On Day one of training we discussed the core functions of church planters:
Preparing
Connecting
Gathering
Maturing
Those are the first four. Monday and Tuesday and part of Wednesday all focused on Preparation. The point being that effective preparation is of critical importance. Understanding the culture, and building the right team to meet the culture with the unchanging truth of the Bible is so very important.
The rest of the day was occupied with Connecting, Gathering, and Maturing.
Connecting or "pre-evangelism" is simply the process of building relationships within the community and earning the right to share your faith. Gathering grows out of connecting, and is the beginning of a church. It sounds simple, but many missionaries have held "Connecting" events that offend or simply don't interest the culture. At other times missionaries have held connecting events that don't lend themselves to starting close relationships.
It's also important that the connecting events "mirror" the Gathering style. If the intent is to start a church that is informal, lively and contemporary then the connection events should have that atmosphere. If the gathering or church services are intended to be more traditional, then somehow that must be reflected in the connecting events. In that way, there will be a natural transition into drawing people into gathering together for worship.
Maturing involves training the new congregation to stand on their own. Obviously no church group stands on their own. They stand in the enabling power of Jesus Christ, but it's important that the group be taught to continue in their growing faith without having a missionary team. We as missionaries "lead in view of leaving".
The end game of the vision is to establish churches that start other churches and ultimately that send out missionaries in their own country and around the world.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
PA 2008 - Day 3 (Tuesday)
Building a CPT
In the adult sessions we studied building a Church Planting Team. Most of us entering a field of service at the invitation of an existing team leader, so we won't be responsible for forming our own team. The value of the training, however, was that we role played the various steps of discussing the field, the type of church to form, and what team members to gather. During that process there was disagreement, negotiation, and debate. The process of bringing different ideas together, even disagreement while keeping a loving atmosphere was an important learning outcome of the day.
The session also exposed us to the different kinds of churches that can be started, their benefits and limitations. We all think about a typical church which is a called a centralized church. It's based in a church building and the members gather in this building for services and various ministries. This type of church is more formalized, more expensive to start and maintain, and less flexible. In some cultures it is the only legitimate form of church that people will recognize, and because of its size it allows for types of ministry like youth groups, feeding programs, etc.
The opposite end of the spectrum is the house church. These are just what they sound like. A group that meets in homes. It's much more informal and lends itself to intimate gatherings. The house church is flexible in that it can change location easily, and adapt itself quickly to meet the needs of the members. In a country that is hostile to Christianity, this may be the best kind of church to start as it allows new Christians to attend worship services without as much risk of harm or persecution. It also works best in cultures that highly value this sort of setting.
In the middle is the hybrid church in which house or cell groups are the core of the church, and they come together regularly for larger celebration meetings or for large group ministries.
The key is to examine the culture in cooperation with the national (local) Christians to determine what best fits. It's possible that in a large enough area, several different kinds of churches could be started to fit different sub-cultures within a society.
This is all with a view toward starting vibrant churches that can continue after the missionary leaves, and who will start new churches and send missionaries themselves.
Meanwhile at STAMP
Michael and Maryellen's training focused more on what it will be like to live and grow up in another culture. Part of their training included a talk from Ben Loftis on being a Third Culture Kid. For lunch they went to a Chinese restaurant, but were only allowed to order using Chinese words. Michael took the video camera along. Enjoy the five min. video below. It starts with the bus ride from ABWE headquarters to the church where STAMP is being held.
Adam
In the adult sessions we studied building a Church Planting Team. Most of us entering a field of service at the invitation of an existing team leader, so we won't be responsible for forming our own team. The value of the training, however, was that we role played the various steps of discussing the field, the type of church to form, and what team members to gather. During that process there was disagreement, negotiation, and debate. The process of bringing different ideas together, even disagreement while keeping a loving atmosphere was an important learning outcome of the day.
