A Church Planter's Paradise provides detailed biographical sketches to church planting organizations. We attract broad theological spectrums. Here is a sample of a bio that you would expect to receive from us.
Name:
William xxxxxxxxx
Street:
1492 xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx
City:
Xxxxxxxxxx
State:
Tx
Zip:
xxxxxx
Phone:
512xxxxxxxxxxx
Email:
mj@.net
Fund
to Liberal spectrum:
Evangelical
Demonstrative
gifts spectrum:
Demonstrative Gifts for Today
Theology
Bent:
Moderately Arminian
Does
man keep his free will after conversion:
Yes
Can
man choose to walk away from God:
Yes
Is
apostasy a Biblical concept:
Yes
Was
Jesus born of a virgin:
Yes
The
resurrection was:
Literal and Bodily
Have
you been divorced:
No
Is
homosexuality accepted by God:
No
Please select the areas you are interested in Planting a Church:
Atlantic:
East:
Central:
SouthEast:
South:
S-Yes
Midwest:
NorthWest:
SouthWest:
Pacific:
CanadaEast:
CanadaWest:
OutsideUSA:
Present Ministry:
Church
Planter's Answer:
I
currently serve as Minister of Music and Single Adults at X Church in Texas.
I originally was called to the church as Associate of Education and
Administration in April 1992, however, when our music minister resigned in the
fall of 1993 I filled in as interim music minister and after about 5 months I
was asked to consider switching to my current role.
Personal
vision statement:
Church
Planter's Answer:
I
believe God desires to use me to reach out with the good news of Christ to young
and middle adult families helping them to experience meaningful relationships
through the church. I believe He
desires to reach them for salvation and maturity
through discipleship and training that equips them to reach out to
others. I believe that God will use
me to provide support and skills training for couples to assist them in
developing relationship, parenting skills and other biblically-based and
practical life management skills.
Personal
Passion:
Church
Planter's Answer:
I
always get excited when I see Christ bring salvation and healing to people's
lives. It is an added joy to see
Him heal and strengthen couples' relationships with Christ and one another.
It is rewarding to help them grow with new excitement in their faith and
develop practical communication, problem-solving, parenting and other life
skills.
Visionizing:
Church
Planter's Answer:
God
has allowed me to see His power work in the lives of people in numerous church
settings where I have served. As a
result of prayerful consideration and commitment God led us to set clear
organizational strategies and goals for reaching, leadership training and other strategies
related to attendance and growth.
At our church in xxxxxx, Texas we saw the attendance grow from less than
150 to over 375, developing many new leaders and expanding the Bible study
groups from 15 to over 40. In
xxxxxxx, Texas we were able to see God grow the Bible study from less than 60 to
over 140 in about 2 1/2 years. In
our current church, as Minister of Education, God led us to set leadership,
organizational and growth goals which resulted in the growth of our Bible study
ministry from around 295 to around 380 in 2 years.
Clear
calling from God:
Church
Planter's Answer:
My
wife and I have prayed and sought God's direction for our lives for the past 2
years concerning whether He wanted us to move to another filed if service.
We reached a clear consensus about a year ago that He desired for us to
make a change. However, we have not
felt that He wanted us to move on to another existing church.
Having served almost 30 years in church ministry I have not before
seriously considered the idea of a church start. But God has clearly brought
this vision to our hearts. Having
researched this matter and considering various alternatives God directed us
through a friend to consider the xxxxxxxxx Church organization.
I knew absolutely nothing about this group. But, after gathering
information and meeting and talking with numerous church start pastors and
leaders, my wife and I have come to a prayerful conclusion that God is leading
us to join our lives with this group for the kingdom cause of reaching people
for Christ. For the first time in
about a year I have a renewed excitement about our future service with God.
Empowering
Leadership:
Church
Planter's Answer:
As
Minister of Education in xxxxxxx, Texas, I had the privilege of leading a couple
to the Lord, discipling and training them.
She soon directed the VBS and later served as our Children's Division
Director and Director of our Mother's Morning Out program.
He began serving in our Youth Division as a Department Director and also
trained and became a part of our Sound Team.
In my current church, my wife and I began a couples' support group which
met twice monthly. Several couples
were restored to healthier marriage relationships and entered new leadership
roles in our church. One couple
trained and took leadership of another couples' support group.
Community
Involvement:
Church
Planter's Answer:
I
serve as a parent sponsor to the High School Choir where my daughter attends
school. I assist with various
choral functions with other parents and the students.
My wife and I owned and operated a small antique business where we went
monthly to a market days event. There
we had numerous times where we were able to share our faith with other vendors
through casual conversations as well as many of the clients. The name of our business was "Reborn Antiques"
which raised interest and opened up many opportunities for us to share why we
used the name. My wife and I serve
on committees of our local neighborhood association and help plan and carry out
various neighborhood events.
Peer
Relationships with unchurched:
Church
Planter's Answer:
Since
recently moving into our new neighborhood, my wife and I have committed to
building relationship bridges with our neighbors. One of our next-door neighbors is a family from India of the
Hindu faith. Through natural and
informal visits we have been able to get to know them and establish a good level
of trust. We were able to visit
with them at the hospital when their daughter became seriously ill.
I often stop by his Mail Express business and visit briefly with him.
Their daughter comes over and plays with our dog and my wife helps her
with her trombone playing. This
past Christmas season my wife baked a loaf of bread and we took it to them as a
gift. In a couple of days the
daughter brought to us a beautiful candle with a Christmas card that she said
her mother had specifically had picked out for us.
It had the story of the Christ-child on it.
