Surgery on Monday

It’s called Minimally Invasive Back Surgery. And it’s needed for 3 disorders: canal Stenosis, Lumbar Spondylosis and Neurogenic Claudication according to my neurosurgeon.

My surgery is finally scheduled for this coming Monday at 10:30am at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham, WA. I have been told I will need to be in overnight to make sure everything is OK.

This surgery on my lower back is for now. I also have another needed surgery on my neck that will wait until after my lower back heals.

I am hoping that I will only need a week off from work but that is in God’s hands. Good things are happening in the harvest fields with church planting and God continues to use me.

So, please pray that the Great Physician and Healer will guide Dr. Goldman as he opens me up with a small incision and does his work.

Now here’s my list of the top 10 things you do not want to hear from your surgeon while you are on the table:

10. “Oh, just pick that up off the floor and we’ll use it again.”

9. “What’s this red stuff that won’t stop coming out of him?”

8. “Can someone please find my textbook on surgery.”

7. “What’s a scapel?”

6.” Is that bone or muscle?”

5. “Where’s the phone number for his next of kin?”

4. “I think I forgot to use soap when I washed my hands.”

3. “2 out of 3 isn’t so bad.”

2. “But I was sure I was supposed to cut off the bone on the right.”

1. (The all-time worse thing to hear your surgeon say in the middle of your surgery) “OOPS!”

Expanding the Kingdom through Church Multiplication

On Thursday afternoon I had the opportunity to have lunch with and then spend the afternoon with four other guys in Vancouver, Washington (not to be confused with Vancouver, BC, Canada).

This was the first meeting of the newly formed Pacific Northwest District (EFCA) Church Planting Team. To my knowledge, this was the first meeting of such a church planting team in the PNWD for many years. Those present included three pastors, a District Superintendent and me. All of us have a heart for church planting and a desire to see church planters and church plants multiplied throughout the mission fields of Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

We spent time over lunch at the Olive Garden getting to know each other’s stories and why we share a common interest in church planting. Then we reassembled for some great discussion.

Much of what we talked about were the ideas and principles from Steve Addison’s book, Movements that Change the World. We dreamed together about how we might set the stage for a church multiplication movement to take place in the Pacific Northwest.

Addison writes about the five key elements found in movements that change the world: white-hot faith, commitment to a cause, contagious relationships, rapid mobilization and adaptive methods. Could it be that God might stir up such a movement for church multiplication here in the Pacific Northwest just like he is doing elsewhere in the world today?

Together we affirmed the vision shared by District Superintendent Bruce Martin – see the number of Evangelical Free Churches increase from 46 to 90-100 in the next ten years. Our desire is to work with the current pastors and churches here to help see this happen.

This is exciting stuff, especially in a district and region known much more for closing churches than for planting new churches.

The Pacific Northwest District currently has one active church plant, but three more may begin within the next 12 months, God willing. Please pray with me and us for a move of the Holy Spirit which results in multiplying disciple-making churches in the Pacific Northwest.

Dealing with the Unexpected

In the middle of March I woke up one morning with lower back pains which in a few days had spread to my lower front abdomen. Rest did not do much so I eventually went to my doc. He was puzzled and so I ended up at a neurosurgeon who put me through an MRI and discovered severe spinal stenosis (narrowing of the space around my spinal column nerves). Surgery was recommended but a follow up MRI indicated problems requiring surgery in my lower back and neck. Marty and I decided to have outpatient minimally invasive surgery on my back first while we pray.

That was step one. Now comes step two. My neurosurgeon wanted to have me checked by a cardiologist before he attempted any surgery so I went to a cardiologist who had me go through a nuclear stress test because of my previous heart artery stent procedures 4 years ago. I go through that 3 ½ hour test and head off to Tacoma where I am serving as interim pastor. Two days later I get a phone call from the cardiologist’s office with the news that part of my heart is not getting enough blood supply so he will do a heart catheterization to see what is causing the lack of adequate blood supply. That procedure will happen next Thursday in the morning. I find myself dealing with the unexpected and thanking God for your prayers.

So at the present time, here’s what I am facing:.


#1-Heart catheterization with possible angioplasty and/or stent placement next week. If that one-day procedure doesn’t work, then I may need something else done.

#2-Lower back minimally invasive surgery to open up space for my nerves and take care of some disc herniation. This too should be a one-day outpatient surgery.

#3-Soon I will probably need a more extensive surgery on my neck involving fusion of three vertebrae with laminectomies.

#s 2 and 3 are dependent on a successful treatment and resolution of #1.
These issues are really no surprise since I have a history of cardiac artery disease and stent placement for blockages and 3 different back surgeries in the lower back and neck, but they are certainly unexpected and will require God to provide funds for the insurance deductables.

So thank you for your prayers and please pray for wisdom and guidance for the doctors and health care people involved resulting in healing from the Lord. Pray that I will not have to miss much time away from my many ministry responsibilities. Pray for Marty who will be giving some home care for me while I recover and as she works part-time. And pray for us for the peace of God, patience for recovery and healing, dealing with pain caused by my neck problems while I wait for surgery, and for the strength and courage to trust the Lord for his will.

Adjusting to a Busy Ministry Schedule

I enjoy blogging, but finding the time to do it and do it well is another story.
In July I began a new ministry as an Intentional Interim Senior Pastor. This full-time ministry is an addition to the coaching, consulting and training that I am also beginning to do in my role as Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest. This is a bi-vocational ministry where my “day job” is also ministry but in my current case a full-time-plus day job.

