Church of Christ
Welcome
to the church planting blog
Evangelism team, and interested parties, I'll record the church planting I'll be doing in the Tampa Bay area. This can be a tool for study and (if wished) future application.
A planted church may be a person of one, or it may be a man and his family. Many nations globally and within the states in the US have few Christians in their regions.
That is why evangelism is so important. Churches are dying out all around the world. However, those who actively live doing the Great Commission can grow congregations and plant churches. We can change this crisis. We read in the book of Acts, that this was how the New Testament churches began. They began with soul saving. The birth, lifespan, and health of a congregation begins with sharing Jesus.
If you are blessed to be in one of the few remaining Bible Belts in America or have a location where there is a church or two, you can invite those you know, who may be interested, to join you in church planting work.
For those interested in planting a church and for my evangelism group, I encourage you to study this blog, it will give you ideas for church planting and for evangelism.
Church planting
Why is this important?
Most Christians don't know how to plant a church. New churches tend to sprout up when a division occurs in the body of Christ. But that is not what God intends for a healthy kingdom in making a church. When I say "plant a church" I mean to grow it naturally as we read about in the book of Acts.
In reading about Paul's missionary journeys and the epistles he writes to the new churches he, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Luke, John Mark, (among others) helped plant, (through the Word of God)). In these examples, we see a Biblical pattern that many saints in America are neglecting.
Why is this important? In the Bible Belt area of Tampa Bay, where I live, we've had about 7 churches close their doors in the last decade. I know of about 5 that will be closing their doors in the next couple of years. The clusters of churches in this area are shrinking in number and many of the congregations are small. These small local groups are getting smaller/shrinking.
This is not only a problem in Florida, when I was in Califonia I talked with saints about the same concerns. There used to be a Bible Belt on the coast of CA. This Bible Belt is no more. The churches I visited had few members, (mostly elderly) and were struggling. If you've ever traveled in the US and visited a congregation, many times you will see a large building with a handful or two of people within—many elderly. Yet how often times do you hear about this problem being mentioned in the brotherhood?
Each year we lose about 55 churches in America. Globally, religious groups are shrinking in affluent nations like Europe, Canada, Australia, Norway, and Denmark. It's not just denominations dying out but the Lord's kingdom in many regions of the world. In America, we have lost 200,000 people in 20 years. At the rate the churches are dying in America, we may not have any left (in the US) in the next 50-75 years, (if things don't change). Yet the silence is deafening. To learn more about this pandemic watch these videos A. B. or see my book, "Save a Church from Dying."
The cure for this pandemic is evangelism within the Lord's churches and within kingdom culture. If enough Christians act the tide can change. Church planting is part of the goals of such aims.
Purpose and goals:
Reason one: The goal of this blog is to teach people how to plant a church. The recorded data will do that. I will journal the efforts of this work and detail the time, events, plans, etc. that will go into this project. Church planting (through evangelism) is a process. This is an activity that requires consistent work in spreading the seed, investments of patience, time, energy, and prayer.
Reason two: This church planting endeavor will be recorded. The goal of these journaled recordings is to mentor interested men and women. As well as our evangelism group. I will record the work of this church-planted congregation. We will detail a sound structure for church growth and longevity.
Reason three: This church planting work will be a patterned example of how the first-century church grew. We will train members who will be encouraged to replicate the pattern they were shown in church planting. When they move to other areas of the US or the globe, they will be equipped to plant a church.
We want to help thirsty people find living waters. Isaiah 55:1-2. We want to invite people to God's spiritual feast.Isaiah 25:6-8; Luke 14:15-24
Too many Christians are like the lepers during the famine in Jerusalem in 2 Kings 7:3–20 They found a place of abundance and for a time kept it to themselves, while those around them starved. We want to help thirsty people find a drink and hungry people find food.
As we have been supped the eternal blessings of our salvation so we should seek to help others find such in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 In matters of evangelism, it's not that evangelism has been tried and found wanting, it's that evangelism has been found difficult and left untried. The greatest obstacle to evangelism is not unbelievers, nor Satan, it's ourselves.
If you are doing evangelism or want to begin doing this work, join us. Our goal as a church is to promote, and focus on faithfully following God's commands to seek the lost. We are here to help you in this work of evangelism. We will be a support group helping each other grow in the grace of learning/doing this work. We will be here for you when we assemble within the church in matters of evangelism. We will also be there for you in support outside of worship as well.
.jpg)
Church planting resources:
-
I wrote a book "Save a Church from Dying" which outlines why many churches are weak, and dying. The material also outlines how to have a thriving healthy congregation. For church planters, this is a good book to read.
-
The final chapter and bonus content of my book "Discipleship For King Jesus" will outline effective church-planting ideas and themes. I highly encourage using the whole book for its training content in mentorship and evangelism work. Spanish version
-
Another book worth studying for mentorship with the above book is DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples
-
You may also want to study this platform for evangelism growth strategies from successful Bible-based congregations.
-
Within church and studies, we will cover Biblical concepts within the books "The Big Picture of the Bible" and "Muscle and Shovel." (Also in Spanish) These concepts will help Christians learn themes for teaching new converts and non-Christians.
