growth of the Evangelical church has more than trebled since 1994. It is estimated that by the end of 2004 there were 209,000 Evangelical churches in Brazil. At this rate, the goal of 250,000 churches will be surpassed before 2010.
Source: http://www.dawnministries.org/
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Eight insights from the Brazilian church
The Brazil 2010 saturation church planting movement has offered many insights and lessons over the past decade. Berna Salcedo of Dawn Ministries summarizes these:

1. The success of this national church planting movement owes much to the powerful prayer support undergirding it. From the beginning, regional prayer coordinators rallied and mobilized intercessors behind Brazil 2010.
   Many of these prayer movements have continued faithfully to support this project. The current national prayer coordinator, Anna Maria de Castro, leads and networks an amazing prayer movement of more than 10,000 intercessors.
2. Brazil 2010 has liberally shared the research findings as widely as possible, to encourage and motivate the Church to continue to plant more fellowships of believers.
3. An apostolic team of gifted men and women have kept the vision alive.
   Their passion and commitment to Brazil 2010 has provided the quality leadership necessary for a national movement to go the distance and succeed.
4. The movement has maintained its focus on saturation church planting.
   From the 30,000 jungle villages flanking the rivers of the Amazon to the 5000-plus municipalities including mega-cities such as Sao Paulo with more than 21 million people, Brazil 2010 has sought to include every community in the nation.
5. Many denominations and ministries have cooperated in partnership.
   Without this synergy the shared goal would never have been attained.
6. Research findings have provided direction and the sense of urgency that has driven Brazil 2010. Currently, the church planters are focusing on 1000 cities in Brazil where the population is less than five percent evangelical. Their goal is to initiate church planting movements in these urban areas and they are aiming to see 30,000 new churches in these cities in the next five years.
7. The core vision of Brazil 2010 sees the local church as the key agent of transformation in society. With such an explosion of new Evangelical fellowships, the potential for a massive transformational surge in Brazil is high.
8. The growth of the Church is now outpacing population growth. If, by God's grace, the current rate of growth continues, Brazil's population will be at least 50 percent Evangelical by 2020.
   

Source: http://www.dawnministries.org

Categories: MexicoCity, SimpleChurch, Church

Benjamin follows in Dad's footsteps on Easter weekend

This past Saturday started off with rain, wind and then the sun came out. We headed off to play two soccer games and the boys did great. They are growing and becoming great soccer players. Then we raced back home to catch our neighbor's, Karin, catered Easter egg hunt and lunch. What a spread. After the chasing of eggs and quick intake of candy the kids were running around the backyard. Soon Benjamin came screaming into the kitchen. He sliced open his big toe on a piece of metal in the neighbor's backyard. Ouch.

I rushed him to the emergency room (5 minutes away.) Two hours later Benjamin was successfull in getting 4 stitches. He now is running strong with 4-5 visits to the Emergency room.

1. Stitches on forehead from falling down the stairs at 2 years old.
2. Broken arm in Myrtle beach from falling off a play set at 3 years old.
3. Staples on his head from rolling down the backyard lawn and hitting a brick at 4 years old.
4. Now this visit with 4 stitches.
5. There is a fifth visit but I can't remember what it was for.

I think I had close to 20 visits to the E room before I was in high school. 2 broken arms, multiple concusions, infections, many stitches, cut fingers, etc. I think I got a discount after 10.

Jonathan is in a close 3rd place with E visits. Two visits: cracked cheek bone at grandparent Van Diest at 2 years old and stitches in head while at Grandma Monroe's in Texas.

Right now social services have not been called on us and all our kids are doing okay. Isa battled a 5 day flu and while Christine was gone last week she threw up 18 times. It just broke my heart to see my little girl hurt so much. Yesterday her personality came back and she is all smiles.

This past Saturday was the day of saying good bye to Aspen, our 6 year old lab. We just can't take her to Mexico and God graced us with some great friends, Hendersons, who just love her. The boys did real well in saying good bye.