Now, I’m only doing this double duty because the Interim Pastorate is short-term, meaning six-months to a year depending on the need and how quickly the church will be able to call a new senior pastor. This church ministry is a God-send and an answer to prayer for our “daily bread.” But it is still a very demanding schedule, especially at our age and energy level.

For example, it’s my day off and I just finished writing the pastor’s blog for the church web site, posted it, and then turned my attention to writing this blog. Following this I will be editing my Coach and Equip web site and cleaning my desk. I can do this because it’s a quiet day with Marty at work handing out samples at Costco, and it’s raining outside. At least I got a nap in today and was able to sample Apple Strudel handed out at Costco in Bellingham by Marty. I’m also able to do this because I finished my sermon preparation and sermon Power Point for tomorrow in Tacoma.

So, to my coaching, consulting, and training, add the following “normal” church stuff: sermon preparation and preaching, counseling, training leadership, recruiting leadership, coaching leadership, hospital and home visitation, blogging, entering stuff on Facebook and Twitter, phone calls, reading, researching the church neighborhood, preparing for and leading the weekly Bible Study and Prayer meeting, attending church activities in the neighborhood, leading staff meetings and coaching the staff, planning, preparing for an all-day leaders retreat, and did I say praying? Now, what am I forgetting?

All this is to say I need prayer, and from time-to-time a bit of encouragement.
Oh yes – I will soon be having surgery for my back so my schedule will need to be adjusted some for a few weeks. More to come on that soon.

One of the biggest challenges in ministry is learning to use the communication tools that are available.

In the last three weeks I have been learning to use Twitter. Twitter is a social network tool that has hit the church planting world with a storm. I am learning to use it to expand my network of church planting leaders and discover what’s on the cutting edge in church planting ministry. I am also sending “Tweets” letting people know the resources that I use, books I am reading, and Twitter users that I am following. For example, one of the best sites for current church planting information is Ed Stetzer’s regular Tweets at @edstetzer. In the future I envision using Twitter to promote resources that I will produce and advertising services that I offer. Plus, there are many uses that I look forward to discovering. Resourcing is a valuable part of effective coaching, consulting and training. You can follow my Tweets on Twitter at @charlieworley.

I have been using Facebook for a few months now and enjoy networking with over 350 friends now, many of them my students and people that I have or am coaching. Facebook also has e-mail capabilities that I use from time to time. Recently I encouraged one of the church planters I am coaching to get the word out on his infant church plant using Facebook and Twitter for maximum exposure and advertising. You can become one of my Facebook friends and follow me at www.facebook.com/charlieworley.

At the Interim Pastor ministry I am doing at Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington, I am using Facebook, Blogging, e-mails, letters, phone calls, personal visits, and public announcements to improve communication. I have learned that if communication is to be improved, it must start with me. It takes time, but it’s worth the effort. Check out the church web site at www.calvarytacoma.org.

I haven’t learned “texting” yet and have resisted because my finger joints are getting larger and stiffer and the keys on the phones are getting smaller . But, this may change before long.

Maybe you have some ideas on how I can best communicate with you.

Birth Announcement

One of the great benefits of coaching is seeing those with whom I have had a coaching relationship bear fruit for the Lord. On Wednesday I received the following e-mail “Birth Announcement” from Trevor, a church planter in Dallas whom I have had the privilege of coaching:


"...there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord with me! He has done it again! SALVATION IS OF THE LORD! It is He that draws, and it is He the saves. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7 (ESV) Praise the Lord!”

“I elatedly announce to you the new birth of Toney, today, about 5:30p.m.! I was walking through the transit station toward Long John Silver's which was on the other side of the street as I eyed a man in one of the bus dugouts. I was tempted to keep going, but the Lord placed him on my heart (an answer to prayer - that God would set up divine appointments). I noticed that he had a folder in his hand which might have contained resumes. Indeed, he had been job hunting. I did have a job lead for him too. I gave him my STBC card, and on the back I wrote the job lead info. Please be in prayer for this.

This prompted him to ask if I were a pastor. This led us to exchange a little about our background. He explained that he had recently left CA, and was nearly homeless. He is temporarily allowed to stay with his mother, but that not a good situation, because she recently got married. His sisters would not allow him to stay with them. Please be in prayer for this.

He continued to talk about his life challenges. Yet, he expressed interest in peripheral godly things. So I asked him if he were a Christian, and he responded that he was. As I probed further, it became obvious to him that his Christianity had no foundation. Thus, he was unsaved. I shared Christ as the solution to sin. I asked him if he were hungry. He said yes. We continued to Long John Silver's for fish tacos. He told me that it had been a long time since someone had been nice to him. After eating I asked him if there was any reason that he wouldn't like to trust Christ right then. Immediately, he expressed a desire to trust Christ. We prayed together for the forgiveness of his sin, and he gave his life to the Lord. Please be in prayer for him.”

Note: I (Charlie) thank God for Trevor and my small role in his life and ministry and pray that there will be many more Trevors and many, many more Toneys. To God be the glory!

Change?

On July 1st I began a ministry as Intentional Interim Senior Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington. This is one of the ministries that I do as a Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest. And, Sunday was my first opportunity to preach to and begin leading the congregation of 140+ people as their pastor for the next six months or perhaps a few months longer.

The message was intended to be an introduction to a series of talks on Ephesians as well as to my ministry as interim pastor. The Lord led me to focus on the necessity and importance of change as we build together a foundation for the future of the church. Three kinds of change were highlighted.

Change is simply doing something different. For example, change happens when we grow up as we move from crawling to walking. The Christian life is filled with small steps of following Christ as we grow into maturity and Christlikeness. And change in the church is required as membership increases or decreases or certain programs or ministries no longer work like they used to.