How we will begin to plant a church and form its Bible-based structure:
This Church work will be launched soon...
In April 2025
Personal invite to join this work:
To my evangelism group
I encourage you to join me I'll have the time for meeting set outside of normal church times, for Sunday and midweek, so that you can still attend your regular places of worship.
Joining this project is of course optional. But for our church planting meetings, I'll outline strategies for church growth, church planting structures, and outreach training. Which will be implemented.
These services will be like our evangelism classes, except we'll have worship too. This church planting model will be an invaluable teaching tool for personal growth and hands-on training.
You will also get chances to grow in different areas of Christian work, song leading, helping in prayer, heading up Lord's Supper, preaching, teaching, etc. that you might not always be able to at your local congregation, (due to size, etc.)
You are encouraged to invite your Christian friends to join. You don't have to do everything at once in the roles we will outline. The goal is to get you involved and encourage you to add new roles/activities to your Christian service when you are ready. This church is for people wanting to do evangelism and actively participate. And you all fit that to a T.
To FC college students and fellow saints in the Tampa Bay area
This work will give you first-hand experiences in church planting. You will also get a chance to participate in regular kingdom-building activities, ranging from teaching, helping in worship, preaching, and song leading, to doing evangelism work. If you have fire in your belly and want to be used at a congregation. We'll use you. For men who want to become preachers, you'll get a chance to preach to grow in this field of work. You'll also have many opportunities to teach outside of services. For women, you'll be used (Biblically) in teaching the lost, female new converts, helping with evangelism, etc.
We will encourage you to grow. But you can choose to go at your own pace. The goal is to help get you involved in kingdom work and to help you step into new roles of service when ready. We are here to motivate and support you. The goal of this church is to get people involved and help them move forward as leaders, servants and mentors, when they are ready to take new steps in that direction. This church is for people who want to do evangelism and be proactive in kingdom work. This is not a sit on the sidelines group. But you can adapt, to this work at your own pace.
If you want to join us or if you want to let us know you are going to visit..
Sign up online and let us know. After you read through the bottom of this webpage.
You can sign up and we'll get back to you. Have questions? Do you have spiritual interests?
Do you want to be used in church activities, let us know. Contact us. Let us know your coming.
Goals of this work:
More constructively using our members and funds:
This group effort will be different from most churches, the goal will not be to have a paid preacher, or a mortgaged church building, or a variety of expensive physical resources that will need to be bought and transported from time to time depending on the activities of the congregation.
There is nothing wrong with having these things, (paid preacher, physical resources, mortgaged church building) especially if a church group is not ready to make these steps. AND MOST CHURCHES ARE NOT READY FOR SUCH STEPS. Such items are thus essential to such congregations. Yet the beauty of a newly planted church is that we can start from the beginning instead of transitioning a congregation that's been doing the above for 30-40 years.
I also want to say, that I believe in paid preachers, the New Testament mentions that there were paid preachers/evangelists (1 Corinthians 9:6-12/1 Corinthians 9:18) and elders. (1 Timothy 5:17-18). But the payment was a chosen matter. I believe in paid preachers helping churches to the point that I've been training men globally for many years through my online preacher training platform. I've been a paid preacher/evangelist.
This church will however focus on utilizing its member's talents to the fullest in helping them develop and grow in the body of Christ. Our focus in preaching will be on using the church members. We will seek out the potential in our church members and strive to help them grow. We will seek opportunities in mentoring our members into teachers, song leaders, prayer warriors, evangelists, pulpit preachers, etc.
In the United States, Europe, and 3rd world countries churches think they need a paid preacher for the church to function. What is optional is considered a necessity. A paid preacher can help a congregation. Yet sadly there are churches that solely rely on the paid preacher to do evangelism/preach to the lost, (Jude 23) Mark 16:15;20), and teach classes, (Hebrews 5:12-14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Yet these are divine commandments God expects all His saints to obey.
We are expected to show the love of God to His people (John 13:35/Matthew 25:31-46). Such examples of showing Christ's love are not relegated to just the paid preacher, examples like writing the sick/visitors, visiting the elderly, being hospitable, etc. Yet many Christians view these things as only the paid preacher's job. Every one of these things comes from the right attitude of love. These concepts are Biblical. Such actions are expected of ALL of God's people. Attitudes of coldness and apathy towards others in God's family are shown by neglecting such fruits. We need to do to others as we would want to be done to us. (Luke 6:31) That's not just a work/attitude relegated only to the paid preacher.
We don't want anyone hiding their talents. This planted church will help saints use their talents. You will read in the "Parable of the Talents" that those who used their gifts were given more. And those who hide their talents have had their gifts taken away. (Matthew 25:14-30) We may not be born talented as teachers, preachers, or evangelists, but it's in using the potential and skills that God has given us that we grow more into new talents and abilities.
I've heard people say we should not all be teachers if we are not polished/eloquent enough.
Brothers and sisters, where in the Bible does it say we have to be eloquent to share/preach the gospel with people going to Hell? Please tell me. Is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) only for those who have silver tongues?
