The incredible story of one church that turned around in 30 days
On the one hand, I am hesitant to share this information. Our team works with several denominational leaders to implement The Hope Initiative. We get reports of God's work every week. My concern is that I might imply that The Hope Initiative is a silver bullet. It is not. But God is using it.
I also want to be careful to suggest that a 30-day turnaround means that the church is okay with a quick fix, and they are done. They are not. Such is the reason we often refer to The Hope Initiative as a "jump start."
On the other hand, we are currently seeing so much fruit from this initiative that I don't want to keep it quiet. I continue to be amazed at God's work in these churches. You will be amazed at the following story.
The background
This particular African Methodist Church (AME) denominational leader asked us to work with 25 churches in his state to implement The Hope Initiative. In essence, three of our team members (including me) provided them with training, encouragement, and accountability for three months via Zoom.
What we found with this group, like most congregations, is that the churches that put the effort into The Hope Initiative are highly likely to see fruit. No, it's not because this ministry is the silver bullet to which I alluded earlier. Instead, it is a 30-day culture shift to move hearts toward prayer and reaching the community evangelistically. Its simplicity overcomes most perceived hurdles.
Of course, I could share many stories. I thought this one would be encouraging for you church leaders.
The church
The AME church pastor took our admonitions to heart. He and his wife found a few willing participants to go through The Hope Initiative. Brad Waggoner on our team provided one-on-one coaching between our Zoom sessions with all 25 churches. We waited as each church went through the 30-day jumpstart. Then we heard the stories.
Rather than create a narrative about this church, I took Brad's bullet-point notes to share with you. Brad said they are very close to verbatim quotes from the pastor.
The principles
Though The Hope Initiative is not yet a year old, we have sufficient feedback to report. It is the most significant evangelism and prayer initiative I have participated in. Indeed, we are hearing that same sentiment from many people.
Here are some key principles we have learned thus far:
I do not presume upon God's future for The Hope Initiative. But I am grateful to Him for what He has done thus far. People have been saved. Prayer has increased in churches. Churches are unified. And the power of God is evident.
"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and forever! Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21).
Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, and online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn More » |