The Ohio Independent Baptist, July/August 1991

• . Baptist Church Planters, a new mission agency headquar– tered in Lorain, Ohio, was accepted as an approved agency of the GARBC at the annual conference June 25. The JOY Club program is now an arm of Baptist Church Planters . New Church Developer: Why Do We Need One? What Will He Do? Ced ·11e College News This month's column is written by Pastor Joel Harriman, ~ew Richland Baptist, Belle Center. Harriman is chairman of the Task Force on Church Planting. Why Do We Need A New Church Developer? There were 195 Regular Baptist . Churches (GARBC) in the state of Ohio in 1975, and 194 in 1990. The figure never climbed over 197 in those 15 years. Are we a growing a sociation? . There is, however, a group 1n ~1s state which is growing. One g!oup estun.at~ s that the population of Ohio ~10.8 m1lli~n) includes eight million unbelievers and 1s growing at a rate of 100,000 more unbelievers every year. We need to plant new churches! Now we know that we are not the only ones re~cbing out to the lost with the Gospel . However, if you add togetI?e~ all the fundamental, evangelistic, Bapttsuc churches in the state, there aren' t even 1,000. Fewer t11an 1,000 churches to reach eight million unbelievers! That means each of those churches bas a "community' ' of over 8,000 unsaved people to reach . Can you .d?.it with your existing resources and facil1ues? We need to plant new churches! Church growth and missions analysts are saying things like, " 'New' churches win more people to Christ than 'old' churches-they have more vitality ai1d zeal .'' 'Most 'old churches will never grow past 75." ''Eighty to eighty-five per cent of the 'old' churches have stopped growing or are declining.'' We need to plant new churches! So we need to plant new churches, but why do we need a new church developer to do it? We need a new church devel– oper in our Ohio Association o~ Regular Baptist Churches to do three tl11ngs: 1) to clarify tlle situation (a planner) 2) to communicate the needs and plans (a preacher) . 3) to coordinate the implementation (a programmer). What Will He Be Doing? Clarify: What pastor bas the time to research church planting needs on a state- 2 wide level? We need a man who will 1) keep bis finger on the pulse of the state and be aware of changes and shifting needs and 2) have both short and long– range plans to help existing churches plant new churches in needy and poten– tially fruitful locations. We need a man who can be a resource person for ou,r local churches. We also need to be challenged to reach out to ethnically and culturally different groups. It is important to keep in mind that the new church developer will be encourag– ing and assisting local ~hurches (not out doing the work all by hlillself). Our chosen approach is to have a program of church planting which is local church generated yet coordinated. Communicate: The new church devel– oper will keep the theme ?f church planting before us. He will keep our state informed through articles in the OIB and a report at the O~<;: f\o~ual Confer– ence. He will recruit 1nd1v1duals at1d teams of church plat1ters from Christian college, Bible school and seminary campuses. He will act as a liaison and resource for established church planters working with mission agencies. Coordinate: There are many different ways to plant a church. The new church developer will work with groups who request help in getting a church plan.ted. He can hold Bible studies and planning meetings with them, teach them bow to get a church started, and provide assis– tance in calling a pastor or church planter. The new church developer will also be a resource for churches who have the desire to plant a daughter church by themselves. He will work with our area fellowships throughout the sta~ to . challenge, organize, and coordinate thetr efforts in planting new churches.as a group . He will develop and oversee church planter apprentices-Bible school or seminary graduates, supported and closely supervised for three to five years, who would then continue on as pastors of continued page 6 CDR Radio Marketing and Promotions Director Mark Kordic (left) and General Manager Paul Gathany displ.ay one of the Russian Bibles which are being sent to Christians in the Soviet Union through the Russian Connection pen pal project this summer. A letter from a 15 year old in the remote town of Yalta, in the Soviet Union, bas served as the catalyst to build bridges of friendship between hundreds of families in the United States and . Soviet Union. A few months ago Mikhail Saltykov wrote to ASSIST MINIS'IRTES, in California, asking for a pen pal. Now there are hundreds of families across America who have signed up to encour– age Soviet believers. ~amilies ~d churches in Ohio can sign up with CDR Radio (WCDR 90.3 FM) to particip~te in the Russiat1 Connection pen pal proJect. CDR Radio Marketing and Promotions Director Mark Kordic says there are more than 500 families from the Soviet Union on a waiting list for pen pals. ''We're all pleased with the new liber~es granted for Soviet Christians to worship, but n? ?ne knows how long they will last. This ts a great way to provide immediate encour– agement and Christian literature to those who are eager to share their faith with others,'' says Kordic. . More information on the Russian Connection pen pal project can be obtained by calling 1-800-333-0601.