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CHURCH DEVELOPMENT
Learning To Ride The Wave God Is Creating
By Charles W. Courtoy
Executive Director of Church Development
In
his book "The Purpose Driven Church," Rick Warren, who is the pastor of
Saddleback Church in California where, in an average week, 25,000 persons worship, points
out that a surfer cannot create a wave. God does that. The surfer can only learn how to
ride a wave. By like token " . . . growth [of the church] cannot be produced by man!
Only God makes the church grow. Only God can breathe new life into a valley of dry bones.
Only God can create waves -- waves of revival, waves of growth, waves of spiritual
receptivity." (p.14)
God is creating a new
wave of spiritual interest among the populace. Evidence of this is reflected in current
television programming in such programs as "Touched by an Angel" and in the
phenomenon of large numbers attending churches that offer experience (emotive) based
worship.
In the United Methodist Church we are trying to learn how to be surfers in order to ride
the wave God is creating. I am excited by the number of bishops and conference leaders
from across the nation who are asking how can we learn to launch new churches in order to
make disciples.
Last week I shared with six other conference leaders in describing a resource for bishops
and conference leaders in the "how tos" of new church development. In February
there will be a national gathering of conference leaders of new church development to
discuss how to make new church development a priority strategy for making disciples. I
also am excited by the number of pastors and laity offering themselves to help launch new
churches. The Duke National Institute for New Church Development held in Leesburg Sept.
13-18 was attended by 80 pastors, 15 from Florida, who were trained on how to be a new
church pastor. A similar event was held at Boston Seminary in July, and the General Board
offered a training in February at Christ United Methodist in Fort Lauderdale.
I am convinced that establishing new churches which tap the spiritual hunger of the
present generations through indigenous worship, small groups, Bible study and outreach
should be our first priority as a denomination.
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