The second kind of change that is needed is transition or moving from one place to another. We transition we change jobs or when one pastor leaves a church and another comes. Neighborhoods change as people and businesses move out and new people and businesses move in or disappear. Churches have 2,3 or 4 generations and churches transition as one generation becomes leaders and an older generation no longer leads.

The third kind of change is radical change called transformation. Transformation is becoming something different. The Gospel of Christ is designed by God to bring radical transformation in the individual where she or he becomes a new creation ever becoming more like Christ in thought, word and deed. Churches filled with transformed believers are designed by God to go through radical changes to reach new people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And transformed churches possess the power of God that can transform a neighborhood or community if ministry “ruts” can be avoided or overcome.

My role at Calvary Baptist is to be a change agent helping individual believers and the church change, transition and experience transformation with God’s help. It’s no small job but with prayer, God’s enablement and empowerment, all things are possible.

How do you handle change?

The Blessings of Reminders

These past two or three weeks have brought us several reminders that we are following God’s leading and are in the center of God’s will. Here’s two or three examples.

On Sunday we received a special gift of $300 from a church that loves us and believes in what we are doing. This was a benevolent gift. It happens that our small but growing financial support was running a little short this month and we had bills that needed to get paid. We were humbled again to know that God answers prayer by moving the hearts of his people to give to needs that he reveals at just the right time.

Today I am grading papers from a Church Planting Bootcamp class that was held last April. God blessed us first by my being asked to serve as the Instructor of Record for this class of seminary students. Second, I was unexpectedly asked to help teach a couple of sessions in addition to coaching the 20 students. Third, I am being blessed by reading the papers, one of which is a launch plan on how each student will uniquely begin a church plant among a people and at a place the student might start a new church. I am awed by such potential for God’s kingdom expansion represented in each project. Wow!

Also today I received an e-mail from a denominational leader in Canada who wants to discuss how I might be best used to help coach and train his group as they seek to plant more churches to reach new people and people groups.

A few days ago I opened a Twitter account and have begun to use it to encourage church planters, pastors and church leaders through a powerful social network tool that many new generation church planters are using for the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom. I was reminded again that through such tools as Twitter and Facebook, blogs and web sites, your kingdom ministry can truly be world-wide and cross-cultural.

Thank you, Lord.

EFCA Conference Highlights

The Evangelical Free Church Conference was held in Columbus, Ohio on June 14-17th. Here are some quotes and highlights from the workshops, meetings and plenary sessions:

“Look and pray for opportunities to be salt and light in your community.” – workshop on building bridges of outreach in your community

“As a pastor, you should know your community better than anyone else.” – Rick Warren as quoted in The Church of Irresistible Influence.

“God has made us fully adequate to serve him.” – Tim Addington

“The Apostle Paul was not a pessimist because he understood the supremacy of Christ.” – John Ortberg

“There is a God and it is not me.” – John Ortberg

“Transformation takes every bit as much grace as does salvation.” – John Ortberg

“Grace is opposed to earning but not to working.” – John Ortberg

“Spiritual growth is hand-crafted, not mass-produced – God alone knows what each person needs.” – John Ortberg

“We have to learn to gage spiritual growth in a way that does not cause the Pharisee (in us) to win.” – John Ortberg

“The world is not likely to hear the gospel of transformation told by someone whose life is not being transformed.” – John Ortberg

“The greatest need in a changing world is courage.” – Tom Nelson

“Courage comes from a careful attention to God’s Word.” – Tom Nelson

“Will you live safe or will you live brave?” – Tom Nelson

“It’s not a day to play little games.” – Tom Nelson

“Our power is directly proportional to His presence.” – Samuel Rodriquez

“God anoints what He appoints.” – Samuel Rodriquez

Multiplying Church Planters

We call it a Bootcamp because it is intensive and it requires much from the participants. Such was the case at the second Church Planting Bootcamp that I was able to help teach and lead in the last three months.

This Bootcamp was held on the Biola University Campus in Los Angeles this week and was again sponsored by the Evangelical Free Church of America. I was there as a coach and one of five instructors with 21 students participating. This event was very multicultural and inter-generational. Like the Church Planting Bootcamp in Canada in April, I came away very impressed with the multicultural potential of church planting. God is up to something in the great mission field known as the Pacific Northwest.


The new theme that has emerged over the last few years is the church in mission in North America and the church as missionary in its context. Instead of the members of the church sending missionaries to foreign lands, the church members here are now seen as missionaries and the church is seen as a mission outpost in an unbelieving world. The students at the Church Planting Bootcamp are trained to be missionary leaders with a vision and strategy for reaching people who are unchurched and unsaved.

Students at the Bootcamp learn that North America is now known as the only place in the world where the Christian church is not growing and the population is now equal to the third largest mission field in the world! Church Planting Bootcamps are filled with eager learners who are answers to your prayers. Will you join with me in daily prayer that the Lord of the harvest will send forth workers into his harvest field to make disciples of Jesus who plant and multiply more churches (Matthew 9:36-38; 28:18-20)?

A Tribute to Vinny Carlson

Every pastor needs a Vinny in his life and ministry.

I will greatly miss Vinny Carlson. How Marty and I will miss being there in Holdrege to remember his life and celebrate his homegoing with his family and all who will gather at Holcomb, his beloved church. I will miss the stories told by his family and friends as he is remembered, because I also remember his stories. We will miss being there for the laughter and the tears, the joy in the Lord that can only come at times like this to all those who personally know and love the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

We will miss yet another reminder that for believers in Christ Jesus, a homegoing into Glory precedes a homecoming of the glorious One together with Vinny and Harriet and all believers who have “departed” for a short while. Vinny loved to think about that glorious day in my many conversations with him.