We're in full pack mode and looking forward to garage sale day (April 29) and the moving company coming in on May 10. It is all coming on so quick.

Categories: Family

Church Planting Movements

I can't remember if I posted this one before too. My brain has been mush lately b/c of packing, moving boxes and patching up walls. All in all David Garrison is wise in planting movements

Church Planting Movements By David Garrison, IMB Resource Center
Ten Universal Elements After surveying Church Planting Movements around the world, we found at least 10 elements present in every one of them. While it may be possible to have a Church Planting Movement without them, we have yet to see this occur. Any missionary intent on seeing a Church Planting Movement should consider these 10 elements.
1. Prayer
2. Abundant gospel sowing
3. Intentional church planting
4. Scriptural authority
5. Local leadership
6. Lay leadership
7. Cell or house churches
8. Churches planting churches
9. Rapid reproduction
10. Healthy churches

1. Prayer Prayer has been fundamental to every Church Planting Movement we have observed. Prayer typically provides the first pillar in a strategy coordinator's master plan for reaching his or her people group. However, it is the vitality of prayer in the missionary's personal life that leads to its imitation in the life of the new church and its leaders. By revealing from the beginning the source of his power in prayer, the missionary effectively gives away the greatest resource he brings to the assignment. This sharing of the power source is critical to the transfer of vision and momentum from the missionary to the new local Christian leadership.
2. Abundant gospel sowing We have yet to see a Church Planting Movement emerge where evangelism is rare or absent. Every Church Planting Movement is accompanied by abundant sowing of the gospel. The law of the harvest applies well. "If you sow abundantly you will also reap abundantly." In Church Planting Movements, hundreds and even thousands of individuals are hearing the claims that Jesus Christ has on their lives. This sowing often relies heavily upon mass media evangelism, but it always includes personal evangelism with vivid testimonies to the life-changing power of the gospel. The converse to the law of the harvest is also true. Wherever governments or societal forces have managed to intimidate and stifle Christian witness. Church Planting Movements have been effectively eliminated.
3. Intentional church planting In every Church Planting Movement someone implemented a strategy of deliberate church planting before the movement got under way. There are several instances in which all the contextual elements were in place, but the missionaries lacked either the skill or the vision to lead a Church Planting Movement. However, once this ingredient was added to the mix, the results were remarkable. Churches don't just happen. There is evidence around the world of many thousands coming to Christ through a variety of means without the resulting development of multiple churches. In these situations, an intentional church-planting strategy might transform these evangelistic awakenings into full-blown Church Planting Movements.
4. Scriptural authority Even among non-literate people groups, the Bible has been the guiding source for doctrine, church polity and life itself. While Church Planting Movements have occurred among peoples without the Bible either orally or in written form in their heart language. In every instance, Scripture provided the rudder for the church's life, and its authority was unquestioned.
5. Local leadership Missionaries involved in Church Planting Movements often speak of the self-discipline required to mentor church planters rather than do the job of church planting themselves. Once a missionary has established his identity as the primary church planter or pastor, it's difficult for him ever to assume a back-seat profile again. This is not to say that missionaries have no role in church planting. On the contrary, local church planters receive their best training by watching how the missionary models participative Bible studies with non-Christian seekers. Walking alongside local church planters is the first step in cultivating and establishing local leadership.
6. Lay leadership Church Planting Movements are driven by lay leaders. These lay leaders are typically bi-vocational and come from the general profile of the people group being reached. In other words, if the people group is primarily non-literate, then the leadership shares this characteristic. If the people are primarily fishermen, so too are their lay leaders. As the movement unfolds, paid clergy often emerge. However, the majority--and growth edge of the movement--continue to be led by lay or bi-vocational leaders. This reliance upon lay leadership ensures the largest possible pool of potential church planters and cell church leaders. Dependence upon seminary-trained--or in non-literate societies, even educated--pastoral leaders means that the work will always face a leadership deficit.
7. Cell or house churches Church buildings do appear in Church Planting Movements. However, the vast majority of the churches continue to be small, reproducible cell churches of 10-30 members meeting in homes or storefronts. There is a distinction between cell churches and house churches. Cell churches are linked to one another in some type of structured network. Often this network is linked to a larger single church identity. The Full Gospel Central Church in Seoul, South Korea, is perhaps the most famous example of the cell-church model with more than 50,000 individual cells. House churches may look the same as cell churches, but they generally are not organized under a single authority or hierarchy of authorities. As autonomous units, house churches may lack the unifying structure of cell churches, but they are typically more dynamic. Each has its advantages. Cell groups are easier to shape and guide toward doctrinal conformity, while house churches are less vulnerable to suppression by a hostile government. Both types of churches are common in Church Planting Movements, often appearing in the same movement.
8. Churches planting churches In most Church Planting Movements, the first churches were planted by missionaries or by missionary-trained church planters. At some point, however, as the movements entered as exponential phase of reproduction, the churches themselves began planting new churches. In order for this to occur, church members have to believe that reproduction is natural and that no external aids are needed to start a new church. In Church Planting Movements, nothing deters the local believers from winning the lost and planting new cell churches themselves.
9. Rapid reproduction Some have challenged the necessity of rapid reproduction for the life of the Church Planting Movement, but no one has questioned its evidence in every CPM. Most church planters involved in these movements contend that rapid reproduction is vital to the movement itself. They report that when reproduction rates slow down, the Church Planting Movement falters. Rapid reproduction communicates the urgency and importance of coming to faith in Christ. When rapid reproduction is taking place, you can be assured that the churches are unencumbered by nonessential elements and the laity are fully empowered to participate in this work of God.
10. Healthy churches Church growth experts have written extensively in recent years about the marks of a church. Most agree that healthy churches should carry out the following five purposes: 1) worship, 2) evangelistic and missionary outreach, 3) education and discipleship, 4) ministry and 5) fellowship. In each of the Church Planting Movements we studied, these five core functions were evident. A number of church planters have pointed out that when these five health indicators are strong, the church can't help but grow. More could be said about each of these healthy church indicators, but the most significant one, from a missionary vantage point, is the churches missionary outreach. This impulse within these CPM-oriented churches is extending the gospel into remote people groups and overcoming barriers that have long resisted Western missionary efforts.