Paul was a paid gospel preacher and in his teaching, he turned the world upside down for Christ. (Acts 17:1-9) Yet this man was not eloquent. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) Should he not have been allowed to be a preacher? Thankfully the Holy Spirit was not a respector of persons in such matters. Paul was inspired and wrote many epistles, yet these passages were not Shakespearian poetic works of eloquence. That is not what God sought in Paul. He simply sought an honest heart to teach His truth.
People will make excuses for themselves or for others. They will say they/others should not teach due to inexperience in teaching or Bible study. God expects us all to grow so that we can be teachers. (Hebrews 5:12-14) No one is supposed to be in spiritual diapers their whole life. Others use the excuse of having worldly vices like a temper/poor control of the tongue to excuse them from sharing the eternal words of life with God's people. We are called to put off the old man and be renewed in the image of Christ. (Colossians 3:1-10) If something is getting in the way of us serving God, we should not use that as a crutch to do less but as an incentive to crucify (Galatians 2:20) what hampers us from serving Jesus. We are saved to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
I have heard that some women have been silent in the evangelism field, due to the belief that they should not speak/teach period. The Bible tells us that women are not to be in an authoritative role of teaching Christian men in the assembly when they meet in prayer together to worship God, (1 Timothy 2:8; 11-12). So female preachers giving sermons in the church is an obvious "no."But we do read of an evangelistic couple, Priscilla and Aquila who helped Paul and even housed the church in their home, (1 Corinthians 16:19). They did evangelism and taught Apollos the truth, (Acts 18:1–28).
Christians teaching non-Christians is a New Testament command we are all expected to follow. The Great Commission is not just for men. All are commanded to share the good news. How silly it would be, if a sister in Christ remained silent and did not share Jesus with someone, for the simple reason that the individual was a man.
Women will be encouraged to share Jesus with non-Christians. In the training Bible classes, the ladies who want to teach will work with the Christian ladies. Interested Christian females, will be given other roles to help them grow. They will be given opportunities to help set up outreach events and recruit and educate folks on evangelism work, such activities as door-knocking. Women are not to teach Christian men the Bible in a leadership role. But they are welcome to help in other areas. And will be encouraged to. When we tell women they can't serve the Lord or share Jesus we sin and encourage them to sin. The Great Commission is for all of God's children. Not just for men.
Practicing Digital Wisdom:
This is best done by planted churches. Since this requires great change.
This model is advanced and not all churches will have the structure to do this.
Here is an idea you might like to use for your church planting:
Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars a year on songbooks, Bibles, etc., our focus will be on using digital resources and meeting at a home or renting a building to save on heavy costs. Besides the costs church building upkeep can be (if not careful) a distraction and time drain. Now there is nothing wrong with having a paid-for church building or in having physical materials. Many churches for personal reasons will want to keep this format. The great thing about church planting is you can more easily transition a new church to such structures as I'm outlining. If you find the reasons shared reasonably sound you may wish to.
Most people have cell phones, and there are many free Bible apps and even songbook apps. We'll email/text the church members a recommended Bible app if a member does not have such on his/her phone and we'll send the app link for the COC songbook app. We'll introduce how to use these apps before worship begins. People are of course welcome to bring their own physical Bibles to worship, along with notebooks for recording Bible lessons and sermons, etc. People may want to bring their own materials from time to time, like sermons, and written down content for other reasons. That is of course fine.
During worship, the digital Bibles (if they don't have a physical Bible) and songbooks can be used on the church member's phones. For first-time visitors, we'll explain/show how to access these apps before worship and have a few tablets with apps installed and ready to use, at hand for those (visitors) who don't have a cell phone or who come in late, etc. A tablet is around 30 dollars on Amazon.
Bible apps: I personally like "BibleHub" - Android (English) And Apple (English). They also have this app in Spanish - Android and Apple. Note: such platforms include tablets, etc. BibleHub is free, has no ads, and is pretty easy to use for looking up passages. There are commentaries, you can even look up a verse in Greek to see the original meaning behind a specific word. Biblehub is also a digital platform that can be accessed online when this name (BibleHub) is searched for.
Besides Biblehub, any Bible app works. Most of you have Bible apps on your cell phone, use what works best for you. If a person wants to find more Bible apps, just search this term online. There are many other free Bible apps to choose from. A good Spanish app is "La Biblia en Español." Though it does have ads. You can get this app on Android and Apple. For personal use, I like the"Bilingual Bible Now." Can be used with Android and Apple. This app is in both Spanish and English. It costs 10 dollars to remove ads for lifetime use But the app has English and Spanish side by side. It's a great Bible for parallel comparison word studies.
If the Bible study lessons can be digital in nature, we'll focus on using such on our cell phones as well. They are better, in transporting, quick, 24/7 easy to access content, any time/anywhere with just a swipe of the cell phone. Digital Bible lessons are also cheaper to purchase than physical items.
