1 QUOTE

“Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."

Andy Dufresne, in a letter to his friend, Red, The Shawshank Redemption

1 NOTE

In America 3,200 churches close their doors forever every year. 3,400 churches open their doors for the first time every year. But only four new churches out of ten make it to year 4. At least three factors contribute to this painful statistic: (1) In the church planter selection process, apostolic spiritual gifts are not prioritized; (2) The Bible is not taught with power to make people want to come back; (3) Church planting, like anything, is really hard to start from scratch. Throw in an ageless, evil, serpent enemy, and we have a clear snapshot of why so many churches struggle.

Last month Holy Faith Fellowship turned two years old. It was such a joyful and encouraging anniversary celebration. At 24 months, I thank God for seven signs of hope emerging from Holy Faith Fellowship.

1. Call - God has given our planting team strength, especially on hard days, as we remember that God sent fire from heaven, twice, to plant our second church.

2. Vision - God has given our church a clear vision, rooted in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Preach, Teach, Heal’ (Matthew 9:35)

3. Power - God is drawing people to his Son, the Great Physician (Matthew 9:12) to deliver and heal of every disease and every affliction.

4. Word - God has given Holy Faith a strong pulpit and a growing team of young Bible-centered preachers and teachers.

5. Evangelism - God has raised up two evangelists, moving these young converts from the mission field to the mission force.

6. Poor - God is teaching our church the poor are not a problem to be solved, but a people to join (as we live incarnationally with our neighbors).

7. Next Generation - God has opened a wide door to help our core of young disciples ‘Win Your 20s.

When our family linked arms and committed to planting our second church, we prepared for suffering. And this season has certainly been full of pain. But God has sustained with the deep joy of new life. Jesus gets the credit. We get the joy.

1 PRAYER

Will you take a moment to pray for the new church plants in your city? May the Lord strengthen each core group to go deeper in Christ and further in mission.

Until Next Tuesday,

John