HOW HEALTHY CHURCHES SHOULD GROW
by Acts2Journey
Since November 2020, Crossroads Church in Belton, Texas, has seen a 250 percent increase in attendance. The church is averaging 1,200 and added a third service in April 2022.
“We attribute much of our growth not only to God working in the hearts of people but also to what we learned as a church through the one-year Acts 2 Journey (A2J) experience.”
“I was told upfront by Alton Garrison and A2J Trainer Rick Allen that during the journey the biggest changes would take place within me and my leadership,” Matt says. “I learned that heart work is hard work. But the Acts 2 Journey brought us valuable leadership, wisdom, and insight. It helped us simplify our approach to ministry, equip the saints, and focus on a few specific areas of ministry we could execute with excellence.” - Pastor Matt & Holly Thrasher
Healthy local churches don’t grow the way one might think.
There’s always been something “other-worldly” about the Church: this is the arena where losing your life leads to finding it, turning the other cheek is the key battle strategy, and the greatest in the room are the ones carrying serving trays and serving everyone else.
No, the local church’s true path isn’t what you might expect and totally abandons the wisdom you might gain from a business seminar.
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DISABILITY & DISCIPLESHIP
by Joanna French, Influence Magazine Assemblies of God
John* is a quiet, solemn 15-year-old with autism. For a long time, I thought he disliked me.
Still, every Sunday, I greeted him with a smile and an enthusiastic, “Hello, John!”
He always nodded back.
Then one Sunday, John initiated a conversation, asking, “Are you OK?” Realizing he must have heard about my recent car accident, I assured John I was fine and that my only injury was a broken toe.
“Oh, good,” John said. “I was worried about you.”
I smiled and thanked him for his concern.
What John said next was genuinely surprising: “You’re my friend.”
Since then, our friendship has grown—and so has John’s interest in following Jesus. At our Christmas Eve service, he referred to our church as “my church.”
In March, John asked me how to study the Bible. In April, he requested consistent Bible study time with me. A few weeks later, he casually expressed an interest in water baptism.
John is a remarkable example of what can happen when you love people as they are, point them to Jesus, and pray for them. Isn’t that what discipleship is all about?
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NATIONAL
BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 18, 2022S
National Back to Church Sunday Started as a call to action and invitation–action for the church, an invitation to the world. A single-day event focused on extending the invitation of love, peace, and hope to our friends and neighbors. A single day to reclaim the true nation of the church–exactly as Christ commanded.
National Back to Church Sunday began in 2009 as church attendance in America was declining, and church leaders began to look for ways to involve their congregations in reaching out and inviting friends, neighbors, and coworkers to come back to, or try church for the first time.
Each September since then, we have set aside the third Sunday in September as the day to encourage everyone to attend a Bible-based church in their area and for church leaders to create a welcoming, inviting environment for their visitors.
Incredibly, since 2009, more than 4 million Christ-followers have participated through more than 40,000 churches…and the movement continues to grow.
Now, more than ever, people need Jesus and a caring community where they can belong, grow and flourish. This September, we would love for you to be a part of introducing your community to Jesus, so they can experience His hope and reconnect with others during National Back to Church Sunday!
It’s time to love again, serve again, and HOPE again. Whom will your church reach this fall?
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MINISTRY MIND
LEADERSHIP PODCAST
by Kim Cooper, Next Gen Catalyst
Apostolic Church of Pentecost of Canada
You’re gonna love this heartfelt conversation with Kim Cooper and Rev. Dale Anderson.
Listen as they speak openly about how prayer shapes our lives, and how knowing God helps us through the losses and difficulties in life. It’s a true encouragement for all of us in our walk of faith—you will be touched and blessed.
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WHAT IS A
FULL GOSPEL CHURCH?
by James E. Cossey,
Evangel Magazine
Church of God Publications
It is generally accepted that the term Full Gospel is based on these words of Paul to the Romans: “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient—in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:18-19 NKJV).
The title Full Gospel has historically been used to identify those denominations and fellowships, otherwise known primarily as Pentecostals, who hold to the belief that whatever God did through the church in New Testament times, and principally in the Book of Acts, He still does today.
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SOMEBODY HELP ME!
by Randy T. Rogers
Message of the Open BibleO
Somebody, help me!” cried the eight-year-old boy as he struggled to hold his little brother above the chilly water. On that cool, cloudy October day, while finishing a chore his mother had given him to do, the boy heard a cry coming from the deep end of the family’s partially drained swimming pool. Seeking the source of the cry, he discovered his neighbor’s three-year-old daughter floating helplessly on her back in the dirty, leaf-filled water.
The little boy raced to the shallow end of the pool, slid down a slope into the deep end, then waded through the water to the frightened girl. Picking her up, he turned to see his three-year-old brother floating ten feet away, his brother’s face buried in the murky water. The boy lifted his little brother above the water, and with the girl under one arm and his brother under the other arm, the boy struggled repeatedly to climb out of the pool. But the slope was too slippery for the boy to climb, so finally, he just stood there, waist deep in the water, for what seemed an eternity, crying over and over, “Somebody, help me! Please, somebody, help me!”
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GENERATIONS OF DISCIPLES
Connection 22 Interview // Foursquare
Pastors Jerry & Kimberly Dirmann
The Rock | Anaheim, CA
Whether hosting a backyard revival or filling an MLB stadium, Nicole Stark, a youth leader at The Rock (Anaheim Foursquare Church) in Anaheim, California, talks with Jerry and Kimberly Dirmann about the fruit of Bible-based discipleship. Speaking at Foursquare Connection 2022 in Orlando, Florida, they celebrate what happens when we are faithful to disciple generations.
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UKRAINE RELIEF UPDATE
by IPHC News
Bishop Valerii Reshetinsky shared at the IPHC General Conference.
Since December 1, 1991, Ukraine’s Independence day, there have been people praying for the salvation of the Ukrainian people. Yes, the country is religious with 67 percent Orthodox, most of the rest Catholic, and 2 percent Protestant. However, now, people are becoming serious about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Of course, in a time of war and distress, people want the “assurance” that only Christ can bring.
As we heard from Bishop Valerii Reshetinsky, God will bring the Ukrainians a “spiritual” victory, and we are praying for a physical victory as well. The prayer is for a cease-fire with the country left intact! We should pray the same for our countries! As we heard the Ukrainian bishop say, their biggest goal right now is to see souls saved, discipled, and new churches planted during this time of war.
That night, after Bishop Reshetinsky finished, Bishop Beacham made an appeal for U.S. churches and individuals to pledge $6,000 to plant a NEW Church in Ukraine or other European countries where Ukrainian refugees have fled. I don’t know how many stood to pledge and give during the next few months (Project: Ukraine Church Plants #41002P), but Bishop Reshetinsky and his staff will be pushing forward full speed carrying on what has already begun. Last month, a new plant with Ukrainian refugees began in Poland. This month, another church was planted in Germany, and several more are now ready to go. Wherever we can plant across Europe, our nationals and missionaries are ready!
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We invite our PCCNA member organizations to let us know how you are responding to the crisis in Ukraine. Tap the "EMAIL US" button below to submit articles or updates that we can share in one of our upcoming Communiques.
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Your annual member and organizational contributions make a difference! PCCNA is a member of the ECFA.
Have you given your 2022 annual member contribution?
Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America
P.O. Box 3986 | Cleveland, TN 37320-3986
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