The "Hymns for Worship" book: I looked online and it's about 15 dollars for a songbook. Add that with 10 people and that's about 150 dollars. If a group grows that adds up. Yet the "Hymns for Worship" hymnal app is free for 10 people or for 100 people, etc. It's easy to use. You can give it a test drive. Here is the app for Android phones. For iPhones. Another format we might explore is in simply putting together a PDF hymnal (by purchasing hymns) and sharing that with our group. We might look into that in the future. Besides cell phones Christians can use their digital tablets for worship.
We will also focus on creating a bilingual group of believers. When that happens our worship will reflect that. We'll have a Spanish Hymnal app called "SDA Hymnal - Multi-Language" This app is on Android and on Apple. lThis hymnal has user-friendly Spanish/English hymnals. Another good Billigual hymnal is Gospel Hymn Book + Audio. This app is on Android and Apple.
Digital Bibles and songbooks, are personal, transportable, cheap and can be used outside of the church, anywhere, anytime, by individual members, by our groups, and by our visitors. Christians can get together for signings, for devotionals, and for personal studies. Unlike physical church hymnals and Bibles, (which stay at the church buildings) there is flexibility for digital use and each person who has a digital copy can claim ownership for daily use.
The goal is to share Jesus with the Latino community. As well as immigrants from Peru, Cuba, Brazil, Columbia, Spain, etc. Our location for worship will be where these people are. For interested evangelism workers, there is also a BootCamp company called BaseLang that can get you bilingual within 2 months to 6 months depending on the course. It's expensive but for those who want to reach out to the Latino community, such steps can help.
Everything will be focused on strengthening the body of Christ and in bringing others into Christ's family. When we need to baptize someone instead of paying for a church baptistery and its upkeep, we can use a pond, ocean, swimming pool, etc. Funds are best used in reaching others for Jesus in soul saving instead of building maintenance.
Reasons for digital/format for setting up digital worship: See document.
Material connected to evangelism: Our church visitor card. Our church business card.
Place of meeting:
We will meet at 2 PM on Sundays at Carrollwood Cultural Center for worship/sermon. Then the church members can meet up for Bible study on Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM at Panera Bread.
We'll be known as the (church planted) "Carrollwood church of Christ."
We will meet up at a recreational facility nearby, (Carrollwood Cultural Center, ) Most recreational centers allow for rentals of rooms. And are relatively cheap. the rooms are 65-75 dollars each Sunday. See https://carrollwoodcenter.org/room-rental/ and look under "Carrollwood Village Room" which seats 15, when we grow, we will go to the "Meeting Room II" which seats 40. They have other more expensive rooms that may be considered when the church grows in size.
Unlike hotels that may charge per person, recreational locations tend to charge just for the room. Libraries that are open on Sundays and have large rooms for groups to reserve for use are other options. But after Covid 19 most libraries in Tampa Bay don't stay open on Sundays.
Note: we'll change our location to be nearer Ybor City. Where the Spanish community and immigrant communities are at.
This is also a better area for reaching the poor. This location will be near HCC College were we can meet young college students.
I'll post more details on the location/place in Ybor City soon.
Individual Christian meetings:
There will also be individual-oriented Bible studies throughout the month. Fellow saints can meet at different times of the month at 7 PM at Panera Bread for different evangelism training Bible studies. You are encouraged to invite non-Christians to these studies.
There will be a training class on Tuesday to show people how to do friendship evangelism and share the soul-saving gospel story. We will have a teaching class on another Tuesday to show saints how to teach new convert materials, (though soul-saving material will also be shared).
These (Tuesday) classes are also evangelistic in nature. Christians can invite church visitors, those talked to while doing errands, one's friends, and family, etc. to these classes. The training classes will also train our new converts. These studies are known as "coffee shop" evangelism. People sometimes join these studies or listen in. It's also a great way to invite people to join in.
.jpg)
Making workers for the kingdom:
Thousands of dollars a year (of church funds) can go to physical resources, and tens of thousands of dollars a year can go into to a church building, with its mortgage, utilities, etc. These church funds will have a much lower ceiling cost if these items are canceled out and are used instead for evangelism events, and outreach supplies for growing the congregation. The benefits will further church growth. The church funds can of course be used for other Biblical reasons, like helping church members who are truly in need, etc. There will also be minimal rental costs each week. Instead of paying 80 percent on building maintenance, physical materials, etc., we'll primarily funnel God's money for kingdom-building outreach activities that will train God's people for works of service.
We will teach our members how to be preachers, evangelists, Bible class teachers, etc.
Our meetings will be about inclusion. Many congregations don't use all their members. We will aim to use each willing person (scripturally) as an adult Bible study teacher, song leader, preacher, evangelist, Sunday school classes, etc.
We will give our members roles (before and after worship), as encouragers to greet/sit with visitors. The new converts, visitors, spiritually discouraged, new members, those standing/sitting by themselves, etc. are to be shown the love of Christ, they are to be talked to and encouraged. We will have folks write cards to visitors, sick, etc. after worship. We will have people make communion, help with prayer, make announcements as well as help with the Lord's Supper, and the activities of "giving on the first day of the week" within the assembly.
