Report of the
Board of Church Extension
ACTS 1:8 – “You shall be My witnesses”
24:5 – “for we have found this man a real pest...”
2012 – A Year of Witness!
In 2012, Church Extension’s theme is 2012 – A YEAR OF WITNESS! As more and more of America falls into the category of the “unchurched” and paganism runs rampant, along with a growing antagonism to the Gospel, the Church must be bold witnesses for the Gospel of the Kingdom and the King, Jesus Christ. We have been silent too long and too distracted by our own little kingdoms. NOW is the time for the Gospel to be boldly proclaimed throughout our land and throughout the ministry target sites of the BFC Mission Churches and the Particular BFC Churches. In 2012 we are including the focus of this theme in both The Antiochan and our monthly prayer calendar, The Extension Call, as well as bringing attention to the theme at our Church Planters’ Roundtables and Training Days. In addition, we will also share testimonies of people coming to Christ through this witnessing challenge. We want to be pests for the Gospel and encourage the entire BFC to be pests with us. May the Lord add to His body in 2012.
The BFC Corps of Church Planters
The Bible Fellowship Church has a very gifted corps of church planters to serve the denomination. Please consider partnering with one of these men and commit your prayers and financial gifts to their ministry.
Mark E. Barninger – East/West Hanover Township, PA
Mission Church Freedom Bible Fellowship Church Pastor: Mark Barninger
Meets at: Holiday Inn 604 Station Road, Grantville, PA 17028
Contact Info: barninger@freedombfc.com or 717-579-4414
Website: www.freedombfc.com
Miguel Gonzalez – Assistant Church Planter – Reading, PA
The Rock of Reading (La Roca de Reading)
Contact Info: miguelgon0527@gmail.com or 757-508-3716
Elliot H. Ramos – South Allentown, PA
Mission Church Lighthouse Bible Fellowship Church (El Faro)
Meets at: 641 South Genesee Street, Allentown, PA 18103
Contact Info: pastorelliot@elfarobfc.org or 484-951-1848
Website: www.elfarobfc.org
Carlos G. Rodriguez – Reading, PA
Hispanic Mission Church The Rock of Reading (La Roca de Reading)
Meets at Grace BFC in Reading 1128 Hampden Blvd., Reading, PA 19604
Contact Info: rogoldcya@hotmail.com or 610-780-4103
Aaron J. Susek – Adams County, PA
Mission Church Bible Fellowship Church of Adams County Pastor: Aaron Susek
Meets at: 895 Coleman Rd. Gettysburg, PA 17325
Contact Info: aaronsusek@gmail.com or 717-476-2340
Website: www.bfcac.net
Scott R. Wright – Lower Providence Township, PA
Mission Church Redeemer Bible Fellowship Church
Meets at: The Hampton Inn – off Rt. 422 in Oaks, PA
Contact Info: swright@redeemerbfc.org or 267-664-2255
Website: www.redeemerbfc.org
Ron Smith – Greater Townsend, DE
Mission Church
Meets at: a home in Townsend until they launch
Contact Info: ronandkathysmith@verizon.net or 302-545-9049
David Smith – Harrisburg, PA
Mission Church Grace Fellowship
Meets at: Progress Fire Co. Hall 3440 Maple St., Harrisburg, PA 17109
Contact Info: faithalone2save@aol.com or 717-756-0206
Website: www.graceinhbg.org
Keith Strunk – Cape May County, NJ
Mission Church Cape Community Church
Meets at: 1159 Rt.9 South Cape May Courthouse, NJ 08210
Contact Info: strunk.kas@gmail.com or 609-465-2338
Website: www.capecommunitychurch.org
Freddy Chi – Villa Magna, Mexico
Mission Church
Meets at: In a building in the town of Villa Magna, Mexico
Contact Info: freddychi62@gmail.com or contact the Church Extension office
REVIEW OF 2011 IN CHURCH EXTENSION
x The BFC Mission Churches recorded 64 people making professions of faith and the Mission Churches held 35 baptisms.
x Financial giving from BFC churches decreased slightly, for the first time in ten years.
x We increased our donor list and donor giving, along with several outside churches now supporting BFC Church Planters.
x Two Training Days were held for our men including guest presenters on evangelism and other church planting topics.
x Numerous new contacts were made, and door-to-door surveys took place in the Mission Churches’ target sites and in Delaware, Cape May NJ, Lancaster PA, and Lower Providence PA. Gospel tracts were distributed and a number of bulk mailings were facilitated by the office, reaching several thousand people.
x Church Extension, with the assistance of several churches, made renovations and maintenance repairs on the BFC properties we occupy in Allentown PA, Cape May NJ, and Adams County PA. The costs for these jobs were paid for by the Mission Churches, BFC Churches and Church Extension.
