The Ohio Independent Baptist, July 1964

--~- VOL. 36, NO. 9 The Ohio Independent Baptist Your State Missionary hy not m,ore rapidly? By EARL D. UMBAUGH A few times the que tion ha been asked "Why ar e we not moving ahead more rapidly in the Program of Pro– pagation?'' Back of thi que tion is the earne t desire to ee a greater ex– pan ion of our evange li tic perimeter through a branch church mini try. The need in Ohio i o great. There are over I0,000,000 people in our State . There are many re idential section of ten , J 5 and 20,000 people without a ound go ;pel te timony. Our population growth i 100,000 people a year. Every oul-winning Regular Bapti st pastor and many orf our laymen Jong for the kind of ex– pans1on that will reach the e people through a ound Regular Bapti t te ti.. 111ony. There are son1e rea on why the growth is not more rapid . One rea on is that a thriving church may fear the competion of another Regular Baptist Church started close to the111. Th is is an under tandable fear. Too 111any people f1shing in the same pond 111ay bring meager re ults but in mo t cases the pond is not that n1all. Few of OLtr churches are large enough to effoctive]y evangel11e a communi ty of 111ore than f,ive to l 0,000 people and there arc some advantage~ to having otl1er Regt1lar Baptist hurche close to your church. A successfLtl church v. 1 ill pl1r other cht1rchcs to greater evangeli tic effort. Another church J>reacl1i11g tl1e same 111essage and hav– i11g the sar11e standards as your church wi]l Je11tf \\'eight to v. 1 hat ) ' Otl ha,,e to aJ' i11 tl1e con1n1t111ity. 'fhe people 1 tl1e fir t churcl1 v.'ill n t be so lii~ety to J eel that they are standing alo11e for tl1e 11 utl1. Anott1er rea on v. 1 }1y a c11t1rch tloe 1101 engag in a bvancl1 111ini tr)' i tl1e fear 1 " '}1at gi, 1 i11g tlJ) 0111e J a111ili to 1 l1e tarting f a 11e\\' cl1ur 11 \\ i11 d to tl1eir org4.11iza1ion,1l TH OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIS and financial tructure. Mo t of our churches have had a mall begi nn ing. They have truggled through the ,problerns of being able to pay a pa tor, the purcha e of a bui lding ite, -the puttin,g tip of adequate facil– iti e and the adoption of a good mi - ionary program. The tarting of a new church may seem to threaten the tabiJity and growith of the te timony they have worked o hard to e tab li h but thi i not nece ari ly o. More Chri tians wi ll be trained to ervc the Lord in the local church either by replacing active families who go to the new church or by them elve going to the new church ,to erve a. deacons, tru .. tee , Sund·ay choo1 teacher and choir member . Many inactive Chri tian have been given the opportunity to develop in,to active u eful hri tian under uch a pro– gran1. They leave the rank of the " Pew Warmer A ociation" to join the rank of the Olli Winner As oci– ation in the battle for the Olli of 1nen. They change fron1 the role f the pee ta tor, who it on the itle J inc, enjoying the effort f other , to bee 1 mc a ,participant in the ga111e of life th at offer an incorrL1ptible crown. The c;ponsoring cht1rch n1ay \Ltffcr ~ornc temporary financial lo bt1t, tn 111y experience, th1 ha rarely ever been \O. C1otl will honor the w1ll– ingnc\\ o1 a cht1rch to acrif:icc, e\ c11 as He honor\ that of an 1ndiv1dL1nl hristian. 1 hey tl1at sow ~p,lr111gl y will reap \p,1r1ngl) anti tl1e) 1 tl1at \O\.\' l)ot111tif till)' will reap bountifLtll)' · I h\! 11ew life gc11eratccl in a ol1t1rcl1 l)y ,1n adcqL1atc bra11ch cl1ur h 1>rogra111 < fiten offsets, n1an)' tin1l:S over, ail)' Joss tl1at J11ay be SLtSt,1i11c"'I at tl1,. t)utset of st1cl1 a 1)rogra111. A1101l1er reu 011 \Vl1)' 0111 l1L1r ·11 ~s 11 it, t lo tart rt 11e\\' cl1t1r 11 i tl1 fear ot havi11g a failL1re. Tf tl1 \; fir t , ,c11tt1r fail , it n1, )' b )' HI l> or JULY, 1964 Rev. Earl D. Umbaugh the church would ever be willing to try again. We mu t face the po ibil– ity of fa i I ure but it i better to have tried and failed than to have failed by not trying. Again t the po ibility of fai]ure, we have the go ,pe1 of C' hri t which i the power of God L1nto , alvation, the enduen1ent with power from the Holy pirit, the wi~- don1 of God which i fir t of all pure gentle and ea y to be entreate<..I, the intere t of hri t who loved the church and gave Hin1 elf for it and the earne t prayer of those \Vho ha\ e an inve t111ent in thi TIC\\ church. Another re·a on for h itanc 1 i the quc lion of t1111ing. There 1 a right ti111e to begin ,1 cht1rch anti only the P<-l tor anti the ·pon oring oht1rch \\. ill kno,v "' hen that r1ght t1111c 1~ The 111a t ler of ad n1i n i. tra t1on re t, \ itl1 the pa tor f the cht1rch anti tho,t: who faithf ttlly \\ ork \\'1th hi 111. 1'h1~ ar1 not he co111111ititt:tl to an, 111- tl1'v iclL1al or organ1zatior1 Otll'ittlc of '-' the locdl c.ht1rch . Ho\\C\ ~r. thert: ot1gh t to he d \\' t)rtf t) l ~it tt r 1011 l1ert: . 1rcur11,ta11cc\ ,, 111 11c, c1 ~Cl 111 to t,c cxactl)' r1gl1t 1or tl1c ~t ·11 t111g l)f d b1 ,1r1cJ1 · l1t11 ~11 . )ll)lllOtl ,, 1 arr1c l aga111\t unllttt; he,1ta11 ' )' \\ hc11 l1e 'ict ill ir1 l.. c<:l. 11 : 4 "'He tl1at l l)'i~I \'t..'tl1 tl1, ,vi11ll sl1al] 11oc '-10\\' ; ·111 I ht:: tl1a l rcgartf e 1}1 tl1c ' Iott I sl1a ll not [ft: a p .' )Ill fnr111 er lo 11() l I tit f rtl1 t l1e ffort tl, l1a, 1 , a 11 ·•l1t111ll , t11t r ~1 l - Hlt s t l1c: ar ll t} >11 rn t.i al) t it ti111ing. It is ei tlll:1' t 11 )t \. r t •t lll , to ,, et r t<> l lr , t ,, i11 I (Continued on p ge 11) JULY, 1'964 Page 3