Categories: SimpleChurch, LongBeach

Long Time Planter's Wisdom

I remember the first time I heard the lessons and principles of Carol Davis' church planting ministry. It was our 2nd month in Malaga, Spain in 1999. Pentor, a regional director, came to visit us and just shared some of the principles. These ideas were a bit different and refreshing. Then a few years later we had her come speak at our staff conference. Again challenging and refreshing. But all along the way our staff and myself took these principles and just changed them to fit our CCC way. But we still didn't see the multiplication and reproduction she was talking about. I think the subtle differences are that we kept doing what we do; gather tons of people, expose the whole campus, do big weekly meetings and programs and plug them into the CCC methods. She was talking about a whole new system of reaching communities and seeing the multiply, start small with "persons of peace." I may have already posted this before but I read it this morning and was encouraged. This is where I want to live and lead. This coming summer in Long Beach is where we are going to train students and staff in these principles. No, we're not just adding these methods to our current methods. We are completely re-working what we do from the ground up. Our summer mission project will be a unique CCC project.

Here are some of her thoughts:

• Sick, dead or sterile
• The Person of Peace
• The authentic witness
• Not one, but 200
• Look to the one week old Christian
• Growth vs. Reproduction

You can read the full article at Let's Stop Planting Sterile Churches by Carol Davis

Categories: SimpleChurch, LongBeach

Ten Keys to Planting Churches

Read this today and thought, yeah!!!

