Author Archives: General Baptist Ministries

Transitions - Time at Home
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July 12, 2018

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International Missions, Niger

Transitions – Part 2 (Time at ‘Home’)

by Nicole Yeomans, General Baptist Missionary to the Philippines and Niger

Transitions - Time at HomeThe girls and I are “home”. Saying the word “home” feels a bit different now, but regardless, we are happy to be back among friends and family that we’ve missed over the last 18 months. Our trip home was not without stress and adventure. I will spare you all the details of our packing episode, but you can fill in the gaps by knowing these few details: I was still trying to reduce the number of bags we had just minutes before leaving for the airport, we were late and I did not have all my logistical ducks in a row, which was glaringly obvious when I found out we had put the extra baggage allowance on Kris’s ticket rather than ours, and rather than the expected 6 bags I thought we would be bringing, we ended up with 2. I had no idea what was in the 2 bags. They were the first on the belts. Thankfully we made it home with several pieces of clothing. Kris, however, was left with a mess of going thru the extra 4 bags, plus his 2, and reducing down to the 80 lbs he was allowed to carry, in addition to everything else he had to wrap up. To keep the adventure going, he hurt his back in the process of trying to weigh one of the bags. We are thankful he is feeling better and look forward to reuniting with him in just a few days.

After being lovingly greeted by friends at the airport, we made our way to Greenville, KY. This first week has been spent trying to catch up on many things: rest, eating strawberries, much-missed family time with grandparents and cousins for the girls, and doctors visits. I am thankful for the ease of good medical care with quick resolution and doctors that love my girls. We also had the privilege of visiting and speaking at Mt. Zion GB church in IN. It was so good to be among friends who have prayed for us throughout our journey and to be able to reconnect with the Weatherfords.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the Summit and as we travel around to some of our churches. It really is a joy and provides a sense of comfort to hear from our partners in ministry and be able to reconnect.

In the meantime…

I have a room that looks like a tornado has hit it. I open the door and peek in when I walk by, knowing that at some point in the very near future, I have to go in and pack the bare essentials into 4 bags weighing no more than 70 lbs each. Bare essentials take on a new meaning when moving to Niger. We are told by other missionaries to bring toiletries, sheets, a good set of knives, clothes and tennis shoes at the very least. That statement sounds doable…but then I remember that there are no uniforms at the girls’ new school, so I need to bring clothes (and shoes) for now, and the next size (or sizes) up. With both girls growing like weeds, this is a scary guessing game for me. No missionaries that we have talked to recommend having things shipped over from the states, so that option is off the table.

I just have to keep moving forward; one day at a time, one task at a time. We are in the middle of this transition time. The end, or maybe better stated, the goal, is within sight. Even as I write this, I’m reminded that our life in Christ is constantly in transition. We are to be always moving forward, always progressing, always striving to become more like Christ. May we be ever willing to be continually molded by our Creator. May I not be so busy to miss the things that He wants to show me along the way.

Until next time…

Transition - Part one
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July 6, 2018

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International Missions, Niger, Philippines

Transitions – Part 1

by Nicole Yeomans, General Baptist Missionary to the Philippines and Niger

Transition is never easy. Whether it’s moving to a new place, changing schools or jobs, or even finding a new grocery store, there are always adjustments that have to be made. Adjustments are not easy. There are times of frustration. Sometimes the frustration is accompanied by tears. It stretches us in ways we don’t ask to be stretched….and it’s painful.  While we are in midst of the transition (and transformation), we sometimes forget that He is still in control and has a plan for our lives. Later on, we can look back and see how God stretched us and molded us for His glory. This certainly gives us comfort as we push thru the challenging times of transitions.

For the sake of being humorous, let’s journey to that new grocery store together.  You are grilling hamburgers and realize you are out of ketchup. Everyone in the family likes ketchup on their hamburgers. So you jump in your car and race to the grocery store. Your regular grocery store has just closed down, so you have to drive farther to the new one in town. You are in a hurry. All of the close parking spots are full so you whip your car into the closest parking spot you can find, which has to be a good half of a mile away, or so it seems. You run in. You are used to the ketchup being on aisle 9. As you enter the new store, you immediately go to aisle 9; only to find that it’s not there. After reading signs and going up and down the aisles, you finally find the much sought after ketchup on aisle 3. But now you realize that this new store doesn’t carry the specific brand of ketchup you are used to buying and you are faced with another unfamiliar situation… Is anyone frustrated yet?

After some time has passed, you fall into a routine. You now know where to find all your favorite, and even those hard to find items. You can speak the local lingo. You know the workers by name and converse with them, asking about their family and the latest happenings in life when you see them. What once was new and overwhelming is now the norm. You wonder how you ever lived without all the benefits this new store has to offer. But then, you find out that this store, too, will be closing. Continue reading →

Recalibrate: 10 Steps Every Church Must take this Year, Or Be Dead In A Decade
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May 10, 2018

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Church Growth, The Summit

Recalibrate – 10 Steps Every Church Must Take This Year…

Recalibrate: 10 Steps Every Church Must take this Year, Or Be Dead In A Decade

Everything but Jesus and the Bible must be on the table.
by Karl Vaters – Keynote Speaker at the 2018 Mission & Ministry Summit

The church is not dying. It’s in fine shape. Jesus said he’d build it, and he is. Relentlessly and beautifully.