The goal of this work is mentorship and leadership. We will use God's people within the church and without to help them mature in His spiritual kingdom-building activities.
This church work will be Bible based. If the scriptures are silent on something we will not be doing it in worship. I have written a book on the 5 acts of worship, salvation, Bible authority, and the work of the Lord's church for you to look over if wished.
Structure of church service:
1. - Worship starts at 2 PM.
People are encouraged to arrive earlier to meet one another.
A. Before/after church greet/meet visitors, and new converts, seek to encourage others, (Hebrews 10:24-25) besides just one's social circle - (Matthew 5:46-48)
B. Practice hospitality, (1 Peter 4:8-9), inviting non-Christian/Christian visitors, new members, and new converts, out to eat at a restaurant or to one's home for a cooked meal, (besides just one's social circle).
C. Before/after worship practice the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:18-20) If fish are jumping into the boat, be ready. (Luke 5:9-10) When non-Christian visitors from the community are present, that is the chance you have to help them. Having compassion, love, and zeal will cause us to want to help them. You can invite them to our weekly Bible studies at Panera Bread, (where salvation themes are taught). Or share Jesus in other ways you wish.
D. Church members are encouraged to greet visitors, talk with them, and ask them to fill out a visitor card, "so we can write them and thank them for coming." The visitor cards will be emailed/texted to the group so they can write the visitors. The cards will also ask for their cell numbers, so we can text them our apps for church service. And our classes (digital) Bible study materials.
For more ideas on interacting with guests and church members see my evangelism strategy page. We'll go over Bible/church growth themes in our Bible classes.
2. - 2:00 PM OPENING ANNOUNCEMENTS/WORSHIP:
1. Welcome - Introduce any new visitors by name. (Ask beforehand for permission) to have them stand up and introduce themselves.
2. Mention those saints who need prayers, as well as family, and friends of church members who are sick. Share news of upcoming evangelism activities, church events, etc.
3. Outline the order of worship and why we do it this way (concerning apps, rental, using members to preach).
A. Show how to access the Bible app and songbook app before worship to visitors.
B. Give a quick demonstration (if needed) on how to log into the Bible/songbook app and use it.
A. - The Bible pattern of worship:
Everything we do will be from the Bible. (Proverbs 30:5-6); (Matthew 15:8-9)
Everything we teach needs to come from the Lord. (1 Peter 4:11) This is God's command and expectation. (2 John 9)
We must do all in Jesus' name (authority) that He's given us from His Word. (Colossians 3:17) If we claim to love Him we will do this. (John 14:15; 23)
I will list Bible passages for the reasons we do each thing mentioned in worship.
The church is supposed to be the pillar of truth. (1 Timothy 3:15) So it is the truth we will practice and only the truth.
We must be zealous for God's kingdom. (Matthew 6:33/1 Corinthians 15:58)
B. - Schedule of worship:
1. We are to pray to the Lord. We are to seek His support and guidance.
A. Begin church with - the first prayer (Acts 2:42) (1)
2. We are to sing gratefully to the Lord. And instruct one another in the songs we sing to our group.
A. Then a song (Colossians 3:14-16) (on Lord's Supper) (1)
3. We are to partake of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-28 /Luke 22:17-20)
We are to remember Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.
This is a time of gratitude for what He's done and also a time of sorrow for the price He paid on our behalf.
A. Then we have a (short/a few minutes) Bible talk about the bread and then prayer for the bread. (2)
Then partake of the bread.
B. Then we have a (short/a few minutes) Bible talk about the fruit of the vine and then prayer for the fruit of the vine. (3)
Then partake of the fruit of the vine.
4. The Bible tells us to give to the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
We are to give as prospered on the first day of the week in the church.
That we should give joyfully. (2 Corinthians 9:7) This means we are to be aware of our blessings in Christ.
This requires mindfulness, in worship in acknowledging/reflecting on what God has done for us.
Gratitude is part of the Christian walk. (Colossians 4:2) This time should reflect that mindset.
A. Then we sing a song (on Giving) (2)
B Then we have a (short/a few minutes) ) Bible talk and then prayer on giving.
5. Then we have a song on the sermon theme of teaching (3)
7. Teaching the Word (Acts 2:42) - (Sermon aim for 25-30 minutes)
We need to study and rightly handle His Word when we do this practice. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Sermons can be done in the traditional lectureship format or in an interactive format of engaging
the congregation through asking questions and getting responses.
8. Closing of church - song (4)
J. Closing of the church - prayer (4)
A. - Christians from church will later meet for
Bible class on Sunday at 5:00 PM at Panera Bread
1. We'll study Bible-based evangelism/church growth strategies.
I have put together a game plan here. A. B.
We'll also study Bible materials that will focus on kingdom-building themes. We will initially use the listed resources here.
These will be whole group classes where everyone will meet and can share ideas and thoughts on the materials we study. We will also brainstorm, ways we can improve from what we learn and share feedback on Sunday morning worship interactions with visitors. The class structure: We will all meet as a group, have members read from the books or lesson materials, and discuss what was read to how to best implement ideas we learn. The classes end at 5:45 PM-6:00 PM. Then the church members/visitors can chat, connect, and meet one another.