x In DELMARVA we continue a presence in Milford, DE with a weekly Bible study held by Ray Bertolet and under the outreach umbrella of the Camden, DE BFC. Milford is no longer a target for church planting. We are assisting Ron Smith, and the Newark, DE Church with their vision to plant in the Greater Townsend, DE area. The Board of Church Extension officially called Ron Smith and opened the Greater Townsend Mission Church in Sept 2011. Our Aquila & Priscilla Team in DELMARVA, Harry & Sandra Workman, continued their assistance at New Life BFC and assist with the study in Milford. We hope to publicly launch the Greater Townsend Mission Church in the Spring of 2012. Church Extension was asked by the Ministerial Relations Committee to oversee the Long Neck, DE BFC and attempt to revive the church. The Board of Church Extension approved a plan to assist Long Neck which includes having Assistant Director Mark Morrison serve as Interim Pastor. We are also discussing the possibility of the Sussex County Bible Church connecting with the BFC.
x Neil & Lisa Christensen serve as an Aquila & Priscilla Team to the El Faro Mission Church in Allentown. Jason & Joanne Engelhart serve alongside Carlos Rodriguez at the La Roca Mission Church. Doug & Kashie Boyd assist at the Cape May Mission Church. Russ & Nell Ruch serve as an Aquila & Priscilla Team at the Hellertown, PA BFC. Tommy & Kelly Gambrill serve as an Aquila & Priscilla Team at the Woodbury Heights, NJ BFC. This year Pastor Carl & Helen Spackman were approved as an Aquila & Priscilla Team to the Grace Fellowship Mission Church in Harrisburg, PA.
x Ray Bertolet continues to hold a Bible study in Milford, DE and is serving part-time as Interim Pastor at the Camden, DE BFC. He also assisted with work projects at several of the Mission Churches and will be assisting Ron Smith as Ron plants in Greater Townsend.
x Grace Fellowship Church, Harrisburg PA is looking to move into the city of Harrisburg and grow a multi-cultural church in the city. The church is pastored by David Smith, and Ed Suthers and Jonathan Folks serve as elders. The Mission Church has grown this past year and has made the Board of Church Extension aware that they plan on graduating in 2013.
x The Hellertown, PA BFC and Woodbury Heights, NJ BFC both graduated this past year at BFC Conference.
x Pastor Mark Morrison continues to serve full-time as Assistant Director. He is serving as Interim Pastor at the Long Neck, DE BFC, and coaching the team at the El Faro Mission Church in Allentown, PA along with Keith Strunk at the Cape May, NJ Mission Church. Brother Morrison still needs to raise his full support and we ask that you consider supporting our brother Mark.
x Five ministry and work teams were sent out to assist our plants in DELMARVA, Cape May NJ, Allentown PA, Reading PA, Adams County PA, and Long Neck DE. Cedar Crest BFC again assisted the El Faro Mission Church with its “Light in the Park” outreach.
x The Cape May County Mission Church has experienced continued growth this past year with several new families being assimilated into the church. Keith Strunk was called to serve as Church Planter in Cape May. Under Keith’s leadership, along with the Cape May Transitional Leadership Team (TLT), the ministry is developing.
x Aaron Susek serves as Church Planter at the Adams County Mission Church. The Mission continues to experience gradual growth. Aaron is very active networking in the community. The Gospel Community Groups continue with more and more people being part of this small group ministry. The outside of the church building was renovated and looks inviting. The Mission Church took on a large percentage of support for Aaron this year.
x Administrative Assistant Ruth Richards took over for Lisa Christensen in November, who left for a new job. We are thankful for Lisa’s years of service to Church Extension. Ruth now works with the active volunteer force that assists with numerous mailings. Ruth Richards formerly served as our Administrative Assistant and is a very capable asset to the administration of the Mission.
x We praise God for blessing our two major fund raising projects: Summer Ten and Christmas Gift Month. A total of over $135,000 came in through these fundraisers. Praise God for our faithful donors. The Board’s Development Committee has done a fine job of looking into ways that Church Extension can promote giving to Church Extension. This past year we held a “Donor Thank You Banquet” at the Emmaus BFC and it was well attended and well organized. The DC Committee is now looking into establishing a “legacy society.”
x The East/West Hanover Township, PA Mission Church, under the leadership of Pastor Mark Barninger, continues to meet at the Holiday Inn in West Hanover Township. The Mission is diligently looking for its own 24/7 facilities in order to be more visible in the community and move off the plateau they have been on this past year. The Mission Church delayed its plans for graduation until 2013.
x Our Director, along with the Board’s Vision and Strategy Committee, has formulated a new forward plan, Fresh Wind. It will shortly be available.
x A number of meetings were held with five prospective church planters.
