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New Hampshire Baptist Association Summer Newsletter
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Preparing Your Church
to Plant a Church Part 2 by Sean Simonton
The NHBA has 59 population centers or regions
in need of a church and 68 ethno-linguistic groups yet unreached with the
Gospel. The need for new congregations is tremendous. We will
only see NH and beyond reached for Christ by the
working of the Holy Spirit through the unified effort of the churches of
the NHBA. It can be challenging to lead your congregation to plant
another church. There is a need to lead a congregation through a process
of discovery and preparation as it readies itself to begin a new work.
This is the second part of a two part article to provide some practical
guidance on leading your congregation to be a part of helping a new
church start. We will look at the last three steps of this
discovery and preparation process as a church readies itself to plant a
new church.
3. Extended Prayer Strategy - Once the need has been experienced by
a handful of church members, the prayer strategy can be passionately
extended to other areas within the church. Those who experienced
the need shoulcommunicate specific prayer requests to their Bible study
classes, small groups, with prayer ministry coordinators, and
others. An organized and intentional effort is needed to make this
happen. The entire church should be encouraged and led to begin
praying for the unreached community or people group.
4. Testimonies Communicating Need-Enlist a few people who have
experienced the need and who have an obvious passion for these unreached
people to share brief testimonies in a worship service.
This is often effective by having one 3 to 5 minute
testimony per service for about three weeks. Testimonies can
also be written and published in the church newsletter in the church can
have a great impact on the rest of the congregation he church can have a
great impact on the rest of the congregation.
5. Congregational Experience of Need - Finally, after the
congregation has been asked to pray for these people and has heard
passionate testimonies from fellow church members regarding the need,
they need to experience it for themselves. Try hosting an
evangelistic block party, conducting more prayer walking, offering free
carwashes, or any number of ministry evangelism activities among the people
needing to be reached.
There is a place for every church in church planting, regardless of age,
size, or budget. Let us partner together as churches to see New
Hampshire and beyond transformed for Christ. Next month we will
explore simple Bible study resources that do not require purchasing
special materials and that are easily transferable and reproducible into
any context. Easily reproduced resources allow the church to
respond more rapidly as God opens new doors of ministry by freeing more
people to be involved in ministry and by eliminating the need for time
and money in ordering materials.
Please, prayerfully consider how the Lord would have you and your church
be a part of beginning new churches to reach the nearly 1.4 million lost
souls in the region of the NHBA.
(Portions of this article were adapted from "5 Steps to Preparing
Your Congregation to Plant a Church" in On Missions Magazine.)
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Secretary's
Corner 
We've had a fun and busy past few weeks. We've been
able to minister in practical ways to the community while sharing Jesus.
Our first event was the Sky Show. Its basically a big rock concert in
downtown Manchester. Over 70,000 people come to this event. We give out
free snow cones, Bibles, and info about Grace Haven. Last year we gave
out around 1000 snow cones. This year, we gave out over 2,000 snow cones
(535 lbs of ice!) We also gave out a couple of cases of Bibles, hundreds
of flyers about the church, magnets, and over 300 tracts! We were also
able to personally share the gospel with some that came through to get a
Snow Cone.
Then
this past weekend, we collaborated with our friends at Neighborworks to coordinate a neighborhood block party - Neighborfest
'08. Our relationship with Neighborworks of Greater Manchester has been
such a blessing to our church. We were able to do a big event - for free!
I was even told to turn in receipts for Bibles and gospel tracts (how
cool is that?). Through BCNE, we were able to set up the inflatable
obstacle course, bounce house, and do snow cones again. Thanks to
NHBA, we provided a tent for the food area and some shade. It was the
hottest day of the year thus far! The governor, U.S. Senator Sununu
and the mayor also showed up to voice their support for the Granite
Square. Granite Square is in the running for a HUD revitalization
project. It would be a great blessing if that came through. But really,
the people need a heart revitalization much more than a facade on their
run down multi-families with absentee landlords. Prayerfully, both will
happen. We saw six new people come to church on Sunday afterwards! Pray
with us for heart revitalization in Granite Square....that many come to
know and live for Jesus! Thank you to our helpers from Granite
Baptist and Christian Fellowship. Working together as an association
makes evangelism events a success!
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Lighthouse Newborn Home NE
PO Box 5946, Manchester, NH 03108 hssc4@yahoo.com
As most of you know, we had to be out of the old
Boylston Home May 31st. That very evening, we
received a confirmation call that we could stay at the Lydia Home in
Londonderry until July, 31. The Lydia Home is a home in Londonderry, NH,
used to house foreign missionaries on furlough. This gives us two months as we continue
to seek the "place" God has for Lighthouse Newborn Home
NE. We also continue to ask the Lord
for those He would use to raise the funds needed for this work to move
forward!
We have a temporary office set up and I may be
reached at the land line at the Lydia Home (603)434-7510, or at the
church at (603)432-2109. Our board
has set up a website for those who can help us raise the funds for a house
to make a "home" for the work and ministry of Lighthouse
Newborn Home NE;
www.lighthousenewbornhome.com.
Our Lighthouse "Family" is well. Little Vincent is growing, is safe, and
given the loving care God has continued to allow us to provide for both
he and his mother. Our faith
journey continues, and we need your prayers and support now more than
ever in a tremendous way. We know
The Lord is Strong, Faithful, and True. Although we can't see around the corner, we continue to trust and
obey our Guide - the Author and Finisher of our faith!
Sherrill Coberley - II Cor. 12:9
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