SUNDAY'S MORNINGS before/during/after worship we will focus on doing evangelism strategies and Bible-based church growth activities.
SUNDAY EVENINGS at Bible class we will focus on learning evangelism strategies and Bible based church growth activities to implement for worship.
For kids and young people:
Besides parents having children/teens trained at home: Mothers with babies and little children can choose to have their own separate classes taught to their little ones. These teachers can pick the materials to use. Or simply tell/read/explain Bible stories to teach the children. It's good for all people to be a part of the adult classes. So 1-2 ladies can do this rotationally.
For our preteens and teenagers, we'll form special meeting times for our Christian and non-Christian family members.
They will get a chance to grow in the Word and develop into spiritual leaders. We will have meetings at fast food eating places like Culvers, and coffee shops, etc. We'll also have meetings at people's homes (which will be good for signings).
The preteens will have a group and the teens will have a group. These Bible studies will focus on having each member get a chance to prepare a devotional for one of the group meetings. The groups will meet up to chat then the young men will split up for a devotional and the young women will split up for their devotional. The young people will also lead prayers. When the devotional/prayers are done both sexes will meet up again to talk/share ideas about the weekly things their group can do together, (for spiritual growth ). The adults (leaders) can help with getting ideas out there and getting activities in motion.
We'll also have church members get events and activities to help them spiritually grow as leaders and mentors. As well as build bonds with one another, honor God, and help serve the kingdom and those in this world. For interested church
members, we can also set up this same structure/model for the little kids who are old enough to be able to do such activities.
Our goal is to encourage personal responsibility in doing Bible study in groups and in individual lives. We want to help people get into the Word. If we read the Bible just three-and-a-half chapters a day, he would be able to read the whole Bible in one year. Setting aside fifteen to thirty minutes a day is all it takes to read God’s Word once each year. Many Christians spend hrs on social media, cell phones, and TV daily. Our goal will be to encourage the church to find ways of taking time each day to also get into the Word of God. Our church and groups will seek to help each member in this pursuit.
3. - Monthly Bible studies and events:
(All COC people are welcome to join)
The Ybor church is encouraged to help with this work.
These will be individual-oriented Bible studies throughout the month and evangelism infield training.
Week one: A. - Soul saving/invite classes
Tuesdays - 7 PM at Panera Bread, we will teach Bible themes on how to do lifestyle/friendship evangelism. We will do exercises to help people learn/get comfortable with inviting others to Bible studies/church. They will also learn how to talk to others about spiritual things and share the gospel with the lost. These classes will help us pass it on, to teach as we have been taught. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Week two: B. - Infield training
We will meet at a college, mall, or some other social setting to practice what we learn from our lifestyle/friendship evangelism class. The goal is to get acclimated and comfortable with approaching people. The goal is to do what each group member is comfortable with doing. They can smile, wave, say hi, etc. As they do what they are comfortable with doing they will be able to engage more socially as time moves on as we on as we do these events. We will also encourage our members to try to interact with people throughout the week. To learn more about friendship evangelism and the methods we'll use see our friendship evangelism training page.
Week three: C. - New convert training classes:
Tuesdays - 7 PM at Panera Bread, we will teach themes for new converts/Christians. These themes will lay solid foundations and be useful for grounding them in the core truths of the Word. These classes will be used to teach new converts/Christians. But they also can be used to teach non-Christians who come. What the group learns from these classes can be used to teach others. This class will educate our group on how to teach and familiarize them with excellent materials.
Week four: D. - Evangelism event:
On the last week of the month, we will do an evangelism event. We'll meet up to either do door knocking, campus vendor work or gym vendor outreach. We may also do other events each year. The goal is to share Jesus. But we also want to train people in these types of outreach formats and make leaders in doing event evangelism. The more people trained the more events we can do on our event day at the end of the month. The more events our members do the more acclimated our group will get in doing such activities. These event activities will also help us get more comfortable with doing friendship evangelism. To learn more see our evangelism event training page.
When we meet for these monthly classes:
We will meet together talk, and then break up into smaller groups of two, for our teaching classes. One person will be the teacher, and the other person will be the student. The teaching format will be detailed beforehand. Afterwards the group reforms and we can chat and hang out, till people want to leave.
These classes will be automated. We will meet at the same time, the same place on the same days to go over the same training formats. This will become natural and instinctive. Even when a team leader can't make it, the group will know what to do. With time those who are familiarize with this structure can step into the role as leader to head up this work. As we grow we will branch of into other locations and have more leaders for each location.
Structure: One will teach, and the other will listen. That same group will rotate at the next class.
The groups can be formed into new groups for the following classes. Rinse and repeat.
For visitors, they can choose to just listen. But for church members, all are encouraged to teach.
It's a Bible command we need to grow in and practice.
What we learn as teachers will help us become mentors, leaders, and better skilled in instructing the young and old alike.
By doing this work we will become comfortable with teaching Christians and non-Christians.
Christian women will teach women. Preteens and teenagers and up will practice teaching in these small groups.