We are praying that we will be sensitive to when God opens a door of
opportunity to share Christ. We
have also built relationships with several other couples, one a professor and
wife a secretary, another who sold our home to us, another couple who is retired
and travels a lot, as well as several others.
Entrepreneurial
Ability:
Church
Planter's Answer:
At
our church we developed a comprehensive leadership development program called
the Lay Ministers' Institute. It
was made up of 4 departments - Education, Music, Pastoral Care, and
Administration. The Pastor, key
leaders and I developed curriculum and designed study paths to equip members for
ministry service. During the first
2 years we had 26 persons from our church who were certified and many moved into
leadership roles, some continuing in areas where their On Job Training
experiences occurred. We also had
several persons from other churches who participated. In June of 1999 I started
a new business in the DFW metroplex called XXX which sales data communication
components and cabling supplies. My
son, who has 6 years of experience in this field, is our sales representative
and I handle the bookkeeping duties. To date we have secured a client base
sufficient enough to cover the monthly operational costs, salary expenses and
the payment of the startup loan costs. We
have established goals for new client calls, new client base and monthly gross
sales through June of 2000. During
a 2 year period while serving in a bi-vocational capacity in X, Texas I sold
health and life insurance with a well-established and sizeable insurance company
in X. Through setting specific
goals on product familiarity, learning sales skills, and setting client contact
and appointments goals I was able to sale more health and life premiums during
one month than any sales representative in the history of the firm.
Passionate
Spirituality:
Church
Planter's Answer:
Jesus
is the everlasting God and my personal Savior, Lord, friend, healer, source of
power and strength, joy and only hope. He
is coming again!
Give us
some examples from your life of how you have shown a can do attitude:
Church
Planter's Answer:
When
I came on the field to pastor the church at xxxxxx City the people were deeply
discouraged and defeated with a very poor self image and very few resources, a
run down facility and little leadership or direction. Within 2 1/2 years God enabled us to organize, train
leadership, and develop an aggressive evangelism ministry we saw God grow the
attendance from around 15 people to over 225, refurbish the existing facilities,
and build a youth and children facility.
In
1983 when I was called to serve as Minister of Music and Education in Xxxxxxx
the congregation had declined to about 150 people in attendance and only 15
Bible study groups. Over the next 4
1/2 years God enabled us to recruit and train new leadership (developed through
our Lay Minister's Institute), created new Bible study groups to a total of over
40 and the attendance increased to over 375.
In addition we began a second worship service and the music program
expanded to a fully-graded choral ministry with an adult choir of over 50 in
attendance.
How
have you demonstrated resilience?
Church
Planter's Answer:
In
1976 my wife and I experienced a crisis in our marriage. As a result it was necessary for me to resign my church in
xxxxxx City. Over the next 3 years
we went from one poor counseling experience to another trying to get some help.
I worked in plastering contracting and part-time in a church during that
time. Much of the time I battled
deep discouragement and questioned why this was happening.
Finally, God led us to a gifted counselor and program where during the
next 1 1/2 years God healed our relationship and taught us invaluable skills
that He has used many times since in ministry to others.
God taught us that out of difficulty He truly does bring great blessing
if we will hang in there with Him and trust His working in our lives. In 1995 I
went through another of the most difficult times of my life here in my current
church. Our pastor, my personal
friend since high school (we were in each other's weddings), and the new
education minister became embroiled in a conflict which resulted in tremendous
division within the church and the pastoral staff team.
The end result was that both men were asked to resign and the third staff
member also resigned. In the midst
of my own personal pain I was cast into a functional role of pastor trying
somehow to hold together a deeply divided and wounded church. By God's grace we were able to weather the storm with minimal
long-term damage. I have been
affirmed repeatedly by the membership and the associational leaders as to how
God used me as a calming and stable voice of hope and confidence during that
time.
Commitment
to the Great Commission:
Church
Planter's Answer:
In
xxxxx City God allowed me the joy of leading a farmer who could not read or
write to the Lord. We secured for
him a copy of the Bible on records, met with him and discipled him. He soon purchased a 15 passenger van which he began filling
up with children and youth and bringing to church. Numerous ones of these came
to know Jesus. In xxxxx God allowed me to lead a young couple to the Lord whom I
discipled in the faith. Today he is
pastoring in xxxxx, Texas. In my
current church God gave me the privilege of leading a young high school youth to
Christ. I was also able to disciple
him and he now is in the service. He
attends church when he is on leave.
Tell us about your informal and/or formal
theological and ministry training.
Church
Planter's Answer:
God
has long ago taught me the essentialness of a daily devotion of Bible study,
prayer and reading. I get up early
each day and spend 1 1/2 - 2 hours in His presence.
My formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible from
xxxxxx University and a Master of Religious Education degree from xxxxxxx
Theological Seminary. I am also
certified in numerous other ministry areas including, but not limited to,
evangelism training, teacher training, and marriage enrichment.
Do
you presently hold credentials? If so where?
Church
Planter's Answer:
I
am licensed and ordained as a minister of the gospel with the xxxxxxx.
What
is the authority of the Bible?
Church
Planter's Answer:
According
to I Timothy 3:16 God is the authority of scripture. Scripture has come to us by His inspiration and is our
authoritative guide for faith and practice.
What
is the Sign of Spirit Filling?
Church Planter's Answer:
A spirit-filled life is one that is witnessed by the
fruits (Galatians 5:22-23) and the fruit (Matthew 7:16-20) of the Spirit. It cannot be validated merely by a manifestation such as the gift of
tongues since Satan may well counterfeit both the experience and the
manifestation (II Corinthians 11:14-15). Yet
Christ does certainly still gift His people with spiritual gifts for the common
good and building up of His body (I Corinthians 12:7-11, 27-28; Ephesians
4:11-13).