It comes from Next Wave: Church and Culture web site, Bob Hyatt:

"I recently saw a list of 10 Keys to Effective Church Planting. I want to whole-heartedly agree with some and humbly take issue with others (and one in particular)... I don't pretend to know it all- but here are my thoughts as I read through the list. Let's call my reworked thoughts Ten Keys to Sane Church Planting...
The list is:
1. Get on your knees and fight like a man.
2. Team-work makes the dream work.
3. Location, location, location
4. Determine your target audience.
5. It takes big money to plant a church.
6. If you build it they still might not come.
7. Clarify the “win”.
8. Set yourself up for success.
9. Focus on life-giving ministry
10. You get what you expect.

So... in order.

1. Get on your knees and fight like a man. Aside from the inherent sexism in the way the statement is made, this is a great, great place to start. "Unless the Lord build a house..." :)
2. Team-work makes the dream work. Yes. It's important not to do this thing alone.
3. Location, location, location Yeah, okay. I hear you. I think our outside-the-box meeting space has done huge things for us (we meet in a pub). But...I want to differentiate between planting a service and actually planting a community. Planting a service is easy. You just need a bunch of dough, a few people willing to work themselves to death and voila'... and yes, that's all about the location. Planting a community, however, is a bit more ephemeral... a bit harder to quantify into easy-to-follow steps. It's a partnership between the Spirit and desperate people trying hard to listen to that Spirit. It usually results in a Sunday morning (or other time) gathering, and often people are told about it/invited to it... but that's not the heart of a true community is it?
4. Determine your target audience. I guess on this one I would just say- Look in the mirror. Expect that the people who will be part of your community will largely look like you. Expect that, but pray for different.And quit targeting people. I think it freaks them out.
5. It takes big money to plant a church. Okay... If you'll excuse my language, that's a load of shite. And a dangerous lie to tell to church planters. I wish to God (literally) that people would stop saying this. Is it easier to plant with "big money"? In some ways... And I'm really glad for churches that are able to start with a lot of support. Seriously. The fact that someone is willing to put up that kind of money on a venture that statistically has an 80% or more chance of failure is amazing in the best sense of the word. A lot of people are putting their wallets where their mouths are to plant churches. But. It's not necessary. You don't have to have "big money" to plant a church... In fact, you might be better off without it. We had $700 a month committed when we planted our community. That's it. But we have kept overhead low, we have made do for the past two years with $600 worth of sound system, my associate pastor worked a full time job until this very month... somehow, we managed to launch a vibrant, growing community without big money.In fact, I've seen churches struggle because of that damned big money. They "launch" with a full contingent of paid ministry professionals, the whole Kid's Ministry In A Box that they bought at some convention somewhere, and the people show up to see the show.And two years later, when their initial bankroll from momma church or daddy church-planting organization runs out, they fold because they have ministry jacked up to artificially high levels, that is, they have more programs and staff and equipment needs than their people can conceivably give for and support... and when that gap between actual giving and budget needs hits, they need to start laying off staff. And that's a spiral that the heavy-initial-investment, programmatic church model can't handle. When the staff starts going, that equates to a cut in services, and the people soon start edging out the back door for some place down the road with something new and exciting (and better funded!) going on... Grim? Yeah...Does it happen to everyone who starts with a big wad of cash? Of course not.Could it? Oh yeah... So why not start simple? Let it grow organically...Different approach, different challenges (for sure)...But do you need "big money" to plant? No, no, no. A thousand times no! And you just might be better off with a different approach. Sorry... got worked up there. I apologize if I stepped on your toes. This one is a serious button for me...
6. If you build it they still might not come. Amen, brother. So... focus less on building and more on being. Be the kind of community (whether you are 10 people or 100) that others will find loving and welcoming, where they can find God and themselves be found. People will show up for that. You can figure out the bells and whistles later. I say, quit being a builder. Try being a gardener...
7. Clarify the "win". Yeeeeahhh... got no idea what this means. I know about setting quantifiable goals and all that. But we're talking people's souls, not numbers. We're talking about community, not benchmarks.Do your people love God?Win!Do they love each other?Win!Do they love others outside of your little thing?Win!Are you together figuring out how that all works together in community? What that looks like for you as a unique group of Christ followers? Are you feeding people who need food, clothing people who need clothes and generally being Jesus to those God brings in contact with you/your community?Win, win, win! Don't have your five-year plan together? No mission statement? No idea what comes next?Join the club.And don't sweat it.Do the things Jesus is telling your community to do, love people and trust God to build His church and...You'll know the win when you see it.
8. Set yourself up for success. Can't argue with that!
9. Focus on life-giving ministry Or that!
10. You get what you expect. And hopefully... a whole lot more.