The classes are best to be prepared for ahead of time by all the saints. Teachers and students are encouraged to have a notepad for answering Bible class questions and for taking notes.
After we all meet up at Panera Bread and chat for a bit, we'll break up into groups of two. The head teacher or one of the students can explain/show how to do this format. It's not that difficult to do/figure out. See our friendship evangelism teaching page to learn more.
Church member duties:
Those who are church members will be asked to help in church worship and outside of the church.
Inside of the Church:
Christian men be placed on a list and be rotated equally through the worship duties.
We will do the following within the church:
A. Prayer
B. Lord's Supper (helping lead prayers/pass the plates)
C. Lord's Supper (talk)
D. Church prayers
E. Song leading
F. Teachers
G. Sermon
H. Announcements
I. Expected of all - Greet/talk to visitors (inviting them to Bible study or to show hospitality)
Outside of the Church:
Christian men be given opportunities for growth and be encouraged to develop into these things
as they progress as servants/workers and mature as leaders:
A. Teaching classes (Christians and non-Christians)
B. Organizing evangelism events
C. Setting up evangelism event
D. Doing outreach events
E. Practicing hospitality
F. Contacting via text, card, the sick, discouraged, new converts, visitors, and new members to encourage them.
G. Hosting group meetings in one's home.
H. Heading up an evangelism group.
I. Having special new convert classes at home.
J. Mentoring someone as a leader in teaching, preaching, song leading, evangelism, encouraging others, etc.
K. Visiting new members, new converts, the elderly, those in hospitals, etc.
Note: This does not encompass everything. But you get the point.
The church members are encouraged to create their own evangelism events, groups, and activities, (besides doing what we have set up). As well as other Christian-related events. Bible-based works are encouraged. Creativity, industry, and initiative in the Lord's people is encouraged.
.jpg)
Ways women can serve the kingdom:
Many of the things you read above women can do.
But I want to highlight more examples. Ladies your role is important and valued too.
A. One-on-one classes or large group classes for women teaching women
B. Teaching young children within church and classes outside of the church
C. Making/getting communion bread and getting Lord's Supper supplies
D. Practicing hospitality/preparing meals/opening up their homes
E. Writing cards to visitors, the discouraged, the elderly, new members, etc.
F. Visiting the elderly, those in hospital, new members to welcome them to church/get to know them, etc.
E. Helping with Bible studies with non-Christians
F. Helping coordinate or set up evangelism events
G. Opening homes for Bible study for non-Christians, new converts, and fellow saints
H. Sharing church news each week through email/text/social media apps.
J. Hosting singings and potlucks
K. Mentoring the young people into strong Christians. For example: having kids over to make cards or bake cookies for the new members, new converts, those in hospital, the elderly, etc. to bring over. For example: having kids sing to the elderly at their homes. Having the kids over to write cards to the visitors. etc.
Leadership structure:
Elders:
The church will seek to make elders. But they must promote/practice Bible themes.
God expects us to follow His Word in all things. We are to speak the whole council of His Word. (Acts 20:27)
The New Testament pattern is to have church elders who follow the Bible's command to be hospitable. It's considered so important that God tells them an elder must be this. (1 Timothy 3:2) The command to teach is there as well. God expects us all to do these things as Christians. We are to teach one another and we are to teach the lost. Elders are expected to follow the Great Commission to be teachers/evangelists. A bad example can influence the whole church. An elder who does not follow the Bible does not help God's family grow as teachers, soul winners, leaders, or kingdom workers. This type of elder is not a Biblical elder. When elders are content to let the flock sit around, talk to their cliques, and be idle in doing the Lord's work, such "leadership" is harmful to the congregation and it is not Biblical.
Being tender-hearted, having a servant's heart, and seeking the best for others above self is what Jesus did. Shepherds need to be worthy of following our Lord and Chief Shephard, by living according to His Word. Philippians 2:1-11
An elder must also have zero tolerance for false teachings and teachers. (Acts 20:28-31) Churches have died due to being lax on this issue. Christians have fallen away due to elders ignoring the wolves living with the sheep.
For an elder to be appointed he must be an evangelist and be hospitable. An elder needs to know His flock and talk to them, not just his social circle. One cannot be a shepherd and "watch over the flock" if one does not know the sheep. (1 Peter 5:1-4)
He must lead with his actions, and not just with his words. Here are the qualifications of an elder. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)
Deacons:
Deacons are also supposed to be hospitable and evangelistic since they are in a position of influence and these are expected Bible commands to be followed. In the Bible deacon means "worker." They are to be church helpers in needed areas of congregational efforts. (Acts 6:1-7) Examples: Budgeting church treasury, getting a head count of attendance, and following up with letting others know who was missed. Supporting kingdom work by doing things like helping/promoting church meetings, making websites, social media and physical flyers, etc. He needs to learn who is sick, who needs visiting, and who is in the hospitable, and let the congregation know. We are all called to be workers, but a deacon is a special worker who sacrifices his time to coordinate/organize, and support the church work that the elders are focusing on. Here are the qualifications of a deacon. (1 Timothy 3:8-13)
Evangelism plan:
(All COC people are welcome to join)
The Ybor COC is encouraged to help in this work.
