Category Archives: National Missions

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July 17, 2014

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National Missions

California

By Carl Nichols

Recently, a General Baptist team including Clint Cook, Gene Koker, and I traveled to the great state of California to meet with and encourage our churches there.  I had the opportunity to meet some very dear friends and partners in the gospel.  We started out in Modesto and spent a day discussing church planting with Jim Julian.  Jim’s heart for God and people is incredible, and I cannot wait to see what happens as a result of our time together.pastors in California sharing a message bilingually

We managed to squeeze in a bit of site seeing on the great Pacific Coast Highway as we traveled south to Los Angeles.  It was only 11 hours later that we arrived in L.A. for a series of meetings the following day.  Did I mention it was ELEVEN HOURS?

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, we spent the day with Bruce Conran and Rene Rodriguez, along with nearly a dozen Hispanic, Filipino, and Korean pastors from south L.A.  I must admit that there are some cool things happening there and I wanted to share a few of them with you:

  • El Instituto Biblio de Asociacion Sheffield (The Sheffield Association Bible Institute), led by Rene Rodriguez, is training individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for ministry
  • Seven churches have started out of the Bible Institute in the past few years
  • Hundreds of lives are being changed in our churches there, and nearly all of them are led by part-time or volunteer pastors
  • The next generation of leaders from these families point to a great future

When I began leading National Mission as part of the advisory team, we made it a priority to have a better understanding of what is happening in California.  Now we are making a commitment to ensure that the pastors who put in countless hours a week for the gospel know that they have our full support and prayers.  I would also appreciate YOUR prayers for our brothers and sisters in the gospel in California, and for the work they are doing for the kingdom.

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July 1, 2014

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General Baptists, National Missions

GO!

By Carl Nichols

“The local church is the hope of the world.”  Bill Hybels

When I first heard that statement, it rocked me.  I thought Jesus was the hope of the world?  And he is!  However, Jesus established the local church as his means by which the gospel was to advance.  Furthermore, he shared with his disciples in John 14:12 that we would do even “greater things” than we saw him do on Earth.  What a great theme for Summit 2014!

I believe in the local church.  I believe it is indeed the only hope for this world to turn back to Jesus.  With this in mind, National Missions is excited to announce something brand new this year at Summit: the Go Project.  The Go Project was envisioned out of multiple discussions about a network to expand our reach and plant more churches in the next few years.  After a series of meetings and through several improvements and fine-tuning, the Go Project was born.  It will officially launch at the 2014 Summit later this month.  What is it?  The Go Project is an initiative to plant 15 new General Baptist churches over the next five years.

Here are just a few of the nuts and bolts of what the Go Project will focus on to make this happen:

  • Assessment – We believe that strong church plants are led by leaders with a specific gift set.  Therefore, we value assessment as the starting point for all church planting candidates.  Our next assessment is at the end of August in Tampa.  If you are interested in planting, or know someone who is, please contact Vince Daniel at vincedaniel308@gmail.com.
  • Training – The proper systems are vital to the health of any church and thus every planter is required to attend a week long training event we call “Boot Camp” where we focus on the necessary systems for a healthy church launch.
  • Coaching – Church planting can be a lonely task.  We believe strong coaching both pre- and post-launch are essential in the health of the planter and the church.
  • Funding – Church planting has substantial up-front cost.  We believe plants should be funded to meet the needs of their particular community.  We are looking for churches and associations who believe strongly that the local church is the hope of the world to partner with us to reach the five year goal.
  • Networking – We believe that one of the most valuable tools a planter can have is relationships with other like-minded pastors.  We will work to provide networking opportunities within our church plants.

Our National Missions team is incredibly excited about the future of General Baptists and we cannot wait to officially launch the Go Project in a few weeks.  See you at the Summit!

 

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June 19, 2014

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Christian Life, National Missions, Pastoring

Reflections of a Father

By Carl NicholsFather's play such an important role

As a dad and a pastor, I have noticed that Father’s Day is a constant reminder of the daunting task we have as men.  During creation, God established man as the cultivator of everything here on earth. Here are just a few examples:

  • Genesis 1:28 – God tells man to be fruitful, multiply, and rule over all of his creation.
  • Genesis 2:4-5 – We see that until man was created by God there was no one to “cultivate” the soil.
  • Genesis 2:15 – God commands man to care for the Garden of Eden.
  • Genesis 3:17-19 – After the fall of man, a part of the curse was that man would not only cultivate the earth, but the labor would be extensive and exhausting.

So how do we balance all that comes our way in life? How do we manage everything that needs managing? Here are a few things that I shared with our church on Father’s Day as priorities for men to cultivate.

Cultivate Your Life

1 Corinthians 13:11  says

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

The most important thing for a father/man/pastor to do is to ensure that they are growing personally in their own walk with God and as leaders in the kingdom. Several ways that I have found helpful in this are through a year long reading plan. I read at least two books per month in addition to my bible reading plan. Additionally I listen to a couple dozen podcast each month either while driving or falling asleep at night. Lastly, I rest, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. If you are a single man, put down the video games, grow in Jesus, and cultivate your life now in preparation for your future wife and kids.

Cultivate Your Marriage

Ephesians 5:25-28 says

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 

If you are married, your first responsibility next to God is your wife. Marriage is fun, but it is something that you must work at and ultimately lay down your life for. It will not grow unless it is intentionally cultivated. It took nearly ten years for Julie and I to finally find the rhythm that worked for our marriage. Three key things that this includes for us are date nights with no distractions, weekends away, and an annual vacation without the kids.

Cultivate Your Children

Ephesians 6:4 says:

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

As a father, I cannot cultivate or “bring my children” up in the “training and instruction of the Lord” by accident. Additionally, I only have a short amount of time before they are on their own. With this in mind we make the following things a priority:

  • We home-school our children
  • I am home everyday by 5:00PM – When meetings are essential, they are planned well in advance
  • I have a full day off every week for my wife and kids
  • We take an annual vacation with our children
  • My family travels with me much of the time

We by no means have found the perfect system, but I do believe these three things are absolutely essential for men and husbands to figure out.

What are some things you have found effective when balancing your life?  Click on ‘Leave A Comment’ at the top of this article and let us know!