Amen?

Categories: SimpleChurch

Bobby is for sale. I'm sure you need her/him

Who in the world is Bobby? He/She (I'm not really sure) is our 3 year old Leopard Gecko. You will want this beautiful creature. She comes with the aquarium, light, rock, water dish, tree and bushes. What a deal.

Craigs' list listing
Categories: Family

Lessons Learned from the Azusa Street Revival

I just received this e-zine from Joel News International. As I learn about what God is doing in Latin America I am constantly coming across the Pentecostal movement. This article below is from J. Lee Grady, Charisma magazine editor. I'm challenged by the observations and wonder where our multiple movements, seeing God move supernaturally and getting the Gospel to each and every person in Mexico City so it truly transforms the city fits into this type of thinking.


JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-546 * 11 APRIL 2006
IN THIS EDITION:
100 years after Azusa Street: where are we going?

Exactly 100 years ago, in April 1906, the Holy Spirit fell on a ragtag group of black, white, and Hispanic Christians who had gathered in the rundown Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. They sang with fervor, testified of God's sanctifying power and spoke in tongues. This now-famous revival, led by an unknown black preacher named William Seymour, was a defining moment in the history of Christianity.

Pentecostalism has now spread to every continent and in some cases is fueling the most staggering church growth on the planet. Yet at the same time many sectors of the movement have become musty, stale and painfully irrelevant.

"Let's resist nostalgia," warns Charisma editor J. Lee Grady. "As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, we must shift into the new things God is doing. The cloud of God's presence does not stay in one place too long. He is always moving forward. He wants to reach every generation. We might have to kill our sacred cows, tear down the old monuments and have some funerals. As wonderful as the past was, we can't live there."
In the April issue of Charisma Magazine, a collector's edition that celebrates the Azusa Street Revival, Grady sums up a few of the 'new things' God is doing:

1. He's shifting us from buildings to the organic church. Almost all ministry encounters in the book of Acts took place outside of religious buildings. Yet we still hang on to the outdated idea that God wants to live inside a brick-and-mortar temple. He wants to dwell among His people! Many of the people we are called to reach will never go near our buildings (which, by the way, sit empty most of the week). We must take Christ to the marketplace through home churches, workplace Bible studies, campus ministries, street meetings - and into cyberspace.
2. He's shifting us from pulpits to people. The believers at Azusa Street celebrated the fact that God can use anybody - regardless of class or religious pedigree. But we quickly fell back into the old mind-set that requires a vast chasm between clergy and laity. Every member of the church is a minister.
3. He's shifting us from racism to reconciliation. As much as we talk about our heritage of racial integration, the truth is painful: We are still too separated. (And it's not just white folks who harbor racist attitudes.) Jesus is serious about having a church that reflects the rainbow colors of heaven. We must think multi-culturally. And we must sit at the feet of ethnically diverse leaders - including those from the developing world - and adjust our outdated Western paradigms.
4. He's shifting us from male-dominated to egalitarian. We must allow full participation of women in ministry, and make room for their leadership gifts. We will never fulfill the Great Commission if we don't empower and equip the female half of the church that has been marginalized and neglected.
5. He's shifting us from hidden sin to healthy holiness. We have congregations full of people who are not whole. A large percentage of Christians struggle continually with addictions, bitterness, life-crippling belief systems, wounds from dysfunctional families and even occultism. We must become bondage breakers. We need another holiness movement - but this time it must focus on the heart rather than on a dress code, and it must lead people to an encounter with the Father's love rather than into paralyzing legalism.
6. He's shifting us from human ability to supernatural power. We Pentecostals claim to believe in miracles, but we have little to show for it. Has our faith dried up? God wants us to rediscover New Testament, book of Acts-style Christianity. And that won't happen until we rediscover book of Acts-style prayer.
7. He's shifting us from poverty to prosperity. I'm not talking about a message that tells every Christian to expect a Lexus in his garage, or that causes preachers to chase after watches, yachts and Botox injections. We must dispense with that foolishness. But we must also reject the Pentecostal poverty mentality of the past so that we can have the faith to fund world evangelism. God wants to give us billions of dollars to feed the poor, plant churches, build hospitals and transform nations.
8. He's shifting us from escapism to conquest. So many of us have viewed the future with pessimism. We've been wimps rather than warriors. We thought everything was getting worse, as if Jesus simply wants us to 'hold on' until the rapture. God is calling us to adapt a triumphant view of history. The Bible says we win. We need to start acting like it.

