Have any AFF'ers started a church from zero?

Originally Posted by Defender

Darcie, your reaching out has really touched me. God will reward your desire for revival. And I believe God connected you to Pastor Poster. His wisdom in this thread is worth gold. Don't give up.

Mine and Felicity's wisdom is Silver, don't forget that!

[Defender]

Originally Posted by Chewy

Mine and Felicity's wisdom is Silver, don't forget that!

Agreed.

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

I had a young man, who was studying to be a Catholic priest, visit our church about three years ago. He was so devoted to God it actually scared me. He came because he was a relative to one of the families in our church. He had heard we had a basketball league for kids aged 9-13 and was interested in helping coach them.

I cautiously allowed him to be involved. He began to come to church every Sunday, while still attending Catholic Mass. He became my shadow. He wanted to be involved in everything in the church.

One Sunday morning during an altar service, with no one praying for him and the service about to end, God filled him with the Holy Ghost. He brought his mom, his grandma, and many, many friends to church with him.

He left the priesthood and the Catholic church. He began to witness up and down our city streets. Last year he entered full time youth ministry. He travels all around the US.

I said that to say this. I never would have seen this potential in him. He was so indoctrinated in Catholicism. But God saw his potential. Because we reached out to kids, God brought us someone to help.

And now our ministry has expanded beyond our wildest dreams.

Every soul counts.

Every one.

Be a gatherer.

This is what the whole thing is about PP. As I have read your post I feel what you are saying. I know people that have been hurt by the "platform standads" thing and other things. People come and go, but when you can get 1 guy like this one it makes up for all the ones you lose. Not in number, but in passion.

I have heard it said that "I would rather have 20 passionate church members than 200 withour passion. Becasue the 20 with passion will turn the church into 200 passionate ones."

I guess this is true. The numbers may not be the same, but passion goes along way. Great posts, PP.

[SDG]

PP will write that book ... Give him time.

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by Rico

I hear what both of you are saying and think you are both right.

I know, from my own experience, that, after I left this uc church, I was anything but ready to make the kind of committment it takes to be faithful to any church. The church I ended up in put me up front, playing the guitar and also in prison ministry, before I had healed from the hurt I was experiencing. The leadership there did the right thing, but it wasn't at the right time. So, I left there after a couple of years.

Then I found myself in prison ministry and up front playing the guitar again at the next church. I was in a better place, but still not ready to take on the responsibility that ministry requires. So, I left again, this time to end up at a HM church.

By this time I had realized I wouldn't go into ministry or play the guitar again until I was satisfied that I was ready for it. Things didn't go as planned there, so here I am again, without a church home.

Honestly, I'm just now getting to the point that I am willing to fully get behind the ministry of any church, let alone think about going back to playing the guitar up front or going into prisons. I'm thankful that I am finally willing to make a committment to a church, but know I still have a way to go before I will be ready for ministry of any kind.

The point is sometimes the people who "church hop" do so for reasons others don't understand or can't see. All they see is someone leaving this church for that church and immediately decide it's because that person just wants to manipulate, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Well I think that many pastors today are finding it pretty much the normal thing to having people move around a LOT. People are wandering from one place to the next looking for ....... I'm not sure what really. We're certainly finding this to be true.

[Sherri]

Darcie,
We started our church here in Jackson with just us and one other family not quite six years ago. It has grown unbelievably, due to God's grace. He has blessed us so much and sent us hundreds of great people.

The one thing I would say is not to get frustrated in the early years because you cannot offer everything that you're used to. We left a church we had pastored for over 20 years and we had every department imaginable there. It was hard to then start a church and have young families coming, knowing that you had nothing to offer their kids or teens at first. But if you can get them to catch the bigger vision of where you're going, they will hang on until you can have everything you need. The very first thing we did was to have a nursery available, because that was our biggest need besides a sanctuary space. We have always hired nursery workers, even when we first started, rather than use mothers in the church. It just comes across as more professional to visitors. We also invested in a good nursery paging system right from the start.

We always strive for excellence. We have tried to make every building look first class, even when we were very small.

We are now pastoring the six year old church, plus we have just started another work in Savannah, TN, less than a year ago. We hope to start more in the next couple of years until we have all of W. Tennessee covered with Love & Truth Churches. Right now we have five.

[Nahum]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

PP will write that book ... Give him time.

I just finished my Bible Study "If the Kings Could Speak". It was exhausting.

Two of the six chapters are edited.

Books with a church planting theme are normally written by men and women with a much greater level of success than I have experienced.

In time I may compile something.

All of you have been very kind in your comments to me.

I merely felt a very strong burden for Darcie when I read her first post. I couldn't help but respond.

[Darcie]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

I just finished my Bible Study "If the Kings Could Speak". It was exhausting.

Two of the six chapters are edited.

Books with a church planting theme are normally written by men and women with a much greater level of success than I have experienced.

In time I may compile something.

All of you have been very kind in your comments to me.

I merely felt a very strong burden for Darcie when I read her first post. I couldn't help but respond.

Thank you PP, please keep is in your prayers.

[Nahum]

Originally Posted by Darcie

Thank you PP, please keep is in your prayers.

Absolutely.

[Darcie]

Originally Posted by Defender

Darcie, your reaching out has really touched me. God will reward your desire for revival. And I believe God connected you to Pastor Poster. His wisdom in this thread is worth gold. Don't give up.

I couldn't agree more!