But individual congregations, denominations, and ideologies? Now that’s another story.

While the church of Jesus around the world continues to move forward, chasing away the darkness with the light of Jesus, many local expressions of the church are watching their candles flicker in recent years.

RECALIBRATE CHURCH

I believe the next decade or two will be critical for the western church. The culture around us is experiencing a once-in-a-millennium shift right now. A recalibration of the way we think about everything from our morality, to our sexuality, to our identity, and our theology.

It’s only just beginning. And the pace of it is being propelled into hyper-speed by new technology.

So what’s the local church to do? We must hold two seemingly competing ideals in our hands at the same time.

Ideal #1: Stand strong on the unchanging principles of God’s Word.

Ideal #2: Adapt our methods to a fast-changing world. If we hope to do these two things well, local congregations must reinforce the following 10 principles. And the sooner we get to work on them, the better.

1. REESTABLISH THE BIBLICAL ESSENTIALS

According to a recent article in The Washington Post, churches that stand firm on the biblical essentials are more likely to be thriving, while those that compromise on them are more likely to be dying.

We shouldn’t need a newspaper article to tell us to stick to the essentials. While everything else can change, the essentials cannot. Any church that abandons biblical principles won’t just fail to survive, they don’t deserve to.

2. EMPHASIZE DISCIPLESHIP AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING

The days of hiring a team of pastors to do all the ministry of the church is dying. Finally.

Instead, churches that thrive are taking Ephesians 4:11-12 seriously by equipping the saints to do the work of ministry and raising up a team of ministers.

In the coming decades, the pastor’s main task must shift from preaching and caregiving to training lay leaders to do the ministry of the church. That has always been our calling, anyway. Events on the ground are now forcing us to do it the biblical way.

For many, maybe most churches, this will be a long-term turnaround of attitudes and methods. Start now, or you may miss the boat.

3. REDUCE YOUR OVERHEAD

By all accounts, giving trends are down and will continue to fall. Churches with top-heavy staffing, excessive mortgages and high maintenance bills will find themselves buried under their increasing weight in the coming decades.

If local congregations, denominations, and parachurch ministries hope to survive, they need to get to work on

  • Getting out of debt (including mortgage).
  • Reducing the percentage of paid staff.
  • Training and empowering volunteers to lead and serve.
  • Sharing expenses with other churches and ministries.
  • Making bi-vocational ministry the new normal and anything else that can reduce the financial burden of church maintenance.

4. RETHINK YOUR BUILDING

Until very recently, if someone wanted to start a business, the first thing they did was find or build a store, office, warehouse, or other physical structure. Not anymore. Today, the rule is to avoid the encumbrance of a physical building for as long as possible. Churches need to do the same.

If your church doesn’t have a building, don’t be in a hurry to buy one. Stay nimble as long as possible. If you own a building – especially if you’re one of the growing number of churches that own a too-big building for your shrinking congregation – be relentless about finding creative ways to utilize the space as often as possible.

For many of our churches, it’s Use It Or Lose It time. As in, use the building or lose the church; facility, people … everything.

Recalibrate5. WORK WITH STRATEGIC PARTNERS

In many places, smaller churches are banding together – even across denominational lines – to share resources, think strategically, mend old wounds, and minister to their shared community.

In addition, there is a small, but growing network of parachurch organizations that are increasingly willing to come alongside local churches for little or no money to share everything from outreach ideas to administrative assistance, to graphic design and more.

Start by asking around on social media. You may be surprised what you’ll find. Or start a network yourself. It’s easier to do now than it’s ever been.

6. ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY

Churches must stop being identified by the location of their building and start being recognized for the passion of their heart.

A church that’s known as “the people who love kids (or addicts, or single moms)” has a much higher likelihood of thriving and surviving than the church that’s known as “the old building on the corner of First and Main.”

7. EMPHASIZE JESUS OVER TRADITION (OR DENOMINATIONS, OR BUILDINGS, OR POLITICS, OR…)

Everything but Jesus and the Bible must be on the table. Ask yourself this question. Would I be willing to give up (insert your preferred method or style here) if it meant doing a better job of reaching our community for Jesus?

If anything you’d put in that blank makes you pause (other than the biblical essentials), it’s an idol that must be abandoned.

8. RESTRUCTURE WHAT NEEDS TO BE RESTRUCTURED

Quit fighting to keep your favorite ministry, method or tradition alive. If it’s not part of the solution, it’s part of the problem.

9. MAKE DISCIPLES, NOT JUST CONVERTS

Converts join a club. Disciples start a movement. Converts follow traditions. Disciples follow Jesus. Converts change their minds. Disciples change their lives. And other people’s lives.

10. FIGURE OUT WHY YOUR CONGREGATION SHOULD SURVIVE

If your church disappeared tomorrow, what would really be lost? Yes, that’s the hard question. It might even feel cruel and uncaring. But it’s not. It’s essential. Any congregation that can’t readily answer why they should survive, won’t.

START TODAY

It’s been said that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago – the second best time is today.

The same goes for these principles. If you’ve been doing them, strengthen them. If not, get started now. Then be relentless at them. Not just this year, but every year. The survival of your local church depends on it.