Outreach activities:
A. At church we will greet visitors/invite them to do a weekly study with us at Panera Bread or at a person's home studies (a Bible teacher and some members can head up/help with such events. We will teach them Bible soul-saving/church themes in group classes.
B. We will have special classes each month for training our members in evangelism.
C. We will have an evangelism event at the end of the month, for our church members.
1. Events can range from campus outreach, door knocking, vendor work at a fair, flea market, etc. After each event, we will go out to eat to reward ourselves for our hard work, discuss the evangelism efforts we just did, share feedback, and connect with the group. See past recordings of outreach events A. B.
2. We will also have friendship evangelism infield activities. These activities will help Christians get comfortable with approaching people to give invites, talk about spiritual things, and even set up live Bible studies with folks. See our friendship training page to learn more.
D. We will meet monthly on Tuesdays to study friendship evangelism. We will also practice - role-play doing friendship evangelism with our group remembers. We will be doing coffee shop evangelism at Panera Bread. We will meet a month to familiarize ourselves with teaching/learning new convert materials. These meetings are great places to invite non-Christians to. See our friendship training page to learn more about our classes.
E. We will meet at a home for a potluck or go out to eat at a buffet each month to talk about the evangelism work we did for that month, sing songs, and spend time with one another.
Evangelism culture will be foundational in the church planting work. This is what a New Testament church is supposed to reflect. Many churches sadly do not do evangelism in the community. This church planting work is for those who do want to follow the Great Commission.
See the article on our purpose and reasons for making evangelism a large part of the culture of this church planting work. There are many Bible ideas and spiritual themes shared in this document,
The Great Crisis of our times:
The great disparity of our times is the kingdom's apathy towards evangelism, from this has come congregational decline, Biblical illiteracy, and weakness in the brotherhood in the bonds of hospitality, love, and mentorship. I've heard from preachers, and saints stories of cold/cliquish assemblies. I've seen it myself. Places where I came in, worshiped, and left, the whole time being ignored. How much worse is it when the unsaved go to such places?
The Lord's people used to be called "walking Bibles." The church members were known for befriending visitors and inviting these people into our homes and lives. Church of Christ members in the 1800s and early 1900s were known for their commitment to doing the Great Commission. They were prayer warriors in fasting. In the US, most people knew what the church of Christ was.
Nowadays most don't know who we are. If the spirit of the Great Commission was actively followed within the kingdom the great disparity would cease. From the fruits of love, zeal, and Bible study, these mentioned trends would change. Not all churches are this way. But many are. Not all Christians are this way. But enough are that this has become part of our reputation. The fact that you are here, reading this says your heart is invested in His kingdom. It says you care and want to be part of the change.
In reading evangelism books I came across some quotes I want to share. I encourage you to think about them.
"I can guarantee that there is one thing you cannot do in Heaven that you can do on earth. You can worship God in Heaven. You can praise God in Heaven. You can sing songs to God in Heaven. You can learn God’s Word in Heaven. But one thing you cannot do in Heaven is share your faith with a non-believer. Why? Because everyone in Heaven is a believer. Do you realize that when you take your last breath, you will never again be able to talk with a lost person? Since that is true, shouldn’t it be a priority of your life to reach out to all the lost people on earth while you can? Auburn University gave me a four-year basketball scholarship for one very simple reason.
I don’t say this to be cocky, but I can shoot a basketball pretty well. I can take that orange ball and put it in the goal. Some people say I was born with the talent. I don’t believe that, although I definitely have athletic talent wired into me. The real reason I can shoot a basketball pretty well is hours upon hours upon hours of practice. All I did as a kid was shoot basketball, and if you do something often enough you get pretty good at it. So, if we can’t witness in Heaven and can witness only on earth, what is the only way we will ever become good at it? Practice. Practice. Practice. I firmly believe that witnessing is a learned talent. God burdens our hearts to reach the lost, but we must get out there and start practicing those conversations. The funny thing is, though, the more you practice, the easier it becomes." From Mark Cahill's book "One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven"
“Who, among Christians today, is a disciple of Jesus, in any substantive sense of the word “disciple”? A disciple is a learner, a student, an apprentice—a practitioner, even if only a beginner. The New Testament literature, which must be allowed to define our terms if we are ever to get our bearings in the Way with Christ, makes this clear. In contrast, the governing assumption today, among professing Christians, is that we can be “Christians” forever and never become disciples. Not even in heaven, it seems, for who would need it there? That is the accepted teaching now.
Check it out wherever you are. And this (with its various consequences) is the Great Omission from the “Great Commission” in which the Great Disparity is firmly rooted. As long as the Great Omission is permitted or sustained, the Great Disparity will flourish—in individual lives as well as in Christian groups and movements. Conversely, if we cut the root in the Great Omission, the Great Disparity will wither, as it has repeatedly done in times past. No need to fight it. Just stop feeding it." From the book "The Great Omission" by Dallas Willard