I will never forget the day that Vinny came to me and said, “I think it’s about time for me to be baptized.” Being a church leader at the time, it took courage for him to make that public stand for Jesus, but he was a humble and courageous man of God. When God convicted him, he had to obey. However, Vinny wanted me to make sure I didn’t drown him in the baptismal tank so he threatened to wear his ski jacket for the ceremony. From what we could tell from our visit to Holdrege last fall for Holcomb’s 110th Anniversary, Vinny entered heaven with his humor intact. On that visit last summer at Christian Homes, we had to almost run to keep up with Vinny and his walker as he took us to see Grant Bergman. Vinny brought a smile wherever he went, but especially at the Christian Homes where he will definitely be missed by residents and staff alike. And you know what? I believe Vinny was the kind of man who put a smile on God’s face just like he put a smile on the faces of all he knew.

Every pastor needs a Vinny in his life because he adopted the pastor into his family. We always knew the place to be on Christmas Eve was at Vinny and Harriet’s house where we were family to them. Our extended family lived far away from Holcomb, but Vinny and Harriet became parents to us and grandparents to our three daughters. We were just part of the family – a family where everyone knew we were loved, accepted and appreciated.

When I remember Vinny, I recall the humble man of God who tolerated my attempts at golf, invited my family to his lake house for rest and fun, showed me by example how to minister to the elderly, taught me how to lead a church board with grace and truth, volunteer because God’s work needed to get done, show up for church even when I didn’t want to because he loved his Holcomb Church family – every single one of us, and protected his pastor from undue criticism. And Marty will always be grateful for the priceless gift of two tickets to go to Memorial Stadium and watch his beloved Cornhuskers play her beloved University of Maine in 2005. The Big Red won 25-7 and I still had a very happy wife!

We will miss Vinny because we always knew that he was praying for us each day. And oh how pastors need prayer and need to know that we are being prayed for. Every pastor needs a Vinny in his life and we were blessed beyond measure to have God’s original.

Vinny loved his God, loved his family, loved his church family, loved his pastor, loved his Christian Homes and his community. He loved life and is now enjoying eternal life with his Jesus, and we will miss him until we see him again in Glory. Well done, good and faithful servant of the Lord. Now, who will follow in Vinny’s footsteps?

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thes. 4:16-18)

The Joy of Receiving

You’ve heard of the joy of giving? How about the joy of receiving?

A few days ago, we received a Ministry Support Team response card from some dear friends. They are special friends that one encounters over the years in a ministry like ours, coaching and training church planters. The card indicated that this man, a new church pastor, and his church would pray regularly for us and also support us by sending $100 a month to help support us in our ministry.

What a blessing it is to have friends like him who support us and the Lord’s work through us. And, what a joy it is to know that God used us in the past to encourage them in getting started as a new church. We thank God for these and others of our supporters and know that God will bless them in the joy of giving just as he does to us through the joy of receiving.

The Lord put it this way in his Word: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

Here’s an update on our work of building a Ministry Support Team made up of people who pray for us and give for our support.

As of the end of May, we know of 18 people or families and one church who have been led of God to support our ministry through their prayers and giving. Through monthly, annual and one-time special gifts, last month we received over $1700 in salary. This is especially helpful since Marty does not yet have a job. The difficulty for us is that we have had to rely on sending requests letters and prayer letters since all but one or two that we know live far away from where we live. Please pray with us that God will introduce us to those who live near enough for me to make personal contact.

If you have not responded to my invitation letters yet, please let me know by sending the response card to the address with your gift or pledge or e-mailing us at charlieworley@gmail.com.

How have you been blessed by God because you prayed and gave of your resources?

Helping a Church Transition

This Sunday I will be speaking at a church whose leaders have asked me to help them make a transition from a pastor who is retiring after 10 years at the church to their next pastor. So, how will I help them?

First, this church needs to understand how to grieve the loss of a beloved and faithful long-term pastor. People in the church will respond in different ways, but there will be a sense of loss. Along with this emotion may come several possible reactions including a sense of loss of hope, feelings of abandonment, an unhealthy focus on the past, denial, depression, anxiety and even anger. In the end, there will be acceptance and a desire to move on and look to the future with full appreciation for what the former pastor added to their life and contributed to their growth. The keys to this are listening with compassion and understanding, and praying with and for hurting members. There may be opportunity to teach on transition involving a pastor and building hope for the future.

Second, both positive and negative issues that may exist in the church after the former pastor has left need to be dealt with. Sometimes there may be unresolved conflict between members or between members and the former pastor or previous pastors. The working relationship between the pastor and the church leadership often needs to be strengthened if possible and improving communication is a must. The leadership needs help in identifying top issues that need some work and then in working with them to address the issues.

Third, churches in transition often need help in evaluating church structures and ministries. But evaluation is not the end of the work. In times of transition, there is great opportunity to help the church leadership make changes, streamline and simplify. Both paid and volunteered staff can also be evaluated and recommendations for future staffing made. The church leadership needs help in saying no, yes and not yet to everything. Sacred cows can be fed and watered, or if necessary barbequed.

Fourth, the church leadership can often us some help and leadership in evaluating and improving the health of the church and its ministries. Leadership or coaching a church health team to accomplish this is often very helpful.

Fifth, the right time for the church to initiate a search for a new pastor needs to be discerned. Once that happens, the search committee or team can benefit much from coaching and consulting as it walks through a process which may take several months to complete.