Source: http://www.blogger.com/www.charismanow.com
Centennial: http://www.blogger.com/www.azusastreet100.net
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I'm not sure how you feel or think about all this or even if there is a category in your brain for it but doesn't it challenge you and don't you want to see the same things happen in your life and community?

Categories: MexicoCity, Missions, SimpleChurch

Surviving as Mr. Mom

Yesterday Christine headed up to the mountains with all the staff women from our CCC region. So what does that mean? Spiritual rest and renewal for her and a new level of dependence on the Lord for me. Last night I barely made it. Too much going on and now I have three little ones looking to me like little chicks for food and sustenance. But God is good and His mercies are new every morning.

This morning was a fresh start as I got up early, 6 am, worked out, read a bit and then prepared the kids for a day at the zoo. You say, "What are you crazy? Three kids to the zoo with no mom to help." Oh yeah, they call me super dad. Well I also met 5 other super dads and 9 other kids for a day at the zoo. One woman asked, "Are all you guys stay at home dads?" I guess it looked funny with 6 men, so many kids, no women and on a work day.

Here is a shot of the group. For more shots and pictures from the last month check out Van Diest Photos


Categories: Family, Photos

The Boys in a Full out Jedi War

A good friend of mine and neighbor, Ryan McReynolds, took this video a couple of days ago. You'll notice Benjamin, Jedi Master, was wounded for a moment, but then the force kicked in and he slaughtered the rest.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SXIdyd6rIpM

Categories: family

Coaching, Training and Letting them Go. Problem with that?

I have been encouraged and challenged with those in ministry and church planting efforts that train, coach and release new believers to do the work of ministry. I believe that with the power of the Spirit, some basic skills, and the word of God with a vision to fulfill the Great Commission and Great Commandment true revival and transformation will take place.

Ralph Winter makes a strong statement that is giving some support to this idea:
"The most extensive, pervasive strategic error in the Christian tradition lies squarely in our coveted and generously supported, but unquestioned, concept of years of "schooling" as the way for leaders to develop and be trained....In this country and abroad, every church movement which has come to depend solely upon residential school products for its ministry is dying."
Ralph Winter, "What's Wrong with 4,000 Pastoral Training Schools Worldwide?" Mission Frontiers, March-April 2003 Via Steve Addison

This requires some thought and evaluation of our training, teaching, discipleship and maturing time. How can we train, coach and send out believers in the mission without overly emphasizing education and knowledge?
Categories: Missions, Movements

Real Multiplication in Russia

For the past 4 or so years the CU ministry has been giving leadership, coaching and encouragement to a CCC ministry in Krasnodar, Russia. Currently there are 3 CU students serving there. Below is a recent note we received from Dave, one of the team members in Russia.

"Today I really want to write about one of the highlights of my ministry here: the men's Bible Study and the guys involved. Weekly Vova, Misha, Oleg and Sasha join me for a couple hours of fellowship and time in the word. At the beginning of the year I led the study but part way through the semester I challenged Vova to take a turn. He did such a phenomenal job that I asked him to lead it again. Eventually he completely took over and has even begun to disciple Misha and Oleg personally. He is a multiplying disciple with a heart for God and his word unlike any I have seen in other Russian students.

