Report of the Church Extension Director
“As Thou didst send me into the world, I also have sent them into world.” John 17:18
How was Christ sent into the world? There was the evangelistic aspect of His sending. Christ came to seek and to save the lost by means of His teaching and proclaiming the kingdom of the Gospel. His mission had an ecclesiastical element. Christ came to build the Church and establish: the apostolic pillars, the foundation of faith, and wield its sword, the Word of truth. Finally, the Lord’s ministry here on earth was active in doing mercy. When you put these qualities of Christ’s mission together, what you have is the outline for church planting. Reaching the lost with the Gospel, gathering the believer into the church to worship God, growing in faith, and doing mercy is the formula for church planting.
The BFC has been sanctioned by God to do as Christ did: evangelize, build the Church, and do mercy. All this should eventuate in new churches and kingdom growth. This past year, Church Extension has spent time with the churches, boards of elders, and mission’s committees in or to cast this vision for building the kingdom through evangelism and church planting. A number of churches are beginning to catch this vision, but a number remain unimpressed with the divine model of evangelistic church planting that leads to the building the kingdom. We have also promoted daughter church planting and worked with at least two churches and one region toward this end. Although we have not had a BFC church or region step up to the plate and begin planning for a daughter church plant, we are praying this will become a reality in 2005.
Where is our Kingdom church planting focus? One person recently said to me, after looking at our Yearbook, that the BFC gives a small percentage of money and attention to home missions (Church Extension) compared to foreign missions. They also mentioned that if the BFC wants to grow and continue to exist, it would have to plant new churches. These comments caused me to say a silent amen. I praise God for the faithful support of so many individuals and churches. Last year, Church Extension’s budget was over $500,000.00 and God provided the funds to meet this amount that increased more than $200,000.00 in the last four years. Most of this new giving came from the BFC churches. Praise God for this. Yet, we have to do more. We long not only to see every church supporting the mission of Church Extension but also to see them supporting the work with generosity believing in the significance of beginning new Bible Fellowship Churches. The Board of Church Extension and Board of Missions are united in the conviction that each BFC needs a global focus for its ministry. We are to support missions in our Jerusalems, our Judeas, and our Samarias while we take the Gospel to the world. Our established churches are a resource for the birth of new churches and the development of baby churches. We must not overlook this work.
The future for the BFC is opportunistic. I say this because we have many good prospects for planting new Bible Fellowship Churches and God is pouring His Spirit out into the hearts of men to plant churches. God is giving us properties to use for church plants like the Cape May, NJ property. He is giving us interested groups of people who have a vision for a new church, like the Adams County, PA group. He is giving us a number of families that are willing to be Aquila & Priscilla couples and even move to a new church planting site. Recently he has given us a number of new candidates for church planting from within the BFC and some coming from outside the BFC who are considering church planting with us. All of this makes me say that our future is opportunistic. But opportunity does not make for results. Even though we have many church planting opportunities, we must take up the work while trusting God for the results.
Much has been accomplished this past year through the prayers and support of our committed partners and the increased interest and participation from the BFC churches. The support from the churches is vital and necessary. There exists the potential to do great things for God in church planting and establishing new Bible Fellowship Churches. May we look beyond and see how ripe the harvest is and step out into our Jerusalems, Judeas and Samarias doing as Christ did being sent by the Father, reaching the lost with the Gospel, gathering the believers into the church to worship God and grow in faith, and doing mercy, the formula for church planting.
There is an Addendum to this report titled, Church Extension Activity Chart. You will see the course we have charted for church planting in the years ahead. Please pray with us for our goals to be accomplished.
Here is a report of what has been accomplished this past year in Church Extension. “Pour Out Your Spirit in 2004”
• 37 people made professions of faith and a number are now being discipled and baptized.
• The Reading, PA Hispanic Mission Church was opened through the efforts of the Berks County, PA Churches and Church Extension.
• The Cape May County Mission Church was opened and the BFC was able to acquire the properties at the Cape May, NJ site valued at $1,000,000.00. Pastor Mark L. Morrison was hired to act as an Interim Church Planter.
• The Long Neck, DE BFC was received into Annual Conference and the building of a church on the new property began.
• Numerous Work Teams and 7 Ministry Teams were sent out to assist at various church plants throughout the year.
• Our 4th Summer Intern was sent out this past summer to the Long Neck, DE Church. Andy Stapleton from the Reading, BFC served with Ken Barber and Ray Bertolet in DELMARVA.
• Albert J. Dommel was called to minister part-time in church planting at the Hellertown Mission Church. Brother Dommel was also our 7th man to attend CMTC Boot Camp training this past summer.
• Work began on identifying 2 new church plants for 2005: the Millsboro/Dagsboro, DE area and the Adams County, PA area. Bible studies are being held in both areas.
• We partnered with Central American Mission (CAM) in hopes of having CAM missionaries assist us with our Hispanic church planting efforts.
• The Director was privileged to preach in many churches and present Church Extension at 6 Missions Conferences and on the campus of several colleges.
• Four churches were graduated from Church Extension on Dec.31, 2004: Thompson, CT; Old Bridge, NJ; Newark, NJ; and Ocean County, NJ.
• Our Personnel Committee interviewed and assessed 4 men for church planting.
• Our Property Committee was involved with several renovation projects at our church plants and the acquisition of the Cape May property.
• Our Policy & Strategy Committee continued its work on a Five-Year Church Planting plan to be completed this year.
• The Newark, NJ BFC continued to plan and save toward building its new worship center in the city.
• John Pello, our Outreach Assistant, completed assisting the South Allentown and Hellertown, PA Mission Churches and moved to DELMARVA to assist with outreach and church planting there.
• Two new Aquila & Priscilla families came to assist our church plants: Tim and Tori Zuck to Hellertown and Harry and Sandra Workman to DELMARVA.
• Dennis Spinney resigned as Pastor of Thompson and is serving as Interim Pastor till the church calls a Pastor. He will possibly move on to plant another church.
• Carlos Rodriguez was hired to come from Guadalajara, Mexico and plant the Hispanic church in Reading, PA. A contingency from the BFC went to Mexico to participate in Carlos’ commissioning.
• Tom and Paula Morrison settled into their church planting role in Las Cruces, New Mexico and now opened an office and meeting place in the city.
• Ray Bertolet began a demographic study in Millsboro, DE and is looking forward to opening a Mission Church in this target area in 2005.
• The BFC Ethnic Church Planting Committee continued its work on planting ethnic BFC churches.
• The BFC churches increased their financial support in 2004 by 20%.
• Many new people signed up to receive our weekly E-mail report, The Antiochan.
• We were able to introduce and encourage 2 BFC Regions and 2 BFC Churches to consider planting daughter churches.
I praise God for the privilege it is to serve our Lord. All glory goes to Him! Please pray for the Board of Church Extension and me in 2005. Pray that God will give wisdom in the many challenging upcoming opportunities. Pray for our Mission Team: Ruth Richards, our Administrative Assistant, and the need to train a replacement for her by the Fall of 2005; Carol Snyder and her duties as Special Projects Assistant; John Pello, our Outreach Assistant, as he works alongside our Church Planters; and Ray Bertolet, Assistant Church Planter, as he assists in church planting. Please pray hard for our men and their families who serve in Church Extension Ministries. They are truly a wonderful group who sacrificially serve you as missionaries on the home front.
In His Love & Service, Respectfully Submitted,
David E. Gundrum,
Executive Director Of Church Extension.