Church Planting in the Rockies

WHAT THE 2010 CENSUS WILL TELL US

(that we already know…)  

Just take a look around you. The writing is on the wall. The 2010 Census study will simply confirm two very important trends that our districts should note. And if we are to be faithful these trends provide two very important priorities. The trends? 

1.     Colorado’s population is over 20% Hispanic, Wyoming 8%, and South Dakota 3%. 

2.     In any given week about 9% of the U. S. population is attending some form of evangelical church service. 

To address the first issue, we have formed an Ethnic Church Planting Team that is creating a strategy to address both the Hispanic as well as all ethnic planting needs. We have identified that our strategy will include a four step approach – Relationship Building, Partnering, Training/Mentoring, and Empowering. Please continue to pray for this team as we seek God’s leading for the development of this strategy. Pray also for your church to be sensitive to this need and for clarity given to church leadership in terms of their role in addressing this need. 

The second trend – church attendance - touches us all, no matter the community. And while we know that church attendance is not the most important measuring stick it is an indicator of two critical issues – the growing number of non-believers, and the lack of maturity of those who do trust Christ.  

Pastor and planter Dave Manst (Monument, CO) has written his dissertation on our church planting efforts of the past 11 years. One of his important finds is that our church plants have averaged 12 conversions over the life of the plant. This news is sobering. And while we do not have statistics concerning our existing churches I suspect it is comparable. 

Consequently, at our recent Annual District Conference, we brought in Neal Brower, EFCA pastor and planting director for the Midwest District. Neal and his wife Judy have written a book called Pray and Watch which addresses the need for evangelism to permeate all we do as a church and for everyone in the church. Where embraced this approach has resulted in an 80% church- wide, multiple-generation, low anxiety, no guilt participation in evangelism. (How’s that for a commercial! This book can be found at www.nsresources.com.) Many of our planters will be adopting this approach over the next number of months. Please pray that all of our churches and plants would be more effective in bringing lost people to our Savior. 

Greg Pugh, Director of Church Planting and Development
heygap@hotmail.com  719-510-9131  www.redome.org