The Ohio Independent Baptist, July/August 1993

2 I · l ) ll:S- l)l)ll 'l forge t tn , nvc y ur quarters for the nc\v ()WM pr >jcct: ,500 to publ i h 7 ~tuJ guides and l .000 for a tape dupli:al- 1ng n\ lH.: hinc for n MM', 'I11c J gical lnstruct1 n/ ·t inistry 1:nrtchn1cn t pr gran1 . Pastors Assistants Youth Pastors Missionaries Free One-Day Enrichment Seminar ''The Death of a Church– Causes and Cures" Tuesday, July 20 with Dr. Howard Bixby, Director, Baptist Bible Semi'}ary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Place: Graham Road Baptist Church , 705 Graham Road, Cuyahoga Falls , OH 44224 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon Call : 216-928-7742 for details First Baptist Christian School FACULTY NEEDED • Seconda r y Spanish For more information and applica tion end re ume lo: Ralph C. Duffy, Admini trator l 1400 LaGrange Rd.. PO Box 929 Elyria, OH 44036 2 16-458-5 l 85 Serving Ohio State Representative Larry Fetzer 884 Knebworth Ct. Westerville, OH 43081 614-523--3666 Open dates throughout '93 Having An Impact On Ohio Larry Fetzer State Representative A s I write this column, the 62nd Annual Conference of the GARBC is underway in Des Moines, Iowa. The conference opened with great excite– ment and cbaJlenge. The keynote mes age was brought by former Ohio pastor John Greening, introducing and developing the theme of the conference. Greening's point, drawn from . Epbe ians 4:11-16, was that .au~enuc Christianity centers on the biblical standard of Cbristlikeness. The great empbasi of t11i conference is that our GARBC churcbe mu t be diligent to develop and maintain ~ is authen~c Christianity in the reality of genuine Chri sUikenes . 'To be like Je us' must be our prayer; and our over-ri~i~g ~oal, to pattern our li ves and our m1n1stne after that of the Lord Jesus Christ. The great hal lmark of Je us' ministry wa disciplemaking. If we are to have authentic Christianity, we must do as Jesus did . His focus was constantly on seeking the lost, b~ng~ng the~ t? salvation, and conunu1ng to d1~c1pl~ them, so they in tum would build His_ church by doing the same. Reproduction became the standard- and the pattern for u to follow. I wish all of you could have been in De Moines to bear the challenge, and lhe call to "Authentic Christianity." "l jus t wanted lo say bow much we have been enjoying the OIB . We receive it from one o f our churches." --Mi sionary G. Mark Trimble ~§ Be lem, Brazi l Ohio Mother– Daughter Church Plant Works! by Rick Wilson Associate Pastor, Clearcreek Chapel M ost who read this article know that the church's purpose is to glori fy God by making disciples of the Lord J~sus Christ. Most churches are attempung to put this into action in their own locali– ties, and many churches are fai~fully supporting missionaries to foreign fields. However, one must ask how many are considering what th~ir l_ocal churches can do to stimulate d1sc1ple– making in nearby communities . Do you know that there are num.erous communities in Ohio without a solid, biblically-based, Christ-honoring church that is committed to making disciples? One effective means of making disciples is by having heal th y, mature churches become parents of newly- . birthed churches in nearby communi– ties. This "mother-daughter" concept of church planting bas worked in Ohio. Clearcreek Chapel Baptist Fellow– ship conducted its first public se1:1~ces on August 4, 1985. Forty-three v1s1on– oriented Christians, led by Pastor John Street, met for worship in a temporary location in Franklin . This "daughter church" began as a branch of Washing– ton Heights Baptist Church of Dayton. At the outset, Washington Heights, the 'mother church," provided financi3:1 support with a commitment o~ contin– ued help over a three-year penod, reducing its commitment by 2.0% every six months. But God so bountifully blessed this new ministry that by the end of the first six months it was able to support itself 100%. Today, by <;iod s. grace, an average of 2_60 gather 1~ their new all-purpose buildrng converuently located next to 1-75 on the edge of Springboro. ,, And what of the "mother church ? Continued, page 3