Then there's Misha and Oleg. Oleg came to the Lord last year and brought his friend, Misha, to Pulse at the beginning of this year. Misha became a believer shortly thereafter. Now they are so filled with the spirit and excited about who Christ is that they have begun Misha, Oleg and I at New Year's their own Seeker's Group. They invite friends from school and then they tell them about who God is. I went to this for the first time tonight and Oleg spoke on the Holy Spirit. There was a lot of questioning and the guys got stumped a few times when it came time to defending their faith but I was so proud of them. Afterwards I told Vova and Misha "Your answers weren't perfect but the fact that you have listened to God's call and are here in faith is exactly what God wants." They were so relieved. Every time I leave our Bible Study I can't help but thank the Lord for the work he has done through me and these guys. Thank you for praying for these guys and this group and me. I am indebted to you and your graciousness. Talk to you again soon!"
Yours for Krasnodar,
Dave Coats

This is what I pray for. This is what I mean when I talked about the power and transformation of Jesus in a person's life. This is the Holy Spirit moving in new believers.
Categories: God, Missions

Will you Pray for us and With us?

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” James 5:16-18

We cherish you lifting us up in prayer. We know that without your partnership we would be running solo. We know that there are forces and principalities at war around us all. We know there will be trials in the upcoming months and barriers to effective ministry.

Pray that we will be listening to the Lord and trusting Him for every detail in life and ministry.
Pray that God will grant us wisdom to make decisions. Pray that God will keep us healthy and protected from the evil one.

We also want to ask you to pray for Christine’s parents. Recently her mom’s health (Pamela) has seen some decline as her initial tumor in her lungs has increased and is causing great pain. Christine’s dad, Frank, who had colon cancer 3 1/2 years ago just found out he is beginning treatments for cancer in his lymph nodes. If you feel led by the Lord please say a prayer of healing, comfort and peace for Christine and her parents.

Thank you for going the extra mile in ministry with us. We are very grateful for you.

Please Pray:

• That we will be walking only in the power of God and not in our own strength.
• That our house will rent soon and our car will sell.
• That God will raise up laborers to be receptive to the Gospel and who in turn will start Biblical Communities in Long Beach.
• That God will provide 2 more men for our project in LB.
• That God will give us wisdom in choosing a moving company to ship our belongings to Mexico. Pray that our stuff will make it past customs.
• That God will lead us to the right men and women to partner with in Mexico City to start a city wide network of Church Planting.
• That God will raise up at least one spiritual movement on each of the 300 Universities in Mexico City.

Categories: God, Prayer, MexicoCity

God doing what He does best

This past week as I was sharing with some friends about our upcoming move from Colorado to Mexico and leading the summer mission project in Long Beach, CA, I guess my anxiety and stress was apparent. When I think about what God has called us to do, none of it makes any financial, family or logical sense in human eyes. We are in the midst of renting our house, selling some stuff, finding a home and car in Mexico and before we leave the States, lead a new mission project to Long Beach, CA.

There are so many unknowns. Now I know why I am anxious. It all seems so impossible. We have to trust God to provide for all our needs and believe He will provide us wisdom in Long Beach and Mexico City.

At that point my friend, Tom, mentioned to me that I just needed to listen to the Lord. Not do, just listen. Then two nights later another friend, Todd, stated I shouldn’t worry about things that God could only do. The Holy Spirit spoke right through them to me.

This is where we’re at. We are trusting God to do what He can only do. God called us supernaturally to lead in Long Beach and He called us to move to Mexico City. He is giving us a vision and mission to provide every person a network that will help them grow closer to Jesus. We must believe everyday that God will provide in His timing all we need as we listen and wait.
Thank you for your loyal, heart felt encouragement and generous giving. We want you to know you’re making a difference in the lives of so many!!
Categories: God, MexicoCity