Embracing Local Missions Opportunities is Not About Saving a Church
A Column in the Baptist Associations Series with Applications for all Local Denominational Organizations
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(This column appears this week in the digital and print edition of The Baptist Paper. Access the column in the digital edition HERE. The Baptist Paper is a publication of TAB Media. Request a free trial HERE. See all TAB Media columns written by George Bullard HERE.)
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Embracing Local Missions Opportunities is Not About Saving a Church
By George Bullard
Two leaders of a new church plant were riding around and came upon East End Church.
“That’s it,” said the teaching pastor. “That’s the church I was told about. It has fewer than 50 people attending now. They are mostly senior adults.”
“Their worship center seats 700. I want us to pray about asking them to let us worship there. Maybe longterm they would merge into us, and we would get the building to grow our church.”
On another day the pastor of a growing suburban church less than 20 years old was driving through the neighborhoods around East End Church. He got excited about what he saw.
He called his associate pastor to share his observations.
“I have never been in this part of town. It is a great collection of older neighborhoods. A lot of houses are being renovated, and it appears new people are moving here.”
“We do neighborhood evangelism and outreach well. I would love for us to consider a ministry here to connect these people to Jesus. It would address the increasing passion we have to invest in the city and not just escape it.
“But wait.” He stopped his car. “Here is a church building — East End Church. I wonder what’s going on here and if it would ever be available as a place to launch a new ministry?”
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