The session also exposed us to the different kinds of churches that can be started, their benefits and limitations. We all think about a typical church which is a called a centralized church. It's based in a church building and the members gather in this building for services and various ministries. This type of church is more formalized, more expensive to start and maintain, and less flexible. In some cultures it is the only legitimate form of church that people will recognize, and because of its size it allows for types of ministry like youth groups, feeding programs, etc.
The opposite end of the spectrum is the house church. These are just what they sound like. A group that meets in homes. It's much more informal and lends itself to intimate gatherings. The house church is flexible in that it can change location easily, and adapt itself quickly to meet the needs of the members. In a country that is hostile to Christianity, this may be the best kind of church to start as it allows new Christians to attend worship services without as much risk of harm or persecution. It also works best in cultures that highly value this sort of setting.
In the middle is the hybrid church in which house or cell groups are the core of the church, and they come together regularly for larger celebration meetings or for large group ministries.
The key is to examine the culture in cooperation with the national (local) Christians to determine what best fits. It's possible that in a large enough area, several different kinds of churches could be started to fit different sub-cultures within a society.
This is all with a view toward starting vibrant churches that can continue after the missionary leaves, and who will start new churches and send missionaries themselves.
Meanwhile at STAMP
Michael and Maryellen's training focused more on what it will be like to live and grow up in another culture. Part of their training included a talk from Ben Loftis on being a Third Culture Kid. For lunch they went to a Chinese restaurant, but were only allowed to order using Chinese words. Michael took the video camera along. Enjoy the five min. video below. It starts with the bus ride from ABWE headquarters to the church where STAMP is being held.
Adam
Monday, July 21, 2008
PA 2008 - Day 2 (Monday)
Our first day of training was designed to help us learn to seperate the functions of church from the form, so that we would not mistakenly impose American forms on another culture.
There are essential functions of the church. Some of them are:
There are essential functions of the church. Some of them are:
- Regular gathering of Christian believers
- Worship and pray together
- Bible teaching
Those are a few. Sunday morning church services are a form or way to carry out the function of regularly gathering the believers. In some countries it is not practicle to meet on a Sunday, so the wise missioary will schedule services on a different day.
More from the short video below.
Adam
Sunday, July 20, 2008
PA 2008 - Day 1 (Sunday)
Day 1 started early in the morning. We finished up packing and hit the road by about 8am.
We enjoyed the trip, but with stops and traffic jams a 10 hour trip stretched into 15. Watch the five min. video below, to find out.
We enjoyed the trip, but with stops and traffic jams a 10 hour trip stretched into 15. Watch the five min. video below, to find out.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Getting Ready For The Trip
Last year at about this time, Marge and I were recognized as ABWE missionaries to the Czech Republic durring a two week candidate seminar. I didn't blog about each day like I would like to have, but I tride to capture the rich depth of training, and the tension of being in the final phase of the . . . begining.
It's a year later and I feel like we are just starting in our pre-field ministry. Many have told us that one year in on pre-field is just starting and that 20% support is good progress, but I frankly don't intend to be on pre-field for four years.
I want to be sensative to what God's intensions are, but I am still working toward a late 2009 departure.
This week Marge and I are finishing up some required studies in preparation of EMC/CMI at ABWE. We do love our acronyms. EMC stands for Essential Missions Components and CMI stands for Core Missions Institute. It is intended for missionaries that are making progress in pre-field and the intent it to impart training and understanding on topics of church planting in other cultures.
That takes one week, and then before going home we are planning on spending several days in Washington DC. The children have never been there, and I'm excited about the whole thing. I want to take you (the reader) along for the trip. I plan on blogging each day, and including photos so that you can be part of the experience.
Keep your eyes on this blog!
Adam
It's a year later and I feel like we are just starting in our pre-field ministry. Many have told us that one year in on pre-field is just starting and that 20% support is good progress, but I frankly don't intend to be on pre-field for four years.
I want to be sensative to what God's intensions are, but I am still working toward a late 2009 departure.
