I watched a session with Steve Pike today at http://agtv.ag.org/ministry-direct that discussed Parent Affiliated Churches (PAC) in the Assemblies of God. Wondering what it would look like if rural pastors could focus on their communities and pool resources for administration, ministries, and teaching. PAC could be used to create a movement in rural regions where smaller churches work together to bring big church quality to rural churches.
I am really excited about the possibilities of this. Anyone interested in trying it?
5 comments:
For some time now I have been VERY focused on transforming the rural church. The buzz word I've been using is revitalization. I don't really care what or how it's labeled. I just know the rural church has a desperate need.
We too (Gateway Church), are reaching 10% of our community, but more could be done if the resources were there to do it with. While the rural church is dying a slow and excruciating death, there seems to be a focus on planting new churches rather than helping the current churches change.
I'm not against church planting, I see the need, and agree with it. But how will our rural communities ever have a thriving pentecostal voice if the new young pastors are all being, shall we say, "recruited" by this huge push toward church plants. And hey, who wouldn't want to do a church plant in comparison to taking on an established church. I mean look at the competition. Church plant=I get to set things up new and fresh, with my own ideas AGAINST Rural church=fighting tradition, bucking the bell cow, and spending years redirecting the congregation with little to no budget. Hmmmm...I can't imagine why our rural churches are filled with older preachers waiting for retirement to come. There has to be a better way....
Pastor Trudy,
I agree completely. Around here we are closing many rural churches that could be easily brought to life by a young pastor equipped and resourced through a living network of churches like what PAC seems to promise.
Everyone wants to be part of something bigger than themselves, and that is the draw of the big city mega-church. I would love to see talent attracted to rural America through a larger entity like a PAC network.
Church planting is great (I am a planter and LCC is planting other churches), but church planting in a rural context requires great and diverse talent. We could really expand the Kingdom in rural America through networked churches using PAC.
Keep me informed about your efforts.
As one of the "recruited" young pastors out here let me add that church planting is so attractive because of the clean slate.Just like what you said young pastors don't have to battle a church's history. Also please remember that many established churches rate a pastor based on years experienced and not necessarily based on the call has put on his or her life. With established church constitutions and boards less likely to willingly follow a youngster's vision we can discover that God's mission can get stalled for all the wrong reasons.
Whether I want to admit this or not we live in a period of church history that demands the church planting model. Too many people will die and go to hell without all these new church plants all while established churches trudge through the change process. And in a way we need the authority of successful church plants to prove to the established churches that God is indeed behind the thinking.
PAC is crucial to revitalizing our rural communities. Young pastor with hearts for rural churches, like myself, need shoulders to stand on.
@Wes Shortridge
"Around here we are closing many rural churches that could be easily brought to life by a young pastor equipped and resourced through a living network of churches like what PAC seems to promise."
Based on our experience, I wished someone would have had us close our church. Welch was our first pastorate, and in a big mess. Over the previous 10 years they had had 5 pastors with the longest tenure being 2 years and the shortest 4 months...what a mess. The building was LITERALLY mold infested and LITERALLY falling down. And we were trying to do ministry from this building while attempting to rebuild an incredibly tarnished reputation. Not to mention the bell cow(s)....
Now that we have a new buidling, a new name, and have moved across town, I realize that we should have closed the doors to our church. When we arrived there were only 12 ppl attending. We could have easily shut it down, waited a year, and then started over as a "new church" with a new name, and a new location.
But it doesn't seem like there's anyone out there who is willing to explore this option. If there is I don't know where they're at or how to reach them. Patrick and I would love to be a part of this solution, but we can't find the right person to connect with. If PAC is the solution to this I WANT TO GET INVOLVED. I definitely have a heart for the rural church.
@ Mr. Schaidt
"Whether I want to admit this or not we live in a period of church history that demands the church planting model. Too many people will die and go to hell without all these new church plants all while established churches trudge through the change process. And in a way we need the authority of successful church plants to prove to the established churches that God is indeed behind the thinking."
Could you please expound? I'm not sure I fully understand what you're trying to communicate. :)
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