We have a Memorials Committee, A Chaplaincy Committee, A Missionary Committee, A History and Archives Committee, and some more that I probably missed. But where is the Church Planting Committee, or Committee on Evangelism and Outreach?
As most committees go, a lot is said and very little may actually be accomplished. If so, then maybe a Committee on Church Planting wouldn't be that great of an idea. Although, it might serve to get some serious talking going about what needs to be done in the way of real church planting. It would at the very least show that as an association of churches we are seriously intent upon changing the status quo and willing to offer recommendations for the establishment of new churches.
What would a Church Planting Committee do? They would gather information of how many missions were started and churches organized over the past 10 years. Then they would study the results of why so many churches have closed their doors, and what we need to do to start more healthy churches for the future. They would evaluate past church planting methods. They would make us aware of the condition of things as they are with recommendations for future church planting. The committee would find ways to challenge us to start more churches through all available means and especially at association meetings, etc. They would launch prayer movements to reverse the present trend. They would advertise, promote, encourage, challenge, eat and sleep church planting. Would that be too hard to do?
Let's get it started. Who will help us get this ball rolling?
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3 comments:
Yes a church planting commitee with somoe power. I understand the impoprtance of local church athourity, but we have must empower the commitee not so much as to mandate the local church as that is not permitable, but to mandate the allocation of funding. We need to look at the populations in the states like NY, NJ, MI, CA, all along the east coast of the US and cities like Toronto or Montreal with about 6 million people not counting surrounding areas. In other word the local church can begin another church anywhere she wants to, but as an organisation we will begin to go after the populated areas and make them the focus of our financial investment as any wise business would do. While we are not allowed to mandate the direction fo the local church, we can mandate as a people where we as an organisation will invest for expansion.
Sean
This sounds like a good idea to try. It would be better than most of the other committees. I don't know about the answer to if it would turn out to be a whole lot of hot air or not. Only one way to find out but it would need to be started with brothers that have experience in this area. Not just popualr ones.
Folks if we are going to have a Church Planting Committee, we need to give them some teeth. They, without violating the perogative of the indivdual church, must have the right allocate funds, select fields and operate with some autonomy. So the churches of the ABA have to authourise them to have some executive power with the resposibilty of reporting to the body once a year at the annual meeting. The must have the power to conduct the busness of planting churches, not just to talk about it. If a local church wants to plant a new church in an area not determined to be a target by the committee, they are free to do so as an autonomous body. But the committee must have the power to conduct the business of plating churches where the majority of the population is in the US and Canada and even Mexico.
Sean
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