x Thirty-two churches were visited this year by the Church Extension staff. We presented our Mission and Vision.
x Our Hispanic Church Plants in Reading (La Roca) and in Allentown (El Faro), under the leadership of Pastor Carlos Rodriguez (Reading) and Pastor Elliot Ramos (Allentown), actively reach Hispanic people in the cities with the Gospel. La Roca continued to develop in 2011 with a focus on discipleship and spiritual growth. A well-attended AWANA program was started under the leadership of Miguel Gonzalez, Assistant Church Planter. La Roca would like to take an active role in the development of a Hispanic church plant in Lancaster, PA. A Hispanic Church Planting Resource Team (CPRT) was formed in 2011. The Team is made up of people from the BFC Capital Region churches. The Team will be presenting a report with recommendations to the Regional churches for their approval to plant a BFC Hispanic church in the city of Lancaster, PA. El Faro, in Allentown, was very active this year with a variety of ministries: Light in the Park outreach, its mercy ministry, and training and identifying leaders. El Faro may move into new and more visible facilities in 2012 and Church Extension may seek to disengage from El Faro at the end of 2012. Pray for El Faro to grow so it can formally graduate from Church Extension.
x Miguel Gonzalez is now an Assistant Church Planter at the La Roca Mission Church and ministers alongside Pastor Rodriguez. Miguel and his wife Jessica are very active with the youth and families of the church and now lead a new AWANA program. Miguel is chairing the Hispanic CPRT in Lancaster, PA.
x Daughter Church Planting. This year God sent out two new church planters, Scott Wright from the Harleysville, PA BFC and Ron Smith from the Newark, DE BFC, to plant daughter churches. Meetings with the Capital Region of churches are continuing regarding a daughter church plant in Lancaster, PA and the Coopersburg, PA BFC along with the Lehigh Valley, PA Region is discussing daughter church planting. The first international BFC Mission Church was opened by the Board of Church Extension in Villa Magna, Mexico. The Villa Magna Mission Church is a daughter church plant from the La Roca Merida, Mexico BFC. Pastor Marcos Ramirez trained Freddy Chi and La Roca sent Freddy out to plant in Villa Magna. Freddy is now going through the credentialing process of the BFC.
x I chaired the Joint Committee on Ethnic Church Planting this past year. The Committee continues its focus on Hispanic church planting and desire to work with all ethnic people groups and assimilate them into the BFC. A Merida Task Force is working with the church in Merida, Mexico. The Committee is assisting Merida with planting daughter churches, like in the town of Villa Magna. Each year the Committee facilitates the translation of BFC materials into Spanish. The Articles of Faith, Biblical Principles for Living, and the MCC credentialing questionnaires and Open Book Test have been translated into Spanish. Work is now moving ahead on the Order section of the Faith & Order. I also served again this past year on the Ministerial Candidate Committee and have enjoyed working with the new men coming into the BFC.
_____________________________________________________________________
PROJECTIONS FOR 2011 IN CHURCH EXTENSION
x The DELMARVA Project
Camden, DE BFC – Ray Bertolet will continue his interim position as Pastor of the Camden, DE, BFC and assist Church Extension with various projects.
Long Neck DE –We will assist the Long Neck, DE church until it is able to elect elders and call a Pastor. Mark Morrison will act as Interim Pastor. We will also pursue a connection with the Sussex County Bible Church. I am looking into reaching the many Hispanics in the area and possibly holding Hispanic services in the afternoon at the church. We will need to locate a Hispanic man for this work. Greater Townsend –We will continue to assist the Newark, DE BFC with its efforts to plant a daughter church in the Greater Townsend target site. We will help Ron Smith with his church-planting needs and launching the church plant in 2012.
x Hispanic Church Planting
La Roca – Reading, PA Hispanic Church Plant –I will continue to coach Carlos and Miguel and assist them with the Mission’s growth in terms of monitoring the facility needs, facilitating the program, and the development of the Mission toward graduation. I will assist Miguel with his efforts to encourage the Capital Region to launch a Hispanic church plant in 2012.
El Faro – Allentown, PA Hispanic Church Plant – This year we will seek to determine God’s will for the future of El Faro and its connection to Church Extension. If the Mission Church moves to a new location, we will assist in the move.
Merida, Mexico – The Joint Committee on Ethnic Church Planting will assist Pastor Ramirez and Freddy Chi with the church plant in Villa Magna. We will also work with the Merida church and their vision for establishing a Church Planting Training Center at the Merida Church.
Capital Region, PA – If the Capital Region of churches approves a plan to establish a Hispanic church in the city of Lancaster PA, Church Extension will assist the Capital Region and bring the La Roca Mission Church in Reading alongside to participate in the church planting efforts.