My job is to help this church transition and prepare for its next senior pastor and then pass the baton of pastoral leadership to the new pastor so that there is unity, joy and excitement over the future in accomplishing God’s unique mission and vision for the church and its community.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1a) Please pray for Marty and me as I add this ministry to my growing labors of coaching, equipping and training in God’s Kingdom.

Learning (about God) from Church Planters

Today the District Superintendent of the Lower Pacific District in the EFC Canada and I held back-to-back meetings with two men. One is a church planter in Vancouver, BC whose new church is one year old, and the other who is a potential church planter I met at the recent Church Planting Bootcamp class at Trinity Western Seminary. I have introduced one of them, Sammy, to you before. The other’s name is Sam. Here’s what I learned today about God from them.

God honors faith. It’s possible to be resource rich, yet faith poor. Far better to be like these men and their families who being rich in faith rely on God rather than human resources including their own. A bold and realistic faith trumps money, facilities, equipment, experience, education, human knowledge, skills, etc. “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.” (Jer. 9:23-24)

When God puts a dream or vision in your heart, go for it. God lives within his servants and he gives to them his vision and dreams for ministry. These two church planters and others like them want more than anything to do what they believe God is calling them to do, each in a unique way and with different people. Let’s call it obedience to the Great Commission so that all nations and people groups on earth will be reached with the Gospel of the Kingdom. (Matt. 28:18-20)

Lost people matter to God, and therefore lost people matter. The church planters I know and coach have a compelling desire to .Like the Son of Man, they believe that they have come “to seek and save the lost.” (Lk. 19:10) God is in the business of seeking after and saving the lost, and so should we. And so should I.

God does not work alone. He uses people in his work and he works in community, first within the community of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and then within the community of the church. The church planters I met with today desire to work with others in association with other church planters and other churches. The church planters I know and coach want to work together in Kingdom ministry, encourage one another and partner in God’s work with other pastors and churches. "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

So what are you learning about God from church planters?

The Church Planting Bootcamp Experience

Nineteen students participated in the Church Planting Bootcamp training held on the campus of ACTS Seminaries at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, Canada on April 26-30th.

The Bootcamp was an intensive five-day experience designed to equip potential and active church planters and district leaders for what normally happens in the first two years of a church plant. This Bootcamp was sponsored by the Evangelical Free Church of Canada and ACTS seminaries. It was led and taught by three national leaders in the church planting ministry of the Evangelical Free Church of America - George Klippenes, EFCA Church Planting Director, Dave Page and Ray Chang.


A total of 27 modules or sessions were taught over the five days. The content and individual sessions are the product of 10 plus years of experience in hosting and leading Church Planting Bootcamps across the USA. This was the first Evangelical Free Church Bootcamp offered in Canada with the intent that more will be held on Canadian soil in the Canadian context.


Day one of the Bootcamp covered six foundations. Day two included training in six dream dynamics (Mission, Vision and Values). Day three focused the students on six gathering strategies. Day four was all about five disciple-making stages, steps and classes. And Day five concluded the training with equipping for critical startup ministries.

What follows are some of my personal opinions and observations based on this Church Planting Bootcamp experience.

This experience is essential for the church planter and church planter wannabe. And that includes district or denominational church planting team leaders.

The genius of the Bootcamp experience is found in a combination of factors. There is teaching by experienced church planters and coaching by the trainers and other church planting leaders in attendance.
Small group interaction and fellowship throughout the event plus practical in-class assignments based on the content being presented add value. Combine that with hands-on personal and practical application of the content and the awareness that one is learning survival skills in church planting ministry. Many of the ideas and principles can be put to immediate use. Some models are presented and analyzed, but the important exercise is discovering the principles that can apply whatever the model chosen. Most importantly, the Bootcamp experience depends heavily on prayer and the leading of the Spirit of God in applying what is taught.


Some of the content needs more work on making it more adaptable in the Pacific Northwest and Canadian cultural settings. There was some apparent pushback when the concept of launching large and large church sizes and growth. The Pacific Northwest and Canada are more “post-Christian” and therefore need more tools to adjust church planting vision, strategy and tactics. More work needs to be done on identifying the principles behind missional/incarnational church planting.

The Bootcamp experience will be most effective and successful when it is combined with individualized assessment of potential planters and on-going coaching.

This Bootcamp is a good example of how partnerships between countries, denominations and districts can be used by God to advance His kingdom and build His Church.

I anticipate more opportunities for offering the Church Planting Bootcamp and other good training venues in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. And my prayer is that God will use me to train and coach many more church planters and church planting leaders.

Care to share your thoughts about the Church Planting Bootcamp experience?

Helping Planters Prepare for the Harvest

This past week my ministry as Church Planting Coach took me to the Church Planters Bootcamp held on the campus of ACTS Seminaries at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, Canada. 19 students gathered for five days of intensive orientation and training in how to plant a church. It was my privilege to be the professor of record, help with administration, help teach two of the training modules, and help coach the students. These students were from across Canada and included Free Church District Superintendents, a district church planting team, church planters and seminary students interested in church planting.

During the week, it became obvious that God is up to something. Many years ago I served as a District Superintendent in the Canadian Free Church and dreamed about something like this happening. I believe God is about to send workers (church planters) into the harvest fields of Canada in response to prayer (Matthew 9:36-38).

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Students worked hard on such subjects such as "Prayer Foundation: Prayer Driven Planting," "Vision Doorway: Where are You Going?," "Evangelism: Win the Lost," "Leadership: Developing Leaders," "Managing Growth and Change," and "Worship." In all, 30 modules covering the nuts and bolts of the beginning stages of church planting were presented.