This week Marge and I are finishing up some required studies in preparation of EMC/CMI at ABWE. We do love our acronyms. EMC stands for Essential Missions Components and CMI stands for Core Missions Institute. It is intended for missionaries that are making progress in pre-field and the intent it to impart training and understanding on topics of church planting in other cultures.
That takes one week, and then before going home we are planning on spending several days in Washington DC. The children have never been there, and I'm excited about the whole thing. I want to take you (the reader) along for the trip. I plan on blogging each day, and including photos so that you can be part of the experience.
Keep your eyes on this blog!
Adam
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Parmenter Missions - May/June 2008 Update
SHARING THE CROWN OF LIFE
Parmenters and the Mission to the Czech Republic
UPDATE
In March, time seemed to stand still or perhaps evaporate, and suddenly it's July. As I've written earlier, in February, Marge's father, Henry Blunier, died and passed on to eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord. Marge has been healing emotionally as have the rest of the family.
Then mid March my father, Allen Parmenter, was getting treatment for a leg ulcer and leg pain. The pain medication made him dizzy and he fell and hit his head resulting in a head injury. I was there for two weeks at their winter Arizona home to help get him out of the nursing home and deal with some serious patient care issues. I'm happy to say that mom and dad are now in their summer home in LaGrange, IN and dad is receiving care in their home. It will take many months of recovery for both the leg wound and the head injury. It's possible that he will lose one of his legs.
Please pray that my parents will not only be able to focus on dad's recovery, but that they can enjoy their time with each other.
In May, Marge had outpatient surgery, an excisional biopsy of the breast. Praise God that it was all benign. She recovered well and meanwhile finished her first year of home-schooling with Michael.
In May and June, I've been making as many phone calls as I can to churches. I focused on Iowa for a while, but stopped when the area I was calling got flooded. Lately I've been making phone calls and sending information to Baptist, Bible and Community churches in central Illinois. People are friendly and I have plenty of follow up calls to make.
We are in the endurance part of our pre-field ministry. We have about 20% of our support, but don't have many church meetings lined up. It takes making many phone calls and sending out information to locate the churches that feel like we are a good fit for their missions program.
On The Road
We had the opportunity to minister at East Arlington Baptist Church in Lawrence, MI and we enjoyed a day of presenting at Alaska Baptist Church in Caledonia, MI. We shared our testimonies, the spiritual condition of the Czech Republic and our desire to share the gospel in the Czech Republic.
At Home
We are enjoying a weekly bible study with a young couple using the Story of Hope and the Way to Joy materials from ABWE. Marge is also discipling a new believer.
ONLINE
New at http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9680012&msgid=152196&act=WB6Y&c=160848&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharethecrown.com is the "Meet the Parmenters" page. Now is your chance to find out who we really are!
Meanwhile Back on Bank Street:
Maryellen is enjoying our backyard habitat where she studies plants, bugs, fireflies, and other critters. She is also busily preparing for piano day camp. It's an exciting opportunity for her.
Michael spent two weeks enjoying public service as part of the Serve Kalamazoo event. It was organized by a group of local churches. He's also diligently keeping his trumpet skills sharp this summer and getting ready for his jazz band's next concert. His band is called The Shades. You can learn more about them at http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=9680012&msgid=152196&act=WB6Y&c=160848&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shadestunes.com.
Marge is a wonderful wife and mother, and is busy getting ready for our trip to Pennsylvania for a week of classes at ABWE. We have studying to do on cross cultural church planting and on the Czech Republic in preparation for this training.
Adam is studying to prepare for the classes at ABWE headquarters as well as keeping up on pre-field ministry. My employer recently announced a 20% cut in work force. It is a sensible effort to get costs in line. I should know within a couple months if I'll be terminated from the company. It wouldn't be all bad as I might be able to use severance pay to support the family while spending full time raising support. We trust in God's timing. I recently went for physical therapy to deal with some hip pain. The treatment is helping. I want to deal with it now while I still have health insurance from a large corporation.