Hispanic Church Planting Unit –I will form a Hispanic Steering Committee to look into the formulation of a Hispanic division that will function under Church Extension.
x Daughter Church Planting
Capitol Region – As mentioned above.
Newark, DE –In process.
Metro Region – I will try to continue discussions with the Metro Region about a church plant in South Amboy, NJ.
Harleysville/BucksMont Region – In process.
Lehigh Valley Region –Tim Zuck is dialoguing with the pastors of the Lehigh Valley about a regional daughter church plant. I will monitor these discussions to see how Church Extension can assist. I will also be meeting with the Coopersburg, PA BFC to assist them with their church planting vision.
x Connectional Projects
Sussex County Bible Church, DE –I will continue discussing connection with this church.
x Recruitment
Hispanic – We need to look for more Hispanic men to be called to plant Hispanic churches with the BFC.
x Church Planting Academy – I will discuss with the Vision and Strategy Committee how Church Extension might establish a Church Planters’ school.
x Graduation Preparations
I will be assisting Mark Barninger and the East/West Hanover Township, PA Mission Church, along with David Smith and the Harrisburg, PA Mission Church with their plans for graduation in 2013.
x Facility Needs
Two plants are searching for new meeting places if they continue their current growth rate. I will be assisting the Harrisburg, PA and East/West Hanover Township, PA Mission Churches with counsel and with the financial considerations.
x Development
The Development Committee will be working on establishing a legacy society for faithful donors in 2012. We will continue to work with the Mennonite Foundation in seeking ways to increase our invested funds. I continue to seek a retired individual with investment expertise to assist me with donor follow-up and communication.
I find it a great and awesome privilege to serve such a gracious and almighty God and be part of extending His Kingdom through evangelistic church planting.
The struggles that many of our churches are facing will continue to affect Church Extension. Church Extension consistently is looking for ways to strengthen our local churches. Church Extension and I remain committed to God’s plan for building His kingdom through evangelistic church planting. I made this statement last year and will do so again: all our churches must be unified in their doctrinal commitments to the Articles of Faith, engaged in trust and love for each other, and mobilized to accomplish our vision of being an expanding fellowship of churches through the planting of new churches.
Pray for Church Extension. Pray for God to give us His wisdom and power to reach people with the Gospel and plant churches. Pray for our team: Mark Morrison – Assistant Director, Ray Bertolet – Assistant Church Planter, Ruth Richards – Administrative Assistant, Carol Snyder – Special Projects Assistant, and our Aquila & Priscilla Teams and volunteers. Pray for your church planters and their families who serve the BFC; and finally, pray for me as I direct this vital Mission.
In His Love & Service, Respectfully Submitted,
David E. Gundrum, Director of Church Extension
Resources for Churches & Regions Seeking to Plant and for Prospective Church Planters
Churches/Regions (please see our web site for all our publications www.churchplantingbfc.org)
x Churches Planting Churches – A guide designed to walk your church through the process of planting a daughter church.
x The Dynamic Daughter Church Planting Handbook (DCPI) – The biblical basis for planting a daughter church. Answers to common questions: (e.g. Can we afford to plant a daughter church? What size do we need to be to daughter? What is in it for us as a mother church? Won’t a daughter church destroy the fellowship in the mother church?) The six-step process for planting a daughter congregation.
xi Demographic Workbook – A tool to assist you with understanding your ministry target area. It includes educational, ecclesiastical, community and population surveys.
x Visitation Follow-up Training – A helpful seminar to assist the church with encouraging and training visitation teams.
x First Impressions – What do your guests say about your church after they visit. We have materials that will help you make positive first impressions with your guests.
x Community Surveying Manual – A guide for conducting community surveys in your ministry target areas in order to produce a needs assessment, along with making contacts.
Prospective Planters
x DCPI Pre-Assessment and the BFC Comprehensive Assessment – The DCPI booklet is an inductive and introductory assessment for those looking into church planting. The BFC Assessment is a complete assessment process to determine whether a man has the gifts, abilities and competencies to plant churches.
x BFC Church Planting Guide & DCPI Handbook – The BFC plan and approach to church planting. A complete systematic process for the Planter and his Team to move from the initial Identification Stage to the Graduation Stage.
x Church Planter’s Toolkit – The Church Planter’s Toolkit includes 12 audio CD’s, as well as detailed checklists and action planning worksheets to form a comprehensive package for church planters and their teams.
Addendum – Church Extension Activity Chart (see next page)
Department – Board of Church Extension: David E. Gundrum, Director; Richard E. Taylor, Chairman ; Robert W. Davies, Kenneth D. Keeler, Alfred G. Roberts. William G. Schlonecker, William R. Singletary, Robert A. Sloan, Jr., Clyde W. Snyder, Carl K. Spackman, Robert H. Zentz.