I had the personal privilege of helping coach a district church planting team in how to develop a strategy for multiplying churches. God also used me to encourage church planters and apply what they were learning. Several EFC Canada leaders are now thinking and praying about having another church planting bootcamp next year so that many more can come. The excitement grows for kingdom expansion through planting missional churches that multiply believers, groups and churches for the glory of God.

Preparation for Bootcamp

I am just finishing my preparations for the Church Planting Bootcamp class that is being held on the Trinity Western University campus in Langley, BC, Canada beginning tomorrow and running through Friday for 8 hours each day.

The Bootcamp is a relatively new training tool for church planters, sponsoring churches and denominational leaders. The goal of the instruction and Bootcamp experience is to train church planters and candidates in the essential steps that a new church progresses through as it begins, develops, launches and grows into maturity. Experienced church planters take the students through a number of different modules of instruction. The nineteen students who will be there will have read three key church planting books. I will be there as the Professor of Record to grade papers of students who take the class for credit.

While I enjoy the academic interaction, I am most looking forward to coaching the students as they interact in small group discussions and in-class application assignments. This means I will be asking them questions rather than providing answers. My goal in coaching is to help them develop the church that God has already planted in their heart. I go as a Barnabas, an encourager and helper who, like the character in the New Testament, helped Paul become the great Apostle, New Testament author and church planter.

What a great privilege it is to be a helper in the ministry of multiplying new churches that will reach new people who will become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

You can read more about the Church Planting Boot camp experience at http://www.efcastartchurches.org/boot-camp/

Church Planters I Know

As I develop my new ministry as a church planting coach, it’s encouraging to know the “who” of my work in God’s kingdom. Here’s a new and growing list of “front line” warrior-servants in God’s army with whom I am beginning to work.

Chad is a young 30something who is attempting to plant a church in British Columbia. He is married with two little sons and another child on the way. After serving as a youth pastor in existing churches, he sensed it was time to begin working on a dream that God has put in his heart years ago, a vision for a new church that will reach those who long for true community and a life-changing experience with God. Chad is sacrificing the security of an established ministry with its accompanying salary and benefits for a low-paying, part-time job, some personal support raising and lots of faith and courage. He and his wife are very appreciative to have a coach to come alongside them in their faith-stretching journey.

Mike is another 30something who is currently in seminary, but looking forward to planting a new church in the Seattle area. He is married with a small child and another on the way. Mike probably won’t move to the Seattle area until summer of 2011 but he is responding to coaching as if his future depended on good preparation, and it does! He too is discovering the church that God has planted in his heart. We had our first coaching session this morning in which we talked about laying a good spiritual foundation for planting, his assessment needs, how he might support his ministry and why he is thinking about a certain part and people of Seattle as his future ministry focus. This is foundational stuff for planters.

Sammy is from the Congo in Africa by way of an Uganda refugee camp. He and his wife now live in Vancouver, BC, Canada, with their six children. Yesterday Marty and I attended the first anniversary of his new church named Jesus Grace International Church, a small but growing Pentecostal church plant. I have known Sammy and his family for over a year. This is a man of God with a heart for lost people. Tomorrow we have our first coaching session. I look forward to helping him evaluate his new church and discover the knowledge and resources he needs to be a successful church planter in his new Canadian context.

We can’t wait to see who else God will connect with us and how he will use us in his kingdom. Whoever these dear people will be, they will be an answer to prayer (Matt. 9:36-38).

Making Progress in Building a Ministry Support Team

The first responses from my letter of invitation to join our Ministry Support Team are beginning to come in for which we praise the Lord.

One friend in Missouri sent us a one-time ministry support gift of $500 and a commitment to pray regularly for us. Another friend in Nebraska sent us the first installment of $25 toward a monthly support commitment and a commitment to pray regularly for us. Still another friend in Nebraska sent us their response card indicating they were not able to financially support us but would pray for us on a regular basis. And, as I mentioned in my last Blog entry, our 5-year old granddaughter gave $.35 out of her piggy bank to help support us. We know she is praying for us!

To date we have sent 122 invitation letters to people in 19 states. I am hoping to be able to add friends in Canada and to recruit friends from the church we have just started to attend.

This week I hope to begin making phone calls to follow up the letters and responses.

Enlisting Support Team members who will pray on a regular basis, especially daily or weekly, is of utmost importance. My goal is to have 100 people who will pray for us and our ministry.

We need friends, like the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, who won’t stop knocking on heaven’s door on our behalf and for those whom we serve in kingdom ministry. Here are some ideas on how to pray for us right now:

1.Ask the Lord of the harvest with us to send workers into his harvest fields of the Pacific Northwest and Canada (Matt. 9:36-38).

2.Pray for Marty to find a good job that fits her gifts and talents and will provide health insurance for us.

3.Pray for God to lead people to support us in our ministry as a Church Planting Coach through their prayers and finances.

4.Pray for me and other trainers and students as we make the final plans for the Church Planting Bootcamp to be held on the Trinity Western University and Seminary campus on April 26-30th.

Thank you for your prayers and your support.

Why Are You Doing This?

Last week I was asked a question by a church planter that I was coaching. The question was simple, “Why are you doing this?” Now that’s a good question and one that forces some healthy reflection.

My first attempt to answer his question went something like this: “Because I heard your story and wanted to help you.” I meant it. My heart and passion is to help church planters do well what God is calling them to do. That was the heart of Barnabas in the New Testament as he “adopted” Paul in order to disciple him in the faith and ministry and help him do what God had called him to do. And that’s why I welcome the opportunity to be a church planting coach in the Pacific Northwest. I want to be a Barnabas.