PLEASE PRAY
- That I'll be able to set up a full schedule of church visits so that we can share the exciting news that God is beginning to work in the hearts of Czech people.
- We still aren't ready to put our house up for sale, but need to do it soon. We don't expect to make much, because of the housing market. Pray that we will make enough to cover our financial obligations.
- Our weekly bible studies to raise up new disciples here in Kalamazoo.
- As always, please pray that each day our focus will be on Christ and that we would each have a desire to know and please Him.
PRE-FIELD PREPARATIONS
Church Meetings:
10-August Devon Church 1630 West Devon, Chicago, IL 60660
26-August 58th Avenue Baptist Church 2228 58th Ave., Cicero, IL 60804
5-October Bethlehem Baptist 2031 East Cork Street, Kalamazoo, MI
19-October Bethel Baptist 402 S. Westnedge, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
MONTHLY SUPPORT
If you would like to help with our monthly financial support, send checks to:
ATTN: Parmenter Support #013408
ABWE, P.O. Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8585
Remember to mark it as monthly support if you plan to give each month.
Thanks for taking the time to read and pray for us.
Kind regards,
Adam, Marge & the Kids
1512 Bank Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Cell (269) 762-2202
Home (269) 373-5402
e-mail: parmenters@abwe.cc
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Slogging Through
I think that we are at the part in pre-field where we learn endurance. I have a flexible working arrangement now at work so that I have each Tuesday off. The idea is that on Tuesday, I call Baptist, Bible and community churches in a region that I've zoned out on a map.
I make the calls and get some answering machines, get a few no-thankyous, and get a bunch of "yes, send us an information packet". One Tuesday in June I made 60 calls and totaled 80 for the week. Most other Tuesdays, I also am studying and doing other missions related work, so I make about 30, but still get about 50 calls in. The calls are either a first contact with church or a follow up.
I gets to be a bit relentless. I sent out a bunch of packets to churches in Iowa, but haven't called them back yet, because they might be under water. Right now I'm working my way through Illinois. My wish is that we would have a bunch of speaking engagements lined up. I love doing them. God is teaching me to trust Him, and rely on Him first and foremost.
So, yesterday (Tuesday) I got no calls made. I went to a physical therapy session to help deal with hip pain, and later had extreme pain for the rest of the day. Right now the cure is worse than what ails me. I decided not to force my self to somehow focus and start calling. Instead I went to bed.
All of these experiences give me a sense of comfort. It's hard to see how things will work out so that we are on a plane bound for the Czech, but I know it will. So, trying circumstances are an opportunity to trust and build my faith "muscles". It's a challenge, but I apreciate the excercise.
Adam
I make the calls and get some answering machines, get a few no-thankyous, and get a bunch of "yes, send us an information packet". One Tuesday in June I made 60 calls and totaled 80 for the week. Most other Tuesdays, I also am studying and doing other missions related work, so I make about 30, but still get about 50 calls in. The calls are either a first contact with church or a follow up.
I gets to be a bit relentless. I sent out a bunch of packets to churches in Iowa, but haven't called them back yet, because they might be under water. Right now I'm working my way through Illinois. My wish is that we would have a bunch of speaking engagements lined up. I love doing them. God is teaching me to trust Him, and rely on Him first and foremost.
So, yesterday (Tuesday) I got no calls made. I went to a physical therapy session to help deal with hip pain, and later had extreme pain for the rest of the day. Right now the cure is worse than what ails me. I decided not to force my self to somehow focus and start calling. Instead I went to bed.
All of these experiences give me a sense of comfort. It's hard to see how things will work out so that we are on a plane bound for the Czech, but I know it will. So, trying circumstances are an opportunity to trust and build my faith "muscles". It's a challenge, but I apreciate the excercise.
Adam
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