Then I added something like this, “Because I love church planters.” Marty and I have “been there and done that” and we know that church planters and their families need lots of love and understanding. Church planters and other missionaries are often targets for Satan’s attacks and for criticism by God’s own people. Those who are called by God to start and multiply new churches have to deal with the dark clouds of discouragement, depression, loneliness and unrealistic expectations. They need lots of love and encouragement. I want to be there for church planters, the pioneers of the kingdom.

But I’m writing this on Good Friday. As I reflect on the meaning of this day, I am reminded of the most important reason for why I am doing this. Jesus died for sinners like me because he loves us enough to pay the awful price of sin - my sin, and the sins of millions of people who do not yet know him personally.

Church planters are those people who carry the message of Good Friday and Easter Sunday to other people who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. As this wonderful message of the gospel spreads throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, followers of Jesus are being multiplied and new churches are being planted.

In the end, it’s all about Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus crucified, Jesus buried, Jesus raised from the dead and Jesus’ church. That’s why I do what I do. To God be the glory!

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

- Charles Wesley 1738

A Child's Coins

Ever hear of a “widow’s mite?” A gift that seemed so small in man’s eyes was great in God’s eyes. You can read about that story in The New Testament book of Mark, chapter 12, verses 41-44.

Equally significant in God’s eyes is what I call a “child’s coins.” I’m referring to 35 cents to be exact - a quarter and two nickels. Let me tell you the story of a child’s change.

Yesterday our daughter, Helen, and her three precious little children, also our granddaughters, spent the day at our house. They were having some remodeling work done at their house and they needed a place to “park” for the day.

We are always very happy to see our granddaughters come over for a visit, but there was something special about this time.

Five-year old Adia, the oldest, loves to ring our musical doorbell, and then wait in eager expectation to see Grammy or Grampy open the door with our usual surprised look. This time, after her Grammy opened the door, she walked in with a home-made envelope in her hand. Reaching out with a grin big enough to melt her Grampy’s heart, she gave the envelope to me and waited for me to open it. She made it for me all by herself.

I opened it up and in a very special hand designed card out fell three coins - a quarter and two nickels. It puzzled why she would give me money like that. It wasn’t my birthday, or some special occasion to honor me with money. So what was the occasion for this gift?

Her Mommy explained to me that Adia had gone into her Piggy Bank for the money so she could help support us since we are now home missionaries who are raising our financial support.

So what is 35 cents when we need a hundred or more people to give “substantial” gifts to support us in the Lord’s work as home missionaries? I can say with thanksgiving beyond words that this gift of a child’s coins is priceless. It is God who put the desire in a five year old’s heart. She wants to give her money to help support us because she loves us and she loves Jesus. And, she is one of the first to do so.

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Thank you Lord for the unexpected encouragement from a child’s coins and the reminder that you will provide through your children. And thank you, little Adia.

Confessions of a Reluctant Home Missionary

One of the best books on church planting in my opinion is a short work by Mark Driscoll, founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and a leader of the ACTS29 church planting network. The title of this honest and straightforward book is Confessions of a Reformational Rev. His transparent treatment of his journey as a church planter inspires me to write the following personal comments about yours truly.

As a new home missionary (every Christian is a missionary according to the Scriptures), I have several things I need to confess to my readers and supporters.


Confession number 1: I had to overcome the fear of asking people to support my ministry.

A little voice inside me said, “Don’t ask, because people you know will refuse, or even worse, be offended.” But God showed us that he indeed will work through people we know, even without our asking. As I studied and read about faith missionaries, I learned that building a ministry partner team is not about me, it’s about asking people to give to God working through me and to pray. God has me on a journey of moving from fear to faith (1 Chr. 28:20). You might say I’m overcoming the fear of asking each day as I do ask people to partner with us in ministry.

Confession number 2: I had to become convinced that being a faith missionary doesn’t mean I am begging for support.

I guess I’ve seen too many men and women with their shopping carts and plastic bags standing on the street corners of Bellingham, Washington close to where we live holding up cardboard and crayon signs that say something like, “Please help – anything – candles, food, God bless.” I know that’s not what missionaries do, but when I am the one that needs to ask, it is another story. I am learning that we are asking people to become partners with us in God’s ministry (Phil. 4:10-19). Why shouldn’t ask our friends to join with us in doing God’s work? And, I am learning that I am asking to minister to others.

Confession number 3: I really have a hard time trusting God to meet my needs, really.

In the past I have trusted God to provide through a regular pay check, either from a job or from a ministry. But now I am learning that we are trusting God for whatever he sends through others. I had to dig deep, and when I did I discovered that pride and a spirit of self-reliance was getting in the way of saying yes to faith missions work. Now, God has to show up big time, and when he does as Jehovah Jirah (The LORD, the Provider – Genesis 22:14), it’s all about Him! I have preached on Abraham’s story in Genesis 22, but now God is giving me the opportunity to practice what I preach. I am learning that God really honors faith and it pleases Him when I rely on God alone (Heb. 11:6). I want above all to please God.

Confession number 4: I had to stop telling myself that I am getting too old for this.

When I began considering a faith ministry where I would need to build a ministry support team, I we told that it’s much more difficult to raise your support when you are my age than when you are much younger. I even began to tell that to myself, and often! Here’s wheat is replacing “you’re too old.” Do I really believe what God says about prayer (Eph. 3:20-21)? Do I really believe that the Lord provided for Abraham after he turned 99 years old (Gen 21-22)? Do I really believe that God doesn’t look at the outward appearance (including age) when he wants to use men and women (and me) for his work (1 Sam. 16:7)?

And so, we are on a journey of faith, and are inviting others to join us in ministry along the way.

My Old Stomping Grounds

Yesterday and today I experienced a taste of what is to come in my new ministry as church planting coach and it happened at one of the churches in my old stoping grounds.

Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church now meets in a new building in Vancouver but it wasn't the building that caused me to ponder what God has in store. Over 10 years ago I served as a District Superintendent of the LowerPacific District of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada, a district that has a growing multiu-ethnic look and sound. VCEFC is one of the churches that I worked with then and where I just returned from today - a wonderful church of over 500 Chinese people with services in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. This year it hosted the Lower Pacific District Conference and I was a guest from across the border.

I met many people including pastors and leaders whose birthplaces included Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Hong Kong, Korea and of course Canada and the US. The food, music, fellowship and teaching were great, but it was the people who impressed me and gave me a glimpse into the future of my ministry as a church planting coach and consultant in the Pacific Northwest.

There was Chad, a young former youth pastor but now a church planter struggling to make sense of his new ministry that he has dreamed about for many years. Chad and I taked about his experiences in the first few months of church planting, his frustrations and his faith. He encouraged me as I began to encourage him. We talked about his needs and he expressed to me that he and his wife had been looking for and praying about finding a coach who could help him. We talked some more and I offered to begin coaching him. He and his wife were excited to talk to someone who seemed to understand what they were going through and who could coach him in his journew of hard work and faith in God. He wants nothing more than to reach new people with the Good News of Jesus Christ and draw them into a new community (aka church) of believers and seekers. Our coaching sessions begin in the next couple of weeks.

Then there was a man who has helped to plant churches and still has a heart for church planting and who is a lay leader in another church . He was born in Viet Nam and has come close to completing a seminary degree. We talked much and I believe God will use him in some special ways in the near future to plant one or more "international" churches. I believe we will be in contact much more in the days ahead and I pray I will be a Barnabas to him in ministry and church planting in particular.

While at the Conference, I also met several Koreans who now live in Canada and are planting churches to reach Korean immigrants. One is the leader of a group of Korean pastors, church planters and churches. Hang around these dear folk and you can see and hear the love of Jesus and the vision to multiply churches that will multiply churches. They may struggle with the English language but they do not struggle with the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. The leader mentioned to me that he knows of two other Korean church plants in the Seattle area and he wants to get them in contact with me.

It's been a great encouraging first week of new ministry for me and I can't wait to see what God has planned. Next week begins the hard work of contacting people who would be willing to join our Ministry Support Team. Who will send us? (Matthew 9:36-38)

Starting Out on the Faith Journey

Today one journey of faith ends and another begins. I have been called to be a Church Planting Coach by the Pacific Northwest District of the Evangelical Free Church of America. This is an answer to prayer. Here's a bit of our story.

In December I concluded a two-year contract ministry as an intentional interim senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Vancouver, BC, Canada. We are thankful to have had that opportunity to serve the Lord and to experience a very multi-cultural local church with many challenges ahead. We shared the Word of God and worked to restore the health of the church, preparing them for their next senior pastor. God was good and we left with many firends with such last names as Braun, Brendle, Cardenas, Chan, Demczuk, Li, Meier, Reich, Wong, Young, Cho, Collins, Gartner, Hugelshofer, Kabyemera, Nee, Ouellette, Sun, Yeung, to name a few. We saw a little glimpse of glory.

January came and went, but no job or ministry for either Marty or me. We prayed hard, submitted applications, made phone calls, checked church job and business web sites, filed out forms and applications, activated the Evangelical Free Church Placement service, and contacted district and regional leaders, but still nothing. We even applied to serve with Power to Change (Campus Crusade for Christ in Canada) and aaccepted the fact that we would need to raise our own support. Everything looked good until God used Canadian immigration to close the door on our living in Lynden, Washington where we are and work in Canada. February also came and went with nothing to show for all our efforts.

Some days we grew discouraged and wondered if God was listening to our prayers. (He was!)Some days our relationship with one another was stretched. We were going through what James 1:2-3 calls the "testing of our faith." But there were also those days and moments of encouragement as we saw God use three of our friends to give large money gifts "out of the blue" but from the heart of our loving God. One friend I didn't know very well encouraged us with a few timely words, also from the heart of God. Faith journeys are often emotional rollercoasters, and ours has been. But God has been there with us all along just as he promised.

Then came today. A phone call gave us the news that I am being called to serve as Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest District of the Evangelical Free Church of America. That district covers churches in the states of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. This ministry will allow me to share my God-given wisdom, knowledge and skills that I have gained over 33 years of ministry as I mentor, coach, train, equip and encourage new church planters, churches that want to plant new churches and even work with other denominations and organizations in the Pacific Northwest including possibilities in Canada. I will be able to finish out my public ministry years in my ministry "sweet spot." Plus, we will not need to move, a fact that makes Grammy Marty and Boppy Charlie very happy, just ask out three little blond granddaughters who live 10 minutes away.

Now in the new journey, God is calling us to ask our friends to share in what we will be doing. We need to raise an army of people who will support us through their regular prayers and financial giving. We are building a Team to help reach an area known for the fact that it is the most unchurched area in North America. We are missionaries in a great harvest field the Lord is preparing.

Deciding what to name this blog came easy for a coach. It takes me back to my Junior High and High School days when our football coach had a chalk talk at each practice to try to communicate what it takes to be victorious in the game. I want my team to be victorious in winning many men, women, boys and girls to faith in Christ, in disciple-making and in multiplying churches throughout the Pacific Northwest.

You are invited to join our Ministry Support Team by praying, and if possible by your faithful giving to our needs. All gifts from the USA are tax deductable. I will soon be sending out letters, e-mails and making phone calls, but will be glad to answer your questions sent to charlieworley@gmail.com.